I got more on a soap box there because I lost my cool a bit. But yea, sales and clearances were our vital methods of staying within budget. Hell, there was one

I got more on a soap box there because I lost my cool a bit. But yea, sales and clearances were our vital methods of staying within budget. Hell, there was one week I survived on a 96 cent clearance bag of assorted bread from Walmart. But one of the other things that’s getting lost is the human element. It seems like if it’s not on the internet, it doesn’t exist or is unattainable. I developed relationships with farmers and some businesses to get the undesirable pickings or overflow at a lower price. Nothing wrong with them or even spoiled. Think of, ever seen a really ugly ass strawberry? Most packagers don’t accept them because of stupid public perception. Or they just sneak one or two in. You can get those really damn cheap from a grower. Or slightly over ripe for even cheaper or free. Then you learn how to make your own preserves out of them. Some farmers markets have end of weekend sell offs too. Super cheap on all the leftovers that haven’t sold. I’m pretty sure you can do the same with a supermarket if you get to know the right people. But I never tried a big box market. But also, bagel shops and Panera, make friends with the night crew. You can get some of the days unsold baked goods for free or for 5 bucks. But people just refuse to know others and that’s being considered “okay”. It’s not. I’m introverted too. It’s not okay to hide from society and run away from relationships. I’m in tech now. Tech is great and all... but it’s so damn silly to imagine that an internet company can save poor people somehow with their service. Same with the logic of bitcoin saving those without access to “fiat currency”. If ya don’t have access to a dollar, ya don’t really have access to the internet, let alone a computer. I live 1.4 miles from the grocery store I visit. It’s still smart to only shop once a week. It’s the death by a million papercuts in finance. If you go too often, your likelihood of buying things you don’t truly need goes up. That’s bad for your budget. Plus think, your mob/demob time at a grocery store is always about 5 min. Finding a parking spot, walk into the store, ring up, cash out, walk to the car, load groceries, leave parking lot. That doesn’t include actual shopping or travel to the store. It’s only 20min once a week for me to get groceries, roughly. You can spend way more than that, in time per week, if you go to the store to pick up as you need. Just in time inventory works fine for stores. But not really for people. It’s scary where your time sinks are when you track your time.