. . . or steak, or nice vacations, or whatever else is your fancy. And the reverse is true, too. If you don't buy bacon, you can afford chips and snacks, even on a tight budget. It's all about choice. What made me think about this is I went shopping at WinCo this week and I bought 3 packages of bacon. But I completely bypassed the chips and crackers aisle. I wanted bacon, and I knew my family would really enjoy bacon. So that's what I chose to do with our grocery budget for the week.
So often I think about what we can't have or can't do, due to financial constraints. But in reality, we can afford 98% of what we could put on a wish list. We might have to cut out something or save for a longer period. In the end, we could afford almost everything.
It helps my financial morale to remember this aspect of budgeting. Instead of feeling deprived, I end up feeling grateful for the blessing of choice.
Have a wonderful weekend, friends. And I'll be enjoying more bacon. . .
I agree 100% but for different reasons. I bought several bags of chips per week for myself as a coping mechanism. That turned into a diabetic diagnosis. I loved any kind of chips so to stop eating them was difficult. But now I don't buy any kind of chip or cracker except on occasian. I know I would eat the whole bag so I walk past those aisles unless I want some with a special meal. I have no idea how/if that has changed my A1C numbers but it has been several years and I haven't had it rechecked yet. I do monitor blood sugar levels at home and they are not super high.
ReplyDeleteAs for bacon, we have it maybe once a month and we do love it but mostly for special times. When I cleaned out my freezer, I found 2 packages so I'm thinking Christmas breakfast.
This month (and maybe next) will be a deliberate use of freezer foods so no shopping except for milk. Not even eggs or cheese, coffee cream or half and half. Christmas dinner will be whatever we have in house and I don't think we'll have a gathering this year except for our own kids.
Alice
Hi Alice,
Deleteyour diagnosis would prompt many to make changes like you did. I can understand how difficult it is to give up certain foods. I have my special foods, too, that I'd be hard-pressed to stop eating. Good job to you!
Yay for bacon found in the freezer! I love when I find a special food like that. And you can use it for a special occasion. That's awesome.
I like your words of "a blessing of choice." A good thing to remember in almost all circumstances. BTW, we have bacon about 2x/month. My husband is a big fan and likes to cook bacon and omelets. And as for chips, we don't buy them often because, like Alice, I would eat the whole bag. When I really want them, I try to buy a small single serving bag to give me a taste, but not break the diet or the budget.
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeletePre-made snack foods and commercial cookies are hards for me to resist if in the house. I do as you do and buy a single serving if I really want the taste of the food. I'm not one of those people who can eat just one cookie or just a few chips if I have a large package in the pantry. Buying just a single serving amount is a good solution.
You are absolutely correct. Life is all about choices, and that’s true no matter how much money one has. At the grocery store, if you choose to fill your cart with a bunch of pop, frozen foods, and snacks there won’t be room in the cart, or budget, for a weeks worth, or a months worth, of food.
ReplyDeleteAs for the example you gave, chips would probably have come home with me lol. My Dh loves chips. He doesn’t just sit and eat them, but likes them with a sandwich. I don’t really eat too many, but I find myself serving them a lot more often than I used to because we seem to have things like hamburgers, French dips, etc for dinner often. I never cook breakfast, except for a few times a year when I might do breakfast for dinner, so bacon isn’t something we eat very often-maybe on a BLT is all. If a person watches the sales, and only buys those extra things when they are on sale, they can have their chips and their bacon lol. I have chips in the pantry now that I bought on sale a couple weeks ago, and bacon in the freezer that I bought on sale several months ago.
Diane
Hi Diane,
DeleteI like how you think -- by watching sales and coupons you can have both! We do breakfast for dinner a few times a month, so that's mostly when we cook bacon. I'm not really a morning person, so everyone knows that if they want breakfast at a reasonable time, they'd better make it themselves. But we do do brunch for special occasions. Then I pull out all of the stops for a breakfast-type feast.
That's nice that you buy chips especially for your hubby. I'm sure he appreciates that you do that.
You are so wise to look at choice as being a blessing instead of a restriction. Enjoy your bacon!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kris. Looking at these situations in this way really helps keep my mind and heart where they should be, in gratitude.
DeleteRealizing we all have choices in everything we do is powerful. Lately, I have come to realize and appreciate that it keeps me on the high road no matter what life throws at me. I have a choice how I respond. If my choice comes from love and peace, I will be happier. Whenever I speak this way, my husband rolls his eyes, like what are you talking about. But focusing on these values helps me be patient and understanding about all things including what does not make me happy. I have fewer cravings and desires as a result. I also find hard work isn't so hard if I am motivated by good intentions. I don't know if this is enough but in time I trust it will be.
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend,
Laura
Hi Laura,
DeleteYou have a very good attitude. And I agree, hard work is more tolerable if we think about our motivation behind what we're doing, like for me, cleaning the house because I want my family to have a pleasant place to rest from the world. It makes the work less unpleasant when I think about how what I'm doing benefits someone else. And it can change my mood, too. Instead of being resentful, I am more apt to put on music that helps me enjoy my work.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Mmmm...bacon! A favorite! I admit, when staying in a hotel with a breakfast bar where bacon is served (this isn't a common occurrence, but occasionally happens), I eat way more bacon than is probably healthy, lol. In our home, depending on who all is home, if we cook a pound of bacon, each person gets 2-3 slices.
ReplyDeleteI've been bypassing fresh berries in favor of frozen, and sticking with other seasonal produce, so we can afford the chips and bacon. We actually don't buy tons of chips, either, but here and there we do to serve with burgers or Italian sandwiches. Or just as a treat in the kids' lunches. But we rarely buy cereal, or pre-made foods, or bakery items.
As you put it so well, the "blessing of choice".