Yes, they're there again, right near my mailbox at the apartment building: The colorful pile of grocery store flyers with the specials & sales of the week. And so I take a handful for the stores that I customarily visit, because part of my healthier lifestyle includes planning meals, and planning means shopping with a mission in mind. These flyers help me make up a list beforehand, look up recipes, and avoid impulse buys.
But after I start flipping through the flyers, I always feel a bit of sadness & yes, even anger. Because about three-quarters of the stuff they advertise, I am not going to buy or even go near, and I'd be happier not even knowing that it exists.
All I want is the produce section, the meat & seafood section, a bit of the dairy section, and then selected stuff here & there from the packaged goods.
Mostly this flyer just serves to remind me how far off from the "mainstream" of the American Way of Eating I seem to have wandered in my quest to get & maintain a healthy weight. I feel so alienated from most of this stuff.
I can't be alone in this. (Am I?)
I don't even like looking at these flyers, but it's the best way I know to find out the best prices on strawberries, asparagus, crab legs & other seasonal treats. (Plus ours have coupons to clip lately.)