Only Two Hands

I am unsure as to why, but often times, when I get out of the car I want to bring everything into the house in one trip. Even if I just went to the grocery store for the week. It gets worse in this heat. Once I'm in the comfort of my air conditioned home, I don't really want to leave (especially since the A/C in my car doesn't work).

This is something I have done since I was little. I remember getting so frustrated with myself heading into the house from after-school soccer practice. I had my backpack full of homework and my soccer bag full of smelly soccer stuff. I usually had the big ol' jug of water and, for some reason, another bag (who knows why? I was a high school kid, they do weird things). I needed to get everything into the house at once.

The backpack was heavy. The soccer bag's strap dug into my neck. The handles on the random back sliced into my elbow-crease. Why did I torture myself?

What's worse? Why do I still do it to this day?

I came in from the grocery store today with 3 bags on each arm. A sack of potatoes in one hand and a gallon of milk in the other.

And then the inevitable happened:

The peppers, oh the peppers (the only items that stayed at the top of the stairs instead of tumbling all the way down).

Like the random dog toy?

Price Comparison

Well, mis amigos, I finally made it to the two grocery stores. It took me almost an entire week, but I managed to finally get there!

Here is a picture of my list with the prices from each store. I don't normally type a grocery list, but I have a need to be organized. I sometimes rewrite my grocery list three or four times (maybe I should start typing it!).

Any section of the table that is highlighted in the table is cheaper than the other store.


I find it interesting that Rainbow wasn't always cheaper than Target. In fact, Target was typically cheaper. I totally and completely expected the opposite.

During this experiment, I made sure to write down the regular prices instead of the sale items. The stores didn't have the same items on sale last week, so I didn't think it would be fair to mark down sale prices.

My hypothesis was that Rainbow would be cheaper and that I could quit my local Target. Turns out, Target may be the best way to go. Maybe the shopping gods are telling me that I need to test my will power and only buy what is on the dang shopping list!

Adios, amigo.

It's time for me to say goodbye to one of my favorite places. I have looked over the bank statements from the last few months (well, I looked at the account information online) and realized that my husband and I were spending WAY too much money at Target.

I love the place. I really do. It has everything. Target is where I do almost all of my shopping. Groceries. Clothing. It's my pharmacy. And, (I sort of hate to admit this) it's a place I like to go when my mind won't stop racing. I wander the aisles of Target in search of nothing, but manage to leave having spent $20 (on a good day).

But, the amount of money spent at that one establishment is crazy. I usually go to Target with lists, and I buy everything on the list. And then some. There's always something else I want (not need, just want). Like new nail polish. Or a new kitchen gadget (I love kitchen gadgets, by the way).

I usually only stop at Target when I am in need of some groceries. So, I'm changing. I'm saying adios to Target groceries. I have the totally awesome Target debit card, so I have always done my shopping there to save 5%. After wandering the aisle of my local Rainbow Foods in search of Mexican pop, I realized that the prices on some of the things at Rainbow were a lot cheaper. Cucumbers, for example, are 10 cents cheaper at Rainbow. And milk? Fifty cents cheaper!

But what about the 5% off at Target for using their card?

Well. 5% really isn't that much. The cucumbers are still less expensive at Rainbow. My plan for the day (since I only have a tutoring gig today at noon) is to write up my weekly grocery list and head to both Target and Rainbow. I will not buy anything at either store today. My only job is to write down the prices of my most frequently purchased items. I'll factor in the 5% discount at Target and decide from there.

Well, now that I've created a challenge for myself, I guess I can't really say goodbye to Target quite yet... I guess we'll have to see what happens...