Stop Buying Crap #20 – 100 Calorie Snack Packs
Posted by Cap in Stop Buying Crap! |Stop Buying Crap #10 | #11 | #12 | #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 | #18 | #19 | #20
Buy Me Please Because Moderation and Arithmetic is Difficult

When I came across the 100 calorie goods two years ago, I thought it was some stupid trend for people without abbacus, but as it turns out, I was dead wrong.
I remember reading somewhere recently that 100 calorie aisle may start appearing in a supermarket near you, which got me so infuriated, I tore the newspaper into atom-size pieces.
Please people; for the sake of the sanity of an online-stranger-you-don’t-know, please start using ziplock bags and a knife.
Or hey, maybe even your fingers. They’re really good at breaking processed food, especially the bar type. There’s also this thing called the mouth, which you can close when you’ve consumed a sensible amount of Cheetos.
If the mouth method is too difficult to do (and I’ll admit I fail in this almost 90% of the time), you can utilize the last line of defense and revisit what I’ve already mentioned — use this thing called THE BRAIN, and count the portions you want and throw them into a ziplock bag!
Non-rant Related Resources:
- In Small Packages, Few Calories, and More Profit – NY Times
- 100 calorie packs review – taquitos.net
30 Comments to “Stop Buying Crap #20 – 100 Calorie Snack Packs”
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September 26th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Totally agree… what a waste of money..
September 26th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Well, I brown-bag it anyway. I like it when other people offer 100 cal sodas because then if I’m feeling like a treat I don’t feel as guilty. Doesn’t happen much anyway.
September 26th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Right on.
September 27th, 2007 at 5:00 am
100 calorie portions are a great way for the incredibly lazy to waste money and contribute to landfills through excess packaging.
If you have a problem with portion control, find a container the right size. Get the snack and fill the container. Put the rest of the snack back in the cupboard. This eliminates the need to use plastic bags as well (i.e., save money and less waste).
September 27th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Wait, so I can actually stop eating any time I want by closing my pie hole and not putting any more food into it?
Sounds like BS to me.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
You know,,, some people NEED to have their portions already prepared for them. If they can’t control their eating this is a method for them to use. They are probably not even thinking about the cost… they see it as a form of controlling their overeating.
September 28th, 2007 at 2:00 am
Moderation and arithmetic *are* difficult.
Lisa: people with *that much* eating control aren’t going to stop at one little bag…
September 28th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Only difference is that sometimes the product is different in the 100 calorie pack (oreos, chips ahoy, etc.) Otherwise I totally agree.
September 29th, 2007 at 6:51 am
I sense a business opportunity, Cap…
You could start a “Portion Control Counseling” business, wherein your employees travel to the homes of the weak-willed and measure out their snacks into reusable, properly-sized containers.
September 29th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
H Lee D
They may not be able to stop at just one bag, but trust me, they WANT to stop at one bag…
September 30th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
All this rage! Anything that helps with the obesity problem in America gets a thumbs up from me.
I think this helps.
So thumbs up.
September 30th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Unbelievable! People are so friggin’ LAZY and stupid. I have many relatives who are already buying this kind of crap, I’m sure. A little self-discipline goes a long way…
September 30th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Please…PLEASE… Don’t buy this crap. In fact, if you must buy the High-Fructose-Corn-Syrup-Fake-Sugar-Preservative-Laden-Food from the “Tub of Lard Aisle” at least buy it at Costo and save a few bucks. We all know you won’t eat just one bag of Cheezy Poofs. Stop kidding yourselves!!!
October 2nd, 2007 at 8:17 am
These 100 calorie snack packs should go well with triple whopper combos, super duper sized of course.
October 2nd, 2007 at 10:47 am
While I think the 100 calorie pack trend is starting to get a bit excessive I think there are instances where they can be good ideas, such as something to keep in your desk at work. Opening a box of crackers or cookies and putting them in ziploc bag doesn’t keep as long as these small packages do. Paying a couple dollars for a box of these packages is much cheaper than paying $1 or more for a snack from a vending machine and these 100 calorie packs are probably more nutritious. Some days you just really need a snack, especially if it’s an unexpectedly busy or long day.
October 2nd, 2007 at 12:19 pm
I like the concept, I mean eating less in controlled portions is a good idea. That being said,you’re right, it IS a total waste of resources.
October 2nd, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Common sense is slowly disappearing. People are becoming lazier. It’s not that difficult to measure food & stick the food into a ziploc bag or container. Anyways, I know I’m talking crazy…me being young and all. I guess cheap people stick to “old fashioned” methods.
