SATURDAY SHOPPING ADVENTURE

With the help of 2/3 of my children, my Christmas tree is up.  I figure if I'm going to drop money and time and energy on the holidays, might as well reap the benefit of the decorations.  Oh, and it's my only semi-open weekend until Christmas.  If it doesn't get done this weekend, it may not get done at all.

I feel productive, so I decide to hit a few stores on Saturday, use up some coupons and such.  I plan to hit Christmas Tree Shop, Kohl's, AC Moore, Michael's, DSW, CVS, Staples, Yankee Candle, plus two wine tastings and a visit to my invalid eldest sister.

I have a couple of things that I want at The Tree, and I sort of find them.  I have to bring some holiday decorations to my sister at The Home, but I forget important things like the photo album I need.  I do, however, find a good sale on batteries for the Christmas toys I have not yet unpacked from storage (but will on Sunday).  The Tree has taper candles in purple and in blue and in pink, so I have to decide which way I'm going with the Advent candles.  I end up with the purple/pink combo, buying enough candles to get me through Advent and beyond, should we lose electricity again.

The Tree and Kohl's are in the same mini-mall, so I come out from one store (surprisingly easy wait to check out), take a look at my awesome Kohl's coupons, then decide I am too cheap and too bored to go shopping there.  I'd just end up buying stuff for myself, and that defeats the purpose of today.  I head over to AC Moore with my 20% off coupon, but there is zero parking available between Market Basket and Home Depot, the sandwich stores surrounding the craft store.  I swing through the lot, get into the line for the traffic light, and head down the street to Michael's, instead.

Michael's isn't too horribly crowded, and I snag a space about four from the end.  I wander inside, anticipating some decent sales.  I didn't get much at Christmas Tree Shop, and it would be nice to bring a few more items to my sister, although she keeps losing everything we give her, so I don't want to invest into anything that will break my heart nor wallet when it goes missing.  I find nothing worthy of the coupon I am holding (15%) , and they have zero photo albums, so I leave empty-handed.

I decide that I do not really need new shoes nor sneakers nor boots, even though I have a coupon, so I pass right by DSW.  CVS is next, and I cannot think of anything that I need except the AA batteries that I already bought at The Tree.  The coupon I have for CVS has not quite expired yet, anyway, so no harm, no foul.  Since I did not get the photo album I need, I also pass by Staples.  There's no point in buying the photo paper for my printer if I don't have the photo album for the finished product.  I also do not need to stop at Yankee Candle because it's almost a sure bet that they won't have Advent candles, and I plan to improvise with the tapers I bought at The Tree, anyway.

I stop at wine tasting #1, discover one of my favorite sommeliers is the guest host, then grab my usual vino verde.  From there, I go to visit my sister and set up her few decorations, find her coat for her, discover that she is missing her fall coat, give her the mail and a pink knit hat, and avoid awkward questions about Thanksgiving.  After this fun adventure, I need a second wine tasting ... except ...

Neither wine store on my docket today carries small bottles of prosecco, and I'm craving mimosas.   I don't like having a full-sized bottle of prosecco because it's too much for one person in one sitting, and I hate opening the bottles.  So, I head to the small liquor store tucked inside the grocery store, buy the four-pack of small bottles of brut wine, and continue on my way to yet another liquor store.

The second wine tasting is next to a grocery store, so I check and see if the grocery store has stew beef.  (Why I didn't do this at the last place is a complete mystery).  The store was out of stew beef the other day, so I don't hold out much hope, except that the store DOES have stew beef, and it is on SALE.  I finish up my day with wine tasting#2 at liquor store #3, where everything tastes good but I am definitely not worthy of a $60 bottle of Aussie wine, so I buy beer.

All in all, I don't do too badly.  I am out for less than four hours, I only spend about $70 total, my wine and beer are restocked, my sister has been visited, and I can make beef stew for Sunday dinner.  Okay, so my list of things to buy and places to go isn't as successful as I'd planned, and a bunch of "today only" coupons end up in the recycle bin, but think of all the money I save today by efficiently eliminating stops from my shopping. 

Yup, positive thinking.  Not as productive as I'd like, but at least the tree is up.  Thanks, kids, because without you, the tree would've gone the way of my list: partially completed.