Miss Match

Spending money on the boring crap that I need to keep this household running each week is not my idea of fun. I'd rather blow it on throw cushions or beautiful scented candles-not toilet paper and granola bars. In an effort to trim some of the spending from the boring stuff, I sit down with my flyers, my sharpie and a cup of coffee each week. About 20 minutes later, my flyers look like this:

Next comes the list. Here's where I can get a bit neurotic, It's got to be well-organized and neatly printed. Voila.


Step 3, I go to Walmart-where I take full advantage of their "price match" guarantee. I'm sure when the staff see me breeze through those automatic double doors, with my flyers neatly stacked in my cart, they think "Oh, her again." After loading my cart with the mundane items I need, I roll into the check-out line and prepare my haul. The items I'm not price matching get tossed up onto the belt first. Then, I group the items remaining according to store. I put them up on the belt and set the coordinating flyer on top of the pile. Then, I move onto the next flyer in my stack, pulling each item from the cart and arranging it in a neat pile on the belt.

Occasionally, the people behind me in line tap their toes impatiently or roll their eyes while I show the cashier each and every item I'd like matched to a competitor's price. I usually smile smugly at them and move on with my neat piles. In the event that they actually have the balls to say something to me, I tell them that they're welcome to pay full price for their groceries but I'm sure as hell not going to. Sometimes, the person behind me in line applauds my organization and thriftiness and swears that they'll be doing the same thing next week. I hope they do because, on average, I save approximately $20/week. 52 weeks multiplied by $20=a savings of $1,040/year.That'll buy a lot of scented candles.  Meat and dairy are the products I save the most money on, I often pay half price on that stuff without having to drive from grocer to grocer, wasting gas, time and energy. Why not try it yourself?  I guess my idea of fun has been warped by life in the muthahood because feeling that I stuck it to Walmart gets me giddy.

Comments

  1. Jenny KamineckiJanuary 23, 2012 at 6:57 AM

    You are lucky enough ( or not??!?) to live in a town with a Super Walmart-- I would LOVE to one stop shop, price match AND stick it to Walmart! That too, would get me giddy! Muthahood indeed friend! xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2012 at 7:00 AM

    You're amazing my sweet!!! I've started doing this now with the baby on the way!

    Your Friend across the Pond,

    Kelly xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. HeatherJanuary 23, 2012 at 7:10 AM

    Love it. I've been checking the flyers but then making separate trips to each store to get the best prices. From now on I'll take advantage of the price matching. You know, this is one step away from "extreme couponing". All that's missing are manufacturers coupons for all those boring items.

    ReplyDelete
  4. KLJanuary 23, 2012 at 9:54 AM

    I saw a quote about balls the other day and it goes like something like this "why do people say grow some balls? Balls and weak and sensitive. They should say grow a vagina - that thing can take a beating!!!" - Betty White
    So if someone is rolling their eyes at you, they may not have the vagina to say anything! ;) Kim

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Occasional Abandonment

I love my kids, really I do. I love my husband too but sometimes I want to tell him to get stuffed and then dash out the door and into my car. Well, last week I did just that-minus the 'get stuffed' part. I'd had the boys for 6 days solid, and Owen's been a miserable you-know-what since having his tonsils out. I've come to realize how integral to my sanity his 3 days/week at daycare are. Tim had to visit with family in Niagara last weekend and was gone for 5 hours. I know what you're thinking, 'what's 5 more hours after 6 full days?' I'll tell you what it is-it's 2 more viewings of Cars2 with a whiny brat on your lap. It's three more Jello related meltdowns. It's another diaper change for Simon while Owen whines at my leg. It's another scrub at the cat barf on the carpet. Tick Tock Tick Tock. I've gotta get the hell out of this place. The moment Tim walked in the door, he suggested that we try to get Owen out of the house for
Read more

Raising My Boys; a Personal Manifesto

Image
After reading Tina Fey's prayer for her daughter, (which you can read here: http://www.parents.com/blogs/goodyblog/2011/05/tina-feys-a-mothers-prayer-for-her-daughter/  ) I felt moved to write down my own thoughts, hopes and intentions in raising my boys. I'm calling it my manifesto because, well, because it sounds wicked cool. Here's the definition of the word "manifesto": MANIFESTO: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer By it's very definition a manifesto must be made public, so here ya go, blogosphere. It's my hope that, by publishing it to my own wee little blog, I will feel more accountable to these goals. It's my hope that I'll remember this post when one of my kids is being a fartface, here's hoping that it inspires more patience and commitment from me during the tough spots. Kids, here are my intentions in raising you from babbling infants to bright, compassionate young men. I
Read more

The Power of the Belly

Image
I love seeing a pregnant belly. I honestly have to pry my eyes away before the mother-to-be realizes that some scrawny freckled lady is ogling her in the cereal aisle. I imagine the incredible waterworld that baby is living in, it's little legs tucked up underneath it's wee bum. Isn't it understandable that the population in general is in awe of a pregnant belly? I realize, having had two kids of my own, that being bombarded by unsolicited comments from strangers can be a downer. I've heard from plenty of friends of the countless times they've been pawed by strangers who couldn't resist the roundness of the belly. It seems that being touched by strangers isn't widely enjoyed by pregnant women. Except me. I must be the exception to the rule. That was one of my favourite parts of 'showing', I'm like a Golden Retriever. Admittedly, the first few times it happened on the train or in the grocery store, I'd been a bit jumpy. Then I got to thinking.
Read more