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10 pounds down 32 pounds to go!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

"I shot J.R."

I spent approximately one million dollars at the grocery store last night. Or maybe only $55. Being over-budget grates on my nerves, even if it's only 5 dollars. I bought a lot of great stuff though, the fresh and expensive kind of food that health conscious people buy. I picked up a pomegranate and a minneola, grapes and bananas, organic fat free milk and these painfully overpriced snap pea snack packs. 'Course just getting to say "snap pea snack pack" makes it worth the money.

You know how the "experts" or whoever say you should only shop the outside of the store because that is where all the fresh food is, they're completely right. The best stuff is on the outskirts of the store, but it's a serious budget breaker. It's going to be my challenge to get it all eaten while it's fresh, so this week I'll have no choice but to fill up on fresh food. It's amazing to me how I can make such a luxury into a hardship. Poor me, have to eat these grapes and that organic yogurt, so tragic.

Budgeting has been on my mind, like a vice grip, more than usual because I really want that new computer. Using my Discover card for everything is great and I really like earning the cashback, but it's hard to be on a budget and use plastic. Every budgeter knows you use cash because it gives you a better sense of the money actually being spent. This month I started using a register for my card, like the register for a checkbook. That is an eye-opening experience. Adding it all up yourself allows for no disillusion at all. Those three sets of Flight of the Conchords I bought for Christmas presents, oh yeah, no forgetting about that until the bill comes in the mail.

I get a lot of email about money questions, well, debt questions. It doesn't always occur to me how much I write about that stuff here. I can't deny it's a huge part of my life. I wonder what it will be like in a month or so when that's all over and all of my energy is spent on my other project...you know...those last twenty pounds. Maybe I'll have a calorie checkbook...banana credit 172...30 minutes of pilates debit 200. And then maybe I'll have an intervention.

3 comments:

MayQueen said...

It's pomegranate season, hooray!
I have nothing else to add.

pinky pinkerson said...

heh - I swear Richard Simmons used to have a card system that is just like the food debit/credit thing you jokingly mention. That always sounded like a lot of work to me.

Do you have Trader Joe's where you live? One of them is supposedly opening within a few months close to me, and I am REALLY looking forward to saving some money on good, organic produce, dairy and meat. Trying to eat well while shopping at Whole Foods feels very, very expensive to me. Worth it, but expensive.

Amy said...

I heart trader joes, there's one in nashua. I bulk buy when i'm home, you'll love it too!

It's good to know i'm channelling richard simmons, it explains my hair today.

and yes, it is pomegranate season, there is no more to add.