I once told someone my reason for not buying provisions in bulk. Buying large containers of milk, beverages, and sugar was something that has always been a staple in my family. Having it at home meant that when one wakes up in the morning, they could easily have a good meal before going off to work or school without having to do any serious cooking.
So, having provisions, bread, biscuits, cornflakes, and all that, it鈥檚 always good and it鈥檚 always helpful. Because they can hold you for hours, and even if you return home hungry and need something heavier to satisfy yourself, they can also serve as a temporary source of sustenance until the main meal is ready.
So, it was basically a tradition. My mom always bought it, but I was never one to let it rest. I was always taking too much milk, too much chocolate, and too much sugar. As a matter of fact, it was hard for me to make tea without making sure I take spoonfuls of the milk and chocolate as well, for good measure. To make sure the milk tastes milky.
Well, when I went to school, I tried to continue the tradition, but my old ways made it so hard for me to keep up. Now that I was solely in control of the provision, I sucked when it came to discipline. They never lasted. Sometimes, I found myself drinking tea three times a day, and I was always heaping milk into the tea, making it extra milky. Imagine putting three spoonfuls of milk into a tiny cup of tea.
I was unstoppable. As long as I had it, I couldn鈥檛 control myself. Sometimes, I would just get the urge to lick milk. So, I would go to the container and take a spoonful of it, eating it the way I would chew garri, and getting it stuck in parts of my mouth that even my tongue couldn鈥檛 reach. However, it all came to a head when I did something that shocked even me, and I knew then that I had to change my ways.
I had just restocked that day with provisions, I also bought a pack of cornflakes because I enjoy them a lot. However, to my shock, I finished the entire pack of the cornflakes in one day. But get this, I didn鈥檛 just finish the cornflakes, I finished the milk and chocolate as well. I had bought refill packs for both, and I finished them all! In one day!!!
That night, my stomach held a protest. I purged violently that night that I couldn鈥檛 even sleep a wink, but by morning, everything had cleared up. However, I had learned my lesson. It was clear that I couldn鈥檛 handle myself when it came to provisions, so I had to stop buying them. I tried switching to the sachet kind, buying rows of sachets instead of the refill, but it still felt the same way. And in the end, I just stopped buying in bulk altogether. Now, when I need milk for anything, I just buy a unit. The exact amount I need and make use of it. That way, there鈥檚 no temptation.
And the same goes for chocolate and sugar as well. I only buy what I need. And that has helped me a lot. I know that this is more like an avoidance tactic and I鈥檓 not facing the problem head-on, but if I鈥檓 being honest, I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 ready to fight that battle just yet. So, I鈥檓 putting it away for as long as I possibly can.
So, milk is now one tin at a time, chocolate is one sachet at a time. And thus, I鈥檝e been able to curtail my excess consumption of sweet things. It鈥檚 been working so far for me, and I鈥檓 glad. Because if I had not learned, I would still have been buying a refill every other week. And in this economy, such a habit is dangerous.