Short by 47 Cents

I shop at Aldi's, the discount market that shares its buying power with the fancy Trader Joes here in Chicago (they're owned by two brothers). Both serve different customers though - Aldi's being the cheaper, cleary, but it's not poor ugly, like most knock-off stores with dusty pallets of stale food dumped on a dirty floor with yellow fluorescent lighting buzzing overhead. It's spotlessly clean in there, with orderly rows of off-brand wine, exotic chocolate, organic jerky ($3.99 package/ 100 percent grass-fed beef), and gourmet nuts all right there as you come in - all in well-groomed but cut-rate rows. You don't feel beggared here, yet most of the people that come here are. Mom's counting pennies using their weekly flyer for Appetito's Soft Pretzels, vegan chicken nuggets for the kids, or frozen canapes from France (Two for Ten), or old folks like me stretching every dollar they got. Your government assistance SNAP card can be used on any of these Aldi things just fine but not for kid or adult diapers or lady toilet paper stuff, go figure.

You can find food staples here too though - tin house-brand soup, processed sandwich meats, .89 cent eggs, white bread, and American cheese - but that's not what fills most people's shopping carts. It's more extravagant foodstuffs on a budget that closes the sale. I'm on a fixed income myself but I enjoy treating myself to a fresh rotisserie chicken (.79 cents a pound) now and eat it for the whole week. I'd start with one side of the breast plus tinned veggies (beans or corn or maybe both if I'd find them dented cans in the clearance aisle - I never know what I'm going to find there. Every week's a surprise) one night and then move to the next day, flipping the pre-cooked bird over for the meat below, eat both legs and drums on another night and then boil the carcass for soup once I'd gone round-robin on the bird. For a while there, things were pretty tight, so it was Aunt Maple's Protein Pancake Mix ( $2.99 @ box with 14 grams of protein per serving!) only that I'd make last for as long as I could. I did 6 days once on just one box - but I got pretty tired of it by the end - even using their own Aldi jam to mix things up. So it was a nice surprise to see another old-timer like me in there all by himself, shuffling through the aisles, not really noticing the good stuff I like to buy or read about on the shelves. I'll imagine myself having some fancy stuffed olives (even if they give me indigestion), or perhaps enjoying a glass of that Winking Owl Merlot with an enticing lady friend (though I no longer have the stomach for either). It doesn't cost anything to dream.

He was dusty old, kinda shuffling along, all faded-out amidst the bright geegaws everywhere so I tried to figure out what he might be looking for. It's easy once you start, matching people to their shopping. You wouldn't look at me and think Starburst Fruit Roll-Up ($1.99 - Taste the Rainbow), but they remind me of when I was a little kid, and I'd make 'em last too. I couldn't always get them but when I did, it didn't matter what time of year it was, it was my Summer again. So, when I saw this fella with two cans of something and a box of crackers, I knew he wasn't out shopping for himself and his own wife. That's bachelor food or, more than likely, widower food, and I saw him carrying his three things to the checkout girl Sarah who I like the best. She's in most days and always has a smile for me. Now, I'd already spent my cash limit, filling up my handbasket (I can still use, thank you) and my own stuff doesn't always amount up to a lot - but my curiosity does. I wanted to know what he had planned - Beefaroni? Chicken Soup? He looked like a No-Beans Chili guy, maybe? So, I wandered over, playing my little guessing game, not being nosey - but being interested. He was counting out his change, not using the government SNAP and Sarah was telling him that he was giving her nickels instead of quarters as he plinked the coins on her counter.

"You're 47 cents short, Sir. Those are nickels, not quarters. You haven't got enough."

He was grumbling, not mad, but weathering dark so I saw that this was a good chance to step in and help a little. I was tight - but not so tight that I couldn't pay forward what he needed to get his stuff.

"Here, Sarah, I got that," I said, pushing two quarters up to her and smiling at the fella, not in an 'I'm flushed and you ain't way, just in an "it-happens-to-us-all-don't-sweat-it," neighborly way. He nodded at me, bundling up his tins and crackers in his arms 'cause they charge for bags at Aldi's and it gave me a chance to sneak a quick peek at his purchases.

That was worth my four bits.

He'd picked the beef and chicken Pure Being with no corn, wheat, or soy. With no added colors or artificial flavoring.

I smiled knowing that he knew about using the crackers to make it last that much longer.

Dog food always tastes better on a shingle.