I FEEL A change coming on.
Oh yes I do.
It is approaching that time of year when I look to make do with what I have – at least for a month or just beyond.
I call it is my lesson in contentment and I anticipate I’ll need it more than ever by the time this year is through with me.
It is that period during which I opt to use whatever I have stored in the larder and resist every temptation to go out and buy foods that pile up, eventually end up expiring and after a long while get tossed into the garbage. Most of you know that to be the case, especially with cheese that ends up lost in the back of the refrigerator.
Last year I saved a bit by choosing to turn whatever food remained in the freezer or cupboard into meals rather than bypassing them to go buy something fresher. This year again I’m opting not to waste money or food.
Worked well
It worked out well for me last year but not so much for Ya Ya. But then again, she wasn’t the breadwinner so it was easy for her to spend or want to spend.
However, we will test that spending theory of hers once this summer is over seeing as how she’s found herself a temporary job. I cannot wait to make unreasonable demands on that salary.
But back to my food-saving, time-saving, money-saving plan.
Toni did it all wrong last year by going into squirrel mode, storing up nuts for winter. She made a trip to the supermarket and stockpiled items and said she would use them all until they ran out.
That wasn’t the way it was supposed to work.
When August or September steps in, whatever is in the house at that point must be left as is. No adding anything. Do that and you’ll never get rid of the other items in storage.
And no matter how turned off you are by not having the meal you desire, do not give in. You will go home with a hankering for one thing or the next – ignore it. Think how much sweeter it will be a month or two down the line when the experiment is over.
Anyhow, some of us could stand to cut out a meal or two.
I sometimes watch as customers point at the biggest portion of food or meat and demand that they get it. Why do we have to get the biggest piece of meat, the largest portion of pie/rice/pasta?
Can you remember when the portions were smaller and no harm was done? Of course you can.
There was a time when soft drinks came in ten or 12 ounces or less and we drank one and were satisfied. Now they come in 16 and 20 ounces and we believe we have to finish the bottle or we’ve failed. There’s no shame in saving it for another day.
Cut back
My colleagues have been bearing down on me to get rid of my Coke habit but I think I’ll keep it a little longer, if I’m to be brutally honest. What I will do is cut back on the number of the fizzy drinks I consume. An ice-cold Coke during these warm summer days can be very tempting but I now have a limit.
On that note, let me state a case for the movement towards healthy lifestyles and buying local fresh vegetables and meats. Some supermarkets have started advising about the use of sugar and salt, advertisements are being aired warning about the dangers of those preservatives and experts are speaking out. Well done!
I’m not the world’s most disciplined person when it comes to healthy lifestyle, either eating or exercising, but after my eat-what-I-have challenge I’ll take on the lifestyle challenge.