Morning Thoughts

Yesterday, I went to Costco in Guadalajara with friends. I find Costco overwhelming. I usually shop at the small local grocery stores or outside markets. Nuts are expensive here. I wanted to buy a big bag of nuts. I knew they would be less expensive in Costco. A big bag of walnuts, 20 dollars. It went into my cart. A big bag of almonds, 20 dollars. It went into my cart. Then I discovered a big bag of mixed nuts, 20 dollars. Into my cart. Hummus in 20 tiny sealed cans. I could take it to the spa. 12 dollars. Into my cart. Olives, a monster bottle for 10 dollars. But I had to buy two bottles, not one. Into my cart. Two big boxes of freezer bags, 5 dollars. Into my cart. A big bag of greens, 5 dollars. Into my cart.

As I was walking towards the check out stand, I was slowly coming out of my Costco greed fog and started thinking about what I was doing. I had almost a hundred dollars worth of groceries and only a few different items. And I knew that most of it would just sit on my shelves and get stale before I could eat it. And what about the rest of my grocery list? Was I going to spend 200 dollars or more just to check off my list?

 How could I possibly eat three huge bags of nuts? Costing me 60 dollars. Out go the bags of nuts. And I can make most likely better tasting and fresher hummus for far less at home and put it in small containers for the  spa. Out goes the hummus. I can't possibly eat two monster jars of olives. One tiny jar lasts for a couple of months. Out go the olives. I am shedding groceries like a snake shedding skin. I ended up at the check out stand with just the greens and the freezer bags. Feeling much richer.

I have been trying out a vegan diet so the only thing I could eat on their food menu was a Caesar salad. And I would have had to throw away the meat and cheese, leaving me only lettuce and tomatoes for 4 dollars. So I broke the diet for an apple strudel. My friend reminded me that there was probably butter and eggs in the crust.
This is my third week of going Vegan and the first time I really felt deprived. I always loved the hot dogs in Costco. I would have made a special trip there just for a hot dog. But I am doing my best to stick to the diet for awhile longer. Every time I think of having meat, I picture a you tube video where the cows were running towards a person in the field who was playing the piano. Then they swayed as the music surrounded them.