Medical school was defined by the exciting truth that every dollar spent would eventually accrue so much interest by the end of training that you could essentially spend $10 on a single Oreo. Living on loans is like playing Russian roulette, only the revolver is your credit card, and you get shot in the head every time you unsheathe it. What a rush! Those days were simple. Exhilarating. When the residency days get long, I pine for the good ol’ days.
But then residency comes, and a massive paycheck hits the bank account. Suddenly buying groceries doesn’t necessarily mean selling your soul to the loan sharks you grew to know and love. It is time now to stop living entirely off of beans, rice, and pity dinner dates. Now is the time to sacrifice and buy gallons of ice cream. The immensity of the paycheck will cover all of your guilty pleasures.
Now that you’re living large, you have a new problem. With great surplus comes great responsibility. You can no longer claim poverty in lieu of an idea for dinner. It is time to meal plan.
Something to keep in mind is that your doctor significant other will likely be home for dinner every night, and often leaves for work after breakfast. Waking up early to prepare a balanced breakfast worthy of a Kellogg’s commercial is almost as important to your family’s health as is a fresh, hot dinner to be consumed promptly at six. Doctors love to take care of themselves, due in part to the devastating health issues they see at the hospital. If your doctor is anything like my husband, he/she is likely to ask for a healthy sack lunch to take with them to work each day.
The soda and chips in the resident lounge leave much to be desired during my ample lunch breaks. ~ My Husband
Pro tip: When packing a sack lunch, items that need additional preparation are ideal. Try for multiple containers of food requiring a microwave for extra credit.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll linger in front of the rice at the grocery store, and flee from the fresh meat isle for a while. Heaven forbid you pin that recipe on Pinterest that calls for sausage AND half-and-half. But try to shoo away the ghost of budgets past. Now is the time to splurge. With your spouse home more than they ever were in medical school, you’ll now have time to cook those extravagant meals you’ve always dreamed of. And since your loans are content silently gaining interest in the background, you might as well spend any extra cash on food.
But if there is one expense you should pass on, it’s cereal. We don’t believe in fast meals at our house. On the occasional day when your doctor spouse gets home late, they won’t be looking for a quick fix for their hunger. Trust me. What they need is a hearty meal at 9:30 at night to carry them through their nightly studies.
No resident prefers protein bars for breakfast. You’ll never find your lunch neglected in the resident lounge fridge. Most of all, you’ll almost never find yourself alone at dinner time. So ditch the beans and rice and start getting creative!
