So today was day one of returning to our regularly scheduled programming. I'm sure it was for many of you too as you went back to work, took the kids back to school, etc. I am not much for falling off a schedule. Before kids I didn't care much about schedules, schedules were for A types. Then I became a parent and thus an A type. I crave a schedule.
All that being said...today was a bit off schedule...
Back to preschool, well baby check, pick up from preschool and take the kids to my Aunt Shoe's! And I get an afternoon of the following:
1. No cartoons
2. No whining
3. No baby diapers
4. No angry groans
5. No "I'm hungry". Fix a snack. Five minutes later "I'm hungry"
6. No Anderson Cooper (kinda sad but he's probably re-running)
Instead I got the following:
1. An hour in a clothing store with no interruption!
2. A quiet lunch minus chicken nuggets!
3. A trip in Target that did not include a toy aisle stop!
4. A 2 hour trip in Sam's watching other people deal with angry children!
Are you following?
It was delicious. My Aunt Shoe is superb!
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So as listed in the above blurb of my fabulous day, I did go to Sam's Club. I personally love Sam's Club. Its the most non child friendly store known to man. They have a cool kid's section that involves clothes, books, and seasonal toys that are extremely too high on the shelves and too large for your child to get near. All they can do is stare and say "I want it!" (Like the little boy I saw today). Sam's Club, unlike their evil sister Walmart, is a great store.
I tend to go to Sam's two times a year. January and June are my Sam's Club months. I go in January to stock up and in June to restock on what I have ran out of and what I need for the summer/fall. On average I spend $250 to do this stock up. Did I tell you I personally love Sam's Club?
Let me start this paragraph by discussing coupons. I have no problem with coupons. I like them! They are like free money and one should use them! However, I have issues with people who stock pile coupons to buy outlandish amounts of trivial items. I believe couponing can be taken too far (in real life - not the TLC edition) and turn normal people into hoarders (as seen on the TLC edition). Coupons I use are generally for baby items not purchased in bulk and condiments. These days I rarely use any other coupons. I have discovered that coupons may make people more apt to spend more money on useless and frivolous items than on what they really need. When I do use coupons or want to find a coupon I go to Southern Savers on the net!
(Is now a good time to mention I'm the tightest tight wad you have met in a long time?)
Ok so now that we have established I'm not bashing couponers - unless they have a basement filled with 3400 tubes of solid extra dry antipersperant or a room devoted to Uncle Ben and his fifty three flavors of rice - I am just not very into that saving style on items I use regularly.
Did that get ya? Probably so. Items I use regularly are what I purchase at Sam's Club (or Costco for those of you carrying that card). However, I do so with some intelligence.
Before I step foot in Sam's Club I make a list. It may not be the list you are expecting. I sit down at my kitchen table and start my day on paper and write out everything I do seven days a week.
Wake up
Use the bathroom (toilet paper, handsoap)
Make coffee (coffee, filters)
Make the baby his bottle (formula, water)
Eat breakfast (breakfast foods, recipes)
Do laundry (detergent, softener)
Do dishes (detergent)
Clean up the house (paper towels, bleach, vinegar, baking soda, vacuum bags)
Eat lunch (lunch foods)
Take vitamins (multi & flintstones)
Kid is hungry (snacks)
Feed the dog (dog food)
Feed the chickens (chicken food)
Make dinner
Shower (soap, shampoo, razors, deo)
Take out my contacts and become Stevie Wonder (saline solution)
As you can tell I have made my list of what is needed in bulk. However, you have to be smart. You can't say ok my list is made lets go! Sam's Club is the sister to Walmart so you have to check your prices before you go. So on my list I write the Walmart/Harris Teeter price so I don't get duped when I go to Sam's Club. Just because the packs are bigger and the prices look good...doesn't mean they are. I also delete off things that I do not intend to buy at Sam's Club (I.e. Chicken Food) and replace it with Mama Food (I.e. wine). My coffee is not sold at Sam's Club. That's another thing to make note of - if you have a favorite National Brand (i.e. Maxwell House, Folgers, Green Mountain, etc) verify if it is sold there. Costco and Sam's Club do not carry a wide assortment of brands (and this is how you save money). If you are daring - try the house brand and see how it rates. They are generally larger in volume and cheaper in green backs! I have had good experience with most house brands I have tried. However, I do remain true to my coffee, I mean it is my personal narcotic of choice.
Today's trip which should last til June had me spend $275.
I buy meat at Sam's Club because I have never been discouraged by the quality. Its cut on site and that matters. I always buy my chicken and seafood frozen - its just as good as fresh. Plus, I do not come home and cook all the meat in one night. I break it into smaller, home packaging and pull it out of the freezer when I'm ready to use it.
I don't spend a lot of time at the freezer section because the majority of that food is 100% preservatives. I did however purchase frozen organic blueberries at 3lbs for $4. Why these? Blueberries are expensive out of season so this was a terrific price for them frozen. We eat a lot of carrots round these here parts so I grabbed a 5lb bag of those. Normandy veggies are an easy steamable side for meals and they had 4lbs for $5.
Other items I ony purchase at Sam's Club include my laundry detergent. I use All Free & Clear and buy the massive container which lasts 6 months. A little tip - detergent doesn't actually "clean" your clothes, its really the water that does all the work. The detergent just freshens with smells and/or helps aid in removing stains/grime. So a quarter cup of detergent is all most people need (got He?).
Trash bags, toilet paper, and paper towels should only be purchased at Costco or Sam's Club. You really cannot beat their prices and their quality. Costco built its empire off of toilet paper - I kid you not. How do they pay their bills? By you purchasing their toilet paper. A box of Sam's Club trash bags will last me 18 months. The toilet paper will last me 6 months (if I'm lucky now with a 5 year old who thinks she needs the equivalent to a full size bed quilt to wipe her butt). The papertowels should last me 7-8 months (depending on doggie and baby messes) and for those three items I spent $42.
I also purchase body soap (9 month supply), baby wipes (900ct), but no shihtzu of mine came from a club store! (Random: my dog likes to be photographed).
This trip did not include any extra purchases - no clothes, books, computer stuff, wine (no good choices for me this trip). I did get the hubby some junk food, my princess a club pack of gummy fruit, and myself my favorite all natural tortilla chips (with flax seed and also gluten free).
This one trip alone has limited my grocery bill and trips to the bare minimum! All I will have to get when I run to the store is milk, orange juice, and baby stuff. (You can get formula at Sam's Club but they were out of what I needed.)
And I just broke down the meat into smaller freezer friendlier packaging for my usage! So now you know why it a meaty ending - I just put away close to 18lbs of meat. (Sorry vegans and vegetarians this girl requires some mammal, fish, and bird in her diet at times!)
So there's my tiparoo of day 2. If you're more fond of a recipe... come see me on Day 3 (if I get to blog).
Now I'm off to enjoy a quiet evening of dozing off!
Til we meet again -
Brownie
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