I hate shopping.

Choices are my worst nightmare. I hate shopping but these were a super good deal at Coldwater Creek. I dragged myself there to return something and saw them. I took this picture and sent it to Josh. I ended up with the grey and cream ones. Grateful Josh loves to buy my clothes.

The lady who worked there felt bad for me as she watched me wander, nervously look around, and whisper on my phone.

I felt bad for me, too.

#1 Organizer - Tubs

I've been throwing away our can't-see-inside-falling-apart-multiple-sizes-cardboard boxes by the stacks, and I'm replacing them with these.

We looked ridiculous pushing two carts of tubs around Costco, but you know what people were thinking? Organized. That sure was what we were thinking. When I got home, I organized hand-me-down baby clothes from my sister into half a dozen of them - and labeled them by sizes. I'm feeling like a motivated wife.

Amazon Prime, Totally Worth It

My Josh is the king of shopping online, and I'm learning. The biggest disadvantage is outrageous shipping costs. So... we have Amazon Prime. How can you beat 2-day FREE shipping? Almost free. There's a yearly fee, but if you shop online as much as we do, it's totally worth it. We even buy paper towels online and save. Costco and Walmart aren't always the cheapest around.

There are so many more perks about shopping at Amazon. We use it for price checks and reviews. This is the process I go through.

1. Type in what I want.
2. Limit the search items eligible for Prime.
3. Sort by department and by bestselling.
4. Compare lowest and highest reviews of a few options. 
5. Compare with other sites like Froogle (I rarely benefit from this step).
6. Dump it on my wish list and talk to Josh about it.
7. Click buy or save for later, and don't get in my car.
8. Get it at home two days later. Amazing!

It saves me a trip, and I don't get stuck with items of poor quality.

P.S. Amazon's Customer Service and return policies/practices are the best we have ever seen.

It's true.

Literally Shocking!

I was making my Costco round last week, and the cart kept shocking me. True story. It caught me so off guard that it took me a while to figure out where it was coming from. Though it was entertaining, it was most definitely annoying. How would you like to shove a massive cart and get zapped each time you touch it? Turns out I'm not the only one! There are many solutions to this problem, including drier sheets. Makes sense. I know drier sheets can keep a skirt from laying embarrassingly close to one's legs. However, I have decided to refuse any sort of treatment for my static electricity issue. Since Josh and I started courting we've laughed about sparking each other. Cheezy, true, but welcomingly flirtatious. I'll take on that shopping cart any day (though I might be found pushing it with one finger).

Costco Tips

Since I'm done with my single cooking days, I've been shopping at Costco. This has been such a blessing since we often have family, friends, and neighbors dropping in for dinner. I've been learning a few things

1. Don't shop more than once a week. This saves a lot of time and unnecessary spontaneous spending. I go to Costco and a regular grocery store in the same day.
2. Compare prices.  Buying in bulk is not always cheaper than a regular grocery store.
3. Portion control! Though buying in bulk saves lots of time and money, we need to be careful not to eat in bulk. Peanut butter and mango salsa are dangerous.
4. Be selective. Though buying an item in bulk may be cheaper per ounce/pound, it may not be when I have to throw half of it away if we can't finish it before going bad.
5. Store food. I like to keep extra food a bit out of reach so we don't go through it as fast. We have a freezer in the basement. I also have shelves that I can't reach without a stool. It's funny, but these things help stretch the food.