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I'm a mother of 3 who started blogging as a way to share our many adventures and to expand beyond the everyday "mommy world". While there IS so much more to us mommies than the title, there is very little that doesn't in some way or another lead us back to or influence our children...if anything. So, I hope you enjoy following our family's randomness, because as all moms know- you can never anticipate what tomorrow will bring! Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day! :)

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

When Did Grocery Shopping Become Such a Headache?

I've been procrastinating for days but at some point before the end of the day I will have to go to the grocery store.  We are completely out of milk, bread, and peanut butter (among other things, but these are true necessities at our house.  Our kids go through peanut butter like it's going out of style.).  So, unless I can find a recipe for popcorn and ketchup, I will grace the door of a local grocer...before midnight and preferably before dinnertime.

What I'd like to know is since when has grocery shopping become burdensome to me?  I used to love going and finding bargains, taking pride in how much I saved.  Actually, I still do most of the time.  For some reason, I just haven't been as excited about it these last few days.  I can think of several different reasons:

  1. I don't like taking the kids with me.  Even with just 2 during the day, they tend to slow me down.
  2. With gas so incredibly high, I've been paying much more attention to where I go and how often.  This means that ideally I would plan to visit all the stores during one trip to town but this is near impossible for reason #1.  So, I'm weighing the cost of what's in my tank with what I'm planning to purchase and if it's worth the savings/speed with the kids.  Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.
  3. We're leaving for Disney World in 12 days so every penny counts at this point.  I'm much more conscientious now as to whether or not we really need what I'm planning to buy or if it's just something that happens to be "a really good deal".  Sometimes the deals are worth it, sometimes they're not.  Right now, for us, they are more often "not" just because there are other things that we will "need" more immediately for our trip.  Truth be told, these "deals" will come back around again and as mentioned before, I don't really need them right now.
I imagine many of you are like us and doing everything you can to "squeeze a nickel until the buffalo farts"  (You can thank my husband for that expression. ;) ).  So, I think these reasons are worth noting.  Sometimes I don't think we pay enough attention to them.  Those of us couponers will often feel guilty for not getting the best deal on something or missing a sale.  Maybe we don't have a coupon for something and that's reason enough to feel badly.  Really it's not.  Sometimes convenience is more important.  Sometimes we need a break from coupons...and that's ok.  So what if you missed out on getting dishwashing liquid for free when you've got 3 bottles left at home?  So what if you paid $3.79 for a gallon of milk when another place in town has it for $3.29?  You'd probably spend that much in gas (not to mention the extra time) traveling 20 miles just to save 50 cents.

So, now I don't feel as bad about my lack of "shopping" lately.  I use quotes there because many times I find some really fantastic deals and get many things free!  But this week I've needed a break.  Next week, we'll be vacationing.  Maybe the following week I'll be back to my old self!  What about you?  Is couponing a blessing right now, or a burden?

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