Friday, November 21, 2008

A Weighty Matter

I am a comparison grocery shopper. I have a Safeway, several Food Lions & a Walmart available to me for groceries. One of the Food Lions is grossly overpriced, but if I need to be in that area, south of my house, it is the only option except the Amish market. I do my best to avoid this Food Lion for anything but Hornsby Crisp Apple Hard Cider. It is the only Food Lion that carries it, the others only carry the regular Hornsby Apple Hard Cider.  Safeway and Wal Mart do not carry hard cider, neither do the Amish. Cider is my favorite beverage so you can imagine I must plot my grocery shopping with care, stocking up on what is available & what is best priced at each store as I visit them in rotation.

One week finds me getting my baking needs, butter & bulk grains with the Amish, a quick run in to overpriced Food Lion for several 6 packs of cider and anything advertised on sale in the paper that I need at the time (they have to honor the sale prices but everything else in that Food Lion costs on average 15 to 40 cents more than the other 2 Food Lions only 20 miles away). Another week has me in Safeway buying items only available in Safeway, like prepared pesto sauce and the things that are cheaper in Safeway, then I swing by the Food Lion in the next shopping plaza and pick up things only available in Food Lion, like flat bread and the things that are cheaper in (normal priced) Food Lion, plus whatever is on the best sale at either place, assuming it beats Wal Mart. 

I pass both Safeway and Food Lion on my way to the gym so stopping at both is no hardship.

Once a month I head to WalMart for the stuff that is always cheapest at Walmart. 64oz & up bottles of juice, gallons of milk, laundry detergent, dish washing liquid, bottles of wine. It's heavy lifting shopping. I buy maybe a dozen things and it takes me 4 trips to unload the car. I'd love to spread the weight around to other shopping trips but Ocean Spray 100% Cranberry Pomegranate juice 2 for $5! V8Fusion $2.98! Ocean Spray is at least $3 on sale at Safeway and I never see V8Fusion for less than $4.98 anywhere.

My arms are killing me. I bought 5 bottles of juice, 2 gallons of milk and a huge thing of All liquid detergent. They are still piled inside the door waiting for me to recover from the long walk across the yard.

Oh, and a car battery, because mine keeps dying on me. I had to get a jump start from someone this morning because it died on me while I was waiting to put Mayhem on the school bus.  But I at least I didn't have to carry it inside.  DH will be putting it in my car this weekend.

8 comments:

Kresta said...

Wow - good for you for being such a smart shopper! I try to be also, but I usu. end up just getting everything at Walmart.

Jenni said...

You're good! I wish I had more time to do a better job with the grocery shopping...but my internet addiction takes up a lot of my free time...

Anonymous said...

Ive been looking to get on a better grocery shopping list. I always mean to clip coupons and plan a better diet for everyone. Maybe Ill have time this weekend!

Anonymous said...

You are a better shopper than I am, that's for sure!

Madge said...

i need to comparison shop. i start about two or three times a year and then quit. usually i get mad at walmart for various and sundry reasons and can't face them for another six to nine months....

Deb said...

and don't forget cereal at walmart! it really makes you wonder how they can get away with such high prices elsewhere!

does hard cider have alcohol in it? sounds yummy.

Aunt Becky said...

You're a better shopper than I am.

Anonymous said...

How do you have time to do all this shopping AND write all these posts?