Eat something off the floor? Why mama, why would you think I would eat something off the floor? What makes you think I have anything in my mouth at this moment? Paddy always looks at me that way...
I'm afraid there's something dreadfully wrong with your patella. We'll need to do a check of your reflex. Just relax, this won't hurt a bit.
See, told you it wouldn't hurt a bit.On to the topic of the post. I was having a discussion with a friend about budgets, because I'm a budget geek, and because my friend and her husband would really like to buy a house. Here is the way the conversation went:
Her: You spend how much per week on groceries?
Me (meekly): $60, but that includes paper towels, dishsoap, etc. and I'm hoping to do better soon. Hopefully once I get this once a month shopping thing down. (I hadn't started my Grand Experiment in monthly shopping at that time. It's working out well except I think I underestimated our milk consumption.)
Her: Oh, well, see we couldn't do that because (husband who shall remain nameles) doesn't like casseroles.
Me (a bit incredulous and leaving aside the missing logical connection): Any casseroles?
Her: No, he doesn't like any foods that touch.
Me: Foods that touch...
Her: You know, foods with things mixed up in other things.
Me: So he doesn't like chicken soup? Or lasagna? Or tacos? (Choosing three things that people usually like.)
Her: Well, I guess he likes some things that touch, but only really specific ones. He only likes Campbell's Chicken Soup, not other chicken soups.
We went on in this vein for a while before I gave up debunking each individual objection and pointed out that you can, in fact, be frugal with your grocery budget without making a single casserole. It will be a lot less tasty to have the components of a casserole seperately, and you'll be eating a lot of un-jazzed-up rice and beans, but hey, it is possible.
What we came down to was that my friend and her husband just liked eating the way they were eating, and they wanted to continue to do so more than they wanted to save money on their grocery budget. Which isn't evil. I suspect my friend felt compelled to offer the ol' Casserole Exemption because she thought I of the lentils might be judging her budgetary choices.
I actually wasn't; I think it's perfectly permissable to spend your money in the ways that are important to you (always assuming you pay your bills and are not in debt, of course). For instance, I've had one manicure/pedicure in my life and am not interested in paying $40 per week to have this done regularly. I'd rather have the money to spend on books, or something for the house. But for some women, their mani/pedi is important. Whatever warms your lava lamp; that's why it's called "discretionary spending". What is not okay, in my book (though I currently lack the power to make a citizen's arrest over this), is offering an excuse to cover "I just want to."
This isn't just because it's dishonest. It actually can harm you later on. If you tell enough people that you can't save money on your grocery budget because your husband won't eat casseroles, or because you have to buy organic food to prevent your children becoming fleshy-headed mutants, or because you don't have time to cook, you will come to believe these things. Then along comes a time like this one we are in, where folks are losing their jobs right and left and the price of milk keeps going up. You are going to believe your own hype and not know how to change your habits in order to save money, because you HAVE to get expensive groceries. Or you're going to be miserable, eating the components of your casserole seperately.
Might I suggest that honesty will serve us better. If we know that the only reason we HAVE to get Campbell's Chicken Soup is because we like it, then we will be free to make our own chicken soup out of leftover chicken scraps when suddenly it becomes less attractive to pay $2 per can for soup. Maybe we won't like our homemade soup as well, but we can eat it because all along we've been classifying Campbell's as a luxury, not a necessity. (And maybe we'll get better at making homemade soup.)
Which brings me to my last point. It did just occur to me (although I didn't say it) in the conversation with my friend: Maybe the casserole-hating husband has just always had really bad casseroles? There are good cooks and bad cooks in the world, and some casseroles are horrid. Practice makes perfect. If you don't like something once (casseroles, doing your own nails, buying secondhand clothes) don't count out the entire category.
All of which is meant to be a parable of sorts for the mindset I think will help us through the Dark Days Ahead. Much of how our lives go in this economy will be determined by whether or not we have the attitude that enables us to make the correct choices. Those choices will be different for everyone; if you'd rather live on nothing but lentils and water while continuing to get your mani/pedis, more power to you-- but it will be your choice, not the necessity you're forced into.
In conclusion, just a warning to all my current and future children and/or people who might be eating by me in the future: I don't want to hear any whining about food touching other food, or I'll pull out that gross Momism about it all going to the same place, ok? And then I'll make you have another serving of the casserole.
Bon appetit,
Breanna
2 comments:
You know, this is the SAME excuse Larry and Cody have been giving Sharon for years. Poor, tired, just home from work Sharon, trying to do something easy and make a casserole in advance... "WE HATE CASSEROLES!" And they didn't even try it! I took the opportunity to point out that enchilladas (their favorite) were technically a casserole. Cody just looked at me and said, "Shut up, Kindra."
Well, since Marnie (spelling?) is in the service now, Cody may eventually discover the joy of casseroles when he becomes the cook... hey a girl can dream. :)
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