Trying a New Grocery Tactic - October 2, 2013

If you didn't already know, both my husband and I work from home as freelancers. And this means that every month our bills are the same but our income fluctuates. It's continually a learning experience, and we always have to tweak things.

Money has been a bit tight for a few months, so I decided to dig into some of our financial choices and see where new changes could be made. After a chat with a friend of mine, I wondered just how much we were spending on groceries. We never set a specific budget, but I was sure we were fine - I use coupons! I shop sales! I'm vegetarian! I don't buy a lot of processed food!

I went into my files and did the math and...no. We were not fine. We spend way too much on groceries. And we've consistently been overspending for months.

I do shop carefully. I do shop sales. I do use coupons. And my family shops at a range of stores to get the most bang for our grocery buck...and there is what we realized is one of our downfalls. Every time we go to a different store (ahem, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods being the biggest culprits), we get the deals and the items on our list - and then, somehow, we also throw in special items that we can only get at that store. Even if those special items are on sale or inexpensive, they rapidly add up. I admit it - I was in deep denial about this. (Also my husband throws ridiculous things in the cart every time...ahem.)

I still believe that spending more at grocery stores on special treats keeps us out of restaurants and keeps us from stopping for treats (we're surrounded by amazing donuts, cupcakes, popsicles, gelato...). While we overspent in this area for sure, we also dramatically cut back on our purchases of prepared food of all kinds. So that worked. But right now we need to cut back even more. Treats? I've been making multiple batches of these amazing baked vegan apple cider donuts and I'm eyeing a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies next. I'm working on it!

So where am I going with all this? We're trying a new experiment. For the month of October, we're going to only shop at Your Dekalb Farmers Market (YDFM) for food - or at least 95% of our food. (As I've noted in the past, YDFM is a warehouse sized grocery store that's full of organic vegetables, bulk spices, and a gigantic wine selection. It's an amazing store, basically.) I started listing the things that we can only get at a mainstream grocery store and it was very short. The prices on a few things at YDFM (which is cash/debit only and does not take coupons) might be higher than the prices at Publix, Kroger, TJs, Whole Foods, but I think that the general pricing will balance that out.

Better, we'll buy mostly vegetables and basic ingredients if we shop at YDFM. The store does carry treats and snacks, but they're higher quality and easier to avoid as well. One of the best deals is a fresh-refrigerated pizza - far cheaper than going out for pizza and much healthier (and handily beats any general grocery store frozen pizza in all ways). And I won't be swayed by sales or deals because there aren't any. I think this could work.

I will need to shop at Publix or Kroger on occasion - there's a big sale on laundry detergent coming up, for example. If there's some amazing deal on something specific, then we'll run in - and only buy that thing. Yes we will. We will! (Sidenote: I am very disappointed that Kroger has stopped doubling coupons and claims to have "lower prices" that are, in fact, not so much.) This isn't a strict challenge or a game, it's a process. It's about being more mindful.

I'm trying really hard to think of what else I might need from one of the larger grocery stores. Well...YDFM doesn't carry string cheese and I might go get that elsewhere (or skip it, haven't decided). While it does carry the almond milk I drink every day, I can get a much better price with a coupon at Kroger, so I'll probably buy it there. Or maybe try making my own. YDFM carries organic cow milk but it's not homogenized and, well, I prefer that, so we'll have to get it elsewhere. And don't get me started on YDFM's bananas....

There's also a bread issue (oh fine, I'll confess - the preservative-free fresh-made bread sold at YDFM is so much better/tastier/healthier than shelf-stable bread, and I just read Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal[that's a referral link, FYI] and I know all about the junk in grocery store bread, but the good stuff goes bad so quickly unless I freeze it and I know it is because it's supposed to but...it's one processed food I got used to! This will be a change), but I might be able to make that work, and my entire family would be healthier if we only buy bread from YDFM.

But we'll skip TJs (we just did a giant run there anyway...oops...) and WF for the month. And also for the first time in possibly ever, I have a dollar figure that is our entire grocery budget for the month, and we are going to stick to it.

This is new territory for me - I prefer coupons and sales and "I saved 50% this week!" - but it's not working. So this is a step. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Could this turn into "Every month I pick one store and only shop at it?" Maybe. But I actually think YDFM is the answer and the clear winner. We'll see.

