I have a crush. A big one. (It’s okay, my husband knows.) I am passionately in love. . . with Harris Teeter, our grocery store. More than once I have been moved to tears while browsing the shelves at that store. “But, Jessica,” you say, “you were pregnant when that happened. Pregnant people cry at anything.” Yes, that’s true, but months after that I’ve almost cried. And this is no school-girl young love type of crush. No. This is a mature, reasoned, intellectual, marry-your-best-friend type of passion. (Those are my favorite 😉 . Through the years, I’ve come to respect my Harris Teeter, and this weekend my crush proved yet again how wonderful he (?) is.
I did feel a little odd in Walmart with a spreadsheet, calculator, and clipboard. But that’s what it took. I am a nerd. I admit. In my quest to cut every unnecessary cent spent, I made a list of 103 items I buy regularly. Then, you guessed it, compared prices of the two stores. It was kind of like, as a teacher, watching the cute shy kid compete against the big school bully in board races. You can’t help but pull for your favorite. But I determined to be completely honest. And . . . horray for Harris Teeter!!!!! 63 items were cheaper there than Walmart!! Armed with my information, I’ve determined to do the following:
1. Keep track of the cheapest times and places to buy each item.
2. Make that dreaded trip to the W every 3 months to get the items there.
3. When something at HT is the lowest price, BUY THREE OF THEM.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE that even as a poor stay at home mom, I still get to rub elbows with the snotty yacht club women at the best grocery store in town!!
ps. If you are a nerd like me and interested in the list, I’ll share my cheat sheet 🙂
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YES! : ) Send me a copy!! I've been trying to compare items lately, too! terynchapin at gmail dot com
did you do double or triple coupons?
I'm very curious – could you send it to me, too? I've been wrestling with that now that there is a Walmart near us, too… I prefer HT, but wonder if I'm being very smart to keep going… I'm encouraged to hear that it might really be okay :)I also got a laugh just thinking about you walking around two stores with a pen and pad writing all of this down…
hey jess- can you email me a copy?? that would be great. question though… were those 63 items VIC specials? or just cheaper at their regular price? i've been shopping food lion because i feel like it's in between the 2 extremes – but i am often disappointed in their selection, or lack thereof. email me!
Fantastic Jessica! You're doing what I like to call a "price book"- I used to keep a binder with everyday prices, sales w/dates, price broken down per lb, etc. I'd love to use what you did as a "tip" for my blog if you'd like to share 😉