Shopping Trip

Thinking of planning a shopping trip by myself with my kids causes a bit of anxiety, fear, and stress. For me, it's a huge production and, most days, I just tell myself "Forget it." But, this morning I faced my trepidations and headed out on my own with my little chicks in tow.

This shopping trip was all about couponing. I am a couponer. I don't consider myself an extreme couponer (Time? Energy?), but I LOVE a good deal and have found great success and savings using coupons. We started our day at Toys R Us:

I have memories of this store as a kid and those memories are pretty similar to this look on Finn's face. It's just so overwhelming how many fun toys there are in one place! It was non-stop jabber and jumping and pointing and wanting to touch everything. There was Thomas the Tank Engine, Mickey Mouse, Chuck, and Lightning McQueen! There were oodles of trucks, cars, balls, books, and blocks. Seriously, Finn was trampling Liam to get to the other side of the cart so he could be closer to a toy. Seriously.

We came for one item, but took our time looking around the store. As we went down aisle after aisle of cars, trucks, and all things little boy, my eyes kept glancing at that bright pink section in the middle of store. You know, the one with Strawberry Shortcake, Barbie, and all things frilly. I really wanted to go smell those Strawberry Shortcake dolls, but I forced myself to acknowledge the facts of my life: Legos, action figures, and matchbox cars is where my path leads and it is where I will tread for years to come. I better get used to the territory.

After Toys R Us, we made a run to Target. I am a complete Target junkie. I admit it. It's even more precarious when I go there with my former junkies- my sisters. But I forced myself to stick with my coupon items and the Clearance shelves. By the time we made it to Rite Aid, the boys were pretty "maxed" out. To "treat" them for being so good, I thought they might like a little ride on the truck just outside the store.

Uh...not so much. You can see Finn wanting to get off IMMEDIATELY after getting on. And Liam was holding on to that metal thing so tight, his knuckles were white. So, we decided on a different treat inside. :)

Do you remember running errands with your parents? I remember running errands with my dad. For lunch, we would always stop at the gas station to get a hotdog and a donut. It was pretty awesome. Shopping with my kids may not be quite as heartwarming, but I did have fun. Maybe one day, we'll all be sitting around the kitchen table and Liam will say "Remember when mom thought it would be fun to ride that dinky truck outside Rite Aid?" To which Finn will reply "Oh yeah. That was the worst." It's all about the memories, right?

P.S. Today's shopping trip: It's hard to believe it, but this is $105.17 worth of stuff. I paid just over $28 (almost the full retail price of the game), which is an average of 73% savings. And that is why I coupon. Boo-yah baby!