Sushi
It isn't that the sushi I eat is unhealthy. We eat a few rolls that have unhealthy elements but most of the sushi we choose (we being me, Christy, and our other sushi friends) is raw fish and veggies. The problem is that sushi means overindulgence. I have a very hard time limiting myself to 1 or 2 rolls. And not only is that not great for my eating habits, it's hard on the budget.
Free Food
If there is free food offered, I take it. Leftovers from a business lunch? Yes, thank you! Treats brought in to celebrate a birthday? Yes, thank you! Doesn't seem to matter if it's something I really like or not. If it's free, I take it. I have made some progress in this area- I don't always opt for the free lunch invitation and I can turn down cake. Unless it's carrot cake.
Target
I don't want to shop at Target. I don't like supporting businesses that support things with their profits that I disagree with. I never re-signed with Curves when I found out the owner of the company (who was quite rich thanks to the profits he made from all those memberships) donated large amounts of money to extreme pro-life groups (the ones who bombed clinics and such). I stopped eating at Chick-Fil-A because of their stance on gay marriage and their commitment to doing things like donating food and money to groups that fight against equal marriage rights. Target has given money to politicians in their state that are opposed to gay marriage. But Target does other things that I do agree with so I'm totally torn and convenience & price ends up winning out.
Talk and Drive
I know my mom won't be happy with me on this one. But when I'm driving 30 minutes each way for my commute, that is often the best time for chatting on the phone. I dial and talk hands free thanks to the Bluetooth system in my minivan. I literally push one button on my rearview mirror and then everything is voice operated. Sorry, Oprah (although, my phone usage DOES fit into her pledge, Mom!). I do have a "personal assistant" app on my phone so that if someone texts me while I'm driving, they get a text back that I'm driving and can't text them back right now. I often forget to turn that app on when I get in the car for my regular commutes.
Eating Out
This is one that I have mixed feelings on as well. We eat out. A lot. In fact, lately, we eat out often enough that we don't hit the grocery store on a regular basis. Our evenings are packed and grabbing something to eat on our way from one place to another works best. And when the evenings aren't busy, coming home and cooking at the end of a long day doesn't sound good to me. This is one that I might have to challenge myself to change. I am taking an "easy prep dinners" cooking class in a few weeks. Who thinks I should then challenge myself to 1 week of no dinners out for the family?
Do It All Myself
I asked Christy to give me something that can make it harder to be my friend. I asked her to be gentle with me. I don't know what I was expecting- I'm a good friend but everyone has things they do that others find annoying or obnoxious. Her answer was that my independence can be a challenge. I have to agree and I know this is something that imapcts my marriage as well. It's not that I think I can do things better than anyone or that if I want it done right, I have to do it. It's not that I won't ask for help or that there is some sort of pride thing involved. I think what happens is that I don't realize that there are things that I can ask for help with. When I get overwhelmed at work, Christy is awesome about asking if there is anything she can help with. If she didn't ask, I would never think to take any of my workload to her or to our support staff. When I get overwhelmed at home, if Jeff doesn't just randomly do stuff on his own or ask what he can do to help, I don't think to ask him to do things. However, when my husband or my friends or someone who knows me sees a need and steps up to take care of me, I am deeply appreciative.
How about you? What are your shouldn'ts?
4 comments:
we had a huge problem with eating out as well. It's hard on the budget and the diet! I started doing freezer cooking with a few friends a couple months ago and it has made a big difference. we spend a day together in a local church kitchen and prep about 8 meals to be used over the next month. We "thank" the church for the use of their kitchen by leaving behind a few extra meals for them to give to a family who needs it. It works out great! (and you're welcome to join us!) I know that I'm going to be gone this afternoon, so I pulled out an apricot pork roast and through it in the slow cooker. The sauce is already prepped and in the bag with the pork, so all I had to do was dump it.
I'm also a big fan of The Six O'Clock Scramble. Her recipes are great, affordable, healthy, kid pleasing (though not bland!) and super easy to make. Each meal can be made in less than 30 minutes and usually contains ingredients I already have on hand. I have her cookbook, but she also offers a weekly meal planning e-newsletter/grocery list thing. I highly recommend either one!
What a great idea! I bet that you can also share ingredients so you don't have a half a jar of something in the refrigerator or use only a little of the fresh parsley that you bought. I love the idea of leaving a few meals behind for the food pantry.
I liked this post. I know that my comment was all that mattered. Your wait is now over.
I understand your desire to avoid businesses that support causes you are morally opposed to. I realized, though, that if I did that, I'd pretty much have to grow all my own food and sew my own clothes.
One of my big "shouldn't"s is feeding into drama. Sometimes it just cracks me up to listen to people get all up in arms over ridiculous things. And sometimes, I really don't discourage it like I should.
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