It is amazing how hunger and a limited budget can focus one’s mind. On our first full day of the Hunger Challenge, my wife Susan and I went to Schnuck’s to begin our shopping. Before heading out, we spent time reviewing the weekly circular and coupons to see what special deals were available to help us stretch the $58 available between us for the week’s groceries.
Choices became our watchword. Generics always won out over brand names. We opted for whole chicken and hot dogs over boneless chicken breasts or beef. We focused on staples that would make meals, but bought smaller containers of things like rice, bread, milk, peanut butter, honey and coffee.
Susan noticed how so many others in the store were checking their coupons and considering their budgets. By contrast – maybe because I violated the old rule never to go shopping on an empty stomach – I noticed how so many others, including families with children, were loading up their carts with such a wide variety of things without apparent regard to the cost. In the end, Susan and I were aware that we had moved from the latter group to the former, making hard choices to see us through the week. After putting back some ground beef we had selected in order to keep a cash cushion for any necessities that might come up in the week, we spent $52, leaving us with $6 -- just in case. We went home and had two hot dogs each for dinner.
The next morning, we had oatmeal for breakfast -- plain, not the flavored kind we usually have -- and then, for the first time in many, many years, I prepared the lunch to take with me to the office that day – a peanut butter and honey sandwich on wheat bread.
A few observations: First, Susan and I really wanted to buy more when we went shopping but we couldn’t with the money available to us. Second the sense of frugality I sometimes feel when we cook and eat at home rather than just picking something up on the way home, is really just a reflection — a shadow -- of the tough choices that so many are compelled to make because they have no alternative. And third, after eating my lunch on Monday, it occurred to me that having limited food makes you follow your mother’s advice to chew each bite 15 times so you can savor every bit. And yet, when I was done, I was still hungry, and it didn’t feel good. But there are a lot of people who can tell you that based on far more experience with daily hunger than I have and you don’t have to look in some far off continent to find them. They’re right here in our community.
Choices became our watchword. Generics always won out over brand names. We opted for whole chicken and hot dogs over boneless chicken breasts or beef. We focused on staples that would make meals, but bought smaller containers of things like rice, bread, milk, peanut butter, honey and coffee.
Susan noticed how so many others in the store were checking their coupons and considering their budgets. By contrast – maybe because I violated the old rule never to go shopping on an empty stomach – I noticed how so many others, including families with children, were loading up their carts with such a wide variety of things without apparent regard to the cost. In the end, Susan and I were aware that we had moved from the latter group to the former, making hard choices to see us through the week. After putting back some ground beef we had selected in order to keep a cash cushion for any necessities that might come up in the week, we spent $52, leaving us with $6 -- just in case. We went home and had two hot dogs each for dinner.
The next morning, we had oatmeal for breakfast -- plain, not the flavored kind we usually have -- and then, for the first time in many, many years, I prepared the lunch to take with me to the office that day – a peanut butter and honey sandwich on wheat bread.
A few observations: First, Susan and I really wanted to buy more when we went shopping but we couldn’t with the money available to us. Second the sense of frugality I sometimes feel when we cook and eat at home rather than just picking something up on the way home, is really just a reflection — a shadow -- of the tough choices that so many are compelled to make because they have no alternative. And third, after eating my lunch on Monday, it occurred to me that having limited food makes you follow your mother’s advice to chew each bite 15 times so you can savor every bit. And yet, when I was done, I was still hungry, and it didn’t feel good. But there are a lot of people who can tell you that based on far more experience with daily hunger than I have and you don’t have to look in some far off continent to find them. They’re right here in our community.
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