Am I weird? How many places do YOU visit for groceries? - July 15, 2013

Yesterday as we were pulling away from the small local health food co-op, after shopping at one of the many outdoor farmers' markets in the area, it occurred to me that I shop at a LOT of different places for my groceries. And then I thought how lucky I am to have all these options...and I wondered if I was weird or if this was something everyone does. (I'm not a very good grownup. I have no idea what's right or wrong when it comes to everything from "Do these shoes go with these pants?" to "Is this how everyone else eats dinner?")

Partly this scatteredness does come from my wanting to find the best sales, get the best deals, and so on. That is absolutely true. But part of this is that I'm curious. What ingredients does that little shop over there carry? Does that giant chain have a better selection of flavors of something than that other chain? Is that place's bulk section any better than that other place's? And...of course...who has the best prices? (I do this when we're on vacation too - I went from a kid who would be dragged whining and screaming to a grocery store to an adult who wants to make the local grocery store a stop during any trip. "Ooh, they have this? And they triple coupons? And they charge $X for that?!"

To give you a lay of the land, we are a family of three, we keep a 99% vegetarian household (my husband buys tuna on occasion), and we try to eat as much organic/minimally processed food as possible, but we still occasionally buy things that are not organic, that are processed, and that might even contain questionable ingredients. We do our best. Also, I really should lay down an exact grocery budget and operate within it but...I don't. I do know that the more we buy at the grocery store - and the more appealing it is, even if it's something a bit pricey - the less we go out to eat (we are surrounded by incredible restaurants and constant temptation) and the more money we save in that way. Again, we do our best. My husband is the one who cooks dinner - he's better at throwing things together, I prefer to work from a recipe - so happily he's on board with the way I like to shop, more or less. The kid eats better than I would've expected and is willing to try new things sometimes - and she likes the grocery store too (though she freaks out when we get in line at the checkout about 75% of the time).

So here's my list of where I shop:

• Kroger. There's a small-ish store I can walk to for last-minute needs, a big-ish store I have personally driven* to but don't love, a very big store that we go to as a family (I probably could drive to it myself - I've driven past it before), and a two-level store that sometimes seems to carry more unusual things (for example, that specific branch of Kroger is the only place I've found Polar Seltzer - cans, basic flavors, but still! Polar!). In general I find the prices at Kroger to be OK. I hear people insisting Kroger is has the lowest prices, but only for some things I buy regularly - my favorite almond milk is cheapest here, for example. HOWEVER, lately I've found Kroger to have the best regular-grocery-store selection of organic items, and their in-house natural/organic brand (Simple Truth) is priced well and tastes good in everything I've tried. Slowly Kroger has been taking away coupon doubling in other regions, though, and I think mine is next. The e-coupons sometimes offer decent deals and are easy enough to use, but I will miss doubled coupons terribly if that goes away, and I may have to rethink my shopping if/when.
• Publix. There's a medium-sized store that I can easily get to and a bigger store that is a bit further (we literally drive past the medium-sized store to get to it) that is way better. Publix is the other big-name store I frequent, and I prefer it over Kroger. The BOGO deals are often great (I know the cycles of some of my favorites and wait to stock up on certain products a few times a year) - but they also seem to have better everyday prices on the things I buy often. The people who work at my favorite store are always fantastic - friendly, helpful, nice to my kid. But the organic selection just isn't as good, particularly when it comes to produce, and what they do have isn't always the best price. On the other hand, they don't make me carry a store card for the deals and there have been - thus far - no murmurs of discontinuing doubling coupons. Plus the stores near me take Kroger and Whole Foods coupons (wish they'd also take Target!). That's handy because Kroger often mails me high-value coupons (gleaned from my store card use, I know) and I can use them at either store.
• Your Dekalb Farmers Market (YDFM) - I wish I could just shop here and only here, to be honest. I have gone on and on before about my love of YDFM - the produce! the dry goods! the bulk spices, flours, sugars, grains, dried fruit.... (except you have to buy the bulk things pre-packaged rather than buying exactly what you need - a very minor quibble). The cheese! The....everything! No coupons accepted, cash/debit only, easy easy. I just buy what I want and I know I'm getting a great deal on it all. Bonus: The more I shop at YDFM, the less I buy processed anything. (YDFM certainly sells processed food, and one time I bought in-house-made bread and was disappointed to find it had partially hydrogenated oil as an ingredient, but when I go, I spend the bulk of my grocery money on fresh things. Tangent: I used to buy these lovely little fancy ice cream sandwiches there until I read up about titanium dioxide, decided to try to eliminate it from my diet, and then found it on the ingredient list. Sad trombone.)
• Whole Foods - Usually we go when we need something very specific (vitamins, mostly) but then we wind up spending $50+. I don't even know on what - some produce, some bulk items (I do love their bulk section), some...impulse buys. Also: Cheese samples.
• Trader Joe's - I regularly pay the Trader Joe's tax of $50 per walkin (as in, I can't get out of there without spending at least $50). I absolutely love and adore TJs and we used to go about twice a month but lately we've cut back. The prices on some things are excellent, but I always buy things I don't actually need while I'm there. Those things are, again, well priced but not essential. But I like to go at least once a month or two now for some items I can't get elsewhere.
• Super H-Mart - I get here once every two months or so. Great deals on noodles and rice and certain spices and sauces. The branch that's a bit farther away has house-made tofu that is to die for. An amazing selection of produce - not all of it is organic, but it's always fresh and sometimes I find certain fruits/veggies I don't see elsewhere. I used to buy a lot of cookies and candy until I got more sensitive about ingredients (boo). I have a store card and I get their coupon books in the mail.

