Second update today, but I just had to write down a few observations.
Always Low Prices, Always a Big Headache
Let's face it, I'm a Target girl, but I needed a throw for the back of my sofa and Target didn't have what I wanted. So tonight I set off for WalMart, to brave the crowds and mess.
I almost ran screaming when I turned down an aisle in housewares only to find two enormous flats stacked about eight feet high with boxes of merchandise waiting to be put out. Some nimrod had left them there on a peak shopping day, so that you can't even pass through with a shopping cart. Gah! I had to slither my way through just to see if they had any throws in that aisle (they didn't).
I did eventually find a nice blue throw at a nice price ($16); it will do the job I need it to do--namely hide an unsightly zipper on one of my sofa cushions. While there I also picked up a package of Swiffer refills (don't know what a Swiffer is? Best invention since sliced bread--that baby picks up more hair off the floor than any broom ever will).
Anyway, I made it through WalMart with minimal headache, and then relaxed for a while at one of my favorite stores on the planet: Barnes and Noble Booksellers. After a lovely bit of time browsing through stacks and stacks of books (the first thing I do when I walk into a bookstore is take a big deep breath through my nose, savoring the very smell of the place). I bought a map of California and Bill Bryson's tale of European travel, "Neither Here Nor There."
That lovely interlude finished, I was on my way home...with one quick stop at WinCo.
Hence the Title
I managed to make it through the store with little incident, notwithstanding come very close to running over some little brat whose mother was...well, who knows where she was and what she was doing, but her little beastie was dancing in front of my cart with wild abandon.
I uttered a sharp, teacher-ish, "Excuse me!!" Most children would quake in their shoes and run away, but this one just gave me an absent-minded, "It's okay!" before running off to some woman who is, presumably, his mother. Not that she noticed his presence.
Anyway, I digress. What got me to boot up my computer and post a second blog today was what I encountered at the checkout stand.
Let me first list the contents of my shopping cart:
Romaine lettuce
A can of olives
Zuchini
Feta Cheese
A carton of orange juice (not the artificial kind, mind you)
A bottle of mineral water
A package of Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches (a low calorie snack that is actually quite satisfying).
Pretty healthy, I'm sure you'll agree. Not exceedingly healthy, but mostly natural food products and nothing that's going to make me 300 pounds in any hurry.
The woman in front of me, however, had a cart full of crap. She was obviously on a tight budget, as she kept asking the check-out girl to keep her apprised of the total. I've always marvelled what people on low budgets buy. In all of her stuff (and she had a whole cart filled up), she had, from what I could see, one item from the produce section. The rest of her cart was filled to bursting with several 2-liter soda bottles, several gallon jugs of that 85% sugar fruit punch crap, Mac 'N Cheese, etc. The woman herself was obviously not in her best mode--she had a serious case of "builder's bum" (I saw more of her backside than I ever wanted to) and she was wearing bedroom slippers on her feet. It wasn't pretty.
Because she had a lot of stuff, I had a few minutes to stand and wait after unloading my own purchases onto the conveyer. Another woman pulled her cart up behind me and started unloading. I took a look.
At least 8 Banquet microwave dinners
Four boxes of Mac 'N Cheese
Two frozen pizzas
Two bags of chips
There were various other things but I couldn't see one healthy option. Not a fruit or vegetable to be found.
Is this what people are really feeding their children? Sometimes I get a very big urge to shake these people and scream at them, "You are killing your children! Diabetes! Heart Disease! Obesity! Poor concentration! Hyperactivity! Why? Why? WHY????"
Instead, I minded my own business. But it got me thinking: I had some Mac 'N Cheese the other day and you know, it wasn't all that satisfying. My stomach was full, yes, but my brain was thinking, "That's it? That was no fun." I can't begin to imagine eating that kind of crap all the time. Seriously! I would be constantly sick. I've truly reached a point in my life where I'd rather have a bowl of home-made soup and a big, fresh salad for dinner than anything else. Face it, it's cheap to buy the ingredients, it's easy to make...well, there's some preparation involved but I tend to wash and chop all of my veggies, put them in food storage containers, and just grab what I need when I need it.
It's not that time-consuming. I find it very easy to stay within budget. My meals are satisfying and very, very tasty because the food is fresh and good for me. I simply don't understand why other people think it's cheaper and easier to feed their children so much crap. I never will.
But, as ever, I just mind my own business, and eat my vegetables.
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