Oh my gosh, ya’ll this shopping trip. I was like Lemony Snicket because the second we walked in the door it was a series of unfortunate events, one after another.
I was pumped too, because it was the (hopefully) last shopping trip of the year. I had a whole fun intro planned for this post about that. We were going to reminisce. We were going to feel warm fuzzies. Maybe we would have broken out into a beautiful chorus of “Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.” Instead, I am just thankful to have gotten out of that store alive.
I’ll spare you gory details, but here are the basics. This was the trip for my Christmas Feast, only I realized last night I had gotten most of my Feast supplies already. I bought my turkey on sale for 39 cents a lb at the beginning of November. Weeks before Thanksgiving, when most people were still noshing on Halloween candy, turkeys the farthest thing from their minds. I picked up some whole cranberries when they were on sale for one dollar a pound. I’m making the stuffing from scratch. Gold potatoes were a great deal a few weeks back, so those are waiting for me in the pantry. Even though this is my big feast shopping trip, I ended up only needing my normal standards.
I went in thinking I had it made. A few fancy cheeses here, some veg and basic proteins there. The store was a little crowded, but it wasn’t unmanageable. Or so I thought. As I perused said fancy cheeses, my Little Mermaid broke free and proclaimed, ‘Watch me do this Christmas ballet, Mama!” Only, her Christmas ballet was impeded by folks who just wanted a nice brie and not a Christmas ballet performance. I watched in horror as my child bounced like a pinball against multiple strangers’ fluffy Midwestern winter coats, propelled here hither and tither by adults and their gravity, finally landing in the cake department. As I rushed the cart over to her, she held out an unsteady hand to balance herself. On a cake. That immediately crashed to the ground. Where my sweet Christmas ballerina took one look at it and burst into tears.
I picked up the cake as best I could, where we brought it over to the bakery department, both of us a little ashamed, for different reasons. Bless the kind bakery worker at my Kroger who would not let me pay for the cake, insisting that accidents happen, even at Christmas time. She gave each of my girls a sugar cookie, and sent us off, slightly more cheerful than we arrived.
It was then I noticed my Sweet Apple, who instead of eating her cookie, clutched it to her like a long lost friend. I asked if she was feeling alright. Her response, “I’m ready for home.” And then she fell asleep. Right there. Sitting up. In the cart. Holding a cookie. Seconds before she had been talking to me, and now she was slumped over as if she had done a hard day’s labor.
I live in a small town, so when one kid gets sick, it passes through the community pretty quickly. Now on high alert that my little maybe wasn’t feeling her best, I rushed through the rest of my shopping trip, anxious to get home. I was barely paying attention to the food, just kind of haphazardly throwing things I thought we needed into my cart. All the while, a black cloud hung over my Little Mermaid. She lost her shoe in the pasta aisle. Knocked over a row of ketchups in condiments. Crashed head first into a lady in dairy. Each minor disaster drove me closer to the brink. By the time we got home, I had almost no idea what I bought or who I was.
A temperature check and phone call to the doctor determined my Sweet Apple was okay, just very tired. I took some deep breaths. Then I unpacked my haul with the help of my Little Mermaid, who continuously apologized for “breaking the cake.” Everything was going to be fine. Peace on Earth, goodwill to Bs.
Edited to add: If you notice the picture looks a little empty, the first reason is the shortness of the trip. The second reason is, as I discovered moments ago, my little helper stowed away the blueberries and tomatoes in her castle for when her sister wakes up. :0 What a day.
However you are preparing for your holiday, I wish you good cheer, unbroken cakes, and a sense of humor.
- Bananas, 2.21 lbs-$1.22.
- Blueberries, pint (2)-$7.98.
- Clementines, 5lbs-$4.99. In store sale, down from $6.99.
- Clif Kidz Fruit Bars (2)-$3.98. The healthy clearance fairy strikes again! Normally $3.99 a box.
- Fourme Dambert Cheese-$2.40.
- Heritage Farm Chicken Breast, 5.64 lbs-$11.24.
- Honey Bunches of Oats-$1.99. In store sale! Plus rebates, see below!
- Kerrygold Whiskey Cheddar-$2.03.
- Knorr Selects Rice-$0. Free Friday Download *Digital Coupons*.
- Kroger Diced Green Chile-$1.19.
- Kroger Milk, .5 gallon-$1.19.
- Kroger Canned Tomatoes (4)-$1.96.
- Kroger Whipping Cream-$3.77. Yeesh. Is whipping cream always so pricey?
- Mediterranean Gouda-$5.10.
- Pepperjack Cheese-$2.03.
- Roma Tomatoes, 1.49 lbs-$2.22.
- Romaine Lettuce, 1.22 lb-$1.57.
- Top Round London Broil, 2.21 lbs-$8.82.
- Apps I’ll Submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta (.75 of Honey Bunches of Oats)
Total Budget: $104.12
Total Spent: $68.31
Total Saved: $11.11
Rolled Over to the Disney Fund: $35.81
Have you ever had a child destroy store property? Tell me about it in the comments so we can commiserate together. I need to not be alone in this.
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey three years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!