I was out doing errands this week, and I had to run in to Target for two (2) items. Tide laundry detergent and paper towels. That’s it. That’s all I needed. Nothing more. I planned on running in, picking up those two needed items, and getting back out. I told myself to keep focused and don’t let anything distract me from my very simple mission.
My first mistake, as always, is grabbing a shopping cart. But I didn’t want to be in the position of having to juggle a gallon of laundry detergent and a huge pack of paper towels while standing in a line waiting for a cashier. Okay, fine. Off I go with the cart – and I come to a skidding halt at an end cap displaying a 2 for $3.00 sale for those Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs of cookies. I love those things. And so does my family. That sale is just too good to pass up, and I toss four boxes of the things into my basket (2 of the peanut butter cookie crisps, the Chips Ahoy crisps, and the Oreo cookie crisps), and off I go again, my stride determined as I aim towards the detergent aisle.
I take a short cut down another aisle, which is my downfall. Dog food. No problem, I’ve got plenty of that . . . but look at those adorable new squeeky dog toys! My dog, Sandie, loves a good squeeky toy, and these are loud and obnoxious and just how she likes them. Those kind of squeeky toys are hard to find (most have a wimpy squeek), and I just can’t resist. I toss a mallard duck squeeky toy into my basket, knowing how happy Sandie will be when I give it to her.
Now where was I . . .Oh, yeah. The detergent and paper towels. I hang a left at the end of the pet aisle and head down the household aisle. Whoops, the detergent is one aisle over, but hey, isn’t this just a nifty gadget? It’s a scrubbing bubbles automatic shower cleaner! Wow! No more scrubbing the shower for me. All you have to do is press a button after you’ve taken a shower, and this cool thing sprays cleaning solution in a 360 degree circle on all four of the shower walls! I’ve seen a commercial for this gadget, and since it comes with a $5.00 off coupon, I’m going to give it a try. In the basket it goes.
Ahhh, I finally find the Tide detergent. I drop a gallon of the stuff into my basket. Now I’m back on track! Whoo-hoo! The paper towels are right around the corner, and I manage to toss a six-pack into the basket, too.
I’m done. Well, I should be done, anyway. I know I ought to turn that cart around and head back to the cashier’s lane. But somehow I’m lured toward the candy aisle, even though that’s the LAST thing I need. I’ve been craving some Good ‘N Plenties, and I just can’t resist. Especially when they’re on sale! Of course I can’t come home with candy for me, and no one else, so I pick out my daughter’s favorite candies, then my husband’s.
My basket is getting kind of full, but I’m right next to the DVD/Music/Book aisle, and I see the latest DVD on sale. The one the kids have been bugging me to get. It’s a great price, cheaper than I’ve seen anywhere else – so why not? I also see a music CD that I know my husband would like, and a few aisles over is books! I pick up two new ones that I’ve been wanting, even though I know they’ll just add to my HUGE to be read pile. But I’m a book junkie, and even though I might not have time to read all the books I want, I love to be surrounded by them! And some day I WILL read them! (That’s what I keep telling my husband, anyway *g*)
Really, I need to get out of here. I’m done, done, done!!! I’m now at the back of the store, but with willpower and determination, I can make it to the check out lane without doing any more damage to my checkbook. So off I go, keeping my head straight though my eyes see everything in my peripheral vision. Like the cute summer tees and tank tops that my girls are going to need in the coming months. So, I pick up three shirts for each girl, but they really do need them!
The check out lane is so in my sights. Except now I’m right by the cosmetic aisle and I’d really like to find a pretty new pink nail polish since I’m schedule to get my nails done this week. Five minutes and two different colors of nail polish later (I couldn’t decide which I liked better!), I’m out of that aisle and heading down the check out lane.
Whew! I made it. Well, almost. While I’m waiting in line I see a tabloid magazine featuring the “Best and Worst Beach Bodies”, and I have to admit that I have a weakness for tabloids. In this case, I want to read about who got skinny (go Kirstie Alley!) and who ate like a regular person and gained weight (I’m not saying who! *g*). In the basket the magazine goes.
The checker is scanning my items while I get my check ready. I look up just as she gives me the total amount. $156.78. What!?! I really shouldn’t be shocked, but I am. I only came in for two items. Two items! And now I’m walking out with 20+. Most of which I really didn’t need. How in the hell did that happen?
