Oh, that's why.

Don't go to the grocery store hungry. It's a piece of advice I've never really understood. I mean, I know that you buy twice as much when you're hungry, but what's so wrong with that? I never regret it later. In fact, I am quite happy with myself the next day when I look in my fridge and it's chock full of fun stuff like maple dipped sausage links and pounds of thinly sliced deli meat and cheese.

Yesterday I was starving so I stopped by the store for some chips and salsa but ended up stocking up on the essentials: red velvet cake, pecan tarts, ham/cheese hot pockets etc. I walked to the checkout line gabbing on the phone, feeling slightly guilty like I often do about being the obnoxious person on the phone, while the lady rung me up. I felt bad enough to feel guilty but obviously not bad enough to hang up. Then I looked into my bag and realized I didn't have my wallet. Shit. Now I wasn't just the obnoxious person on the phone, I was the obnoxious bimbo standing in her bikini and cover up, with a TriDelt hat on, who had just rung up $100 worth of groceries and had forgotten her wallet at home. I hung up my cell, apologized profusely to the woman and rushed home as I weighed my options. I could go back to my apartment, grab my credit card, run back and pay for my groceries. Or I could just bask in my embarrassment, and stay at home, never to show my face at the grocery store ever again. Or at least not without a disguise. Maybe with my glasses on and a completely non-ditzy outfit. But if I didn't go back, all of that delicious food I had just purchased — or rather, picked out — would go to waste. 

So I returned to the store, mortified, and quickly paid the bill. I half-jokingly said to the lady, who had to wait to check anyone else out until I came back,  "You probably hate me huh?" She laughed. Hmm, I'll take that as a yes.

Maybe the reason you shouldn't go to a grocery store hungry has nothing to do with how much  you might buy. Maybe you shouldn't go to a store hungry because when you don't have food in your system you might not think straight, and do something stupid like try to purchase a feast when your only methods of payment are SPF 4 and a beach towel.