Toilet Tissue and Broccoli

Several years ago I was walking down the aisle of the local grocery store when I met an older lady.  She had been a teacher and was several years into her retirement.  She was holding a regular small box of Jell-O and examining it very closely.  When she saw me she said “Look at this, they have changed the size!  Now it is this tiny little box.  What do you think of that?”  What I thought was, that this dear old woman was loosing her marbles.  A couple of years later she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s!

I recently had occasion to doubt my own sanity.  Although once, I heard a Doctor say, that if you think you are going crazy you are probably OK, people who really are, rarely know it.

Back to my concern and why I was worried for a few minutes.  I have been buying the same brand of toilet tissue for several years.  I always buy the 12 roll pack.  Well one day I pulled a roll out of the package.  It looked strange to me!  By George, it looked smaller, and I thought to my self “Oh oh“ in spite of what that Dr. had said, “I must be loosing it!”  But then I got over the shock, and pulled another roll from the package and sure enough they were not the same size.  The regular roll was about ¾ of an inch wider.  I had to laugh out of sheer relief until I realized this was not a laughing matter.  Indeed what is happening to the economy of the USA has caused manufacturers to figure out ways to cut expenses and increase their profits.  I had to wonder how much money was saved, (adding to their profits) by this simple little deceit. 

A few day later, I was making a broccoli casserole, and the recipe called for a 16 oz. bag of frozen broccoli. After I opened the bag, I happened to glance at the package and it indicated that the contents were only 14 ounces.  Hmm!  I will have to research this.  Am I paying the same price for the 14oz. size as I had been paying for the 16 oz. bag?  So, now I must check more closely while shopping so I can determine whether or not I am getting my money’s worth!  Drat!  It’s no big thing, I guess, but you know what, I feel a little bit cheated about the toilet tissue and now the broccoli. Though, I will try not to loose my mind over it!