I'll Take The Raisin Bran..Hold the Raisins

In August I had decided I was going to clip coupons in an attempt to shave off some of the expense of feeding my family. I really gave it a valiant effort and did keep up with it until December 1st. It just doesn't work out for our family...I ended up buying a bunch of food that my family doesn't ever eat, and although it was fun to come out of the store having saved 50% off the total bill it didn't make sense because much of that food was left sitting on the pantry shelf.

For instance, sometime in early October I bought a box of Raisin Bran. The kids turned their noses up and the Mister said he would stick to his old Cheerios stand-by. So the job of consuming that box was up to me.

Here's the deal, I actually enjoy Raisin Bran...I just don't like the raisin part. It isn't that I don't think raisins are a fine source of iron and fiber, and blah, blah, blah...I just don't care for them. So the task of eating Raisin Bran became a chore because I would pour cereal into my bowl in little bits with one hand, while picking out the raisins one-by-one with the other.

As I sat at the table eating and reading the cereal box I thought it was ironic that in big letters splashed across the top it said "25% More raisins!". Yes, I know...why couldn't they do that with Lucky Charms when I was a kid...It would have been fabulous with 25% more marshmallows.

So, Raisin Bran , although a bargain at $1.50 (after the store card and coupon) ended up taking a lot of space on my shelf, and in the long run wastes precious resources...just think of those poor depressed grapes that get picked out and thrown away!

It has taken me 3 months to get through that box of cereal because one of the requirements of breakfast is that it should be quick and E-A-S-Y . It shouldn't require too much thought, to many gadgets or to many "steps". Oh...and it should also taste good, be nutritious, and make me not feel hungry until noon.

Unless there is a coupon for Pop-Tarts (with a strong cup of coffee). Then the rules change.