Ok.

Wow you really need to try Aldi if you buy a lot of fruit and vegetables..

$400 at Whole Foods as a couple with a toddler. But we eat out a lot and get pre prepared meals delivered from territory. So it’s basically just for snacks, food for baby, and maybe 1-2 lunches and 1-2 dinners a week.

DC is basically a small town, and if you spend any amount of time here, you'll know what I mean. The good news is lots of people arrived here from somewhere else, and they remember being new, and it's pretty easy to meet people and make friends. Imagine moving to a town where everyone had known each other since kindergarten?! That's not DC. I moved here 18 years ago and I went on some of the walking tours (on a free tour weekend) to get to know various neighborhoods. I joined a couple museums (NBM, NWMA) at a level that would allow me to go to opening receptions or special events (where I could meet people with common interests). I went to happy hour when invited so I could meet people. I joined a book club. I got season tickets to a cool theater. I volunteered to work at events and a local women's shelter. I joined professional orgs and volunteered on committees. I picked an apartment that was absurdly small (300 sf) but located in the middle of everything (adams morgan) so i would be encouraged to get out, and it would be easy to do things without a long metro trip on either end. There are lots of ways to meet people. What do you like doing? What are your values? I assure you, you will find your tribe!

As for safety, basic common sense rules. Don't walk alone after dark - especially not with headphones on, where you can't hear what's around you. Take an Uber or a cab of you're headed home late. Don't leave your bike unlocked in public (highly recommend capitol bikeshare in lieu of owning an expensive bike). Don't leave a purse or laptop bag or backpack unattended or hanging on the back of a chair in a crowded location where it could be swiped. Be aware of your surroundings. If you are walking around and feel unsafe, get to a public location, or find someone to walk next to so it looks like you're together. Lock your doors at night. If you have a car and park on the street, don't leave tempting items in it overnight for thieves. Have Amazon or other deliveries go to a location where someone can receive them (door man, receptionist, or mail drop location), don't leave them on your doorstep for swiping. Don't talk to people standing on the street with clipboards "do you have a minute for the environment" they are persistent and will suck up half your day. Wear a condom.

Plenty of super sugary drinks with little to no caffeine at Starbucks. Essentially milkshakes.

Carjackings are generally a crime of opportunity. A small crew will drive around in usually a stolen car and spot someone say dropping off a delivery. Or getting into their car outside of a building and just pop out. Or they’ll hang around a gas station. But mostly its people getting into or out of cars being approached by 2 armed people People take valuable, common cars. Recycle them for drive bys, chop em up or just ditch them later. Hyundais and kias were singled out for theft since they were easy to steal after a tiktok challenge went viral

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers. - Socrates

I never thought I’d say it, but I hope Republicans in Congress overrule the Council. The recent trend of letting criminals free clearly doesn’t work. We need long mandatory minimums and more cops on the streets.

Its a weird thing about DC I have noticed after living in other cities. The crime is widely distributed. Theres only a few very low crime neighborhoods. On the other hand, crime was highly concentrated in a few neighborhoods in other cities I’ve lived in. I think the unpredictability of it is anxiety provoking for me

You’re just an adult now doesn’t matter where you are teenagers are a menace

That's about what we spend as a couple too. Mostly Wegman's

Wait until OP finds out about the teens playing their own real life version of grand theft auto in other parts of the city.

Nope

You’re not wrong about their reliability - this is the same account that falsely claimed one of the hospitals was in lockdown due to an Ebola positive patient and caused some mild panic.

In NW dc? Wtf you talking about lol

Based on your opinions on DC food I don't think you get out enough

My daughter and I were spending about as much as you Giant/TJs/Costco, and occasionally WFs. We decided to cut way back, so we make meals for the week on Sunday using dried beans like lentils, red beans and fresh veggies. We have meatless dinners with baked sweet potato for me and regular baked potato for her, plus fixins. This past Sunday we made a large pot of lentil soup which will last 5-6 days, and we can freeze it. We vary it each night by having rice with it or avocado, greens etc so it doesn’t get boring. Neither one of us eat three meals a day, so we keep fresh fruit, yogurt, nuts, etc for mid day. If I happen to have a big lunch with friends or coworkers, I will just have a very light “dinner”. Lots of apples and peanut butter. My only splurge is wine, lol. I need that in my life.

https://wapo.st/41zJoTG

Homicides up 40% year to date

Atlanta has an excellent food scene. Until a few years ago it was clearly better than DC's

Gross generalizations make an easy shitty argument.

This has been said about every generation.

What the fuck are you buying/eating? Like a steak every night? Dawg, I spend like $30-50 a week MAX for me and my partner and we get take out/pick up 1-3 times in that week and still come out with less. I'm not a small dude either at 220. I do Costco maybe quarterly for meat, that keeps costs down well. Besides that, I split my food between our giant and Harris teeter, occasionally go to whole paycheck to get an ingredient or two.

You said you don't do meal prep...how are you making a list for the store then? Do you just go and buy foods assuming it will come together? Do you buy a lot of precooked or packaged meals? What's your waste look like? I go in with at least two dinner recipes and an all week lunch in mind then buy extras after.

This week I made a huge ratatouille, pesto pasta, chicken in brown butter sauce, Mediterranean style loaded potatoes for lunch, breakfasts are normally up to the person but I have two eggs and toast damn near every morning. Spent $37 at giant, had the chicken from Costco. I used to make meal plans for folks on food stamps, $50 a week is very doable on nice meals if you take 10 minutes and plan it out. You don't even have to eat rice and beans lol. Budget bytes. com and other similar sites also are a huge help too.

Costco might be a good route for y'all. They deliver in the city via USPS or instakart and membership pays for itself in no time at all, especially if you're buying meat in bulk. Also DC Costco will be the cheapest booze in the city IME

Lead pipes, I’m telling ya

Whoa. Family of 3. $100 per week. 80% TJ, 20% mix of wegmans/Safeway/giant/whole foods (we live near all 5). Another $100 for the target trip (home supplies) and $100 Asian store. Not super big meat eaters (sometimes frozen fish, whole chickens, ground meats/deli). But we never budget, the low meat content and high veggie/fruit content keeps costs naturally in control.

I like it, but I like bougie/luxury neighborhoods in general. I love Soho in NYC, I love the Domain in Austin - everyone else always calls them devoid of character, but the one thing DC is missing in my opinion to be the perfect city is some sense of how to do glamor.