Monday, September 13, 2010

Confessions of a Couponholic : When "Saving" Becomes Spending

I desperately need to confess. I'm addicted to saving money. I scour the Sunday paper for deals. I can't wait to save 40% on my grocery bill, or my daughters clothes. We have a good supply on pretty much everything and anything in the house and my cabinets are stocked full of food. Yet, something compels me to continue to buy, buy, buy. Am I stocking up for the Apocalypse here? Hopefully not, yet I buy even when I already have something on hand at home. I'm not really sure why. It's not as if I am not going to be able to run to one of the many stores within short driving distance if I run out of Italian dressing!

I'm on a mission to cut the waste out. I vow for the next 30 days that I will not buy a single thing unless we truly are in need of the item. This goes for ALL shopping including quick items such as drinks at the grocery store and the gas station.

I had to go on medical leave  recently and as a result I REALLY need to watch my spending since short term disability does not give you complete pay. So I VOW not to spend for the next 30 days! I have done a rough inventory of the items of our pantry, 2 refrigerators (It's true), and 2 freezers (Yes, really we have that much food in this small suburban abode.)

I estimate that I will be able to complete several meals with the items I have on hand. However, while I am doing the best to empty the contents of my kitchen I will ALSO be doing my best to maintain a healthy menu and one that my daughter will actually eat. Thus, I picked up a copy of Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld and steamed and pureed a large amount of vegetables today. I'm going to give her strategies a whirl since I have concluded that I can not allow Madeline to be a picky eater when there is so much good food in this world to be eaten!

No comments:

Post a Comment