Thursday, March 27, 2008

smart shopper?

I like to think I'm a smart shopper...I buy in quantities to save dollars. Every couple of months (whenever I run low on coffee) I make the trek to Costco and stock up on a few of my favorite things. Their coffee is actually great...I buy the Kirkland 100% Colombian in the brown 3 lb. can. That's our everyday brand...occasionally I splurge on Starbucks beans!

And another of our Costco favorites is the Paisley Farm bean salad that I discovered a number of years ago. It's a quick side dish ..and I buy it by the case. I've learned that it is a seasonal product & they may not carry it in the winter months...so I stockpile. There's usually a jar in the fridge...and I often throw a scoop or two of beans into our lunch salads.

Toss it up with some ranch dressing...yield one quick and yummy salad. While I'm there I always grab a bag of their European style romaine...for just over three dollars, we can eat a lot of salads.

And if you ever see Mrs. Chudleigh's apple blossoms in the Costco freezer section with the desserts, be sure to try them. They are a flaky flower shaped pastry, filled with apples, wrapped up and topped with an apricot glaze and crunchy crumble topping. They are just yummy! I haven't actually found any there for some time...M & M Meats has individually wrapped ones, which are much the same (just a little pricier).

Another of my all-time favorite Costco purchases has to be these boxed greeting cards.

A box of 50 beautiful cards are around $17....but they were on special this time, so I came home with this box for $12.95.

The box itself is great for storing greeting cards...all filed according to occasion. I buy about one box a year...there's always a card handy when needed, and many are blank inside so I can write my own message.

When I see the price tag on a 'designer' card these days...I am quite happy with my Costco cards!

I made my Costco run last week...and I was quite pleased with my great buys. As usual, I found all kinds of things that I had no intention of buying...but the deals were too good to pass up. Is that smart shopping?

Here's a 'smart shopper' I met in the Safeway parking lot the other night. I couldn't resist a photo...just too cute! I'm thinking that is the car I should have for my Costco run...I couldn't get carried away.

I'm off to do some baking...cooking...cleaning (no shopping today). Have a great day!


9 comments:

  1. How far must you travel to get to Costco? We don't have one here, but we have similar stores and it can be dangerous to shop there. One must have lots of room for all that bulk shopping, too. I don't, but that doesn't stop me.

    This is weird...I hadn't heard of the Mrs. Chudleigh's brand until yesterday and today you're mentioning it. I'll keep my eyes open.

    Thanks for the encouragement about the Aunt Susie business. I am very intrigued about your story and your suggestion that you took many liberties. That's what I'd have to do as well because to chase Aunt Susie around the world would be cost prohibitive. LOL!

    That little car is cute, but there's no way that you'd have enough room and how safe is it?

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  2. Oh I just bought that bean salad yesterday too. Isn't it great?
    I also love those apple blossoms and meant to check to see if they had some. My mom in law just introduced us to them from M&Ms

    Oh I do enjoy a good Costco shop and find the bulk shopping very tempting even though its just us two.

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  3. Hi Judy...loved your little trip to Costco...When our children were growing up, what I would have given for "bulk shopping"..Now I'm afraid it sort of goes like this these days.."What's for dinner tonight?"...we pop out and pick up whatever a few times a week...Not quite as wise or frugal...just the two of us...Love the little car picture.... Dee Dee

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  4. What's happened to the good ole days where we made everything from scratch.
    Looks like we're entering the era of the "Bag Lady" We've done it enough just to find more simple things so we have more time for blogging or whatever. I'm going to try those beans next time.

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  5. Judy I want to know if you took along your handy dandy smart spring bag that you sewed up from a pillowcase? Would be just the thing at least for a few items!
    Never heard about those flower shaped pastries..(was hoping for a pic)Must check that out next time we go to Costco and for the bean salad too...I want to go now!

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  6. I love Costco! The closest one is Las Vegas, though so I don't get there often! I love that bean salad! Yummo!

    Jan

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  7. Oh Judy, that salad sounds so good...believe it or not I've never been in a CostCo, though Evil Sister loves them...gonna have to go...I've never heard of Mrs. Chudleigh but will ask ES if she has...I love Columbian coffee...my father is from Equador, his fave beans are Arabica beans...he says the flavor is pure coffee...okay, now imagine him saying that in a Ricky Ricardo accent...man, now I can't wait to go to CostCo...
    hugs
    Sandi

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  8. love that photo of the costco shopper You should see my big 135 lb shepherd in the back seat of my Yaris!

    Great ideas....thanks for sharing

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  9. Hey, we've got that very same bean salad jar sitting in our fridge, and another one in the cupboard! It's my DH's favorite....he puts it on his salads too.

    Such a cute little shopper in that last shot, and what a cute little car he's in!

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson