I work hard for my money and have to work just as hard to make it go as far as it can.  When you are trying to put only healthy foods, which tend to cost more, into your body, it is even more infuriating to find that what you are buying is not exactly what they are selling to you.

Take tuna fish for example.  I spend a lot of time searching through the many different colored cans and brands that are available to find one that seems like what I want.  Tuna fish.  Packed in water.  Period.  But wait, look at the ingredient list on the back.  Hmmm – here, in the smaller print on the back of the can I find that it is not merely water that my fish is packed in.  Oh no.  Someone must have presumed that I wanted the vegetable broth kind of water.  Seriously?  They are not the same thing at all.  On a hot summer day, can you imagine reaching for an icy cold glass of vegetable broth?  Neither can I.  So I wonder how they can get away with calling it water when it is clearly indicated in the ingredient list that it is packed in vegetable broth.  Not only that, the vegetable broth seems to contain one of the top eight allergens – soy.  No other ingredients are listed so I have to assume this “vegetable broth” is made up of only soy and water.  I have a real problem with this whole situation.  First, I have a consumer’s right to know exactly what I am buying so I don’t like to have one thing advertised on the front of the can to find something quite different on the back.  Also, isn’t soy a legume or is the jury still out on that?  Either way, I hardly find it a good thing that someone substituted my water with “vegetable broth” and then added an allergen to it.  All I wanted was tuna packed in water.  Now I am buying tuna in aseptic pouches packed in olive oil because when I look at the ingredients list it actually agrees with what is being advertised to me.  I simply rinse it at home when I don’t want it all oily.  More work, but at least I know what I am eating.

Another example is good old-fashioned oatmeal.  Who would have thought that friendly old colonial guy hawking the stuff would have turned into one of my enemies?  He did though.  Because he lied to me!  Well, to be fair, he only told me a half truth.  But when it comes to my money and what goes in my body, I am a little defensive about it.  I had found a box of flavored instant oatmeal packages that would make breakfast a breeze for me.  And as a bonus, it stated in big letters on the front of the box that it had only half the sugar!  Awesome!  I have always thought many of us could go a little lighter on the sweeteners and get to really taste our food.  But I was mistaken you see.  When I got home, I saw (in much smaller letters on the back of the box) that they actually HAD put in only half the sugar.  But what I was now realizing was that they had replaced that missing half of the sugar with an artificial sweetener.  Grrrr!  I am not going to get going on how I feel about artificial sweeteners because if someone wants to use them, that is fine with me.  However, I don’t like the idea of someone sneakily putting them into my food.  I wouldn’t sneakily add sugar to a diabetic’s meal.  It’s the principle of the thing and right back to my right to know what I am buying.  I returned the oatmeal on my next trip to the grocery store and bought a more truthful kind.  Goodbye you old quaker.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Betty

Over the years, I have watched relatives go from being childless to families with children.  Yet, I remember that before they had children that they had absolutely no problems with receiving gifts for themselves and exchanging gifts with other adults, including the childless ones.  But after they had kids, the ever-dreaded yet inevitable suggestion that everyone should only buy for the children in the family comes up.  This is ever-dreaded because it only has the appearance of making things financially easier on everyone.  In reality, it only makes it easier on the families with children.  The only time this is ever better for everyone involved  is when every  branch of the family has children.  Otherwise, the childless are just transferring the money they would have spent on the adults to the children, but now will receive nothing in return themselves.

I’m sure most aunties and uncles will agree with me that there is nothing they need or want that they cannot get for themselves so this post isn’t about greed or wanting gifts.  On the other hand, my Ugg-wearing, iPhone carrying, professionally pedicured 8 year-old nieces and nephews really aren’t needing or wanting anything that their own parents/grandparents can’t or don’t provide, either.  Now, DH and I will always still gift our nieces and nephews (until college or they are working), simply because we love them and want to be included in their lives, regardless of how thoughtless their parents may be.  But I do worry about the message this is sending to the children.  Are we simply fated only to be gift horses, invited to events only to shower them with gifts at least twice a year without a mere thought impressed on them of how much we love them, not even a thank you card?  This is what it seems to have come to in our case.  My suggestion:  if there are childless in the family, then continue to include them in the gift exchange.  They are still valuable members of the family.  A gift certificate to a pet store so they can get something for their furry kids might be nice, or just a token gift that shows you thought of them.  This will impress on the children that the childless aunts and uncles are not some sub-human species that don’t have feelings, and that they also deserve appreciation in some way.

If you have children, then trust me that there is no time worse than Christmas to feel it thrown in  your face that you don’t have children, which also may make it a very painful time of year.   Also, it is unfair to think that someone who has no children has more time or money than those that do.  I only have the same 24 hours in every day that a mother has.  I know moms of several children who are just better at juggling their time and finances than some moms of a single child.  So it is how you manage it and each person has the right to do it their own way, as far as I am concerned.

Another thing that bothers me about Christmas is that people come up with rules and then don’t stick to them.  If it is decided to only buy for the kids and not for siblings, then it is extremely rude to exchange gifts with one sibling in attendance at a get together while excluding another, especially when everyone knows ahead of time who is going to be there.  Private gift exchanges should be done in private.  Period.

In summary, Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time of year for Christians of all shapes and sizes, with or without children, everyone is allowed to celebrate and to enjoy.  Who doesn’t like fun?  I don’t buy into the “It’s all about the kids,” attitude because it really is supposed to be all about Jesus and God’s love for us.  It’s not “Kidsmas” so don’t accuse me of taking the Christ out of Christmas.  Before you do that, please take a look in the mirror and see if you aren’t putting the “Ho” in “Holiday.”

Betty