This Is What A Year's Supply of PSLs Looks Like

If you think you love pumpkin spice lattes, Sherry Lynn Gustafson has you beat. The Illinois woman has bought a yearlong supply of pumpkin spice latte mix to fuel her obsession with the seasonal drink, which she says has been going strong now for the last 10 years (I wasn’t even aware PSLs have been around that long).

“I got hooked, and then I used to go get them at the gas station, then I used to start making my own," Gustafson told WCYB. "I get worse as we go. I start hoarding now, so I might have to rethink how many we have to get.”

Because as it turns out, it takes a lot of pumpkin spice latte mix to feed your obsession year-round — 52 boxes, in fact, which is precisely how many Gustafson has bought to keep her cravings at bay. With 12 packets of mix in each box, a little simple math shows us that 12 times 52 equals way too much pumpkin spice for one household, let alone one woman. Oh, and she still plans to buy at least 30 more boxes.

Even Gustafson is aware that her obsession might be a tad over the top. "I don't want them to think I'm a nut, so I get a little bit at a time," she tells WCYB.

But she's not the only person obsessed with pumpkin spice — not even close. People are so enamored with the rich fall flavor that companies have tried to capitalize on it in every way possible, bringing to us such interesting PSL innovations as Pumpkin Spice Oreos, Pumpkin Spice Jello Pudding, pumpkin spice hummus, and even pumpkin spice vodka. So no, Gustafson, you're not a nut... we're all a little PSL crazy.

While I don’t quite share Gustafson’s passion for pumpkin spice lattes, I do understand it. Seasonal foods are just as delicious as they are temporary — and there are a few I wouldn't mind seeing out all year long. Here are three of my top picks.

1. Candy Corn

I don’t enjoy fall too much, but I do get excited when I start seeing candy corn in stores. Can you imagine how great life would be if these babies were around 12 months out of the year?

2. Eggnog

There’s something about eggnog that seems to say “Enjoy ONLY Around Christmas” — but it doesn't have to be that way. I say go rogue and break this stuff out anytime of year.

3. Girl Scout Cookies

Girl Scout cookies don’t actually have a set seasonal time — basically it starts whenever you spot the first Girl Scout table on the curb, and ends when you run out of money, or the Scouts quietly pack up and leave, whichever comes first. But if everyone could live every day with a box of Thin Mints by their sides, I imagine the world would be a much happier place.

Then again, maybe it's a good thing we don't really know when we'll see once-a-year luxuries like Girl Scout cookies pop up next. Like other seasonal favorites, part of the joy of enjoying these is that they give us even more to look forward to during those cold, lonely months when they aren't available. Plus, not having these treats available year-round maintains order and balance. Imagine the madness that would ensue if Girl Scout cookies (or pumpkin spice lattes, for that matter) were available all the time. Utter. Chaos.

Images: Getty Images (2); Wikimedia Commons (2)