Week 3 EOC, How I Buy Stuff

Marketers love people like me. See, I’m the one they’re targeting when they fill end caps with marked down goodies. I guess you could call me something of a “shopping opportunist.” Usually, I shop because there's a need; I’m making Masaman, must pick up some more curry, out of cat food, got to hit Petsmart, you get the idea.... Price, more often than not, influences my purchasing decisions. Lately, I'm rifling through grocery store ads so I can stock up on the staples.

Sunday, I hit Fresh and Easy because they were running a great deal on peanut butter and a few produce items. I hadn't planned on 8 lbs of lentils or the bag of irresistible chocolate chip cookies that cleverly found their way into my shopping cart. The lentils are a staple in my kitchen and at .49 cents per pound; I really had NO choice but to buy! The cookies, well, those were more because I was hungry. Honestly, who doesn't love cookies for lunch?

Like I said, I habitually buy stuff to fulfill a need (real or imagined). What transpired on Sunday happens more often than not, I guess. Never really took time to consider it. It is clever marketing, pricewise anyway, that gets me to pick up the extra lentils, tortilla chips, jelly and come to think of it, those cookies were reduced to .65 cents.

Though most of my shopping happens at a grocery store, I never bother to write out a list. I pretty much comb the store for deals (my brother swears I have a nose for it) and then figure out what I can make with these items plus whatever’s in the pantry at home. I like to think of myself as a kitchen MacGuyver, saving the household from hunger with my delicious creations.