Well, it happens to me way too often, despite my best intentions. And the biggest culprits are Target, Wal-Mart, and the big warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco. I’ll have only a few items on my list to buy, and end up with a dozen. I get lured in by those great prices and sales and thinking I’m getting such a great deal . . . until I’m hit with the total bill at the end of my shopping spree. Then my high at getting such fabulous deals on everything instantly deflates because I really should have just bought those two items I needed and gotten the hell out of the store ASAP.
So, is it really possible to walk into one of these stores and only buy one or two items? How many of you share this same weakness, and how many of you possess that willpower I wish I had? Come on, tell me I’m not alone!
Janelle Denison finds it hard to believe that it’s been nearly 25 years since she first started writing romance novels. At first, it was a way to pass idle time while her husband worked swing shift, but before long it became an obsession to get published. Luckily, she kept at it (it took her over 5 years to get that first book published!) and is now a Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and USA Today Bestselling author! Now, after selling over 45 plus novels, she finds that her Plotmonkey pals help to keep her stories fresh and unique, and she can’t imagine writing a story without their input. Janelle lives in Oregon with her husband, Don, along with two teenage daughters that keep life interesting.
Destiny
Dirty Little Secrets
Once Upon A Valentine
Through The Night
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It’s one of the reasons I hate shopping. Even when I go in with a list, somehow it multiplies until I have a full cart of things I just “have to have”. It’s pathetic really LOL
Now the bookstore is a different story. I go in there fully expecting to leave with at least one if not ten books. It’s my vice, and I don’t feel guilty about it. But yesterday I went there – left with how many books? ZERO! None! What is the world coming to? Maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind or more like the world is coming to an end…
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Ooooh….and did you know they now have Fudge Stripe Cookie 100 Cal packs?
SuperTarget is evil for me, but I love it.
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I’m a strictly by the list kind of girl. I HATE to shop. My chemical makeup must have gotten skewed at birth! The only place I have no will power is a book store or a fabric shop. You would think I would be able to save hoardes of money — but I make up for it in the other two places. I figure you only live once and you should have everything around you that you want.
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You described my shopping experience totally and it’s the same with the grocery store as well. I always make list (I’m a really big list person) the problem is as I’m checking things off I’m also adding things to the cart.
Then on the way home I’m feeling guilty about spending the money on things that I really didn’t go for. It’s not that we don’t have the money it’s just that I always feel guilty. The ride home is always the same. Thinking I should take it back or shouldn’t have bought it and then thinking but hey it or they was/were on sale. Then the rationalization begains, two shirts for $12, now where am I going to get two shirts for that…dear lord, that’s only $6 a piece. By the time I arrive home I’m good and have usually talked myself into being proud that I found such wonderful sales. :)
The book isle…oh my, totally different story. Never do I feel guilty. I always feel like hey if I don’t get to read this one for a while (okay maybe even a year because there are so many) at least I am supporting my fellow writers or doing research for what is selling in the market today.
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I am soooooo guilty of this too. I don’t think I have EVER left a store with just what I went in for. LOL!!
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Target is the worst. I cannot EVER get out of that store without spending at least $100. I try to never go because of that, but I’m heading there today as the princess has yet again grown out of all her tank tops and it’s HOT here.
I walked into and out of a bookstore last week without spending a dime. It was very sad. But my TBR pile is ridiculous. Unfortunately, I’m not in the mood for any of them. I don’t know what mood I’m in. I am reading the page proofs for DIRTY LITTLE LIES, but that simply does not count!!! Maybe once I clear my plate of work, I’ll be more inspired to read again. And of course, today’s shopping will include picking up a copy of HOT ITEM!
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You are so NOT alone. :s
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I am weak like you, *sigh.* Target is my greatest weakness ever, and don’t even get me started on Costco. We spend so much there it’s ridiculous.
But I do the same thing as you at Target. Make me list, only go in for a couple of items, walk out with a full cart and a receipt around $200. It’s bad. I have banished myself from that store for a while – trying to save money!!!!! :d
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Yep yep yep…lolol! This describes my shopping at Target or Wal Mart to a T! I can walk in to buy a pack of gum and walk out having spent a hundred bucks. It’s insidious…insidious, I tell you!
Leslie
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I do that all the time, I just cant seem to control myself. Hehe.
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I had to laugh because I have done that also. Even when I write a list I always end up with extra items in the cart that were not on the list. You are not alone!
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Hey it seems like you have plenty of company out there and you can add me to that list. I very rarely go into Target and spend under $100. I think it must be a sickness… spenditis! Do you think we can find a cure?
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I absolutely hate shopping! I go only when necessary and buy only the things on my list. My downfalls are at the book and arts & crafts stores, but I go in those places with the knowledge that I am going to buy something no matter what! :)
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Book stores call my name. My daughters are always shocked when I pass by a book store without going in.
