Let me tell you, I was never a more happy camper to go to the grocery store than I was on November 21st, 2011. And it was a good thing, too, because the parking lot looked like what would happen if an entire town had been evacuated in an apocalypse and had to congregate together. You'd think that making my first shopping trip three days before Thanksgiving would have been a harrowing experience but I was too excited to mind all the idiots in my way. I was a woman on a mission and I had pastry responsibilities for goodness sake.
Now, I couldn't go unarmed, of course. First, tunes. I highly recommend it. Stupid people seem waaaay less stupid when you're bumpin' Electric Light Orchestra. You just can't be mad at them. I mean, what kind of a**hole would I be if I got pissed at someone while Don't Bring Me Down played in the background? Try it sometime. Giving idiots a soundtrack is like booping a person's nose after they yell at you.
And, of course, I couldn't go uncaffeinated. I pretty much can't do anything uncaffeinated. Starbucks is really my only vice, but it's a big one. (Seriously. Ask my friends. If I drank alcohol like I drink pumpkin spice lattes, we'd all be in trouble.)
So, armed with some classic rock, techno, sugar, and coffee, I set out on my epic journey through Winco to obtain only what was on my list. It was sooooo hard. (That's what she said.) Every time I turned a corner, I was like (imagine a cross between ADD and meth) "Oh wait, I need that!" And every time I had to stop and remind myself that even if I needed it, I didn't need it right now.
I think that's one of the biggest lessons I learned from this whole deal. I was raised in a situation where the grocery store was a long way away and we didn't have much, so if you saw something on sale, you bought it, even if you didn't need it, so it was really difficult for me to say "I might need that in the future, but I don't need it now." And that's the mantra I have to repeat to myself pretty much every time I leave the house now. Do I need that now? Nope. Nope, I don't. And I force myself to walk away.
Apparently this is what normal people do. Or maybe it isn't -- you tell me. Maybe that's why we waste so much as a society, because we get the galloping greedy gimmes (Yeah, I just dropped a Berenstein Bears reference. Boom.) and we just buy without really thinking. Who knows. It's not my job to figure that out. But it is my job to be a wise and discerning consumer.
Now, here's a major problem I noticed. Before, I was going out and buying a can of this, a box of that without knowing how much I needed so I'd just buy more thinking I'd rather have extra than run out. The solution? Write that sh** on your list. Exactly how much you need. And Winco is a great place for that because they sell a lot of things in bulk. You can get a half a cup of this, a pound of that, and not be burdened with extra. Of course, you can't do this with everything, but that's an issue I'll talk about in another post. But in the mean time, I have to share a little secret -- I totally brought my cups and containers to the store with me. Shameless, right? Nope. I had just enough of what I needed and I didn't have to measure when I made the meal! And yes, I was worried people would stare at me, but George Michael distracted me. If they were watching, I didn't notice.
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| No, I didn't put my cup straight in the bin if that's what you were thinking. |
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| Look at all the shizz I got! |
So there you have it. And now, whenever I go to the grocery store, I'm even more surprised at how much I don't buy. I keep looking at the cart or basket thinking I forgot something. (So if you see me in the aisle of Safeway wearing my derp face, that's why...) Aaaaand as an added bonus, after a few weeks of being able to go to the grocery store I realized my cabinets were staying pretty empty which left me a ton of space for kitchen stuff! But that's for next time, so stay tuned....
Happy shopping!
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