Last night we were supposed to be hit with a massive snowstorm. Meteorologists were popping jugulars talking 91 inches in the high country. Predictably, people scurried to the grocery store to stock up on “essentials.” Parking lots were jammed and shelves were sparse. I even overheard someone declare, “Oh my god, it’s like last March all over again!”
Thankfully this March in no way resembles last March. A terrible part of any calamity is the vast amount of unknowns. And though we are gutted by the unnecessary loss of so many lives, we now know so much more about how COVID-19 originated, how it spreads, and how to contain it. All this doesn’t mean I didn’t join the nervous throngs of people at Whole Foods on Thursday.
According to my iPhone pedometer, I usually put in half a mile at any given grocery store. I circle the periphery three times before going into the shelf stable aisles. The logic being to first find the produce and protein on sale and to not crush items from the bakery. Then, I enter the aisles to build upon my sale items. Discounted ginger and lime means a Thai dish is in my future so I may need coconut milk. On sale Kauai Shrimp will likely go into my freezer until I can figure out what to do with them (but first another lap for some hearty herbs because I will be boiling their sweet skins for stock.)
Around and around I go, to fill the days, and eventually the month with the most inexpensive and delicious food I can find. In January, I discussed where most of my monthly saving/investment comes from in the post, Circular Logic, but this strategy goes a layer deeper by orienting your shopping around inexpensive meal building.
If you commit to an outside in strategy while grocery shopping, you fill your cart with ingredients for meals and have little room left over for unnecessary and oftentimes expensive shelf stable items. A win-win in my (pocket) book.
Until next month, keep your shopping game strong and reach out if you are not hitting your monthly investment goal.
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What I’ve been up to:
Watching: I Care A Lot; Killing Eve; and various videos on echinoderm.
Eating: Parmesan Cauliflower Chowder; Carrot Top Pesto; oysters over my sink; and pickled things.
Reading: Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk; Writing Into The Wound by Roxanne Gay; back issues of NYT Magazine.
Listening: Nick Cave; Grandbrothers; this On Being Podcast.
Thinking about: vaccines, vacation, and varicose veins.