Wal-Mart & Your Resources

Ok, not that I hate Wal-Mart. I just don't enjoy going there. And after watching The Story of Stuff and understanding that someone somewhere is being taken advantage of and paying the true cost for my good deals, I just don't feel as good about those good deals anymore. And knowing that the company is on the list of the "Most Wanted" for human rights violations... well, that makes sense.

But I am not perfect. I do succumb to good deals that are surely just as bad at Target, Old Navy, etc. My vanity wins out and I want something cute for cheap (to me). Those things I buy at those stores are probably from the same foreign sweatshops as Wal-Mart's. So please know that I do still buy stuff like that - I wish I didn't, but I have to confess that or else I am being very hypocritical.

Honestly, when we are talking about food, cleaning supplies, and toiletries, I realize that the foreign sweatshop issue does not apply. Heinz ketchup is made in the same place whether you purchase it at Wal-Mart or another grocery store.

Ok, so what was my point? Oh, I just don't like to support Wal-Mart more than my hometown stores or other stores whose business model I like better. I am kind of idealistic like that. If I have my choice (which I do) I am going to choose my preferred alternatives. If I am choosing where our money is spent, I am going to choose a place that I like.

What are my preferred alternatives? Two local grocery stores, plus Aldi and Costco. That's pretty much where I shop.

What about toiletries? I shop the sales at the grocery stores, which are pretty decent. Last week, I got Colgate for $.99 a tube, Colgate toothbrushes for $1 each, and my husbands name brand antiperspirant for $1.99. I doubt it would have been any cheaper at Wally World. For shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, lotion, and facewash, I buy it at Whole Foods because I am picky about the ingredients. The price has gone up on those, but it is still manageable.

How do I know that shopping around (as I do) is worthwhile? Well, I wrote down everything I purchased for 3 weeks. I made a spreadsheet. I put down the price I paid in one column (sale), and then the full price (non-sale) in another column. If I paid full price, I then compared it to the Wal-Mart price. (Yes, I went to Wal-Mart and wrote down the prices for all those items in order to compare them.)

I had purchased 66 items over that 3 week time period. 22 of those 66 items were on sale. The rest were full price at their respective stores. I had 5 shopping trips, my husband had 1, and I had 1 online purchase for laundry detergent. But all of those trips, save for one, were on my way home from work. So I spent no extra time or money in traveling.

I totaled up the "what I paid" column. I totaled up the "full prices/Wal-Mart prices"column. I calculated the difference between the two columns. I had saved $119.87 by shopping around. That's on 3 weeks of groceries, using 1 coupon. For zero extra time or money spent traveling to these stores, that is totally worth it to me!

Know and utilize your best resource to the max.

Ok, I've discovered that a great asset/resource to me is that I drive by a bunch of good stores and can easily stop in. Obviously, it pays off!

NOW, I know that it is not the same for every family, especially if you are a stay at home mom and your grocery stores are far away. But that is okay. You might have a different resource to utilize.

So think about it: abundant time to plan, creativity in cooking, couponing, having others shop for you, etc.....

What is your best asset or resource that you are taking advantage of, or should be taking advantage of, when it comes to purchasing your family's groceries?

(On a sidenote, if you have to one-stop-shop, and Wal-Mart is the best place for you to do that, make sure you are doing the price-match thing. Take the sale ads from the other grocery stores and let the cashier know you have a price-match for those items.)