A quick word...

The downfall of any shopper is the impulse buy. The desire to take something home without thinking about it, hits me at Dollar Tree and the 99 cent store like nothing else. It may be a cute hair tie, a book for my daughter, that solar flower that Dollar Tree likes to advertise, but don't just buy it because it is cheap!

3 Rules to prevent impulse puchasing at any price -

1. Do I need it? - Are you really going to use this thing? Need it to sustain life, clean the house, already on your shopping list?

2. Do I want it? - Has it been an item on your wish list for a while? If you are not sure, keep it in your cart for a while or wait until your next shopping trip. If you forget about it when you leave, you probably didn't want it that badly.

3. Will I enjoy it 3 months from now? 1 year from now? - Do you really want this crowding your shelf, closet, cupboard?

So, think about it before you buy it and remember that old saying, "Joy is not in things, it is in us."

Greek Yogurt

Having recently discovered the amazing properties of greek yogurt,(thick, creamy, savory, protein packed), I also discovered that it's price tends to be twice that of your average cup of cultured dairy!

Luckily, The 99 cents Only Store continually packs name brand yogurt at $39 cents a container compared to the $1.00 or so you would pay elsewhere. So far, I have seen Athenos and Yoplait available on a weekly basis. They also have regular Yoplait yogurt available often.

Usually flavors can be limited as the 99 cent store seems to carry items that were overstocked at other stores and close to their expiration date. Normally, yogurt can be eaten up to one week after it's "best by" stamp date and I usually see items within a week of even hitting that date. Despite these limitations, as some may call them, I have enjoyed a variety of good yogurt at 50-60% off the regular market price. Delicious!

A New Year's Resolution for Walmart...

Dear Walmart -


Here is a copy of the email that I sent to Walmart regarding the attitude/vibe that I got when I used their Ad Match feature for 1 item;


"Recently I went to my local Walmart on Southern and Rural in Tempe,Arizona. I had wanted to pick a few things and use price match on an item. The price match was for 1 item and was within your policy of a specific item (brand, size). I was questioned over whether or not the competing ad had expired and if I had the ad with me, even though customers are required not to bring them into the store.


While my cashier was nice, she and her manager were hesitant to match the ad at first. It was a price match for some liquid soap at 99 cents vs. your price of 1.47. I was a bit taken aback at the amount of bartering that I had to do on it. Because of this behavior, I've decided to simply shop for the item I want at this listed price I want, at another store. Please don't use price match as a selling point, if your employees will be afraid to commit to it."




Again, Walmart, if you are going to sell a feature, trust the folks that want to use it a bit more. Who would have known how long of a process it would have been if I had tried to price match several things.

Citations - 0007418226090_500X500. Digital image. Walmartimages.com. Web. 02 Jan. 2012. .