In looking through my pantry today I realized that I have 3 cans of evaporated milk. Why? In my two years of cooking and baking I have never used evaporated milk, why do I feel I need to keep buying this? Same with canned and dried beans and canned tomatoes and whole wheat pasta. Every time I go grocery shopping I feel compelled to pick up a couple of cans and/or boxes of these items. Oh - these and laundry soap. For a while I kept running into laundry soap sales and I felt I had to take advantage of these good prices. Then one day Justin noticed that we have 4 giant (because of course I buy them in bulk) containers of laundry soap and he confronted my lunacy. I have curbed this one in particular (for the time being) because it takes up so much space...and because Justin is watching. In fact, whenever he shops with me he thinks it is the funniest thing in the world to casually grab several boxes as we're passing the aisle just to get me to glare at him...which I do.
I've decided I feverishly stockpile these items because they're inexpensive. "89 cents a can!? I'll take 6!! Oh my goodness gracious, the pasta is only $1.49 today, I'd better buy two of each kind!!"
Yeaaah, its ALWAYS $1.49. What I REALLY want to do is pick up some of those beer sausage pepperoni sticks and some specialty cheeses and herbed crackers and icecream and sundried tomatoes and juice and wild Alasken salmon fillets and steaks and those ramikens that match my kitchen. But those are all "splurge" items and not necessities so, canned tomatoes it is.
Don't get me wrong, we eat very well. Its just that we eat a LOT! And by "we" I really mean, "Justin." So even withOUT the splurge items I find our grocery budget to be staggering. What on EARTH are we gonne do when we have kids, especially if they are boys!
Today however, I broke out of my pathetic rut. Yes, I still bought both tomato products AND pasta. In all fairness, I thought we might be out. We most certainly WEREN'T but I thought we MIGHT be! And I bought bowtie pasta, we haven't tried that one yet. I mixed things up by adding to my list a splurge item. I was cringing as I paid for it because I could HEAR my mom telling me that when you're trying to be thrifty you DON'T buy things like chocolate and icecream, but I bravely sallied on and shelled out $2.97 on my unnecessary purchase.
NesQuik chocolate milk syrup. I felt a little excited but mostly guilty and confessed my misdeed immediately to Justin as I stepped in the door and instead of "WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING!" I heard, "YESSSSS!"Hm, well that wasn't so bad. And since mom's not watching anyway...I might do this again someday.
Unfortunately my little excursion on the wild side comes with 70 calories a Tablespoon. Is it possible I could ration this delicious temptation in my fridge? Will I be sane with my consumption? I honestly don't know, but from past experience I'd say the chances are not good.
You know, I work with disabled people and find it amusing and endearing how repetitious some of their odder habits are. One withdraws $54 every Tuesday and another greets me with the predicted weather highs and lows every day. To these I give a small patronizing chuckle and think, "Ah, disabled people, what funny quirks they have." And then on my break, off I go to buy another can of evaporated milk.
5 comments:
I do the same thing. Sometimes we have weird things like two cases of black olives from Costco. And I am really bad about picking up things that aren't on the list but I want to give them a try. Usually, it is a complete failure like, spreadable swiss cheese. Blau.. Diana
This is so great! so know what you mean. I guess that is what happens when one grows up with a frugal mother :)
Ruth
in your defence carolyn, I gave you a can of evaporated milk when we moved. I'm not sure why I bought it either. Anyways, one of them is forgivable- the other two are on your own accord!
Do you need ideas to use them up? You know, some of that is habit from large families and living in the middle of nowhere! You never know when you will get to the store again and when everyone will eat all your food! I will never ever forget having just ice cream for dinner at your house! I had never in my life met anyone like that....I am sure you had your own things we shocked you about, but that was one that we were shocked at. The other was not ever eating burritos! Anyhow, I just made a wonderful roll recipe we like that you can roll ham and cheese inside of for a snack or lunch that uses up evaporated milk! To tell you the truth, I am still using up some that is 5 years old.....
Haha...you make me laugh. but I think we are all guilty. I buy doubles of things when I forget what I already have at home. for example, we've got two boxes of cornstarch and probably 8 cans of tomato soup all bought a different times. whoops.
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