Hit my 100th dinner using only pantry staples and realized I actually like cooking now

I made it to 100 meals straight without buying fresh groceries, just pulling cans and spices from the back of my cabinet, and honestly it felt like leveling up in a video game for real. Has anyone else tracked their dinners to a random number and felt weirdly proud of it?

4 comments

4 Comments

jordan_webb2mo ago

Funny how small goals can flip your whole perspective on something.

williamb292mo ago

Wait, you're actually telling me that worked for you?

williamm822mo ago

Leveling up in a video game" is exactly how I'd describe it too, except I feel like my character keeps picking up random junk instead of health potions. I tracked my freezer meals for two months straight and almost cried when I hit 50 just because I finally used that bag of frozen peas from 2021. It's weirdly satisfying to watch the mountain of canned beans slowly disappear, even if my breath is basically garlic at this point. Honestly, if I can trick myself into feeling accomplished about eating stale crackers, maybe I'll start feeling proud about folding laundry next.

shanem372mo ago

Lean into the folding laundry thing, man. I started timing myself with my phone's stopwatch, just folding one load per day and trying to beat yesterday's time by 10 seconds. It sounds dumb but the stupid little dopamine hit from seeing "3:42" vs "3:55" actually got me doing it regularly. That bag of peas from 2021 is basically a boss fight you already won, that's how I look at it.