Sometimes I’ll swing by the supermarket after work to pick up some last-minute stuff. But, I always take a swing through the meat department to check for bargains. While I always appreciate 30% off the sticker price, its more than just frugality that makes me walk the aisle when I’d much rather be kicking my shoes off after work and relaxing.

There have been times when money was tight and if I did have any cash in my pockets, it was needed for other stuff. By not having to worry about things like having to buy groceries, I’m able to free up cash for more important things in my desperate state…fuel to get to job interviews, etc, etc.

You prepare in the good times against the bad times. Right now, I have a job, money in the bank, virtually no debt, a paid for house, and a few other advantages that give me a safe and secure life. But I’ve been on the other side of that coin. I can remember a time when I had just enough money for the next three months rent, no job, and the only thing in the fridge as some baking soda and ketchup. Eating every other day…that sort of thing. And…I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. It is experiences like those that give you the grit and determination to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Sure, you don’t need to have gone hungry to realize that having stored food is a good idea, but I absolutely guarantee you that the person who has gone hungry, or been around hungry people, will take it much more seriously than someone for whom ‘going hungry’ is just a theory.

So, even though I’m tired, and I don’t feel like spending 20 minutes after work shuffling through a supermarket when I’d rather be flopped in a chair at my house with a cold Coke, I’ll suck it up and hit the aisle. And when I do, pretty much all I think about is what could go wrong in my life and how someday, maybe years from now, I’ll pull this steak or roast out of the freezer and be grateful I had the foresight to take a lousy twenty minutes to give myself some breathing room at a future date.

Of course, this isn’t exclusive to remaindered meat. Canned goods, toiletries, clothes, fuel, medicine, cash, gold, silver, ammo…..these are all things that at some point I sacrifice something in the present..a dinner out, some ice cream, a trip to the movies…in order to have that moment in the future where I thank myself for having some foresight.

Thats it. Twenty minutes and taking a pass on a half gallon of Breyers against the day when, for whatever reason, I don’t have the resources to spare for a decent meal. Could be a bout of unemployment, illness, sudden responsibility to others, but there’s no shortage of darn good reasons to have some extra food tucked away…in the freezer, in the cupboard, in a buckets, on the shelf.

So even though after work today I was ten different types of tired, I didnt begrudge my future self too much when I picked up some flank steaks and 85/15 at 30% off. Vacuum sealed and in the freezer, or canned in jars, my hungry future-me will thank past-me.

So next time youre tired, or you’d rather spend on a luxury, or you just don’t feel like doing anything productive…..think of that time your back was against the wall and how much better things would have been if you had set something back for just such a situation.