So I went grocery shopping today...I have such a love/hate relationship with the whole grocery shopping process. Of course, it starts with me clipping the coupons from the Sunday newspaper, and then making a list of things we are out of or things I would like to buy. Then I go through the sale papers of the various grocery stores to see if I can find a bargain.
Then I try to make a menu for the next two weeks, which I usually only get through one week and figure I can wing the next week without trying to figure it all out now. It is hard for me to plan that far ahead. I am the girl that never, I repeat, never plans what I am going to wear in advance. I always have to wake up and see how I feel and what I feel like wearing...pretty much the same with food.
Just because I make out a menu plan doesn't mean that it is written in stone, most of the time, it isn't even written in sand...I have to see how the day goes, how I feel and what I feel like cooking and eating...yes, the rest of the family is subject to my wishes in the meal department. Oh, I do take their likes and dislikes into consideration, but mostly if I have a taste for a certain thing, that's what we have...there are exceptions however. I do often question what they would like for supper, but that is usually early in the day when no one really knows what they want for lunch, not to mention supper. So I do give them a chance for input into the meal.
The love/hate thing with grocery shopping comes in when I start trying to decide the best things to buy and feed the family. I don't like Walmart because of the trend they seem to be following. They buy so many things from other countries, ignoring that this country has so many things to offer. In the 80's Wal Mart claimed they bought USA products. That was one of their ad slogans, but after the death of Sam Walton, things changed...not for the better as far as I am concerned. I am all for supporting business and industry in the US even if it cost a bit more.
I search for USA products that are harder and harder to find, I search for good for you foods, which are also hard to find. I don't like boxed or pre-made foods. I don't want anything with all the additives and preservatives; dyes, coloring and added flavorings...not to mention all the sodium and sugar in EVERYTHING! Yes, I do buy some of those things, for lack of something better. I do let my kids drink and eat juicy's and snacks products...but I am picky about which ones I buy.
I have gotten away from pre-made things and try to make as much from scratch as possible, but we do still buy cereal and some other things that I would prefer to leave on the shelves. However, I am making gradual changes that move us farther away from dependence on these products.
Seafood is one product I have issues with...do we not have seafood in America? Are there not shrimpers, fisherman, and such in our country that need to be supported? Why do we have to import seafood from China and Thailand? I don't understand it!
And produce...what can I say about produce? Many times the produce we buy is shipped across the world to get to us and when it does...it isn't very good, and has been treated with all sorts of chemicals to stay fresh...do we not have farms in America that could provide for our produce needs?
Another thing I have noticed about Walmart lately...they seem to be replacing many of their products with Great Value brand foods. So many of the things I have bought in the past, they don't carry anymore, but are filling the shelves with their own Great Value brand. I don't buy Great Value brand...call me militant, but I refuse to buy Great Value, unless there is no other recourse.
These are a few reasons why I have grown to despise Walmart...another reason...they know they have us...where else can we go? Most other places cost much more on the total purchase. You may get a sale on a few items, but by the time you reach the registers and pick up things that aren't on the sale, you end up spending more than you spend when shopping at Walmart...they know this and that is why they can do anything they want to do, and not lose their place at the top of the supermarket chain. And frankly, I just don't have the time to run around to five or six stores trying to get everything on my list. So I still shop at Walmart, but each time I do, I build up more and more resentment toward them. I am continually searching for a better way to shop, hoping that eventually I can live someplace that offers a great farmer's market and an exceptional CSA that I can join.
Or I can live on a farm, grow my own fruits and veggies and raise my own meat. A place that would be very close to the ocean an a great seafood connection! But until then, I will continue this love/hate relationship with food buying.
I wonder if cavemen and women ever felt this frustration after going out to hunt and gather? Can't you just hear the conversation at the evening meal..."you just can't find quality meat around here. Not to mention the wild greens...they were all limp and wilted today...not a fresh green in sight...(yes, I am an idiot sometimes, and yes, I get on a rant and won't let it go...)
So this is my rant post for the week...So when I say I hate to go grocery shopping, you know what I mean.
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