Today is the Annual City Wide Yard Sale, and we awoke to a freeze warning. Winter has returned once more. We didn’t get any on the snow that was in the forecast, but the Soccer Game was canceled due to the nasty weather. Maybe if it warms up just a bit we’ll get out and check out some of the sales. I would love to find some vintage fabrics, and a small bedside table for Thade’s room.
Have you shopped any great Spring-time Yard Sales yet?
I have shopped my final store, and today’s savings adventure brings us to Wood’s Supermarket. Where to start… Wood’s and I were not close friends for a very long time; I was completely fed up with their expensive prices. The last time that I shopped there was almost a year ago, and I was hoping to see some better prices. Wood’s Supermarket is still home to the $8.00 Rotisserie Chicken, but they have made many aesthetic improvements to the store. Wood’s has added a Gas Station, Coin Star, and a Quick Care Clinic (limited hours); they also offer Prescription Delivery Service (locally only) through their Pharmacy. Nice new services, but how are those prices?
For the not so good … The customer service at Wood’s is not very good at all, and many of the sale items that I would have loved to pick up were no where to be found. Wood’s is also home to an extremely dangerous parking lot, it is a mess. I was surprised to see that many of the items on my list were actually on sale the day that I was shopping, but the regular price of these sale items was still too high. Walking around the store I also spotted one Dozen Eggs for $2.05, one bag of Tostitos Chips for $4.19, and one Pound of Organic Pasta for $3.99! I was tempted to purchase some Jelly Belly Jelly Beans when I saw the gigantic display (right by the veggies). They had Bubble Gum, one of my favorites. When I noticed the price at $6.99 a pound, there was no way I was going to make that purchase. Just what are those Jelly Beans made of for that price!
Now for the positives… Wood’s Supermarket is home to an awesome, albeit a bit pricey, Organic Section. It is well stocked with tasty Soy Ice Cream, and Gluten Free Baking Mixes, pretty cool for our little town. Wood’s also has a great bakery, and if you are nice and say please and thank you, your toddler can score a free Chocolate Chip Cookie 😉 Wood’s also offers Kid Friendly Shopping Carts! They have several on site in the shape of a Fire Truck, and a Pick-Up Truck, and the most awesome Kid Friendly shopping cart I have ever shopped with… It is a bright blue, gigantic big-rig of a shopping cart, you can easily fit three kids and a full load of groceries in this bad boy, it is truly awesome. I’ve shopped with it once, and it rocked 🙂
So just how were those prices?
The sale items were great buys, but Wood’s is still not the best place to save for me. The regular priced items are just a little too steep for this frugal gal, but man I love their awesome shopping carts 😉
Today’s adventure brings me to our local IGA, everyone loves to shop and save here, but I’m not quite convinced. I brought along my list of fifteen items and a coupon or two, let’s see how the prices compare to the other local shops.
So for the not so good…I’ve shopped the Coca-Cola sales a few times, but that was about the best deal to be found. Every item and then some were very very pricey. Our local store could also use a little upkeep, and a little updating. There were four check-out lines, and only one open as we were shopping, but the line did move quickly. Also something a little interesting, I was never asked the usual questions as I shopped, “can I help you find anything, and how are you today”, very odd.
And on to the good… The store is a quick little drive from our house, just under a mile. It would be a great place to run in and grab a gallon of Milk or a Loaf of Bread. The local IGA doubles coupons up to $.50, as long as they are manufacturers coupons. Our local IGA also has a Gas Station, and they run incentive buys in the store to save you a little bit on fuel costs. I also spotted a Green House, so we might have to go back and check out the flowers. Our local IGA has great shopping carts with plenty of room 🙂 During the holidays they run a “Free Grocery Contest”, you shop and you are entered to win an entire month of free groceries, that would come in pretty handy with all of the holiday cooking and entertaining.
So how were those prices?
