For a week, there has been utility digging in the neighborhood. A large sign said the electricity would be off Aug 1 from 8 am to 1 pm. So I planned for it. I had left my car for a battery problem at the dealership last week and the Walmart is right across the street. I spent the scheduled service hour wandering through the store and found a number of things I could use, plus some things I didn't know Walmart carried (they have expanded their food area). I didn't want to buy anything then because I would have had to haul it all back to the car dealership.
But I planned yesterday carefully. The power was to go off at 8 am (and the temperature was forecast for the upper 90s). And I know that scheduled outages get extended sometimes. So I got up at 6 am and cranked the A/C down to 65, showered, got dressed, made breakfast. I took the car out of the garage (electric door). At 7:45, I checked the computer, shut it down, and turned off the backup battery, and unplugged the emergency outage lights.
The power went off at 8:15. As planned, I went outside to do some garden weeding and random yardwork in the "cool" of the morning (it was already 85). I came inside at 10 am and the house temp was up to 70 already and no air circulation. So I went on my planned shopping expedition.
First, to places that sold stuff Walmart doesn't (or has but is junk). I started at the Home Depot (Big Box DIY store). I have had several burst hoses lately (they are all getting old) so I wanted commercial-grade, and I needed a couple good new hose sprayers too. Plus I am trying to design a stand for attaching a nozzle to so that I don't have to stand around holding a nozzle all day when I water the gardens. I needed to just see what basic stuff I might use.
Got to the Home Depot and found 2 nice hose nozzles. Damn, I forgot to pace off the lengths of hoses I wanted to replace. I'll have to get those later. And I forgot to get 2 more quick-connect male connections. Later on those too. Any shopping list is guaranteed to be incomplete.
From there, I went to PetsMart. Petco has the higher-quality stuff, but where they both have the same product, PetsMart is cheaper. I wanted a 3rd cat carrier (3 cats - 3 carriers) and a collar for Iza (she lost another one). I found a nice new red collar for Iza (this one is even reflective). It was hard deciding on a new carrier (trying to judge the size from memory of the other ones at home). I already have a small one (fine for Ayla at 7 pounds) and a larger one (fine for Iza at 12 pounds). But I decided that Marley is probably going to get near 16 pounds at the rate he is growing, so I got an even larger one. AND it has a TOP opening door! It has a front one too. I never saw that before! I decided to pass on the customized pad at $12; I have lots of old towels.
To my surprise, PetsMart is now carrying Eukanuba kibble. I hadn't seen it there before. Cheaper than Petco by $3! Grabbed a bag. I have some already, but it will last.
So then it was on to Walmart. Some of their own brand stuff is well-rated by Consumer Reports magazine, and I go there for those anyway. But when they sell the same brand name product at 75% of the regular price as other places, I'd be a fool not to shop there.
I bought/guesstimate savings:
Kleenex 3 packs/25%
Tidy-Cat litter/40%
Toilet paper/30%
A single outstanding car mat/(not found elsewhere)
Low sodium V8 juice/33%
Tea (regular and decaffinated)/50%
Narrow spatula (sharp-edged and heat resistant/it was only 88 cents!
A pill splitter (for vitamins and cat pills)10%
Sodas/10%
Spices/20%
Nestle's Quick (no sugar added)/20%
Candy (I have a weakness for Hershey Hugs and Dove Raspberry Dark Chocolate)/20%
A hand-held fertilizer dispenser (for where the yard-type one can't go)/not found elsewhere
Pajama shorts/ impulse purchase
Thick work socks (my gardening shoes are just a little large)/just seemed a good deal
Picture of the loot...
Oh, about that car mat... I have had this flimsy car mat from the previous car and it keeps sagging and folding under the pedals. I have to straighten it out every time I drive. I was going to rubber-cement it to a piece of old chairmat to stiffen it. Partly because auto places only sell mats in 4-packs (2 front, 2 back) for about $30. This single one is all I need, it is thick and ribbed and it cost about $5!
Usually, I just go to Walmart for a few specific things. I'm usually there for the kitty litter (they sell the 35# bucket for less than the pet stores sell the 27# bucket) and the V8 juice. But when they sell brand name stuff at half-price, I gotta shop there...
I'll give an interesting example of how bulk changes prices. When I moved here 25 years ago, one of the first things I bought from a local hardware store was a benchtop table saw. 3 months later, the first Big Box DIY store opened and they had the exact model for half the price and it wasn't even "on sale". Just their regular price. I felt robbed!
Another thing... I had been looking on the net for a wall "clock" that gave date/day/time digitally in big letters. Couldn't find one. Walmart had one. And it gives the outside temperature, indoor temperature and indoor humidity. AND keeps the clock accurate by radio signal. For $20!
Another thing... I had been wanting a "touch-on" bedside lamp for years. I found one at Home Depot for $40. It broke in months. They didn't sell it anymore. Walmart had one, one time. Two per box actually. For $20. Working fine after several years.
But anyway, it was a great day shopping. It's not something I do often, so it was great fun! But it worked out perfectly. When I got home, the power was back on, and one clock I have counts the time from power-on. It was only 15 minutes. I pretty much timed it perfectly.
3 comments:
Hey Big Thing. Touch on lamps, all you need is a fixture that screws into the socket. Turns any metal lamp into a touch on lamp. Mum has had one for ages,the socket died and she just got anew socket.
Our PTU has the two doors too. Mum says that if she had to she could lay us down with the big top door.
Purrs.
It's always fun to see what other people come home with from the store! And your timing was indeed perfect. Wasn't it nice to be out in the garden early? I have to be out there at first light - by 10 or 11 I am DONE, too hot out there to stay much longer.
p.s. now I had to go and put those raspberry chocolates on my shopping list - I didn't know there were such lovely things to be had!
I have that same identical red carrier for my guys. Love it. They never come out the door but the top makes it so easy to snag them and lift them out!
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