By  LPJ

No, it doesn’t for me. But I still bring a list when grocery shopping. Nuts! Why and what for? Actually, the intent is there – just stay with the list; don’t buy too much; don’t go overboard with spending and don’t get carried away with the attractive and tempting come-ons of the displays.  Nagging reminders – good, right?

But what happens? The list is ignored, and the number of purchases at least triples. When I get home and try to find places to keep the purchased commodities, frustration and some  disappointment creep up. Strange, though, that mixed with that disappointment is satisfaction that there is more than enough food to last – a month? Secretly gloating over quick whims is like forbidden pleasure, especially when the goods are “black listed” by health restrictions.  The excuse is, I eat them only once in a while – that can’t hurt. Of course and you guessed right.  They weren’t on my list. So, do I remember the “once in a while” part?

Carrot cake, dark chocolates, light nachos, mild salsa, potato chips, and a medium bottle of Pepsi, to name some. The fun and funny part is, they’re all gone, after a week. The forbidden pleasures go fast; they come and go with a shade of guilt that leads to the resolve – they won’t be in my cart next time I go grocery shopping. The truth? I’ll tell you later. To make up for the cravings, lately, I’ve acquired the habit of buying a lot of berries (blue berries, black berries, strawberries).  Good for the kidneys and liver, according to food research articles.

I must confess, though, that I have the tendency to forget what I had bought, and the items stay in the freezer longer than they should. The good news is – when I think I run out of things to cook, I just shop in my freezer and voila! Before my eyes is a variety of food stacked away; plenty to choose from. A mix of frozen dinners to boot!

So, I go back to having a grocery list. A mute practice, but who knows, maybe someday I will learn to stick to it … or maybe, I won’t.

Linda P. Jacob