Shopping Smarter, not harder

First of all, I have to just take a minute to share the wealth of shopping wisdom that hit me like one of Zeus's lightening bolts the other day (insert other mythological references here). Let me take a minute to open a mental scene for you, dear readers.





It was raining...HARD here is CFL, drivers were forgetting how to drive due to aforemetioned rain, accidents were piling up on roads due to drivers, and our cupboards at the Chapo house looked a little something like this:




Empty cabinets are just about the worst thing you can have when it's a rainy day in Florida. Especially when you and your husband are beginning to feel the needy grumblings of hungry bellies. We needed food, and that meant it was time for me to go out into society, come what may, and brave the awful crowds of the grocery stores.

As I was on the way there, I started racking my brain for which store would actually work for my purposes. This store would have to suit a trinity of needs which are the following: it would be convenient to my house, it would be relatively inexpensive, and it would not have lines that looked as though you were about to board a cruise ship.

I thought back to a few, great experiences that I had had with the grocer chain Aldi. Aldi is a cool, albeit different type of grocer that boasts excellent prices for non-brand name items. Non brand meaning most of the brands are Aldi-specific so don't go shopping with a fistful of coupons unless you know for sure a product is offered there. Some stores even offer beer and wine selections.

As I mentioned, there are definitely some differences between Aldi and other mainstream grocers. Some, of the many, noticeable items are listed below.
1) You must pay a quarter in order to attain a shopping cart. At the end of your shopping, you can put your shopping cart back and BAM your quarter returns right to wence it came. A pretty awesome ploy to get folks to actually put their carts back.
2) The aisles look interesting, as most pantry items are offered out of cardboard boxes--not shelves.
3) The produce selections are typically offered in bulk--but for superior prices to other retailers!
4) Shopping bags are an additional cost and items are not bagged for you (GAH!!! I KNOW!!! SHOCKING!!!!)
5) Credit cards are not accepted.

I actually put the link for frequently asked question posed to Aldi grocers here below. You can look it over and see for yourself if I didn't cover something you had on your mind above.

http://www.aldi.us/us/html/company/3503_ENU_HTML.htm

I really, REALLY wish I had taken a picture of everything I got. But like I said it was raining and crazy and my cheap little self didnt pay for grocery bags. So I was pretty much driving around an accident-ridden town with all kinds of interesting items sliding around in my trunk. In short, I was ready to get home and be done with it. However, some, of the many items I did pick up are listed below.
1) 3 bags steamable broccoli
2)Raisin Bran
3) Almond Milk
4)Bag of oranges
5) Bag of sweet onions
6) 1 pnd chicken breasts
7) 1 pnd ground turkey
8) 1 pork roast
9) 1 jar Vodka Sauce
10) 1 box farfalle pasta
11) 1 bag tortilla chips
12) 1 jar salsa
13) 1 tub sour cream
14) 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
15) 1 loaf wheat bread
16) 1 box freezer bags
17) 1 bottle wine
18) 1 jar chopped garlic
19) 1 granola bar

I know I got more than that, but as you can see with any other retailer I would have been over a $50.00 tab at least already. At Aldi I checked out for...wait for it...$47.50. I really couldn't believe what a bargain I got when I left! It made me feel great to know that my hard-earned money was going a little further towards to groceries. I would definitely recommend others give Aldi a shot and let me know what you think!!!



P.S. The produce,so far has been incredible and my husband and I enjoy a delicious Orange once each day!!

Designer Oops! It's (almost) a dupe :)

As a woman, there are a few universal concepts to which we can all as a sex (most likely) relate. Getting lipstick on your teeth, turning your laundry pink because of a forgotten red item you never wear, and owning fifty pairs of jeans...only to continually wear the same,solitary favorite pants until they crumble and DIE. But women also have it rough in this respect....we all live in a society who's fashion, health and beauty marketing teams seem hell-bent on making us believe we must spend boat loads of cash to look and feel good about ourselves. Have you been to the makeup counters at the mall lately or visited the designer sections? I can't speak for everyone, but I, personally, would have to live off rame noodles and live out of my car to make sure I was up-to-date on all things fashion. And, since it's pretty easy to run out of ramen options quickly...and I own too many clothes already to live out of my civic....I had to get a bit creative when it comes to fashion.

Now, my friends and family will tell you, I go shopping almost every weekend. Sadly, I'm on a first-name basis with many of the cashiers, sales associates, and inventory specialists at many a store. This might make my abovementioned soap box seem just a touch hypocritical...but hear me out first :)

You see...I believe that it is totally possible (and I'm here to prove it) that a woman can be totally fashion-forward and clothing-wealthy, yet can also spend pennies on the dollar to do so. You just have to get creative...and ohmygosh its so much fun to HUNT :)

Lately, I've found some pretty saucy items at one of my favorite stores...the GW Boutique. Otherwise known as GoodWill. If you havent visited your local GoodWill...get to steppin'. Especially if you are in need of a wardrobe basic (i.e. a black skirt, a white collared blouse, a couple of books, a few decorative belts), get out there! If you don't like what you find at the Goodwill nearest you....go to the one a few miles away. And keep trying. The coolest thing, in my opinion, about Goodwill, is how fast there inventory moves and how one GW can be completely different from the next!

Some people think that because an item comes from good ol' GW it means it looks worn or old. That is so totally not the case. You just have to be prepared to do some sifting. As a case in point of how much wealth the GW has to offer...I present you with two items I found that are very close to items for sale at major merchandisers.

First, sometime ago, I purchased this really pretty, pleated long sleeve blouse from Goodwill for 3.99. I love to wear it with a black pencil skirt to work under a black blazer. It really makes a professional outfit pop and I get compliments on it alot.



But here is the kicker....check out this shirt on sale at Macy's right now. It's almost an exact duplicate but in different colors!!!!



So, at Macy's on sale for 16.99...but at Goodwill for $3.99. Hmmm..... Another interesting thing for me to add here is I also saw an almost exact replica of this shirt on sale at JC Penneys for $28.99 under the Liz Claiborne line. It was awhile ago...and it's not on the website...but I remember thinking: "AWESOME!!! I just saved tons of dough to look like I shop designer :)"

Also, I bought this snazzy little dress today at the GW. It was on sale for $5.99 and it just was so different and interesting I had to buy it. For six dollars....I figured even if I don't lose those extra ten pounds to wear it..I could give it to one of my super beautiful girlfriends :)




As the tag states, it's from the designer Arden B who BTW have AMAZINGLY gorgeous dresses if you haven't visited their website. But, unless it's a re-he-heally special occasion, there prices are just a touch out of my ballpark. Since it's such a specific dress...I couldn't find it exactly on the website..but I did find this dress two dresses that look somewhat similar on the designer's webpage. They are selling as follows


BLACK DRESS $89.99
RED DRESS: $39.99

So essentially, I saved either about $84.00 or $34.00 for a dress I actually like better than either one of those. I'll take it. So, as a friendly reminder, keep treasure hunting, keep sifting, and keep the faith. You never know what might be one rack away :)