My husband loves to shop like no one else I know. And he can sniff out a bargain like no one else I know. When I need something, I make a list. I keep lists on my phone . . Wal-Mart, Kroger, Brookshires, Target, Hobby Lobby, etc. We don’t have a Target or Hobby Lobby so the things from those places just stay on the list til I get to those stores or, I order it and take that item off the list. I rarely go to the store or mall and just walk around with nothing in mind . . just looking to see what’s there. Not my husband!
Vince can spend an entire day (or two) just walking through stores with nothing particular in mind to buy. He picks up things and looks them over and puts them back on the shelf . . moves on to the next item. I love him a lot but I detest shopping with him.
He knows how much I don’t like to shop so he kind of beats around the bush telling me he wants to go shopping . . the same way I do when trying to explain why I bought just one more pair of boots! 🙂
He took off work Friday to have a longer long weekend . . to get more work done around the house. Somehow I wasn’t surprised when he mentioned going to Abilene on Friday. I knew it was coming. I didn’t want to go; he did . . we went! It’s almost a 200 mile round trip so we have to get everything we need in one trip.
There’s only so much stuff you can put into a Highlander . . and we almost filled it at our first stop — Lowe’s. Vince needed more of the plastic fencing that he uses around the garden because he’s going to use that for the top of the chickens’ runs and Home Depot here doesn’t carry it. The Lowe’s had 6 rolls so we got those but they also had some heavy duty orange plastic fencing (like you see around construction projects) and it was greatly marked down so we got some of that too. We walked out of Lowe’s with three shopping carts filled.
They also had their fruit trees 50% off and their berries 75% off. 75% off . . that was amazing.
Here’s what I think we ended up with:
- 2 Figs
- 2 Niagra grapes
- 3 Concord grapes
- 2 Raspberries
- 5 Blueberries
Charcoal was on sale so I think Vince bought 6 or 8 big bags. Hunter ceiling fans were on sale and we had wanted to get at least three of those but we still had other stops to make and the car was filling up.
We stopped at Academy but after spending half an hour or so there, decided they didn’t have what we wanted so went to eat lunch. We had planned to go to Target but knew there wasn’t room in the car. I suggested we top and buy a pickup. I even offered to drive it home and Vince could drive the Highlander home but that idea was met with total disapproval. Big surprise there!
Then we went to HEB . . what a great grocery store! We got as much as we thought we could cram into the car and sure enough, it was full.
It was a busy day but at least we didn’t have to make too many stops and we got a great deal on all those berry plants.
This weekend Vince will be busy building chicken runs and planting our new plants!
pdudgeon says
i agree, what a great shopping trip! you’re going to have a great garden when all those fruits and trees are planted.
Janna says
Sounds like one of our shopping trips to Billings, also 200 miles round trip.
Marsha says
Vince will need one of his favorite meals after all his hard work this week end.
Karen says
we used to do trips like that too when we lived in the middle of the high mountain desert in Idaho – it was 85 miles to the “city”
Karen
Linda in NE says
I have a couple friends like that…..love to shop, find great deals that I’d never find in a million years. Luckily he left room in the car for you so you didn’t have to hitch hike home.
Dawn says
great shoppiing trip! and who doesnt love a bargain??? tell Vince I will “sacrafice” and go shopping with him. He just has to give me lots of notice so I can get to TX! LOL
Dawn in MA
Margie says
You are going to be able to get a stall at the farmers market when this all starts producing. I’m not a shopper except when I can get to a Costco, then it’s load up the truck!
Doe in Mi says
You two are a HOOT ! You just crack me up and I love it. What fun to shop like that.
Linda Steller says
LOL – Judy, next thing you know, you’ll be coming home with a new pickup like my brother’s. He bought a Dodge Ram with the extra cab, so there’s a back seat for passengers, plus he got the long bed, as he gets permits to go up into the logging slash piles and cut firewood. He has to make sure he gets that truck as full as possible, so there’s plenty of room, but he crams it full. He does, however, have a little bit of trouble parking it in a normal parking space. He has to park at the far end of the lot and do a lot of walking. He doesn’t mind though, because it’s a MAN’S truck in his eyes. 😉
Elaine says
Ha! That reminds me of that time we went to that retreat in Arkansas and your CRV was filled to the gills with groceries and all our sewing stuff! What a great time we had, remember?
vickie van dyken says
I just love your posts:) I to love to just walk around and find bargains :)You would get along with my husband, he hates shopping…I really have only one thing to say…GET A PICKUP ROFLOL….it’s worth it!! Husband is loaded for Georgetown and one other drop..forget where in TX..do I want to go……I have been reading how hot it is down there???? Not sure if I want to go or not…Maybe a trip to the Northeast would be better…I just know I really need to get in that truck…..well see.
Laurel from Iowa says
I thought of you and Vince yesterday when we stopped at a Bomgaars store – similar, I think, to Tractor Supply or wherever you got your chickens.
When we walked into the store, I immediately heard chirping. I walked to the rear of the store and there were cages and huge tubs of baby turkeys, geese, and 14 kinds of chickens. There were two kinds of rabbits, too, but they were not chirping 😀
It was so fun to look at all the animals. I asked the clerk if I could touch one of the broiler chicks in a large aluminum tub and she said, “Sure.” The chick I petted was freaked out, naturally, but I had to see if it was as soft as it looked and it was! That is the first time in 53 years I have ever touched a live chicken – mark it on the calendar!!
Thanks for sharing your stories with us, Judy.
Mary C in WA says
I saw some children’s Rain coats and Boots like your Horse boots. So funny. M y Dh is Opposite of yours. He doesn’t Shop much. I had to beg him to go and buy himself new shoes. He found another pair like the ones he wore a hole in the sole of and just put a shoe insert inside to keep wearing for a while. I told him about your boots, They didn’t have my size or I might have some too. You are living the dream-