The feeling of having to go to the grocery store to buy things for my party stayed with me the whole day like an itchy mosquito bite. I would forget about having to go, and then it would start itching again. Grocery shopping is my biggest challenge because I always see something that I don't need to survive but love to eat, like candied pecans, popcorn, and Diet Coke. Ugh -- how am I going to get through the month without Diet Coke? Water is the only necessity for fluids, so I guess I'll have to drink more water. Good thing I like it, but it's not my drink of choice. I thought about buying a case for my party, but I already have a 12-pack, so I couldn't put Diet Coke on the necessity list for the party. Diet Coke may be my downfall.
Before going to the store I rummaged around my refrigerator and made a list -- and checked it twice -- to make sure I wouldn't buy anything that wasn't a luxury. One thing I found in the back of my refrigerator was a carton of whipping cream that I didn't use for the Christmas festivities. My half-and-half-in-my-coffee dilemma came to a close because I can make that carton last for the whole month (I hope). A little heavy whipping cream goes a looooooonnnnnnnng way to making coffee creamy.
Finally, at 7:30 p.m. I ventured to Dominicks. I figured the advantage to going at that time was that everyone would be done with their NYE shopping and the place wouldn't be crowded. Wrong. It was packed! Either people don't care much about NYE, or they all waited until the last minute to get their goods for the night. The ridiculous warm temperatures brought out an entertaining few -- like the two guys in shorts and sandals who were putting 12-packs of beer in their carts. Most amazing is that they weren't together...they were just two Chicago guys wearing shorts at the end of December. It was warm, but certainly not shorts weather! Their mission was evident: New Year's Eve celebration. Then there were the harried ones (more than you would think) who were zooming up and down the aisles, grabbing crackers, dip, chips, and cheese like the sky was falling. They must have been New Year's Eve revelers, too. Or perhaps their NO SHOPPING CHALLENGE was starting on January 1st and they wanted to get in all the non-necessary items they'd need to tide them over. The people with lists in hand could've been either weekly shoppers or party people. I was one of the people with a list in hand.
On my NECESSITY list for the party was this: Lettuce, strawberries, dipping chocolate, pita chips (to go with the hummus I had left over from Christmas, grapes, spinach dip to go with the veggies I had left over from Christmas, and Wheat Thins. I know what you're thinking about that dipping chocolate....how could that be a necessity? I know my guests and it was most definitely a necessity. A little bit of chocolate keeps everyone happy and satiated during all the gaming activities. Sometimes a necessity is about someone else's needs, and in this case, dipping chocolate was absolutely needed! Just ask Karen. Oh, and I bought the buns because I wasn't positive my friends were bringing them. Must have been the request for vacuum bags and vacuuming that kept anyone from committing to that item. Guess I'll have to do the vacuuming myself.
I also picked up a couple of things for my son's New Year's Eve gathering because it's good to have food on New Year's Eve. I got the bare essentials for their party: buns, ham, lettuce, cheese and one bag of chips. Oh, I got them grapes because my son's girlfriend is from Spain and Spaniards have a tradition of eating 12 grapes in 12 seconds as they tick down the last of the year.
I also picked up a few necessities for the coming week because I'm going back to school on January 3rd, and if I don't have the necessities to eat properly, I'll cave when I'm hungry and I'll end up buying food at a restaurant -- a most definite luxury. That's where the egg whites, turkey, milk, baby carrots, salad and Weight Watchers breakfasts came in. In total I spent $129.88. Really it doesn't seem like I got much for that amount, but I realized that the grapes were a fortune. Who knew?
I managed to get through the day only buying these things, all of which I deemed necessities. (I still have vacuum bags on the luxury list, so I didn't buy those.) It could've been worse -- I could've bought a lot of luxury items and would've spent way more than $129.88.
Successfully Yours,
Karrie
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