This Is Basic Shopanomics

So I'm officially 29 in a few hours. Egads. My birthday present's already here - got an MP3 player off Ebay for $50.

Went grocery shopping today. It occurred to me that, not only do single guys shop for groceries like no other humans, but I don't think anyone shops quite like I do. For those who don't know, I work weird hours. Really weird hours. I always have, pretty much. What this means for me is that five days a week, I eat exactly one meal at home, usually lunch or a pre-work meal. On my days off I'll have lunch and dinner, as I can't wake up for breakfast unless I absolutely have to because I have somewhere to go or whatever.

I noticed (because I'm a sad pathetic man who has time to notice these things) that there are things I always do at the supermarket, things I always get, patterns I always follow. And since my entire audience here consists of single males who either live on their own or should (except Gates, who's married and, more importantly, in the military, so he gets all of his meals in aluminum bags with the instructions "Heat. If you want. And we don't care how you do it.") I figured, as an elder statesman of sorts, (though I'm not Doom old. Jebus) I'd use a lot of parentheticals in this paragraph. As well as drop some shopping knowledge.

- If the market's got a free Bonus Card or the like, get it; it's good value. If it costs a few bucks, get it; it'll pay for itself. If the price is self-castration... well, that's not quite worth it. Especially if you're cooking for a woman. What happens if she's impressed?
- Rice. Very cheap, easy to cook, goes with everything. I cook minute rice in chicken broth instead of water to give it some flavor.
- I buy smaller chicken breasts and pork chops; you get more for the money and can just freeze them, so you're not going back and buying every week.
- You won't find too many frozen dinners in my freezer, and no, it's not because I keep them under the sink. (I don't.) I only use them when I'm in a pinch or if it's something I can't make myself.
- Vegetables. Canned (beans, peas, corn) or frozen (anything with leaves) unless you're cooking right out of the bag. Cheaper and saves space.
- The only thing on my list I didn't get today is eggs. It's hard to find a half-dozen eggs. Not only do I not need a dozen eggs ever, I don't need six eggs right now.

Early night tonight; gotta get up tomorrow and take my car to get detailed.