What could you do with 25% of your budget for food? If we Americans throw away one fifth to one fourth of what we buy, why aren't we more alarmed about reclaiming that cash? We're too busy, and we just don't think about it.
I have three items in this picture, representing three bad reasons to buy something--even if said item is on sale. The first is Starbucks Via. This iced coffee is fantastic. Because it so expensive, I don't drink it very often (plus, it really wires me. I think I have to drink hot coffee in the morning, so I only drink it in the afternoon. Lightbulb: I could drink it in the morning. Ah, I love this blog.).
But when I see it on sale, I think, "Oooh, I should buy that. It's such a treat, I'd love to have more on hand." I currently have 3 boxes, and I drink maybe one serving once a month. That means I currently have almost a year and a half of Via iced coffee. I either need to increase my consumption or stop buying it. Even if it's on sale. Really.
Even if they repackage it and it looks so adorable.
Resist.
The next item is the cocoa. This is a fantastic product from Melaleuca because it is delicious and has 5g of protein per serving (great balance, for diabetics as well as the rest of us). Just a sec: I need to go pour myself some more iced coffee. *hands a bit shaky*
I bought about 6 packages of the cocoa a while back when they were on sale. My youngest and I were ecstatic. Then, after a few months, we got really tired of cocoa. I still have 2 bags left. Save it till we think it's a good idea again?
Perhaps, before I buy such a great bargain, I should consider how many servings I'm purchasing. There is an actual financial loss, even if the item is on sale: save $2/package now, throw away two $8 packages later.
I bought some delicious bbq pork this spring; it comes in rather large packages. I should have repackaged it, but I was teaching and simply didn't have time. We ate so many bbq sandwiches when I thawed out the first package that now I can't stand the idea of eating it ever again. I have four more. I will have to intentionally offer to take it to the next church potluck, or wait for a funeral dinner, or have lots of hungry teens over.
If you buy some great bargain that you will get tired of, it isn't a great bargain.
Lastly, the baby carrots. I actually bought these for a potluck, but they represent those foods we purchase because we think we should be eating them. For example, if your family likes Rice-a-roni, but you think they should like a homemade risotto that you make with brown rice--well, it's a recipe you saw, you've never actually made it--so you buy a giant bag of brown rice that now sits accusingly in your pantry...who needs this kind of stress? Buy the Rice-a-roni.
Buy what you eat.
Consider your go-to recipes, those meals you make when you are too tired to cook. Mine include spaghetti (with jarred sauce), macaroni and cheese with a vegetable, and hamburgers and fries. Keep the ingredients for these staple items on hand. My daughters like quesadillas and pasta skillets and paninis; I buy ingredients that please them. My husband packs a lunch for work, and I eat alone if I am not working full time, events that can be planned for, allowing usable purchases.
I hope that you won't go shopping this evening. Go dig through your freezer. You probably even have time to make that complicated risotto recipe. It is possible that trying that recipe will make you appreciate Rice-a-roni all the more.
Note: I tried to research the price of the cocoa from Melaleuca's site, and I apparently bought it way back. They don't even make it now, which is a shame. I mean, I personally am tired of it, but it is a great concept.
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