October 4th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Last night hubby and I came up with “stopbuyingcrap.com.au” so I typed it in this morning and how wonderful that someone has already thought of it! Gives me faith to think that there are likeminded people out there! A few years ago I bought a plastic toy boat from a discount store for my son and it SANK!!! My advice: BOYCOTT DISCOUNT STORES WHO IMPORT CRAP TO AUSTRALIA!!! Think of all that coal we are digging up so they can burn it to make crap toys to export to Australia. It has to STOP!
October 14th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Hello! I just wanted to de-lurk myself after months of reading your blog. I finally started my own PF, and I can definitely attest to buying crap on a regular basis. That was until a few months ago, but I’m definitely still not completely reformed.
I added you on my links.=)
October 15th, 2007 at 12:38 am
The only thing that I really get in the 100 calorie size is soda. If you open a can of soda and you don’t finish it, it’s going to go flat. And if you have an adult lunchbox/bag/cooler sometimes the larger bottles don’t fit. Otherwise, I think they’re a waste of money.
October 17th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Here’s a simple idea: Stop eating when you’re satisfied.
For some reason, I find that the 100-calorie packs are not enough. I could do 200 calories per snack and not gain weight because of my level of activity. I prefer to buy store brand items in bulk packaging, a few weeks’ worth at a time. That’s the least expensive way to shop for groceries.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:32 am
My feeling is, if you’re going to be redistributing it into ziplock bags ANYWAY, you’re not exactly lessening the packaging.
I’m not in love with the idea of all that packaging, but frankly, I think 100 calorie packs are great otherwise. They’re good to put in kids’ lunch packs, and they’re good to keep around the office.
And Trader Joes makes fantastic 100 cal packs that are healthier, tastier and cheaper! Many many Americans OBVIOUSLY have portion control problems. Hell, I know I do. That doesn’t make us all retards or lazy or stupid. That just means we know what out weaknesses are, and we adjust our spending habits accordingly.
It’s okay to not always get the best deal financially, if you understand why you’re making the choices you’re making.
October 27th, 2007 at 8:36 am
I agree that the 100 cal packs are a waste of money and a marketing scam. I believe allready overweight people know that the 2 bigmacs and super-sized fry they are about to eat is not a healthy choice. I don’t think someone with that much lack of self-control is going to be suddenly turned around by an allready portion and calorie controlled package and people with enough sense not to stuff their face with garbage don’t need portion and calorie controlled package. A total waste alltogether.
October 31st, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Slightly off-track, but the biggest “crap” article I’ve seen recently in the food-and-drink category is the Aquapod. Do they really think kids are going to drink more water because the container is supposedly cute? (Buy one and keep refilling it from the tap.)
November 1st, 2007 at 1:30 pm
I know that the cheese nips are actually a lighter version of the regular cheese nips, that you can’t get in bigger packaging, so there is actually a point to those.
November 1st, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Dr. V: Oh man. Seriously. I actually have a picture of those stupid Aquadpod. Been meaning to post about it but alas, accidentally wiped the memory card on my cell phone. Bleh.
December 4th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
I agree, but there is one exception I’d like to bring up: microwave popcorn. The 100-calorie packages are the perfect size. Full bags are too much for one person to eat at work, and it’s not really viable to bring a popcorn maker to work. Who wants to save microwave popcorn for later?
January 4th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I’m new to this site. You’re hilarious! You’re right. People need to be more thoughtful in their choices. Here’s a novel one. How about don’t buy the soda?! You don’t have to worry about the calories and water’s practically free! I’m a bit of a health nut, though, and would love people to take more stock in their nutrition. It’s their insurance against the future. Ah…but I digress. What’s next? Selling 50 calories per packet of junk?
Jerry
January 15th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Some people can’t “just stop” It’s an addiction for some, and portion control like this helps them be more mindful of “grazing”. It’s like telling a smoker, “just don’t light it” It’s not so easy to some. To all the elitist people saying it’s not hard to just stop eating- congratulations, you’re better than everyone else, now stick your nose higher in the air and keep patting yourself on the back.
October 5th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Portion control puts an obstacle up to make overeating more difficult, and it gets the person used to eating less(habit changing). I do think that eating LCD’s(low calorie density) foods is a better solution because they fill you up without fattening you up. Hopefully people will look at 100cal of broccoli and then look at a 100cal of cheetos and decided to go for the much larger portion of broccoli that will fill them up more(and is a lot healthier)