This song is not about cheese. It’s about something deeper, man.
(With a salute to CSNY, Almost Cut My Hair)
Almost bought some cheese
It happened just the other day
It was on sale at a real terrific price
Much cheaper than you usually have to pay
But I didn’t and I think I know why
I really had to let my cheap flag fly
And I feel like I owe it to someone
Must be because I made my own brie for Christmas
And at this price I couldn’t make the cheese own self
It increases my feelings of avarice
Like seeing something I don’t need on the close-out shelf
But I’m not giving in an inch to greed
Cos I promised myself not to buy anything I don’t need
I feel like I owe it to someone
When I finally get myself the way I please
I’m gonna get down on some of that delicious cheese
But right now I’m learning how to behave
If I really, really, really want to learn how to save
Cos I feel like I owe it, yeah
Said I feel like I owe it, yeah
You know I feel—- like I owe it yeah to someone
Like it says above: this song is not about cheese. Cheese is good. I expect to write some posts about dishes with cheese in them and refer to recipes that include cheese. If you want some cheese, then by all means, go ahead and get some and enjoy it. This could be about tuna fish, but that’s harder to rhyme.
Kroger had a very good sale on cheese last week. $2.50 a pound. That’s a great price. I had 4 pounds of cheese in my cart. Then I saw tuna for 50 cents a can, and I started to get that. Now, these are good prices, and I’m not saying that you shouldn’t get stuff like this – in fact, I think you should. My point is about my own experience this particular time.
I was conflicted. Here, these things were at great prices. But I really didn’t need them. I eat very little cheese. I didn’t need any cheese. I also don’t eat a lot of canned tuna. I eat a lot of canned mackerel and salmon and some sardines, and sometimes a little tuna. If the tuna were as cheap as the mackerel, I’d buy it. And that’s the issue — my goals. Since I’m currently working on how to eat with good nutrition for very little money, I can accomplish that goal by not buying the cheese and tuna even at those prices.
The real issue, then, is about buying stuff I don’t need, even though it’s at a good price. Should I buy things just because they are on sale? The answer is no. I should not buy something just because it’s on sale. I should buy something because it fits my goals. To be sure, it is important to be flexible, and to take advantage of a good deal I might find, even if it’s not something I had planned. If it’s at a price that fits my budget and will help me achieve what I want to do, then I should buy it. But I shouldn’t buy something just because it’s on sale.
This is how coupons work. Coupons can be used to advantage if they save you money on something you would have gotten anyway. But sometimes coupons can manipulate people into buying what they otherwise would not have gotten just because it looks like a good deal. But it’s not a good deal if it’s not consistent with your goals.
It’s hard to resist a great deal, even if it’s something I don’t need.
What this is about is temptation, distraction, the importance knowing your own values, and personal discipline.
When you have given some serious thought to understanding what’s really important in your life, and you know what your own values are, then it’s easier to make decisions that are consistent with your own well-being and happiness. You don’t find yourself saying “Why did I do that? What was I thinking?!” so often. Some writers compare it to having a compass that helps you figure out which direction is the one you want to go.
