My Latest Food Shopping Trip(,etc.)

What would you expect to pay for the following:

2 12-packs of soda("pop" to some of you, lol).
1 gallon whole milk.
1 gallon skim milk.
1 carton of sour cream.
1 box of cream cheese.
1 bag of generic corn chips(something like tostitos).
1 bag of generic corn chips(something like fritos).
1 quart bottle of Gatorade(yes, the name brand).

What would you expect the total cost, including tax, to be?

How does $14.33 sound? Sounds GREAT to me!

And that's why we do the VAST majority of our food shopping @Aldis. We LUV that place!

We do most of the food shopping that we don't do @Aldis @BJ's. In fact, other than some produce, the occasional ice cream/fro-yo purchase, and/or the RARE great soda sale, we do ALL of the food shopping we don't do @Aldi's @BJ's. And most of the above-mentioned stuff(produce, ice cream, soda on great sale) we get @Path Mark.

AND we actually MADE MONEY on our BJ's membership this year. And I'm not talking about the $ we've saved there either, this is different; in addition to that. Here's how we MADE MONEY on our BJ's membership:

The basic BJ's membership costs $40(around here. I've heard $35 elsewhere in the country). The "Premiere(or whatever they call it)" membership costs $75. BUT one of the differences is that Premiere members get a BJ's voucher/check for 2% of whatever they spend @BJ's back at the end of the year!

Our membership expires/renews each August. So, around this time last year, we decided to try the Premiere membership, reasoning that as long as the voucher/check we got at the end of the year was $35(the difference in cost of the 2 memberships) or more, we'd be even, if not ahead of the game. Since we buy almost all of our diapers, baby wipes, and(at that time) formula @BJ's, we figured we had a pretty good shot at at least breaking even.

Well, the year's not quite up yet; we've got 1 more BJ's trip to make b4 our membership renews and they calculate what our check should be. Each time we shop, they put what our rewards are, so far - MINUS the trip we just made(as of yesterday's date) - on our receipt. We were in a BJ's last Sunday, and it said $76!

Iow, we're WELL AHEAD of the game here, and we'll get a BJ's voucher/check for somewhere between $76-$80 in the mail this Fall. Which means our next year's membership is, essentially, FREE! :)

Now, I realize; I'm a GUY, and guy's aren't supposed to like/enjoy shopping. Especially something as mundane(or as stereotypically female) as food shopping. But I actually like(and/or don't mind) going to Aldis and I actually ENJOY going to BJ's. And NOT just cuz of the Pizza Hut/food court they have their either! ;)

In other news, the Wiggles are making their first appearance and doing their first 4 shows ever in Philly later this month. I got the advance e-mail about it and would LUV to have taken Rebekah to see it/them, cuz she REALLY LIKES the Wiggles - BUT the cheapest ticket(iow, the nose-bleed seat price) was $17.50 - with NO kids ticket discount!

~$60 for 3 tix? Before and NOT counting food and souvenirs? I don't think so. I'd sooner buy Rebekah 3-5 Wiggles DVDs. She'd have them longer and be a LOT closer to them when she saw the DVDs than she would be from the nosebleed seats @the Spectrum.

Well, there was an article about the Wiggles in Sunday's Stinquirer. Not only are they selling out all over the country but they had to "add seats" to the Spectrum shows, "which are now sold out to the rafters".

I've been in the Spectrum often enough to know what that means; they "had to" sell the 3rd level seats. Those aren't usually sold for most events - and for good reason too; you're so far from the stage/ice/action that if you go to the restroom, you have to go again by the time you get back to your seat!

I went to ONE Phantoms(AHL; minor league hockey) game a few years ago that was sold to the point where we ended up in the 3rd level seats. And I vowed: NEVER AGAIN, not even for a playoff game!

Sure, I'd make that "concession" for Rebekah. Any day, and in a heartbeat too.

BUT why do I think I KNOW that those 3rd level seats were still $17.50 EACH, and STILL with NO kids ticket discount? THAT I WOULDN'T DO!

Maybe if our "economic realities" were different. In fact, not maybe, yes. But they aren't different. So, no.

(If you're reading this and have no idea who the Wiggles are or "What's a 'Wiggle'?", ask any parent of a pre-schooler. Or, if the pre-schooler in question's older than 2, ask them. :) )