So, the Walmart Challenge has officially ended and the big question looms: Did I succeed? Did I manage to shop for groceries and household items exclusively at Walmart for 31 days?
Drum roll please..... Almost.
Y'all I made it to the very last day. I'm talking Halloween, October 31, dia del fin. I'd purchased all my groceries for the week, including Halloween candy and special Halloween meals (my weekly dinner menu is at the end of this post) . . . and then we decided last minute to carve pumpkins. No problem, I thought. Surely Walmart will have pumpkins, right? Wrong. Super Walmart: out of pumpkins. Walmart Market: out of pumpkins. Seriously, one day they had pumpkins as in yesterday, Monday, October 30 and the next day gone. All gone. How about Funkins I thought? Uh, nopety nope nope no.
Alas, in my best effort to preserve my status as perfect mom and not disappointmy kiddos myself, I begrudgingly went to Fry's and purchased pumpkins, of which, point of fact, they still had a huge selection.
So, how was it? How was it going back to Fry's? Well, let me quote the text I sent to my oldest daughter after wandering the aisles for a bit:
I'm at Fry's. I've come home.
Y'all I cannot tell a lie. It was lovely. It was bright and clean and smelled of lattes and bleach: two of my favorite scents. There was fresh bread and cheese samples and, be still my heart, holiday Cliff bars. Do you know what I'm talking about? Cliff bars, those yummy little bricks of oats and dates and chocolate? Each fall they release the Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread flavors and I buy them in quantities too shameful to speak of and stock pile them until next year. And there they were among a veritable plethora of protein and granola bars. I might have shed a tear. I might have.
So, where does that leave me? Will I keep shopping at Walmart or will I book it back to Fry's like Lebron James on a plane from Miami to Cleveland?
Answer: both. Truth be told: Ilike love grocery shopping. I am one of those weird people who actually find it relaxing and enjoyable. Thus, if I am going to engage in an activity I have to do but want to enjoy as much as possible, I am doing it with legal addictive stimulants in hand, i.e. a latte, and happily succumbing to the shiny lure of cheese and wine and sushi and, yes, Cliff bars.
And, it turns out, I do not have to sacrifice my family's finances to do so. Fry's is actually cheaper on some items and they send me coupons for free stuff every month. In fact, a few days after my return trip to the motherland, I received an email that indicated they'd missed me and included additional coupons. Thoughtful, right? Additionally, I do earn fuel points at Fry's and receive additional savings when I use my Fry's card or their online grocery service, Click List.
So, in the end, the challenge wasn't really all that challenging, but I did learn a few things.
*Denotes a Dashing Dish recipe.
Drum roll please..... Almost.
Y'all I made it to the very last day. I'm talking Halloween, October 31, dia del fin. I'd purchased all my groceries for the week, including Halloween candy and special Halloween meals (my weekly dinner menu is at the end of this post) . . . and then we decided last minute to carve pumpkins. No problem, I thought. Surely Walmart will have pumpkins, right? Wrong. Super Walmart: out of pumpkins. Walmart Market: out of pumpkins. Seriously, one day they had pumpkins as in yesterday, Monday, October 30 and the next day gone. All gone. How about Funkins I thought? Uh, nopety nope nope no.
Alas, in my best effort to preserve my status as perfect mom and not disappoint
So, how was it? How was it going back to Fry's? Well, let me quote the text I sent to my oldest daughter after wandering the aisles for a bit:
I'm at Fry's. I've come home.
Y'all I cannot tell a lie. It was lovely. It was bright and clean and smelled of lattes and bleach: two of my favorite scents. There was fresh bread and cheese samples and, be still my heart, holiday Cliff bars. Do you know what I'm talking about? Cliff bars, those yummy little bricks of oats and dates and chocolate? Each fall they release the Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread flavors and I buy them in quantities too shameful to speak of and stock pile them until next year. And there they were among a veritable plethora of protein and granola bars. I might have shed a tear. I might have.
So, where does that leave me? Will I keep shopping at Walmart or will I book it back to Fry's like Lebron James on a plane from Miami to Cleveland?
Answer: both. Truth be told: I
And, it turns out, I do not have to sacrifice my family's finances to do so. Fry's is actually cheaper on some items and they send me coupons for free stuff every month. In fact, a few days after my return trip to the motherland, I received an email that indicated they'd missed me and included additional coupons. Thoughtful, right? Additionally, I do earn fuel points at Fry's and receive additional savings when I use my Fry's card or their online grocery service, Click List.
So, in the end, the challenge wasn't really all that challenging, but I did learn a few things.
- Walmart is not always the cheapest... neither is Fry's... or any store. Some stuff costs less, some stuff costs more.
- I was surprised to learn that my family actually preferred Walmart's produce to Fry's. They said they could tell a taste difference. Huh? Who knew?
- Walmart does have a decent grocery selection, at least better than I expected. But, they still don't carry all of the items on my grocery list.
- Environment matters to me. I like the setting and atmosphere of Fry's or Sprouts better than Walmart. I'll admit this could just be my Walmart as I'm sure not all Fry's or all Sprouts are pleasant experiences either.
- Again, this could just be my experience, but in general, the staff, while always friendly at Walmart, does not seem as knowledgeable about the items in the store. Both Fry's and Sprouts seem to have employees that specialize in certain things, i.e. natural foods, bakery, deli, etc.
Verdict: I will still shop at Walmart...and Fry's...and Sprouts. Each store has unique offerings and provides services and products the others do not.
However, the question at the beginning of this challenge was is it possible to shop exclusively at Walmart for all grocery and household items. The answer is a resounding yes - it is not only possible, but fairly easy and convenient. In fact, if I were to take into account the gas and time I spend going to various store to have my preferred shopping experience, I bet it would indeed be cheaper to shop exclusively at Walmart.
Oops - did I just say bet? Shh, don't tell my husband.
xoxo - Jaime
Weekly Menu: October 30 - N0vember 4
Sunday, October 29: Chicken Tortilla Soup*
Monday, October 30: Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice*
Tuesday, October 31: Mummy Dogs & Butternut Squash Halloween Pasta*
Wednesday, November 1: Garlic Chicken* and Roasted Acorn Squash
Thursday, November 2: Take Out Pizza
Friday, November 3: German Chocolate Cupcake...for reals. (I was out of town for a girls' weekend in Sedona with my bestie and our first night we snuggled in, ate dessert for dinner and watched HGTV. This is how I know it's true love and it will last forever. Blog about this amazing weekend coming soon!)
Saturday, November 4: Again, out of town. I had Brussels sprout salad with bacon, cranberries and pine nuts and three kinds of bruschetta. The fam had brats at the church grill. Sorry. Not Sorry.
*Denotes a Dashing Dish recipe.
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