Grocery Store Circulars

I arrive home from work (hungry, as usual) to find no less than 4 different grocery store circulars on my doorstep.  I don't know if this is kismet or if this happens weekly: I tend to recycle most of my "mail" before I really look it over.  I decide to make a chart and see if I can learn something. The chart is irrelevant.

Here is what I learn: comparison shopping (for so many things at once) IS TOTALLY overwhelming!

There is almost no overlap in products (other than canned diced tomatoes: 10 cans for $10.00 and funnily enough, grape and cherry tomatoes: either $2.49/each or 2/$5.00, both of which all four grocery stores have). Other than tomatoes, one store has a great deal on carrots (3 lbs for $1.99); another has 10 boxes of pasta for $10.00, while another has red peppers for $1.99/lb (limit 5 lbs). Much of the "foods" on sale are ones I would never eat, whether on or off SNAP: Wise Cheez Doodles; Kellogg's Cheez-It's; Lay's Potato Chips; Bud Light; Stouffer's Lean Cuisine; Cap'n Crunch Cereal; Pepsi (20 12 oz cans for $5.99); Hunt's Snack Pack Pudding and an endless array of frozen products: Swanson Hungry Man Dinners; many varieties of Pizza; Pizza Rolls (whatever that is), all manner of ice cream (most of which include no dairy products, nevermind cream) including Ice Cream Sandwiches.  Anything labeled "Cheez" not "Cheese" is self explanatory. There are so many items that have the word "healthy" on them: and yet, in addition to many other problems from my point of view (first among them: flavor), the sodium in all of them is through the roof. 
I can only imagine how hard and seductive this must be if you are hungry and have no money. On the other hand, if you stop eating them, they lose their allure.

While going through the circulars I snack on half a jicama. I tried drizzling it with lemon juice and sprinkling with salt but I prefer it plain. Fantastic texture, sort of pear-like.

I look in my fridge to think about dinner and I'm overwhelmed with vegetables. It's true: for the most part vegetables take thought and work. I definitely need to do some prep so that I don't have to cook when I'm so hungry. It's surely what makes someone reach for fast food or potato chips. It's hard to take the time and care with a growling belly.  

After two full weeks, I feel great, I'm focused, I have lots of energy, I'm actually sleeping more soundly than usual. I'm not cranky but I am hungry most all the time.