Scrumdiddlyumptious

Grocery shopping is part of our regular activities. You can’t make food unless you have a pantry full of good food.
Think about what type of grocery shopper you are?
Some people are bargain shoppers, only buying things on sale and using coupons. The thrill of being able to buy the most for the least.
Others buy in bulk, buying large quantities at one time and only needing little bits here and there so the opportunity to shop is less needed. Others just grab and go, not paying attention to price, quality, or quantity.
I am sure there are some that are a good mix of all of these. I typically do not look at prices, but if there is a great sale, trust me I am going to take advantage. But I know what’s good, what’s bad.. so I shop based on quality. What’s most needed and what will make my meals taste most like perfection. I usually am only buying produce and things that are consumed immediately, so regardless of the price..its needed..RIGHT then ;)

SO, when it comes to dating, and having that mindset of choosing your eternal companion, how do you shop?

My personal grocery shopping habits and dating habits are kind of similar from the analogy standpoint.
The level of what I expect from my groceries based on what I paid and what the end result is to be is the same when it comes to dating.
If you want a really good steak, you aren’t going to buy beef from Wal-mart. I buy from the butcher and don’t mind paying $3 lbs compared to $1 lbs. I want my steak to taste good, be of good quality.
When you decide to date someone, you don’t go looking in the bar, or clubs. You go to church, YSA activities, use your friends. Even though its easier to meet someone at a club, bar, or work setting..you’re not getting what you are looking for.. from a LDS standpoint.

I learned hard lessons when it comes to buying different brands of food at the stores. Like when you buy the cheap brand of popcorn and it burns after a minute in the microwave.
Your expectations of the product from the start are high.
How can popcorn go wrong..no matter the brand?
But this one did..two times I tried it to see if it would be better.
How many times did you expect someone to be great with little knowledge?
"How could this person not be" and once you try them out… horrible, horrendous. That nasty burning smell that lingers everywhere and you wish you never "put them in the microwave"
(Bare with me people. I’m using A LOT of analogies)
You think, well maybe it was just a bad day, a bad batch... then you try again......Yep still burned, even put it in less time in the microwave, same result.

Wise shoppers study their options thoroughly before making a decision.
In my case, I bought two different brands; one was as always expected, great, delicious, no complaints. The other was bad news as soon as the box was opened.

I wanted to take a risk, try something new. But I needed to focus primarily on the quality and durability of the desired product. I want the very best. Sometimes the very best isn’t the most expensive brand either. The very best brand in my case was the Smiths Kroger brand.
My risky choice did not endure well.

Dating and picking your eternal companion is and always should be studied and looked at from all angles.
Is the cost of this worth the value? Is this ingredient what’s needed for the recipe? How soon does the product expire after opening? Will this product mix well with the others in my recipe or will it only sour it? Is this good for my health?

Sometimes, people make the ultimate choice and buy THE product.
They hope and expect that it will work despite the dent in the can or the brand not being the best.
But sometimes you can replace butter for olive oil, or sugar for applesauce. It’s worked before, and when you made your brownies and no one noticed there was no sugar in the recipe, you’ve succeeded.

But, sadly you cannot replace tomatoes for cherries, or cheese for flour. The recipe calls for milk, but using water only cheapens and thins it out and the whole meal is lost.
If the mistake was made, and the recipe failed because of the wrong grocery item, or a bad brand you have options to fix it. The best news is that you can go to the store and either return the item for a new or better one.
If the one you want is really expensive, I am sure if you wait long enough it will go on sale, or you can find a coupon…or…save $$ until you can afford it.

Celestial marriage is the most important goal we need to reach for. Once you have made that, the blessings and knowledge of what you and your eternal companion need to do next is easy and clear.

President Monson said "To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves. No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man. Service to others is akin to duty-the fulfillment of which joy brings"

I know that harmony in marriage can only be found when one esteems the welfare of the spouse as the highest priorities. But that has to go both ways. Understanding the needs of each other is the key.

God’s plan of happiness allows us to choose for ourselves. Like the patterns of the many different types of shoppers out there, we can choose celestial marriage or lesser alternative. Some marital options are cheap, and some are costly, and some are cunningly crafted by Satan. He wants to breed misery.
Be very aware of that. If you are not happy while you are dating, what make you think you will be happy married? 
If you arent enjoying your meal because it tates gross, what makes you think it has nothing to do with the products purchased?

“One good yardstick as to whether a person might be the right one for you is this: in her presence, do you think your noblest thoughts, do you aspire to your finest deeds, do you wish you were better than you are?”  Ezra Taft Benson

When you go “grocery shopping” do you buy the cheapest food, just to save a few dollars? Do you buy the best so that your body is fed the finest qualities? Does the food make you healthier? Are you using what you are buying?

Remember to shop wisely and for the better good. To shop for the things that are able to sustain you, feed your soul, make good meals and are able to help create new everlasting recipes :)

Yummy Marriage Recipe

4 cups of love
2 cups of loyalty
3 cups of forgiveness
1 cup of friendship

5 spoons of hope
2 spoons of tenderness
4 quarts of faith
1 barrel of laughter

Take love and loyalty, mix it thoroughly with faith. Blend in tenderness, kindness and hope. Sprinkle abundantly with laughter. Bake with sunshine. Serve daily in generous helpings.