A Find at the Saturday Farmer's Market

Here's a fun item my wife ran across this weekend at the farmer's market...

You know, I actually wouldn't mind having a pair of these.

My Frugal Ways, Part Deux: A Trip to the Bulk Bin

The next time you happen to be in your grocery store, take a look around and see if they have bulk bins. We do a great deal of our shopping at Winco (Idaho) and they have a huge bulk bin section. The amount of money we save buying from those bins is incredible. Some of the items featured there are: Nuts, Dried Fruit, Noodles, Parmesan cheese, Parmesan Romano cheese, Beans, Rice, Spices, Honey & Peanut butter station, Baking goods, Breakfast Cereal, Snacks, and Candy. These are just the categories, the actual selections are massive. For example, there are thirty items in the Noodles section alone, with prices in the noodles section ranging from $0.75 - $1.28 per pound (the cheeses and specialty items in that section are a bit more expensive).

Can you see the potential for savings here? If your store has a bulk bin, please check it out, because you can save a great deal of money by buying some of your staple items there. Why pay twice or three times more for the same item, with the only difference being, that it's in a nice, pretty package. Why pay for the advertising, when you can get the same thing for less money. Not sure if you'll like the product, just buy a small amount and give it a try. Chances are, you will not be able to tell the difference.

Now, I'm not saying that everything in the bulk bins will be less expensive, so you'll need to do a little research to discover that for yourself. Yes, it means spending a little extra time in the store, but if you end up saving money, wouldn't it be worth it? When you go to the store, take a pencil and paper and do some comparison shopping. Check-out the prices of the products you usually buy and compare them to the same items that are in the bulk bins. Once you have a list of those products from the bulk bin that are cheaper, why not give one or two of them a try? Also, find someone you can ask to discover how often the bins are refilled, because the more often they are refilled, the fresher the product.

I realize that some of us have our own individual comfort zones when it comes to trying new things at the grocery store, so just try one or two items the first time. I'm hoping that you will discover that trying new things can not only be exciting, but economical as well.

Shopping The Manly Way

There are two words that, when spoken aloud, can strike fear in even the bravest of men: clothes shopping. I bet that may seem strange to some of you, but it’s true. My aversion to clothes shopping began at a relatively early age. You see, in August, my mom would tear me away from my friends at the swimming pool and drag me to the store to shop for Back to School clothes. I hated every second of it, because not only was I missing the fun at the pool, I was getting clothes for…school. I mean, this was the summer: time for friends and fun, not clothes and school.

As time went on, instead of getting a babysitter, I was dragged along on various shopping junkets and made to sit on a chair and watch in sheer boredom, as my mom and my sister waded through the various clothes. Hours later, and on the verge of a coma, they would be finished and we could leave. Needless to say, these experiences stayed with me and throughout my adult life, I have made it a point to do as little shopping for clothes as possible. Now, in this age of the Internet, it is possible to shop for clothes, yet not have to step foot inside a clothing store. For me, this was terrific news and I was off on an adventure. One of my first stops was a place called Zappos.com. I just recently saw one of their commercials and decided to see what they had to offer and I wasn’t disappointed.

One of the first items of clothing I need to get is a good pair of jeans. You see, for the past several years, I have been getting by with just wearing sweatpants; they are comfortable to wear and they are very forgiving when it comes to gaining weight. Now, that I have lost a great deal of weight, I need to find something to wear that is a bit more durable than the sweatpants. This being the case, I want to buy a good pair of blue jeans. Thankfully, they made it very easy to shop for them. I can search by fit, size, rise, color, and brand. This makes it very quick and easy to find the type of jeans I’m looking for. Another nice feature is the fact that they offer free shipping both ways. So, just in case my jeans don’t’ fit, I can return them for free. That, in my books, is a very nice thing to do.

The other clothing item I am searching for is a bathrobe. You see, when I went away to college, I was able to take my dad’s old terry-cloth bathrobe with me. It was great to have something to wear when going to the showers or just for just lounging around in my room. Of course, that robe is long gone and even though I no longer live in a dorm, I have always liked the idea of being able to lounge around in a bathrobe. I know, it sounds dumb, but when it’s cold outside and you are tired after a long day, it’s nice to be able wrap yourself in a comfortable robe and to drink a hot cup of coffee.

So, all you guys out there need not live in fear of stepping into a clothing store, because they have made shopping for clothes as pain-free as possible. The fact that I can easily search for what I want, means that I can spend my time doing something a little more productive. I would also like to restate the fact that they offer free shipping both ways, so if I do have to return an item, I don’t have to worry about coughing-up even more money. And, in this day and age, every dollar that I can save is important. Now, as I write this, it is currently 100 degrees outside, so I guess I'll have to wait a while on that hot cup of coffee.