When I go grocery shopping (or fooding as the daughter calls it) I try to squeeze every penny until it cries uncle. Two weeks ago on my bi-weekly outing, pancake mix was on the list. Ever since we found out that Michael's cholesterol was high we have used Aunt Jemima Complete. We found that it had the lowest amount of bad stuff in it and no cholesterol...so out the window went the Bisquick (which required eggs) and in came the Aunt Jemima. For the last 3 years or so it has been the pancake mix of choice. The pancakes or waffles turn out light and fluffy but best of all, they taste good. So there I stood in the grocery store...Aunt Jemima wasn't on sale so it was going to be 2.49 for the box...a little further down the shelf was Hungry Jack and it was on sale. I could save a whole 50 cents if I purchased it. I actually stood there and debated...Aunt Jemima...Hungry Jack? Hmmmmmmmm. Well, my cheapness got the best of me and I picked up the sale box.
We enjoy Sunday breakfast together. Usually I do not need to be at work until later in the day so the morning is breakfast, the newspaper, coffee and time spent together. Michael is the breakfast chef and he does an outstanding job at it. Yesterday was pancakes and bacon. Out of the closet came the Hungry Jack...he read the directions, measured carefully and started cooking. Bear was quite excited since bacon was involved and he keeps a constant vigil in case the bacon fairy shows up and rewards his patience. The cooking was done..we sat down to our meal. About 3 bites into the pancakes I realized my stomach was starting feel quite full. The pancakes were not the same...even Michael had difficulty finishing his. Gone were our light and fluffy pancakes, instead they were gritty and heavy.
I have actually been thinking about brand loyalty a lot lately. There are certain things I just can't go cheap on. Ketchup is always Heinz, mayo is almost always Hellman's and up to this experiment pancake mix was always Aunt Jemima. I have tried buying different brands of certain things to save money but...they seem to wind up costing me more in the long run. Cheap toilet paper..a definite no, cheap sponges..NO. The list goes on and on. Cheaper is not always the less expensive option!
Ya know you don't *have to* use eggs with bisquick, right?
ReplyDeleteTP... That depends. I like the safeway store brand. And the publix recycled store brand isn't bad either. I even did a year or two with scott (cheapest by a lot, but also only usually single-ply).
So Bear was well fed yesterday morning?