Out of the market, away from the junk
Posted
Oct 15 2008, 10:52 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
I love supermarkets. I love baskets of produce, towers of canned goods, walls of cereal boxes. I love smelling the French bread or chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the in-store bakery. I especially love the marked-down meat section and the signs that announce sale prices.
But last weekend at the grocery store I was unnerved by displays of snack foods, ice cream, Halloween candy, and ready-made items like deli entrees and rotisserie chickens. Seeing them was like hearing fragments of a language I used to speak. What was all this stuff?
The reason they looked weird is that it had been a while since I'd shopped at a supermarket. Had it been 10 days? Twelve days? Two weeks? I couldn't remember.
I'd just discovered an unintended and wholly delightful consequence of having a full larder: The less you're in the store, the fewer prefab or junk foods you're likely to want. Or buy.
Until recently, I tended to shop several times a week. That meant a lot more exposure to, say, those fresh-baked goods or to loss-leader specials on ice cream, chips or other empty (albeit tasty) calories.
No need to shop
Last month I did a pantry inventory and was surprised by how many canned and dry goods I'd amassed. I also bought a small freezer and filled it with discounted meats, plain frozen vegetables, bread, butter, margarine and bags of free Seattle blackberries.
More recently I purchased 20 pounds of potatoes, probably 15 pounds of Gala apples and two dozen eggs. Last week, a leisurely walk to the neighborhood Asian market netted me a couple of pounds each of grapes and carrots.
Thus I've been able to avoid the supermarket for two weeks or more. Because I use powdered milk on my morning oatmeal and always have a couple of loaves of bread in the freezer, there hasn't even been a need to run to the store for "just a couple things" -- which in the past has led to the desire for a couple more things.
It's not that I haven't bought a single unhealthy item during this time. My weekly jaunts to drugstores for single-check rebate items expose me to all sorts of sweets and sodiums. Sometimes I succumb to a particularly good price on admittedly bad food.
A lot less temptation
But here's the interesting thing: These days, it's taking me a lot longer to eat it. Desserts are sporadic, whereas I previously wanted a sweet with every meal (including breakfast). Lately I have had no desire for potato chips, formerly one of my guilty pleasures. Instead of eating a double handful of M&Ms, I'll eat seven or eight of the candies.
Here's my theory: When you watch a lot of TV, all those commercials have an insidious impact. Even if you had supper just an hour ago, a well-photographed ad will make you want to dial that pizza franchise for fast, free delivery.
I believe that my frequent trips to the store, during which I saw all manner of goodies, had the same effect. As Oscar Wilde would say, I can resist anything except temptation. Although I often decided against those caloric and pricey extras, I'd give in a lot more than I'd like to admit. (Although I just did, didn't I?)
Later, I'd feel depressed as I realized just how much saturated fat I'd consumed. Or I'd get irritated when I faced the fact that I'd paid about four times more per pound for a rotisserie chicken than for the birds waiting in my freezer -- to say nothing of the leftovers waiting in my fridge.
One big trip
There's nothing wrong with allowing yourself a treat or the convenience of a chicken you don't have to roast -- but only if you do it mindfully. And while it's tempting to self-medicate with comfort food in these nervous economic times, remember that avoiding impulse spending is part of getting your finances in order, just in case.
So whether you're looking to save money or just to improve your diet, I'd suggest you try a grocery moratorium of your own. Create two or three weeks' worth of menus and go shopping for all the necessary ingredients. Your goal is not to have to go back until absolutely necessary.
Fruits and vegetables are the biggest challenge. Go for a mix of canned, dried, frozen and fresh. Buy the greenest bananas you can find; they'll ripen slowly as you eat the shorter-lived grapes or strawberries. Use up tomatoes, cukes and salad greens, then move on to durable goods like potatoes, squash and apples. When all else fails, fill in with the frozen or canned stuff.
Put several kinds of breads -- from the bakery outlet, maybe? -- in the freezer. If you don't want to try powdered milk (you should, though), then consider ultra-pasteurized milk because it can hold over for two to three months in the fridge. The ultra costs more, but if spending a little extra will keep you away from impulse purchases, I'd say it's worth it.
Infrequent shopping works for the Economides clan, aka "America's cheapest family" -- just one grocery run a month does it for this seven-person household. Maybe it will work for you, too.
So make up that menu, create a list and hit the market with an eye toward staying away for as long as possible afterward. Just don't go when you're hungry -- those chocolate chip cookies will be irresistible.
