Monday Listicles: Ten Dumbest Purchases

So just a heads up: This is NOT the greatest blog post I have ever written. But I don’t think it’s the worst one either, so there’s that.

But if you think it's my worst one, keep those comments to yourself, Peanut Gallery.

Today’s Listicles with Stasha is asking for our “Ten Dumbest Purchases”. I have many dumb purchases which did not receive the proper amount of care and thought prior to purchase, and I could easily list them here. However, most of them I returned before ripping off the tags, so those don’t count, right?

Well, I'm not counting them.

So, I went with Ten Dumbest Food Purchases list. You cannot be shocked, surprised, amazed, or horrified, can you? Well, if you have read my blog before, you won't be any of those things.

Without further delay, because it's already late in the game (shocking!), away we go:

1. Generic chocolate chips…they aren’t good straight out of the bag (too dry and crumbly), PLUS you can tell a difference even when used in baking. And either way they are G.R.O.S.S. The exception being Trader Joe’s Semi-Sweet chips…those are pretty tasty. They’re no Nestle’s but they’ll do in a chocolate emergency. We've all been there, haven't we?
2. Frozen fish sticks…they aren’t that great (well, some are ok), but they are convenient on a night when I need to feed the family something (they’re kind of like that – my kids AND my husband like to eat every day…at least three times a day, but preferably more!) but it needs to be something quick. That’s really what fish sticks are good for. But the obvious down-side is that the house stinks to high-Heaven for 2 days, if not longer. Case in point, we had fish sticks this past Saturday night and I can still smell them lingering in the air when I walk in the house. I can only imagine how deeply embedded it is in our clothes and hair.
3. Whole wheat pasta…supposed to be better for you but with this whole “Wheat Belly” thing, I am having second thoughts about wheat overall. I have not finished drinking the Kool-Aid, but I’m considering putting the cup up to my lips. Plus…it doesn’t taste as good as regular pasta, I don't care what you do to it or put on it. It IS NOT the same. Don’t try to convince me otherwise. If I’m going to choose bad carbs, I’m going to enjoy them and eat the real stuff.
4. Buddha’s Hand…enough said. There have been other Fruit of the Week selections which have been sub-par, but that one takes the cake. And I should have known it before I even bought it. But it made a great blog post, didn’t it?
5. Blond Vanilla Coffee from Starbucks…the Blond Coffee in and of itself is not good. I prefer a dark roast myself, but I had a coupon for a free blond roast. So of course I went to get it. For just a few cents, I was able to add vanilla syrup (and I went with the sugar-free...that was probably my second mistake; the first mistake was getting the Blond Roast). Even though most of the drink was free, money was wasted in this transaction…and I would still chalk this up as a dumb purchase.
6. OK, one more PBA Fruit of the week…kumquats. This purchase was PB (Pre-Blog) so there’s no post about it. But trust me…they were vile. Even with added sugar. V.I.L.E. Although, as I ponder this, I realize that we had these months before the Buddha’s Hand…so many comparatively these may be much better. Maybe we should try them again…anyone in?
7. Anything with soy…tried it in college and seemed ok. I think it was because my friend JK (yes, funny right?) ate a lot of soy and it was available in some of the vegetarian meals in the dorm (so progressive!). So I would sometimes jump in on that. I didn’t think it was too bad. In recent years, as my 11yo has taken an increased interest in all-things Asian, I have gotten some noodle dishes for him with soy. I think either my taste buds are maturing or they weren’t really using soy in those alleged vegetarian meals back in college. And for the record, he didn't like the soy either.
8. Lunchables…in a moment of weakness when the PBA were little, I bought a couple Lunchables for them. Just the little ones, with only the crackers, some meat, cheese and a little bite-sized treat. Since that day…and I have come to rue that day…they have asked for some sort of lunchable EVERY time we go to the grocery. Keep in mind that they pretty much go with me every week to the grocery because we homeschool. And clearly even the larger version of Lunchables would not be enough to fill my 9yo, let along my 11yo, and so the entire lunch would cost WAY more than just the Lunchable itself..it would require the addition of some fruit, a veggie (much to their chagrin), and various and sundry other things because they would simply not be full on the Lunchable in and of itself. We might as well go to McDonald’s and save some money if we’re going to do that. But don’t get too excited, PBA, because we’re not going to do that either.
9. Green beans…I hate green beans. I always have. I will eat them in a casserole (you know…with the cream soup and the French fried onions…so clearly it’s fulfilling not one but two of the fruit and vegetable food group requirements). But other than that, I despise green beans…fresh, canned, frozen. All kinds. This may be news to my mother, BTW, but trust me, Mom…it’s true. So I bought some, thinking that if I exposed my children to them often enough, maybe they won’t hate them. Although that is definitely a flawed theory because I remember having them on a somewhat regular basis and I still hate them. Nonetheless…I gave them to my kids (fairly recently, I might add) and you know what happened? They just about gagged on them. I DID gag on them. Enough said. I will not be buying any more green beans, regardless of how much Mr. Always Random begs for them.
10. Chocolate-covered bacon...you know how it can be. You’re at the State Fair…you’ve seen the “newest fair food” featured on the news. And for some reason you think you have to try it. Blech. I love me some sweet and salty together, but NOT. LIKE. THAT. I think it's on the verge of sacrilegious. For some groups it would be sacrilegious, by virtue of the fact that it contains pork, but that's not what I mean. I think you know what I mean.

One last thing I must mention as I wrap this up…Mr. Always Random has not, nor will he ever, beg for green beans. Just needed to get that down on record, in case you were wondering.

Have a fabulous day!