Well I don’t think that this will be a store that I shop at too often, this is one local deal that I have to pass on. The prices seem to speak for themselves… I’ve got one more shop to visit, I hope to see some better prices 🙂
Sorry for the little break, I’m back at it, and still shopping for the best deals locally. This week I made a shopping trip to Dollar General to see if I could find a few deals on my fifteen items. Here is all the fun shopping details 😉
First off the not so good… Locally our store is a little dated, it could use a little aesthetic upkeep. Parking at our local store is crazy, you are right on the street in teeny tiny spaces. If you time your shopping trip at the right time of the day, you can get in and out of the store with no trouble, but don’t shop at noon, its packed. Dollar General is also home to tiny shopping carts. Thade is a big fan of them, but I’m not the biggest fan.
Now for the good… The customer service at our local Dollar General is great, and everyone is very helpful and so friendly. I’m happy to report that Manufacturers Coupons are accepted, so that helps out even more in the savings department. Computer printed coupons are not accepted locally, but that’s no biggie, I run into that problem at just about every store that I’ve visited so far… Overall it is a great place to shop, and it is fun to shop around for all of the great deals. I’ll definitely be shopping at our local Dollar General more often.
So how are the prices?
Well I couldn’t find all of my items on my shopping list, but the items that I did find were well worth the trip. I found Baking Cups for $.55, and I’m usually paying $.92 for the exact same brand at the Supercenter. I also picked up Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer for just $1.00, which is a great deal for this coffee consumer. Dollar General seems to be the best bet locally for baking supplies, I can pick up Flour and Sugar at rock bottom prices, and keep on baking. At our last shopping trip Thade purchased a pad of Construction Paper for only $1.00, a great and very affordable find.
We’ll be shopping and saving at Dollar General again soon 🙂
This weeks adventure brings me to our local Wal-Mart Supercenter, some people love it, and some people loathe it. Either way I’m going to list the good points and the not so good points of our local store, along with the prices of my 15 items.
When the Wal-Mart Supercenter opened, almost a year ago, I was thrilled. I had been driving to a Supercenter 40 minutes round trip once a week for about five years, so I was overjoyed when the store arrived. I could save time and gas money. The prices were much lower than the local grocery stores, and you can’t beat the appeal of one stop shopping 24 hours a day.
There are a few drawbacks though… There are usually only about four check-out lanes open, no matter what time I shop at. Our local store makes sure that the registers right by the Fun Center (arcade) are open, so you have the joy of a screaming toddler at checkout begging to go and play, and spend more money. I’ve also noticed that our local store isn’t too coupon friendly, I’ve come home many times to find out that my coupons were never run, but collected at check-out. Customer service is hit or miss, and the local selection is often lacking in the grocery department. You often see many empty shelves where the great deals should be.
I’ve also had issues with the baby/toddler clothing and shoe aisles. Boy’s items are very difficult to find, and you are often referred to go and shop at the other Wal-Mart 30 minutes away for kids items. I usually end up making a run to Payless for the boy’s shoes, which is another tank of gas, and money spent out of our local economy. The Supercenter Pharmacy is not the best, I have run into a problem with every refill. The wait for a new prescription is anywhere from 4 hours to 2 days, its just crazy. We now take our prescription needs to Walgreens. The Supercenter is also a brand new building, and it has its quirks. The parking lot was designed very poorly, there is only one entrance and one exit, and they are the same. It is a little dangerous getting in and out of there.
It isn’t all negative though, I promise… It is hard to beat their prices especially on grocery items. You can usually buy everything in just one stop, which is nice when you’ve got to grumpy kids in the cart, and it is time for lunch. Also make friends in the Bakery and Deli; Thade usually receives a Free Cookie, or Popcorn Chicken for the price of a smile. The Greeters are always very friendly and helpful too. Overall it is a nice place to shop, and the 24-hour availability of products does come in handy.
So how did I do pricing my fifteen items? Here is the list:
So far the prices at Wal-Mart are coming in the lowest, but I haven’t shopped the other grocery stores just yet. We’ll see if the Supercenter’s lower prices remain the lowest. What do you think about your local Wal-Mart, good or bad, let me know…