Double shopping Monday!
This Monday I hit up both Kroger and Costco, an occurrence that happens once a month. Last month, I did Costco first and then Kroger. This week, I wanted to try Kroger first. When I go to Kroger, I go on my own. It’s five minutes away from my home. The rest of the family can sleep in, enjoy life. When I get back and disinfect the food, Mr. B can get the girls ready for their monthly drive to the Costco. The other positive of this plan is that the girls can eat Chick-Fil-A for lunch while hanging out in the car, not breakfast. We have learned that my children have VERY firm opinions on Chick-Fil-A for breakfast. (“Mama. Chicken is not for breakfast. It is wrong. Chickens are for lunch and for dinner.”)
Speaking of chickens, I was happy to hit Kroger first because I was sincerely hoping for chicken. The last few weeks they’ve been out of chicken breasts, so I thought if I went early, I would get some right as they were being stocked.
Once I step foot in the store, I hightailed it back to the meat section. Normally, I go in this order: produce, deli, meat, dairy, dry goods, baby food, checkout. This takes me in a full and complete circle around the store. But today, I didn’t want mess around with blueberries while there may only be a few chicken packages for sale. Onward to the chickens!
There were no chickens. And just as I was feeling the stress creep into my double shopping Monday, just as the futility of shopping during the rumpus was settling its oppressive weight upon me, just as I was legit about to cry in the grocery store, this song came on.
Do y’all remember this?
I was a teen in the 90s and I maintain there will never again be as good of a decade for music. Even the one hit wonders were off the chain good. And this? The impossibly long “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand” by the hilariously overwrought named Primitive Radio Gods was my JAM. Like, I would sit by the radio with bated breath to record this onto my latest mix tape every week. (I made a mix tape every week. I was that kinda kid. Don’t act like you’re surprised.)
I’ve been down, I’ve been down hearted baby, ever since the day we met.
And something about hearing this particular song at this particular moment calmed me. Was it the tolling church bells? Was it the amazing BB King sample? Was it the stirring piano during the bridge? The maudlin lyrics that seemed so profound to me when I was 13? The do do do do do do do’s? The airplane taking off? (Man, there is a lot going on in this song.) Who’s to say. But now calm, I pushed my cart over to the deli. I could get my deli meats, and afterwards check back on the chicken. Who knows what will have happened by then?
I’ve been down hearted baby, I’ve been down, I’ve been down hearted baby, eveeeeer since the day we met, eeeeeeevvvvverrrrr since the day we met.
I got my deli meat (and yes, I see you, people who want to know what we’re doing with all that pepperoni. It’s coming, I promise) and my cheese, and went BACK to the meat section. Still no chicken. And now my song is over and I’m feeling a little a sad again. But like, a manageable amount of sad. The kind of sad, where say, you were standing outside of a broken phone booth with money in your hand. You’re sad you can’t make a call, but you are hopeful there are other phone booths nearby.
On to the produce! Check back with the chicken. Still no chicken. It’s okay, we’re going to stay calm. Like the Primitive Radio Gods say: do do do do do do do. On to the dairy! On to the dry goods! On to the baby food! On Dancer and Prancer! But then I hit the end of my grocery trip. I should just pack it up and go home. Admit defeat. Be down hearted. Be down hearted, baby. Ever since the chicken left. Eeeeeevvvveeeerrrr since the chicken left.
But like the Primitive Radio Gods told me, I will ride the waves and don’t ask where they go. I will ride those waves right back to the meat department. Where LO! LO! BEHOLD! CHICKEN!
A Kroger employee was putting out packages of chicken. There weren’t a ton, so I grabbed my three and scampered up to the checkout.
Where guess what song came on? You’ll never guess.
IT WAS PRIMITIVE RADIO GODS AGAIN.
What was this? Was there a glitch in the Matrix? Was someone else as jazzed on those 90’s jams as I was? Who cares! Let’s dance!
I’ve been down hearted baby, I’ve been down hearted baby, eveeeeer since the day we met, eeeeeeevvvvverrrrr since the day we met.
- Avocados (3)-$2.97. In-store sale, $.99 each.
- Blueberries, 18 oz-$3.99.
- Boar’s Head Pepperoni, .75 lb-$6.93.
- Creamette Pasta (2)-$2.50.
- Earth’s Best Baby Food Bouches (9)-$8.01. Buy 6 or More brought them down to $.89 each.
- Fuji Apples, 3.28 lb-$4.23.
- Green Grapes, 4.38 lb-$3.35. In-store sale, $.88 a pound stacked with *Digital Coupon* for $.50 off.
- Green Leaf Lettuce, .55 lb-$.82.
- Heirloom Tomatoes, 1.78 lb -$2.65. In-store sale, $1.49 a pound.
- Honey Bunches of Oats (2)-$3.98. $1.99 each with Buy 6 or More, Save $3.
- Heritage Farm Chicken Breasts, 14.84 lb-$29.55. Chicken!
- Johnsonville Sausage, 2 lb-$7.98. Buy 6 or More, Save $3 or More.
- Kroger Cream Cheese-$1.19.
- Kroger Ground Turkey, 3 lb-$7.46. Manager’s Special!
- Kroger String Cheese (12 ct)-$2.69.
- Mangoes (3)-$2.97. In-store sale, $.99 each.
- Pepper Jack Cheese-$3.70.
- Private Selection Bread (1) -$1.49. Buy 6 or More, Save $3 or More.
- Private Selection Ice Cream, .pint-$1.49. *Digital Coupon* for $.50 off.
- Private Selection Wildflower Turkey, 1 lb-$7.20.
- Red Leaf Lettuce, 1.06 lb-$1.79. There were some sad lettuce options, so I took the two (different) heads that were best.
- Robusto Cheese-$3.70.
- Roma Tomato, 2.01 lb-$1.99.
- Shrimp, 2 lb-$9.98. That shrimp deal was still going on so I stocked up on that shrimp for $4.99 a pound.
- Simple Truth Almond Milk, .5 gal (3)-$5.97. Buy 6 made each milk $1.99.
- Vidal Onions, 2.17 lb-$2.15.
- Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, CoinOut, Ibotta ($.25 off Johnsonville Sausage), Shopkick (150 kicks for Blueberries)
Total Budget: $51.47
Total Spent: $130.32
Deducted from Next Week: $78.85
I did ask the cashier, “Did we just hear this song?” And she was like “All these old songs sound the same to me” and I was like, “GASP” but also, “okay, fair, young cool person.”
Is Chick-Fil-A a lunch and dinner only kind of place for your kids? Do you love “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand?” What’s your 90’s jam?
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 five 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!