I Should Not Be Trusted To Grocery Shop Alone.
(confessions of a foodie)
by Mary Courtney Blake
I actually like living on a tight budget. There is a thrill in knowing that I am in complete control of my financial future. I do what I love for a living, and for me that means I don't always bring home a great paycheck. But, I have learned that with careful planning, I can thrive as if I had a fortune. I should also admit, since none of the things that I really like doing promise much money, I have decided the best way for me to be able to follow my whims is to retire young. So with every penny saved I think to myself, "One penny closer to retirement." And, this always makes me smile.
There is one flaw, however, in all of my careful retirement planning: food... and not just any food, delicious food. I should not be trusted to enter a grocery store without a chaperone. Let us use tonight as an example: I forgot to pick up salad greens yesterday while I was at the store doing my weekly shopping, so I made a quick trip tonight to pick up one bag of arugula. What did I walk out of the wonderful Trader Joe's with you might ask? My one bag of arugula, and a dozen eggs and a bag of romaine and some blackberries and some french sparkling berry lemonade.
What's so bad about that you say? It's not so much.
That wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't spent three hours at the grocery store yesterday! And I'll admit, I needed eggs after using the last of them to make hollandaise, but sparkling berry lemonade? Sure, it'll go nicely with that salad that I will now top with blackberries... but I already had stuff for the salad! I bought that yesterday as I wandered from grocery store to grocery store in ethereal bliss.
The good news is that there is one very nice benefit to my undisciplined grocery escapades: more delicious meals. And, I must say, sitting down to a wonderful meal and experiencing the magic of feeling like you are special enough to be given such beauty makes one feel somehow more human... more cherished.
Perhaps this is why, despite my frustrations, I continue to allow this passion to run free (within some limitations, of course). Because, at the end of the day, I know that it's all of these little things like sparkling berry lemonade that make the day seem more beautiful and nights at home more cozy. Without beauty in our lives, without feeling like we are important enough to splurge for sometimes, we would slowly become hollow. What would life be if we did not cherish each and every day.
So, yes, I am planning for retirement, but I am not forgetting to live on the way there. Feel the freedom to do the same. Be wise with your resources and take care with your days, knowing that part of that is letting today be delicious, just like tomorrow.
The good news is that there is one very nice benefit to my undisciplined grocery escapades: more delicious meals. And, I must say, sitting down to a wonderful meal and experiencing the magic of feeling like you are special enough to be given such beauty makes one feel somehow more human... more cherished.
Perhaps this is why, despite my frustrations, I continue to allow this passion to run free (within some limitations, of course). Because, at the end of the day, I know that it's all of these little things like sparkling berry lemonade that make the day seem more beautiful and nights at home more cozy. Without beauty in our lives, without feeling like we are important enough to splurge for sometimes, we would slowly become hollow. What would life be if we did not cherish each and every day.
So, yes, I am planning for retirement, but I am not forgetting to live on the way there. Feel the freedom to do the same. Be wise with your resources and take care with your days, knowing that part of that is letting today be delicious, just like tomorrow.
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