- There is no such thing as moderation at the farmers' market in midsummer. You cannot go there and get "just a few things", no matter how many vegetables you already have in your fridge. There are too many delicious-looking things available, and they all look awesome.
- Bringing just one shopping bag in an effort to enforce moderation did not work. First of all, a lot of the greens are so big and bushy at this time of year that you can fill one shopping bag at the very first stall that you usually go to, given that it's three bunches (of lettuce, kale, chard, callaloo and pretty much anything else green) for $5.00. Second, you are good at finding way to fit many other things in around the side of the bag. So all you end up with is an awkwardly overstuffed bag, and still buying too much stuff.
- Next time, try leaving your wallet at home and just bringing a small amount of cash in your pocket. That might have some chance of working.
- Telling yourself that the berries did not count against your budget because they're for the Lynxcub's birthday was almost convincing. "Almost", because he is unlikely to eat two entire baskets of berries all by himself (although he will probably give it a good try, because he's a berry fiend).
- Just because a vendor is offering two (or three, etc.) of something for a slight discount, it does not mean that you have to buy two (or three, etc.). Yes, this even goes for greens, and berries.
- Telling yourself that you are celebrating the fact that you paid the phone bill yesterday is all very well, but not an excuse for overspending today. There are, in fact, other bills. Paying one is not some kind of grand lifetime accomplishment.
- On the scale of things you could overspend on, though, healthy, locally grown food is probably not one of the worst sins available. And the fact that you are clearly going to be eating well this week, regardless of other stresses, is probably a good thing.
This does not, however, negate any of lessons #1-6.
Conversely, small wins:
- Forgoing your usual market-day empanada breakfast in favour of eating at home.
- Resisting the urge to buy more beets, regardless of how good they looked, because you have not yet eaten the ones you bought last week.
- Not buying any baked goods, no matter how tempting they looked.
- Barely managing, through an extreme exercise of willpower, not to buy a large basket of peaches in addition to the two baskets of berries you did buy. Particularly because all the way home you kept thinking "Must go back and buy peaches! NO, must not! Yes, must! NO, must not!"
All right, maybe I really should have bought the peaches. They had damn well better still have some next Saturday, is all I can say.