Iām only really buying comestible goods rn due to income and life stuff but itās been very refreshing essentially to no-clip out of the consumer matrix. See something cool? No longer have to toil over ādo I get it do I spend the money will I use this??ā answer is simply No! Same with eating out, Iāll get a frozen Red Baron (best frozen pizza IYKYK) every couple weeks or use a fast food coupon I get in the mail (2/1 blizzards, Arbyās meal deal oh yeah baby) and pay in exact change. Also, like with many things, the less you buy the less you yearn to buy which is a great brain reset. I love stuff and have always loved shopping and thrifting clothes especially but Iām at the point in life where I Have Too Much and need to save for my future needs, not my current wants.
The food and spices I get are my big consumer dopamine hits rn. Itās been fun to go to a bunch of different grocery stores and local markets to find exactly the ingredients I want.
Iāve been using dried fenugreek powder (from the fenugreek seeds) in my paneer makhni and itās very tasty but just not quite right. I finally got some dried fenugreek leaves / kasuri methi at the local arab market and it completely changed the game on my paneer makhni!! itās by far the closest to the restaurant version Iāve ever gotten.
I also got really into making stove top popcorn (so easy, cheap, and SO much better!!) and found two heirloom popping corn varieties at the amish market, tiny tender being my favorite but Iām excited to try mushroom (pops only in mushroom shape). Anyway, not everyone is ready to buy less but if you need or want to save money, itās not as much a scary deprivation of dopamine as a shifting of that dopamine to other sources, I promise.