I had $6.39 in my bank account. I was determined to get tomato soup. I had bread and cheese at home, so my plan to make a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner was on. I had a container of butternut squash soup I could have used, but I didn’t want to risk a taste-clash. When it comes to food, I’ll eat anything. But when I only have six bucks in my account and I’m low on other food supplies, I’m going to stick to what I know and trust thank you very much. Besides, squash soup with grilled cheese, that's way too much yellow for a meal.
I tend to wander into grocery stores with staggering speed, I’m determined to get in and out fast. I speed-walked into the store only to get stopped by a Spanish-speaking man who was pushing a cart at snail speed. I noticed one of my teachers from high school (who I know I pissed off) out of the corner of my eye and needed to get around this guy ASAP. I know the teacher didn’t recognize me, he’s had hundreds upon hundreds of students, but I still felt super awkward. I tilted my head down and tried to get a move on. Move, hispanico, move!
I turned left to head to the soups and a cluster of chatting teens blocked my way. Seriously? Is it “be in the way Wednesday”? I turned down the cleaning supplies aisle and made another left to soups. Granny with a cart! Taking up half the aisle! My God this was a nightmare!
Finally, staring at the soups, I moved toward the healthier, organic soups. $3.99 for a big box of spicy tomato. Mmm. But wait, if I splurged on spicy organic, then I can’t get an iced coffee in a can. I moved towards Campbell’s. Ugh. So much corn syrup and sugar. And $2.69? Maybe...
I continued down the aisle and came to the Spaghettios. I had flashbacks to drug-induced cravings and three a.m. cooking sesssions in which we mixed cans Spaghettios with meatballs and canned raviolis. We were gods. I though to myself, “$1.89 for a can of Spaghettos with meatballs...that could go with grilled cheese. That’s a lot of carbs though...” Eating well on a budget is a bitch.
A guy around my age with a basket walked past me, straight to the Ramen. He knelt down and started dumping boxes and boxes of 5/$1.00 Ramens into his basket. I looked at him. He looked at me. Here I was, price checking Spaghettios and he was loading up on Ramen (which seemed to be $4 worth). There was an electricity of understanding between us. We were young, broke, and hungry. He was in and out like lightning. He obviously had more practice and wasn’t facing sodium restrictions.
I settled on Progresso Hearty Tomato (110 calories a serving, 2 servings in a can, I could have it for lunch tomorrow!) for $1.99. Not bad. With my savings I also decided on a Gatorade--those assholes didn’t carry any of the canned mochas I wanted--and Snickers bar for a treat.
I tend to wander into grocery stores with staggering speed, I’m determined to get in and out fast. I speed-walked into the store only to get stopped by a Spanish-speaking man who was pushing a cart at snail speed. I noticed one of my teachers from high school (who I know I pissed off) out of the corner of my eye and needed to get around this guy ASAP. I know the teacher didn’t recognize me, he’s had hundreds upon hundreds of students, but I still felt super awkward. I tilted my head down and tried to get a move on. Move, hispanico, move!
I turned left to head to the soups and a cluster of chatting teens blocked my way. Seriously? Is it “be in the way Wednesday”? I turned down the cleaning supplies aisle and made another left to soups. Granny with a cart! Taking up half the aisle! My God this was a nightmare!
Finally, staring at the soups, I moved toward the healthier, organic soups. $3.99 for a big box of spicy tomato. Mmm. But wait, if I splurged on spicy organic, then I can’t get an iced coffee in a can. I moved towards Campbell’s. Ugh. So much corn syrup and sugar. And $2.69? Maybe...
I continued down the aisle and came to the Spaghettios. I had flashbacks to drug-induced cravings and three a.m. cooking sesssions in which we mixed cans Spaghettios with meatballs and canned raviolis. We were gods. I though to myself, “$1.89 for a can of Spaghettos with meatballs...that could go with grilled cheese. That’s a lot of carbs though...” Eating well on a budget is a bitch.
A guy around my age with a basket walked past me, straight to the Ramen. He knelt down and started dumping boxes and boxes of 5/$1.00 Ramens into his basket. I looked at him. He looked at me. Here I was, price checking Spaghettios and he was loading up on Ramen (which seemed to be $4 worth). There was an electricity of understanding between us. We were young, broke, and hungry. He was in and out like lightning. He obviously had more practice and wasn’t facing sodium restrictions.
I settled on Progresso Hearty Tomato (110 calories a serving, 2 servings in a can, I could have it for lunch tomorrow!) for $1.99. Not bad. With my savings I also decided on a Gatorade--those assholes didn’t carry any of the canned mochas I wanted--and Snickers bar for a treat.
Secret of the day: Use mayo instead of butter for your grilled cheese.
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