made my list checked it twice

and then checked it again, shopped at different grocery establishments this weekend and I am hoping that we have everything we need to make it through the week! I hate having to stop mid-week because I forgot one or two items. My new goal is to try and avoid those because I am incapable of just buying one or two items anywhere.

Meatfest panic sets in

uh huh it's tomorrow and did I get my to-do list done slow & steady all week as planned? Why of course not hell I still have to run to the grocery store & finish picking up a few things or maybe I just wait and go first thing in the morning...nothing like waiting till the absolute last minute is there?

as far as the weekly grocery shop goes

why on earth am I incapable of just going to the grocery store once a week? I try I really do I plan menus, make a list check it twice and it never fails every week I forget something!!!! And it drives me crazy as I am not a particular fan of the grocery shop to begin with.

dreaded grocery store visit

I know better and I considered grocery shopping for Thursday this past weekend but it just did not work out because life in general has been crazed to put it mildly lately. So I made my list checked it twice, checked it a third time; I've grocery shopped the night before Thanksgiving before it's not for the feint of heart. So I braved the Kroger last night it was pretty busy but I managed I got what I needed or so I thought.....yes I have to go back this evening

shopping without a net

or worse a shopping list...
In an effort to be more budget minded I generally do not go into a grocery store without a very specific list of what we need, even if it's just for milk & bread. This seem to have helped cut down on my wandering up & down aisle buying things we really do not need and spending $50 on a shopping trip that should have run $10. Yesterday evening I was out & about and knew I needed specific groceries for tonight's dinner so I stopped and brazenly decided what the hell I can accomplish the weekly shop and be done with it all. I did very well planning meals in my head and making sure I bought only what we needed. I was oh so proud of myself until this morning when I realized that I was lacking 3 items necessary for today's menu. Today's menu you know the only reason I had gone shopping in the first place.

grocery shopping on a Saturday afternoon

kinda makes me hate children...not my own he was at home...all the rest of the children in the world...and not even all of them just the ones at Kroger this afternoon

yup he's growing up

on our back to school clothes shopping jaunt this weekend I was politely asked to not accompany C into the changing room. Weirdness but he is growing up not to mention he is shopping in the men's department these days so it would be more than a little odd to go into the changing rooms at this point. C does however need to work on the whole coming out in new clothes so I can see how well they fit etc... and I either need a geek phone or more stores need to offer wifi to keep me amused while I wait out side the changing rooms oh and some chairs or a bench might be nice while you're at it folks

a modern day O. Henry tale

well not really my tale has nothing about gift giving and certainly not selflessness in any way shape or form, it is however my second post in less than 2 days about shoes which must mean something but what I am not quite sure. I discovered Marti & Liz yesterday; it's been there for ages apparently so I am not exactly Magellan here but they have an eclectic mix of affordable shoes and you can read about the store here. I found a few pairs I would have loved to purchase but could really not justify this week so I mostly window shopped so to speak and just as I had decided to head out a pair of Coach sandals that I must have walked past several times jumped out at me my size and everything, and they fit and they were only $39.99! A bargain I tell 'ya! Of course that meant I spent my pedicure money on a pair of sandals that I can't wear till I get a pedicure.....

cinderella?

used to be I wore a size 9 shoe always a size 9 I could walk into any shoe store pick a pair size 9 and buy them without bothering to try them on..I could get shoes as a gift because the buyer could buy me a size 9 and they would fit but then. The only downside to the situation was I could not squeeze my size 9s into my Imelda Marcos like mother's size 8 1/2 shoe collection. C'est la Vie. And then many moons ago pregnancy happened and I was no longer a size 9 shoe, my feet seemed to balloon over night and like so many things anatomically my feet were not quite the same after childbirth. Shoe shopping became excruciating because now depending on the cut of the shoe sometimes I am a 9 1/2 and sometimes a 10 the occasional size 9 will still fit but cute shoes are increasing difficult to find in those larger and half sizes! And forget shopping online I have to try on every pair of shoe I buy and I have a feeling online would involve way to many returns and too much hassle for my tastes. So I am left drooling over petite sized adorable shoes and in search of the holy grail in larger sized shoes..maybe I need to befriend a drag queen and find out where they shop

