Economic Observations 15-16

Don't ask where the first 14 observations are...nobody said I had to explain everything. Some things should just be mysterious.

So I think that poor people eat a lot of bread. It may not be the cheapest thing all the time, but it probably is cheapest in proportion with how much it fills you up too. That means you can add pasta into this equation too. I eat a lot of toast and pasta. Heck, I have spaghetti nearly every week, and toast almost every night (of course my body is also craving tons of carbs do to all the bike riding). When I was in college the first time I remember eating a lot of bread and pasta. During most of my years in Florida, I don't remember eating nearly so much...at least at home anyway. I'm sure when I went out, say to Olive Garden, I gorged myself on yummy breadsticks and pasta! mmm...

But right now, I'm getting sick of all of it. (and we all know how much I enjoy cooking) Ok, so part of the problem is that with the term ending, and my spending 12 hour days (every day) at school, I just don't have time to grocery shop. Sigh...my cupboards are bare. If I can just make it to next Thursday...then, well, I'll have to pull some money out of thin air too, but at least I'll have food again, even if it's not super exciting.

Now here's the other observation. Poor people (ok, cooking haters like myself) may not be excited about food often, but we might be better for the environment...health is up for debate. Think about it...I bike around here not so much because I want to be "green", but because I can't afford gas, parking, or really even monthly bus fares. Being "green" is just a natural bi-product of being poor in this case. I'm quite happy that I get to snub the oil companies in the process, because even though I love driving, i LOATH buying gas! But when I'm biking up a big hill, you can bet I wish I was on a bus or anything with a motor.

So what about my health? Being "green" and poor is certainly giving me more exercise, but I'm not sure if my eating habits are healthier. If I do grab food out, it's at fast food places which are clearly not good for you. I would try to get Subway in that instance, but that can be more expensive. And clearly the processed food I buy for home like Ramen noodles and lots of freezer foods (some questionable hamburger patties come to mind...they were so cheap, I don't really know what "meat" they are)...well, that can't be good for me. I do buy some nice fresh produce that's often cheaper...but only if it's in season. I was trying to eat healthier before I left Florida, but I can attest to that effort costing a bit more. And don't even get me started on the cost of 'organic'.

I'm not quite sure what the correlation is between personal health and finances is, but while I'm eating a fair amount of "junk" these days, i'd say it evens out with my exercise. So Hooray for environmental bonuses helping my wallet and my health. Do you know that I can bike up hill, in top gear now, without huffing and puffing like I'm going to die? yay! of course...my knees are sore a lot these days. shoot...i can't win... =D