Well this is exciting and slightly awkward. I get to introduce myself! Hello! My name is Erin, and I’m so bad at introductions that when they occur in person, whoever I’m meeting usually ends up thinking my name is Karen. I’m then faced with the difficult decision of correcting them or just pretending to be Karen for the rest of the time we know each other. Thankfully I’m a little better at writing than speaking, so that shouldn’t be a problem here.<\/p>\n
For as long as I can remember of my thirtyish years on Earth, I’ve been obsessed with food, specifically snack food and its packaging. I’m the youngest child of a fairly large family, so growing up I did a lot of grocery shopping with my mom, spinning the Kool-Aid rack and scrutinizing the cereal section for the best prize. The grocery store is still one of my favorite places, and I spend an unnatural amount of time wandering the aisles and taking in what’s new and who’s updated their labels. I probably should have pursued a career in food marketing or writing or something, but instead, I wound up as a dog walker. The beauty of this is that it affords me the opportunity to work from 11 a.m to 3:30 p.m. and spend the rest of my time doing whatever I feel like, which is usually reading about new Pringles flavors.<\/p>\n
I enjoy cooking and baking and do both frequently, but it’s still common to find me eating Kraft Dinner and dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets once a week because that is a perfectly acceptable meal and not just for a five-year-old. I tend to give away most of what I bake because while homemade things are delicious, I also need to save room and calories for the next seasonal variety of peanut butter cups.<\/p>\n
I was born on the East Coast, and both sides of my family are from the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. I’m strongly of the opinion that the best pretzels come from PA, and it was there that I learned to love Tastykakes and American cheese on pizza. It doesn’t belong on every pizza, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. If you do try it and choose to knock it an hour later when you’re still scraping cheese off your teeth, fair enough. I moved to Chicago about fifteen years ago, and it’s been home ever since. It’s a great city for food and a great city in general.<\/p>\n
If you take me on a road trip, I’ll spend too long in every gas station making sure I’ve seen all the regional chip brands. I’m deeply disturbed by the closing of Long John Silver’s restaurants. I might be the only person that misses tan M&M’s. Sometimes I go through my kitchen cabinets and realize I’ve accidentally accumulated four pounds of Arby’s sauce packets. If these sound like qualities you enjoy in a person, I think we’ll get along great. As a long-time Impulsive Buy reader, I’m excited to have the chance to review and share my thoughts with this awesome community. Bring on the snacks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Well this is exciting and slightly awkward. I get to introduce myself! Hello! My name is Erin, and I’m so bad at introductions that when they occur in person, whoever I’m meeting usually ends up thinking my name is Karen. 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Also, a special thanks goes to Tofutti for providing the coupons. Keep your eyes open for a new giveaway soon.","rel":"","context":"In "Announcement"","block_context":{"text":"Announcement","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/general\/announcement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49345,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2021\/12\/03\/announcement-new-impulsive-buy-reviewer-karen\/","url_meta":{"origin":49298,"position":1},"title":"ANNOUNCEMENT: New Impulsive Buy Reviewer Karen","author":"Karen","date":"December 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi everyone, I\u2019m Karen. Now I know what you\u2019re thinking: as a Karen, I must be one of those women who gives every cashier a hard time and constantly asks to see the manager. Do not believe what the internet has told you: most Karens are completely harmless, even in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcement"","block_context":{"text":"Announcement","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/general\/announcement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19830,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2016\/03\/25\/announcement-new-impulsive-buy-reviewer-kyle\/","url_meta":{"origin":49298,"position":2},"title":"ANNOUNCEMENT: New Impulsive Buy Reviewer Kyle","author":"Kyle","date":"March 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Hey there The Impulsive Buy reader! I\u2019m Kyle, and I\u2019m 6 feet tall, a Gemini, and enjoy long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners. Oh, wait. Wrong website. Anyways, I\u2019m as excited as the Pillsbury Doughboy\/Tony the Tiger\/the Trix Rabbit\/any other anthropomorphic grocery store food mascot to be joining\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcement"","block_context":{"text":"Announcement","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/general\/announcement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26982,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2018\/02\/06\/announcement-new-impulsive-buy-reviewer-sarah\/","url_meta":{"origin":49298,"position":3},"title":"ANNOUNCEMENT: New Impulsive Buy Reviewer Sarah","author":"Sarah","date":"February 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I love grocery shopping and grocery stores. When traveling, I always make an excuse to pop into a grocery store to see what\u2019s on the shelves. Even with kids. I\u2019m a mom to two young kids and grocery delivery services are often hawked to my demographic as the magic remedy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcement"","block_context":{"text":"Announcement","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/general\/announcement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45100,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2020\/10\/05\/announcement-new-reviewer-holly\/","url_meta":{"origin":49298,"position":4},"title":"ANNOUNCEMENT: New Reviewer Holly","author":"Holly","date":"October 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"When I turned 30 a few years back, I felt a fundamental shift in my world view on food. For so long, I had categorized things I ate as \"good\" or \"bad.\" Plain celery? Good. Baconator from Wendy's? Bad. Yet, the night of my birthday, I was lying in my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcement"","block_context":{"text":"Announcement","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/general\/announcement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":76323,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2026\/03\/19\/new-grocery-products-spotted-march-19-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":49298,"position":5},"title":"New Grocery Products Spotted \u2014 March 19, 2026","author":"Marvo","date":"March 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you've tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments. Spotted something new? Send your photos to theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com. 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