FORT Koffee Klatch

[misskitty]

livin4reality: I'm glad you had a nice evening by yourself! Try to do that more often!

doxie: I didn't know what a SuperTarget was either!

canadian angel: I like places that display shoes by size. Then you don't have to know what styles you are missing out on if they stock them by style.

bbnbama: Glad your "renovation work" went well!

Ellen: You should get the name of bbnbama's "contractor" if you live in the same area. Then if you change your mind, you won't have to shop around for a good one.

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It's 12:32 am... the price of stamps just went up another cent. The postal service, however, has not improved.

[MRD]

I'm a very fussy label-reader, and I've found that most of the food at Wal-Mart is just the standard cheap brands with no nutritional value -- with ingredients near the top of the list containing things such as hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (i.e.: trans fats, which raise LDL and lower HDL cholesterol levels -- inviting heart disease and higher medical costs in the long run), high-fructose corn syrup (an unnatural, but cheap, sweetener -- NOT healthy!), and fractionated palm kernel oil (another cheap, but bad, food additive). Wal-Mart doesn't carry the healthy alternatives that my local independent grocery stores do, so for food, there's no way that I'd give them a penny of my money -- especially since it would be bound to cost me more in the long run when the medical consequences of cheap ingredients catch up.

Of course, I'm very lucky to live in an area where I have relatively easy access to local farmers' markets for fresh produce, and independent grocers who carry healthful alternatives for only a little more money than the cheap brands which cut corners by using cheap, unhealthy chemicals or chemical alterations.

And as far as Wal-Mart's other stuff? No thanks! Especially after having seen the 2005 film Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price -- NO WAY! But that's what works for me.

Well I don't call it "Wal-Hell" for nothing, but I use a lot of canned beans and canned tomatos and I can get them a LOT cheaper there and they are no more full of bad stuff than the beans and tomatos at much more expensive Publix, Bloom or Bi-Lo. I buy flour, sugar, salt, cereal for my family, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. there because it is much cheaper for me in the short and long run.
I would love to give Wal-hell the finger and never go back there, but unfortunately for me, it makes a huge difference at the current time in my budget.
And I have bought clothes there and find them to be fairly good for my needs.
I do realize where these clothes come from, but I can't afford to go to the mall and shop and t-shirts and jeans are just cheaper at Walmart. I also got a great pair of warm, waterproof, leather ankle boots there at the beginning of fall. I had been looking for something similar elsewhere and got them at Walmart for half of what other stores had them. My feet have been warm and dry all season, compared to last year.

I know all the reasons Walmart is bad. I know all the reasons people still shop there, including me. I wish I could make a change, but until the lottery gods favor me, I have to either shop at Walmart, or we probably wouldn't eat one week out of the month.

[Ellen]

. . . I know all the reasons Walmart is bad. I know all the reasons people still shop there, including me. I wish I could make a change, but until the lottery gods favor me, I have to either shop at Walmart, or we probably wouldn't eat one week out of the month.

Sending positive thoughts your way for favor with the lottery gods!

[MRD]

Sending positive thoughts your way for favor with the lottery gods!

Thank you!

I have promised them I would share the wealth, help people out, do good things, etc., but so far, they have not favored me at all.

Meanwhile, I will keep plugging away and hope that by hard work and determination, our sitution will turn around and I won't need the lottery gods.

[Lois Lane]

And I have bought clothes there and find them to be fairly good for my needs.

I find it pretty amazing that I have paid over $30 in the past for a simple pair of Levi's...and they now sell these same pants at Target for $14.99 when they're on sale! As you all know, I am a big cheapo! But the one thing I don't mind paying higher prices for is shoes. I've had foot surgery in the past (too much sports when I was younger and they took a pounding!) and am paranoid about that again... I usually shop for shoes at Nordstrom's. I love that store and know that even if I pay full retail price, the store stands behind their products and will replace them if I have a problem with them. Also, I like having the sales person take the shoes I like and bringing them to me in the right size. They often will bring shoes out for me that I hadn't picked out--but that are akin to what I had picked out--and sometimes I like those better than what I had picked.

I will say that while I have gotten some great bargains at Target with clothes on sale, they tend to not last that long. For instance, I bought the husband a sweater and it's already unraveling after a handful of washings. I bought a pair of really cheap cargo pants at H&M (which sells seasonal clothes for cheap--but the quality's not great) and within a few washings, they were too baggy to wear--and it's certainly not 'cause I lost any weight! There is some truth to getting what you pay for. (Not for all things!) I've got clothes that have lasted for years, and I think it's a combination of quality clothes and good maintenance (see the Household Products tread for all the great tips!) -- so in that sense, paying a higher price for a nicer item that lasted longer has proved more cost-efficient for me.

But I agree with MRD that a lot of the staples are a lot cheaper at Wal-Mart or Target, and I head there to buy flour, sugar, bread, paper, wrapping paper etc.

I should read labels more often. I tend to buy healthy foods, but I know there's a lot of crap slipping into our diets, too, 'cause I'm not reading the labels. I can't wait til summer and our garden is back up. I love having access to all those fresh veggies for just the price of some seeds! Basil is expensive otherwise!!! I never feel so rich as when I can throw handfuls of basil into my salads!

[PhoneGrrrl]

I hate going to the Super WalMart and don't go unless I absolutely have to, like Saturday when I needed new, cheap rugs for the cats' bathroom. But I don't mind going to the little WalMart Neighborhood Market grocery stores we have here. They are smaller than Albertson's or Winn Dixie, have cheaper prices, regular name brands, and it takes me 20 minutes to do grocery shopping for the week. I don't buy meat there and I try to get my fruit locally, but other groceries are just fine. I don't think these markets are everywhere though, because most people think I'm talking about the old-school little Walmarts of yore. These are exclusively grocery stores.

On another note, I'm fed up with the state police helicopters flying around my office. The gubernatorial inauguration is today and I guess they are doing security, but it's giving me a headache.

[Lois Lane]

I hate going to the Super WalMart and don't go unless I absolutely have to, like Saturday when I needed new, cheap rugs for the cats' bathroom.

They have their own bathroom?! I shouldn't talk...my cat has his own office...

[MRD]

They have their own bathroom?! I shouldn't talk...my cat has his own office...

My dogs have their own house, I'm just allowed to live in it with them.

[PhoneGrrrl]

They have their own bathroom?! I shouldn't talk...my cat has his own office...

Well, it's the back sunroom and it contains the cats' boxes, my old desktop, and some storage stuff. Since going wireless, I don't spend a whole lot of time in there, but they do because it gets so much sun, so it may as well be their room.

[CCL]

It's 12:32 am... the price of stamps just went up another cent. The postal service, however, has not improved.

Aren't you in Canada, misskitty? The price for domestic stamps remains the same this year. If you're not...then never mind.

I wish we had a Target. And that the lottery gods would smile on me once they are done with myrosiedog!