here is where I complain about grocery shopping again

or rather the baggers if you are going to pay these pimply faced teens to bag groceries why don't you teach them how to do it properly?
-I bring my own bags from home to be utilized there is no prize if there are bags leftover
-in plainer English do not cram so many groceries into each bag so that they are so heavy I cannot lift them
-unless of course you are planning to come to my house and carry them into my kitchen for me
-canned goods should go with canned goods, cold items with cold, meat with other meats
-this boils down to try and pack similar items together
-thank for asking no I do not want my milk in a bag
-I did however want the bread in a bag...wth?
-and the rectangular detergent that has no handles whatsoever yes that put in a bag I brought plenty of them in fact there were indeed leftover bags
-and little checkout person my years in retail began before you were born I think so friendly advice idle chit chat stick to idle chit chat I do not need details of your life I have a dozen things running through my head your sleep issues not a concern I have my own thank you very much.

and finally dear grocery store I bring my own bags take a page out of Target's book and give me a 5 cent credit per bag or hell charge to use the plastic bags each time they shop, if folks were spending money on them they might not end up as litter

the weekly grocery shop

growing up traditionally grocery shopping was done Saturdays mornings directly after we ate breakfast at a local diner. As an adult my weekly grocery shopping excursions tend to vary according to how crazy my schedule is but for the most part I had been going on Sunday afternoons which is okay except when Sunday is your only day off during the week so I tried shopping Saturday afternoons which would be fine but EVERYONE shops on a Saturday afternoon so you know that really does not work so well for me. My default day currently has been Monday afternoons after work not a great day & time but doable with my current schedule which makes it a winner...however this morning after I dropped C at school around 7:30ish I stopped in to pick up something for lunch and found the grocery store near empty! near empty!!! Which got me thinking why not shop first thing in the morning? The only draw back being of course C won't be available to help carry groceries in from the car....that is until school lets out for summer.

the wine snobs will cringe

but I have been known to purchase my wine based solely on how silly the name is

weekend what weekend??

-C has a basketball game in the morning
-I have to work 5-6 hours tomorrow
-homework and lots of it needs to be accomplished
-grocery shopping
-laundry
-a little house de-clutter really needs to happen
-we have current plans that involve foot ball watching most of Sunday at a friend's house
and I am not even going to begin to discuss my Christmas tree which yes is still up

no I don't want fries with that

-I do not want to try the hot chocolate
-I do not want a second sandwich for a dollar
-I do not want to donate a dollar to diabetes research
-or earthquake relief
-or any other charity of the week
-I do not want to save 10% and open a charge card
-I do not want to join your email list I am already on your email list
I am spending money at your establishment can't that just be enough for now?

kitchen appliances I don't need for $200 Alex....

but I really really want one

guess I figured wrong

I thought everyone bought enough groceries to last the ice age earlier in the week...um no evidently not beacuse the store was an absolute nuthouse this afternoon it took me twice as long to take care of my weekly shop which got me cranky, talk to myself cranky and you would think people would get out of the way of a cranky lady muttering under her breath but again no it just made them move slower and/or stand in one spot blocking access to the rest of the aisle

the things my husband does to drive me crazy

or crazier as the case may or may not be...
He has decided to go dairy free not completely nutso I suppose however a pain since he informed me after I had planned the weekly menu and finished grocery shopping.

redecorated the bathroom this weekend

okay so maybe I just bought a new bath mat & shower curtain
you say 'to-may-to', I say 'to-mah-to'

yay for the interweb

for someone who did a whole lot of scoffing at those black Friday and/or earlier Christmas shoppers I have an amazing..well amazing for me..amount of my shopping completed thanks to a few clicks here and there this weekend. Dare I say maybe I'll even start wrapping once they arrive?

dear black friday shoppers

I think you are nuts