Those are the stores I go to more than, say, twice a year. But then there are the other stores I go to here and there. Return 2 Eden is a local health food store that is the only place in the Southeast that stocks May Wah fake meat (the best stuff ever - I actually need to get over there for a bag of the fake chicken legs...). Sevananda is a local co-op that has an incredible bulk section. My city has a twice-a-week outdoor farmers' market that we go to sometimes, and then we go a bit out of our way for a really great one on Sundays (and I keep meaning to check out some others in the greater Atlanta area too). We just went into the Fresh Market for the first time and I could see us going back to it once in a great while. There's a tiny market here in my little city that carries gourmet food items that we sometimes poke into. I wish I could get to the Buford Highway Farmers Market more often (I've been once or maybe twice) because I've never seen such a grand selection of international foods in one place before (it's overwhelming!). Oh and then there's Target - the one closest to us just expanded its grocery section and while it's not usually convenient to get much there for various reasons, it has the best price for the bread my family prefers and sometimes, of course, since I'm there I'll get something specific I'm out of. I have been in Aldi approximately three times ever and wasn't impressed with it enough to go out of my way (which I'd need to) but if I was somewhere next to one I'd probably run in for a few things. Please notice that I do not and will never shop at a certain very large very upsetting store with a W. Prices be damned, I just can't do it.

And I am sure I'm forgetting something too.

Again, I'm really lucky to have this sort of variety and choice - but I also take full advantage of it, and I can't imagine paring it all down to a single store.

What about you? Do you shop at more than one place? If you don't because you don't have the variety near you, would you if that were to change?

*I've got a wicked huge driving phobia going on. That's why I mention driving so often. It's essentially me saying how close or far something is from my house though.

Thursday Rambles - May 12, 2011

• I have discovered banana "ice cream" and I think I am addicted - in the way that I get addicted and obsessed about something and make it 20 times in 2 weeks and then never again. Frozen bananas + Vitamix = a cold, creamy, delicious thing. I plan on adding chocolate next time. Or peanut butter. Or both. It's good. If you don't have a Vitamix, I'd cut the banana in small pieces before freezing, but my wonderblender did power through frozen halves with some sad sounds and then a triumphant whirr. I did add a bit of almond milk to help it along but I don't think it was necessary. I'll take a picture next time - I have one banana in the freezer right now but the rest that were in the house were not quite ripe enough. 
• This week Kroger had another "buy 10, get $5 off" sale that I both loved and hated. Loved because there was the potential for free+overage, hated because...10? Really? Just make everything be on sale, please. So first I drove to nearby Big Kroger. They didn't have any of the overage stuff - just empty sad gaps on the shelves. Next my entire family went on an adventure to Collegey Kroger (I just named it that, I'm sure the locals have a name for it). It had free WiFi and it stocked some faux seafood by Yves that I'd never seen before (verdict: good but pricey, I preferred the "shrimp" to the "tuna" and I'd buy again but I'd love if it was on sale/coupon when I did) but it didn't even have spaces on the shelves for the superdealios. Sigh. Today I walked to Baby Kroger for one last shot - no spaces on the shelves there either, but I bought 6 packages of Laughing Cow cheese and 4 boxes of Garden Delight pasta - the pasta was free after the deal and the Cow was $1.50/package - my favorite price to pay is $1/package but between the fact that this year they've only released $1/2 coupons and the sales haven't been as awesome, I figured $1.50 was pretty great. I wish the store stocked more flavors but I took what I could get. I also grabbed another container of almond milk - $1.99, found a bunch of 55 cent coupons at Big Kroger so yay - but I got unflavored, not vanilla. I'm sure I can manage to find many uses for it though.
• It's already in the 90s here. The NINETIES. It will cool off by the weekend but for now...too hot for May. Hrmph. But I'm trying to enjoy it. And to be happy that I have central A/C, a luxury I did not grow up with.
• I have actual paid work coming in now - writing AND editing. Hooray!
• I really don't like who wound up in the ANTM finals. I am ignoring AI almost completely. I read about the Voice but don't have time for it (am rooting for Frenchie and for a local-area woman who a friend sort of knows). Mostly my TV watching has slowed dramatically - which means my Internet surfing has increased. Ah well. 
• I'm reading Love You to Pieces right now. It's no My Baby Rides the Short Bus but it's OK.
• I've had moments of feeling alienated, again, from the special needs community, the CP community, and the parents-of-neurotypical-kids community lately, but I shall not dwell. I also have moments where I'm surrounded by good people, so it evens out. Sort of.
• My kid is kicking ass and taking names with her SMOs. That light twinkles at the end of that tunnel. I know she will stand and walk more soon. 5 seconds here, 10 seconds there, 2 steps, 3 steps. She's a determined kid. 
• Happy Thursday. 

