My feud with Wal Mart started a bit over a week ago and to Todd's disappointment I still have not gone back there. Nor do I intend to, even though he swears I will eventually give in. Ha, only if it were the last place left on the planet. (Which does give me a creepy feeling after watching Wall-E a few times as I feel they are the real life version the Buy-N-Large depicted in the movie.) We have not run out of food yet, but things are getting close enough that I now have to devise a back up plan that does not involve numerous trips down the street to get whatever item strikes my fancy at any given moment.
In some ways I am very grateful for the incompetent staff over there in Zion. I think they are providing me with an opportunity to become a more aware consumer, a smarter shopper, and a better saver. You see, I don't believe in New Years resolutions. Why mark that as the date to attempt to change how I navigate through my life? I'd rather utilize the opportunities that life presents me with whenever they appear. Who knows when the gates of sanity will open up and provide me with a clear picture of how to maneuver through the foggy days I often become comfortable with? Like now. Since I am going to be a bit inconvenienced when I shop anyway, I might as well make the most of it.
Here's my new plan of action...I clipped a few coupons from the Walgreens circular and since it is on my way to the grocery store I'm going to stop in and pick up some items they've got on sale. I've decided to do most of my shopping at Jewel and Target because they are right next to each other. I get the ads out of the paper, circle the sale stuff I need, and arm myself with an envelope full of coupons and a clear budget for the store written on the front. (Not a strict budget yet, but a guideline I'm really working on committing to.) I'm also going to try to get up to the Woodmans market in WI as often as I can. I know they have lots of local produce, not to mention they sell more Pactiv products than any other retailer we've seen around here and purchasing products manufactured by our source of livelihood is extremely important to Turbo.
I'm also going to try something new. Instead of loading the troops in the car in this awful weather I've decided to try Peapod (the grocery delivery service). I saw an ad on TV to take $20 off your first bill (promo code TV4 if you're interested) and that is enough incentive for me. They have a lot of organic stuff, plus local merchants, a way to browse only the sale items, and an area that tracks your previous shopping lists. Without millions of colorful boxes tempting me to purchase them it was really easy to stick to a list. My first bill, after the $20 coupon, was $62. AWESOME! (They're delivering Sunday, I'll let you know how satisfied I am then.)
I'm sure this just begs the question: why am I going to travel to several places and get stuff delivered if my goal is to be a smarter shopper? With our economy diving head first into the crapper and a new little tot in our family, I'd like to try to be a bit more money conscious so we can continue to enjoy the things we're used to. The way I've got everything mapped out with sales, coupons, and by going different places I'm estimating I will save $50-$75 this week alone. That's a lot of clams as far as I'm concerned. Thanks again Wal Mart!
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