Size matters...

It's insidious. The same box of cereal or box of crackers you've bought hundreds of times before seems the same until you open it and take out a cracker and the first thing you think is, "Have my hands gotten bigger? Are my cereal bowls morphing while I sleep?" The shredded wheat biscuit was too big to sit in the bottom of the bowl, now barely covers it. The crackers that used to hold a wedge of cheese, now can hold only a smidgeon. The ten pound bag of potatoes is now seven pounds. Boxes appear the same, but are slimmer, holding less. There are no advertisements of size reduction of products and certainly no savings. The cost remains the same or, more often, increases, and yet we consistently buy less while believing we are buying the same.

It's interesting, once you notice the trend. It's done so cleverly, that unless you're the type to pay attention, you wouldn't even notice. But I do and now I find myself checking all sorts of products. Remember when bars of soap were cut like blocks? Now they're hollowed out, curved...less soap, same price. They'll tell you it's to make it user friendly - ergonomic - but is it really?