Living Full Price in a World That’s Always on Sale

$2.99. 

Wow. $2.99 for a massive bag of cereal, which was normally $6.99. As I looked at Dillon’s digital sale price, all of the happy fireworks went off within me. 

Wanting to make sure I got my son David the kind he loved, I pulled out my phone and FaceTimed him from the aisle. (So funny to think about this from the perspective of my 1985 self.) Anyway—he smiled and pointed to the screen—Berry Colossal Crunch. Perfect. 

Humming a victory song to myself, I put the bag into my shopping cart. I was excited to shower him with this bag of love. 

When I got home, I decided to store the cereal in something better than the cheap bag that it came in, so I cracked open the bag and started pouring it into our Tupperware cereal containers. 

As the pieces tumbled in, I pulled back. The scent was sharp and sickeningly sweet.  

The actual kernels of cereal were hard, sort of like dog food. The little “berries” had bright colors. Neon. Artificial. My mom radar finally went off—hard. What exactly was I feeding him?

I looked at the back of the bag:  

All the dyes. All the additives. None of it real food. 

I closed my eyes, hung my head, whispered an explosive expletive and threw it all away.

Here’s the deal. I had gotten caught, once more, in the pleasure trap. This trap was first introduced to me over ten years ago when I read the aptly named book, The Pleasure Trap, where authors Dr. Douglas Lisle and Dr. Alan Goldhamer taught me how I, as a simple human, will pursue the magical chemical substances in our foods.

Why? Because this magic food—the stuff created in a lab, is a supernatural stimulus. When eaten, the sugary concoction creates feel-good chemicals which cascade through the brain. While it looks good, tastes good (at least to my 16-year old son), it will not truly nourish us.

It is a pleasure trap.

And like all traps, it feels good—at first. That hit of dopamine. The rush of excitement at the sale. But what comes next? A crash. Regret. And the gnawing sense that I’ve traded something real for something hollow. Again.

But this is exactly what The Pleasure Trap warns us about. As Dr. Lisle and Dr. Goldhamer explain, we were never designed for this world of artificial abundance. Our brains are wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and conserve energy—strategies that once helped us survive. Now? Our brains are being hijacked.

These Frankenfoods, with their vibrant colors and engineered flavors, bypass the natural checks and balances of our biology. They mimic the signals of nutrient-rich foods without delivering the actual nutrients. So we’re left chasing an illusion—mistaking fleeting pleasure for true happiness.

But here’s the critical distinction the authors make: happiness is not the same as pleasure.

True happiness doesn’t come from chasing the next sugary bite, the next scroll, the next dopamine hit. It comes from something deeper—setting and achieving meaningful goals. It comes from living in alignment with your values, doing hard things that matter, and creating a life you’re proud of.

I don’t know about you, but that resonates within me. I love how I feel when I set a goal and work to achieve it. It might be as mundane as getting all of the laundry done in one day, but when I can accomplish that goal, I feel truly satisfied deep within. I am happy. 

When I think back to that cereal moment, what I really wanted was to show love to my son. To delight him. But the shortcut—the processed food—ended up undermining the very thing I was aiming for: his well-being.

That, my friend, is the trap.

Real joy requires intention. It takes work. It’s not always convenient. Sometimes it costs more. Sometimes it looks like chopping vegetables. Sometimes it’s saying no to fake food. Sometimes it’s walking away from the sale and choosing a different kind of win.

But the reward? Oh my stars, the reward? That’s where the real happiness of life can be found and it is not the quick fix but the INTENTIONAL slow burn of a life well-lived.

As moms, we give ourselves away. We want our families to feel loved, provided for, and cared for. And often, that love gets expressed in the kitchen—in the snacks we buy, the meals we prepare, and the little surprises we share with our people. But here’s what I’ve come to realize: love and convenience are not the same thing.

And when I really stop to reflect, I know this goes deeper than just food.

God didn’t create us to live in survival mode, numbing ourselves with sugar and calling it joy. He created us for wholeness. For purpose. For abundant life.

That abundance doesn’t come from stuffing every moment with manufactured pleasure—it comes from walking in alignment with what’s real and true. From becoming women of strength, clarity, and conviction. From showing our kids what it looks like to pursue what’s good, even when it’s not easy.

The authors of The Pleasure Trap talk about how real happiness flows from setting and achieving worthwhile goals. I believe those goals can—and should—be rooted in something even deeper: our calling.

We were called to steward these bodies, this time, these children. And when we live in step with that calling—when we choose real food, clear minds, and intentional rhythms—we start to experience a different kind of joy. (And one that doesn’t bring shame or regret.) 

That, to me, is true freedom. Not chasing after the next hit of sugar or sale or screen time, but rising up and choosing the good, again and again. Not perfectly—but intentionally.

So next time I feel the pull of the bright, the cheap, the “easy love,” I want to pause. I want to ask: Is this real? Is this helping me build the kind of life I truly want for my family?

Because the cereal bag will always be on sale. But the life I’m building? That is not found in the clearance aisle.

P.S. If you’re tired of the fake food, the emotional crashes, and the cycle of good intentions gone sideways—join me on a new journey of wellness with The Faster Way to Fat Loss on June 2. The work is real. But so are the results. We’re not just talking about willpower or weight loss. We’re talking about reclaiming your energy, your peace, and your purpose. For you. For your family. For the life God is calling you to live. 

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