Well Hey There, Kroger, Thanks for the Freebies - March 10, 2011

Hello Kroger, hello gorgeous. I know, I know, we've had our differences in the past. I'm still crabby that you didn't give me my free soda. Your little brother is really rude about my coupon usage. Your parents don't care about me or you. You're expensive and you're inconsistent and I just don't understand you sometimes.

But when you give me $19 worth of paper towels for free, throw in a free shampoo, and then give me a giant pack of TP for $2.99 (alongside the free TP and Tide detergent you gave me earlier), well, I kind of forgive you. For now, anyway.

Thank you very much to IHeartKroger.com for tipping me off that the free Bounty coupon I loaded onto my card a few days ago had no size limit. My paper goods closet is now fully stocked for a while. I probably won't be home for today's freebie, but I'm thrilled at what I have scored from this promotion so far.

However, the truth is, I'm still a Publix girl. Shhhhh.

PS PLEASE help me win $500 by clicking here and learning about Purex Complete Crystals. All you have to do is click, you don't have to do anything else. THANK YOU!

Shopping and Saving and Sunshine - February 27, 2011

PLEASE help me win $500 by clicking here and learning about Purex Complete Crystals. All you have to do is click, you don't have to do anything else. THANK YOU!

It is an absolutely gorgeous 71-degree day here in Georgia. We just got back from running a few errands, including picking up eggs from my friend and her backyard chickens (I'm spoiled - eggs from the grocery store, no matter how organic-free-range-happy-chickeny they claim to be, just don't taste as good now). The kid is napping so I figured I'd jot down some notes on the shopping trips of the day.

• I'm still not a fan of Kroger. Publix absolutely has lower everyday prices on the things I buy regularly - everything from Laughing Cow cheese and Vitatops to bread and milk. But as I'd noted earlier, I won a $20 Kroger gift card on Facebook and then my dad won another $20 Kroger gift card at a convention and gave it to me. I had spent part of the first card already to buy the Sunday paper, some white vinegar (I use it as fabric softener), and some other small things, leaving me with about $30 total between the two cards. So back we went today since our pantry and fridge were both kind of bare.
• I spent around $30 out of pocket in the end, after gift cards and coupons. Notable purchases included five packs of cat treats for completely free and two boxes of "garden" pasta for 29 cents each. Nothing amazing, though the cats do eat far more treats than they should so I'm always looking for cheap/free ones. Note: My cats turn their nose up at anything remotely healthy when it comes to treats. Their food is on the higher end, and I sometimes buy them Wellness or Nutro wet food. But treats have to be of the Doritos and Cheetos variety. Silly cats.
• We also went to Big Lots. I was there about a week ago and had seen but not purchased some boxes of Brew-Over-Ice K-cups. At the time, there were a few different varieties, and most were 16 cup boxes for $7, which is good but not amazing for soon-to-expire coffee. However, that day there also were a few that were very close to their expiration date marked down to $3.50. I didn't buy any and then was mad at myself for not grabbing some. So today I was disappointed to find only one variety was on the shelf - Nantucket Brew Over Ice (which is really double-strength coffee, and I like the Nantucket blend) - but it was marked down to $2 a box. I grabbed three boxes. They expire in about a week, but K-cups are individually sealed packets of coffee, and I adulterate my coffee with lots of (almond) milk and sugar, plus they'll be made over ice, so I really don't care. I've enjoyed K-cups that were expired before, and I couldn't turn down such a steal. I'll be keeping my eye out for more K-cups in the future. And I LOVE iced coffee.
• That was all I was supposed to buy at Big Lots, but I swung by the book pile as I was walking out. All books were marked down to $2 - that's cheaper than at Goodwill - so I bought a book about Neil Gaiman for a friend and A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire for me. And then we randomly walked down an aisle (chosen by the kid - smart cookie, she is) and found a Backyardigans potty seat for really cheap as well. She's obsessed with the Backyardigans and she's, as I mentioned before, potty training herself. Perfection. She even used it a bit later at egg-friend's house. YES.

