These days, I often feel pulled between conflicting objectives. Just yesterday, for example, I felt torn between my recent efforts to be healthier and avoid high fructose corn syrup and my very serious desire to buy a bag of Tootsie Rolls from the Halloween candy aisle at the grocery store. (Improbably, the healthy lifestyle beat the Tootsie Rolls. I rewarded myself for my good behavior by eating three packets of M&Ms I’d swiped from work as soon as I got home.)
Or take, for example, the constant tug of the more stuff/less stuff battle. I’ve been trying hard to keep clutter to a minimum, to stop accumulating so much, to keep closer tabs on my spending. I’m trying hard to be more mindful of what I actually need, or really want for reasons other than just “ooh! shiny!” Shoes and books are my biggest culprits- we definitely do not need a single additional shoe or book in this house, yet I find myself consistently eyeing a new pair of heels or boots, and I can’t seem to walk out of a bookstore empty handed. This has led to a lengthy list entitled “Shoes I covet but am not allowed to buy” (actually exists on my computer), and a strict “no bookstores” policy.
(What, you want to see an example? Fine. Here you go. Aren’t they beautiful? )
As part of this “accumulate less stuff” campaign, I’ve also started trying to waste less food by meal planning. This does not always work (see, eg, last Thursday’s steep descent into fiscal and culinary irresponsibility via Homemade Pizza Company) but it’s helping, and it’s gratifying to use up all the groceries I buy in a week without letting the veggies go slimy in the drawer.
Sometimes, though, being such a frugal and waste-free consumer is a major bummer. Case in point: I made some blondies from a recipe that looked really delicious the other day. They smelled awesome, looked awesome, and tasted….not awesome. But they weren’t terrible, either. Therein lies the problem. If they were truly wretched, I would have been able to overcome my reluctance to waste food and throw them away. But since they’re merely average, not awful, my “waste not want not” ethic is butting up against my “be healthier” mission, and I’m stuck. Because I really don’t want to undermine my health efforts by eating a bunch of high calorie, less-than-fully-delicious blondies, but I can’t justify making a new batch of more-delicious goodies until this current batch is gone.
You would think, perhaps, that this would be a good thing: uninspired by current treats, but with no other treat options in the house, I would forego treats entirely! Break the sugar cycle! Become the kind of person who doesn’t crave desserts!
You would be wrong. Last night I ate 12 jumbo marshmallows from a bag that was leftover from a camping trip. A camping trip we took in August. Yes, clearly this “avoid high fructose corn syrup” thing is going swimmingly.
I send so-so baked stuff in with Paul to work. I’ve heard this practice is less-than-appreciated in some workplaces (diet sabotage is even worse when it’s so-so stuff), but his workplace is 99% male and they eat/appreciate ANYTHING.
Totally a tough battle. I feel your pain. My problem with trying to be better about what we bring into the house? If I go food shopping with Sweets, inevitably cookies or some other sugar-laced treat winds up in our bag. I never seem to notice until we get home and it’s way too late to demand he put it back. And once it’s in the home, well I have to help eat it, right? RIGHT?!
i had the same idea as swistle…. i work with a bunch of tech-y computer nerd types, and they eat ANYTHING. as long as it’s free
it seems like the more aware i am of how much i shouldn’t spend, the more aware i am of what new articles of clothing i TOTALLY NEED.
I really wanted cookies last week. It was a craving that could not be satisfied. But I cannot buy cookies from the store! And because my husband needs gluten-free cookies, I could not just go home and throw together a batch. It involved trips to three grocery stores to obtain all the necessary flours (white rice flour, tapioca flour, and potato starch, to be specific) and then another half hour mixing the flour together. THEN, another forty-five minutes actually making the cookies.
They were delicious, but by the time they were finished, I didn’t want any.
So, next time you have the craving, just make it really difficult to make.
That’s what work and homeless people are for – to eat the food that hasn’t officially Gone Bad, but isn’t good (to you).
If you’re not sure the food you’re bringing to work will be liked, just drop it in the kitchen with a note that says “Enjoy” and don’t tell anyone you’re the person who brought it in.
Here’s my attitude about food that I don’t REALLY want to eat. If you eat it when you don’t need it or want it, it is STILL WASTEFUL. It is like THROWING THE FOOD AWAY inside your body instead of inside your trash can. PLUS the added negative externality of consuming wasted calories.
Seriously. Throw it away, give it away, WHATEVER, but if you don’t want it and you’re not hungry, don’t eat it.