Usually by the time I have to go to Costco I have a huge list so I know I am not getting out of there without a huge bill. But Target just has so many bargains.javascript:moreSmiliesAappendSmiley(‘;)’)
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:d You are definitely not alone. I hit the book section first. After that it’s a free for all. I walk around looking at everything and wondering “do I need this?”
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I’m a member of the same club you are Janelle “The gotta fill your Buggy Club”.
I can’t pass up a bargain at Target. I love when they have popular DVD’s on sale. They have the greatest sales. Also, the clothes are just so right for teenagers. I never get out of a Sam’s club for less than $200usually pushin $300, but then a trip to Sam’s is 60 miles away so I try and make it a good shopping trip.
I know what you are talking about when it comes to doggy toys. My Bridgette has soooo many doggy toys. She has her on toy closet. my girls came home with a squeaky (really he sorts honks) monkey just the other day for Bridgette. It is so much fun to bring home a toy for the dog. They really do appreciate the effort you made for them.
(dog)
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I love to shop. I always make a list but other items find their way to my cart! :) However my own economy makes me be very careful of my impluslive buying!! :)
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You were describing me to the letter when I go shopping; especially at WalMart. Another excuse I have is that we live an hour away from the city and I better get it now b/c I might not get to the city for some time. Hehehe.
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Are you sure my Mom didn’t take over the blog and write that? LOL She does that nearly every single time she goes to the store. Even the grocery store. But the few times she only does get the stuff that she needs is when she only has $20.00 in her wallet type of thing. :) Me, only in a bookstore. I have my monthly list, but. . .
Lois
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You are not alone, Janelle. WalMart and Costco just seem to grab me by the purse and won’t let go.
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I had the same experience last night at Wal-Mart. Went in “for just a couple of things” and left the store checking my receipt because I could not understand how I spent $140! You’re definitely not alone.
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It seems a lot of us have that same problem! However, it always gets worse for me when I’m around books. My husband can’t understand why I want to buy more when I have so many but all of you book junkies know how wonderful it feels to buy a bunch of new books and YES we will read them someday! lol
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:d I read this posting and the postings of others and I am hysterically laughing. I am forever telling my babysitter (she watches two of my darlings, while one of them and I venture out), “Oh, I just have two items on my list”. Yeah, and a ton of bucks later, I am back. Costco and Target are the worst, I totally agree. I even bring a calculator to each and vow to only spend the monthly budget, but it ends up the monthly budget, plus the food budget for the week, plus….yikes!
Let me know how that shower thing works out. I am very curious if it works (Okay, I am pathetic!).
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I can relate to the shopping, so you are not alone. I make a list, and off I go to the store to get just what is on my list. All goes well, sometimes unless I get near the books…….and then it is oh I should have this one, or that one, or………and on it goes.
So by the time I get to the check out, I usually have my list as well as a whole lot of other things……….must be in our genes……. :d
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I cannot believe it. It is just like you channeled me. :d Just yesterday I stopped at K-mart to pick up Hot Stuff, since it wasn’t on the shelves at lunch break on Tuesday. Well, on the way to the register I remembered the kids needed shampoo. Then there was the inevitable rememberance of a swimsuit for the school pool party. Oh and look little summer outfits for only $8.00 each and my daughters birthday is next Saturday, so even though I swore I wouldn’t buy her any new clothes–on the arm they went.
By the time I finally rounded the corner to the register I was dropping items right and left and had a bill totally a whopping $139.00
Jaw-dropping total due. Then start the heart palpitations and sweats as my hand shakes and I begin to right the check..
Once I get home and the kids are all smiles, I forget about straying on the shopping path….at least until tomorrow.
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I thought you might enjoy this. I do not drive but I live within walking distance of a Wal-mart and a Target. WE live right in the middle. I’ve walked over for a pack of sunflower seeds (to plant, not eat) and end up with 6 to 8 bags of stuff!! Stuff for my husband, my kid, our dog , the cats, doddads for the kitchen and bathroom! Oh, and I didn’t buy the seeds because they were too expensive! Oh, that is o.k. ‘cuz I can just try the other store tommorow :) !
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Target and CVS are my dangerous stores.
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If I had bought Walmart stock years ago, I would be so rich right now, just from my own purchases! Everytime I go in there, I spend $50 – $100. I quit going in. Now I send my husband! His will is much better than mine.
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This happens to me all the time. ;( I wish I could learn how to slap myself! :p