So now I'm enjoying an iced coffee (with a splash of Torani caramel syrup in it), relaxing, and wondering what we'll do when she wakes up....

Return to Kroger to save 60% - February 5, 2011

Today's shopping trip was...interesting. I decided that a dollar for Goldfish crackers was definitely a good stockup price, and 50 cents for cat treats wasn't bad either (wish I'd planned ahead and just bought some coupons to get more for...well, free plus the cost of buying coupons, which would be less than 50 cents for sure). I added a few other things from the 10/$5 sale to my list and off we went.

The trip went well enough. My daughter has decided that checking out of any store is a terrifying thing that must be avoided at all costs. The second the shopping cart pauses near a register or line, she starts thrashing around, crying, and making lots of word approximations that I don't understand. It's a situation where I really wish she could just...talk. Or at least use some of the few words she does have. I haven't the slightest clue what part of this upsets her, and usually the result - including this time - is to have my husband take her out of the cart and walk around with her while I check out. It's an extra added bonus of stress and I hate it. Shopping on a weekend also sucks and neither my husband nor I deal well with that.

Please note that I am not asking for suggestions as to what might be upsetting her or how to handle this. I am just venting for a minute. Thanks!

And finally, I find something about this whole excursion very amusing. When you see the list of purchases below, you'll see that I didn't really get...food. I got snacks, treats, and condiments (and laundry detergent) on sale. Things we use and enjoy, but not necessities this time around. Sometimes I get great deals on those too, but I wanted to acknowledge that I didn't get great and important deals.

All prices are after coupons and 10/$5 savings:
7 bags of Goldfish crackers for 99 cents each.
2 bottles of Ken's salad dressing for $1.19 each.
2 bottles of All Free & Clear laundry detergent (our preferred brand) - 32 loads - $1.99 each.
2 bottles of French's spicy brown mustard - 19 cents each (basically filler - how many bags of Goldfish do we really need?)
2 bottles of Frank's hot sauce (buffalo wing and sweet chili) - 49 cents each.
2 Reach toothbrushes - free (more filler!)
3 packs of Whisker Lickins cat treats - 49 cents each. I'd rather have gotten more of these than the toothbrushes, but someone else had already been by and cleaned the store out. My husband found these three bags in the wayyyyyy back of the top shelf.
So I could have just gotten the crackers and cat treats and stopped at that, but we did really want the salad dressing and I wanted the Frank's sauces (they're great on tofu). Thus the filler items. We'll use and enjoy the mustard, but I didn't absolutely need it.
I also got a bottle of Kroger salad dressing for free and a pack of baby carrots for free thanks to coupons I got in the mail directly from Kroger. And then we also bought tofu, salad, bananas, and a few vegetables (and a scouring pad for a pan with burnt rice on the bottom). Some of that was on sale too.

I spent $28.77 and saved $41.30 - a savings of 59%.  Not bad.

Money is going to be tight for the next few weeks, so I'm hoping there will be sales/coupons on actual food items, heh.

I saved 79% at Kroger! - February 3, 2011

I haven't done a good savings post in a while, and I've gotten far too serious around these parts. Let us lighten the mood with tales of coupons and groceries, shall we? Bonus - as I write up this post, these deals are still available (until February 5, 2011) so maybe I'll help someone...?

I'm a Publix girl. I prefer to not have to hand over a shoppers card (though I still do because I have a UPromise card...oops) and I like that things are simply on sale and I don't have to jump through hoops to figure it all out. Kroger is different. Overall I find their everyday prices to be higher than Publix and their sales usually do have a gimmick attached. BUT when their sales are good, their sales are REALLY good. (Also I love their store-brand slow-churned ice creams, but I'm supposed to be on a diet so I don't buy ice cream much. DIGRESSION! YAY!)

This week Kroger is doing one of their Buy-10-get-$5 sales. So you have to buy ten things that are on sale and then you get $5 off your total at the end, or 50 cents off each thing. You can mix and match though. I'm always worried when I do this that somehow the computer isn't going to count properly or something will be left off. Today everything went beautifully though.

So here's what I got:
4 packages of Goldfish crackers (my kid loooooves these and I got the whole grain kind so they're....healthyishsorta?) - they're normally $2.19. They are on sale this week for $1.49. After the special sale, they're 99 cents a pack. That's my stock-up price, and I think I need to go back and just buy 10 more. I was on foot or I'd probably have done that.
2 cans of Rotel (yum) - usually 10/$10, on "sale" for 99 cents (silly). After the special sale, 49 cents a can. I had coupons for 25 cents off each can, and each coupon doubled. So each can was free and I did get that whole giant penny in overage from each one too.
4 packages of Whisker Lickins cat treats (for my spoiled cats - we had some health scares earlier in the week so now they are even MORE spoiled) - usually $1.49, on sale for $99 cents, 49 cents after the sale. I had two coupons for $1 off two, so these were also all free and I wish I had more coupons because my cats LOVE treats. Luckily there's a deal at Publix that can net me some more free treats for the next month.

I also forgot that I had a Cellfire coupon loaded onto my card for 50 cents off my entire purchase. If you go to Kroger, sign up at Cellfire.com. They offer e-coupons but they also occasionally do these special bonus deals where you just "win" a bit off your total.

Grand total after sale, coupons, e-coupon, and 10-$5? $3.40 plus 22 cents tax. RAH. Love it! And then on my way out I noticed the clearance bins had packages of 100 bendy straws marked down to 50 cents, so I ran back in for them (my kid can't drink out of an open cup yet, so straws are our BFFs and I always carry a bunch of them in a toothbrush holder in my purse or diaper bag).

As I mentioned, though, I think I want to go back for more Goldfish. Also I could get free Dove deodorant (which I'd probably donate) and cheap mustard, All laundry detergent, and salad dressing. I don't know if I can buy, say, 20 things and get $10 off - if you do know, leave me a comment!

Tadah!

Tuesday rambles - October 26, 2010

• Today I drove to Kroger again. It's only the second time I've done that particular drive, but it was actually really easy. 
• I'm pleased that I'm getting better about driving. I've done things like drive to a friend's house, gone to the farmer's market in the late afternoon, and the aforementioned Kroger trip.
• I saved about 54% at Kroger today, but the entire trip was frustrating. The cereal deal I wanted to do wasn't clearly marked. I tried guessing and doing the whole thing at self checkout, but I guessed wrong and had to void the whole transaction. I found a manager helping another woman with the same deal - he too was stumped. It just wasn't worth the hassle, so I skipped it. Then the cashier forgot to scan one of my coupons and another e-coupon didn't come off. I've written the company about all of this. We'll see what happens.
• I did get my favorite soup - Campbell's tomato - for a great price. I also got very cheap hand soap (in fun holiday scents) and 9 cent bags of rice to donate to the food pantry. But the deals and the service at Publix are both consistently better and I'll probably stick to them instead.
• My bottle openers, mirrors, interchangeable necklaces, and buttons are all now for sale at HomeGrown Decatur. I'm excited about this new development.
• I am going to a Halloween party where the theme is to dress as a rock star. I realized *I* am a rock star and therefore I think I may just dress up in my funkiest outfit.
• I sold the following bottle opener this morning on Etsy and it is now relisted:

I saved 41% at Kroger (and drove there!)

Woohoo 41% savings at Kroger.

Well, I took a deep breath, turned on the GPS, and drove myself to my local Kroger for the very first time. And it was fine. Of course, it's always easier when there are no cars on the road because it's mid-morning on a weekday, but that's just how I roll. Seriously, this is a huge step for me and I'm really proud of myself for managing it.

As you can see from the scan above, I saved 41%. Now, this was an unusual trip because I had coupons that Kroger had mailed me - targeted, obviously, by my purchases using my Kroger Plus Card. And that's fine with me - I have no problem being sent coupons I'll actually use. Also, it worked to get me in the store - I prefer to shop at Publix because I find that they have lower everyday prices and they accept competitor's coupons, but I figured I'd grab the freebies and maybe a few other things.

What did I get? Read more after the jump.