Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 3/31 to 4/6

Here are the sales/coupon match-ups for this week at the Portland, Maine Whole Foods. You can check out the whole sales flyer here.

A few of these deals have coupons that expire today, 3/31.

• Stonyfield Farm Nonfat yogurt, 6oz, 5 for $3. Use buy 4, get 1 free only today, 3/31 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal

• Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea, 2 for $6. Use $1 off 1 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal only good today! And/or $1 off from Smart Source insert, 1/10/10 or 2/21/10

• Terra Vegetable chips, 2 for $6. Use $1 off here or here

• Kiss My Face Liquid Moisture Soaps, 2 for $8, use $1 off here

• Steaz Organic Iced Tea, 5 for $4. Use buy one get one here

• Santa Cruz Organic Orange Mango Juice, $3. Use $.75 from winter Mambo Sprouts coupon book

• Organic Valley Butter, Unsalted, $4.49. Use $1 off here or from Rootstock pamphlet

More Whole Food coupons online

Thanks to Vegan Coupons for letting us know about these semi-secret Whole Foods coupons. These are the same as the ones in this months Whole Deal, but there are more of them available to print than at the regular coupon section of WF's website. Check 'em out here.

Cutie Alert

Those yummy California Cuties are on sale at Shaw's this week for $3.99 for a 3 lb bag. Use one of these to sweeten the deal. I just went to Shaws and they doubled the coupon, making it just under $3, which is a pretty good deal.

Zip it!

Word on the street (okay, not really on the street, but on the coupon message boards I frequent) is there's a sweet little cat deal going on at Shaws right now on Ziplocs. Buy three boxes priced at $1.99 (not sure if there are certain requirements on the sizes-- the person who posted bought three quart sized boxes) and get a catalina coupon good for $2 off your next order. Combine this with coupons from the 3-21-10 Smart Source insert (or maybe from inside the boxes of Ziplocs you already have in your cupboards?) for a nice little deal. Then, shuffle on over to here where you can get a $5 rebate for your three boxes of Ziplocs. This rebate deal allows you three chances at the rebate-- so you might even want to roll your $2 cat and do the whole thing over again. Ah, the sweet, sweet quadumvirate (okay this is so not a word but I couldn't find the quad-equivalent of triumvirate) -- sale plus coupon plus catalina plus rebate. Swoon!

Couponin' article

Thought this was an interesting (although a bit brief) article on couponing and "class." Have you ever been embarrased by a clerk while getting your coupon on? I admit there are certain stores-- like Whole Foods-- where I routinely hold my breath and/or seek out certain cashiers to avoid embarrasment/uncomfortable feelings.

Vegan Boca Burger coupon

Nice little coupon for Boca Burgers here. I used to live on these, and would occasionally marry them to morningstar veggie bacon for a pseudo bacon burger. Good times.

Good deal on Earth's Best baby food

Was at Babies R Us today and noticed they had cases of some flavors of Earth's Best organic 1st and 2nd baby food on sale-- buy one case for $8.99, get one case free. Not sure if you could double up and use one of these too, but worth a try?

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 3/24 to 3/30

There are some good deals this week at Whole Foods. For this week's advertised sales, go here.

• Organic bunched carrots, $1.79 each

• Annie's Homegrown Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks, 2 for $6, use $1 off 2 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal


• Stonyfield Yogurt, 6oz. 5 for $3, use buy 4, get 1 free from Jan/Feb Whole Deal, stack with $.50 off 3 here


• Cascadian Farms Organic Granola Bars, 2 for $7, use $1 off from March/April Whole Deal, stack with $1 off here


• Brown Cow West Maple Yogurt, 6oz., 5 for $3, use buy 4, get 1 free from March/April Whole Deal or here , stack with $.50 off 3 here


• Boca Burger Organic Vegan Original, 2 for $7, use $1 off 2 here


• Odwalla Mango Tango Smoothie, 15.2 oz, 2 for $5, use $.50 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal


• Delallo Fusilli Pasta Organic Whole Wheat, 2 for $4, use $1 off 2 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal


• Nature's Path Optimum Slim Cereal, 2 for $6, use $1.50 off any two Nature's Path Organic Cereal Items from March/April Whole Deal


• Knudsen Just Juice Black Cherry, 2 for $6, use $1 off from Mambo Sprouts winter coupon book or here


• Santa Cruz Organic Applesauce, 2 for $6, use $.75 off from Mambo Sprouts winter coupon book


• Snikiddy Snacks Grilled Cheese Corn Puffs, 2 for $4, use buy 1, get 1 free here and $1 off here (thanks Money Saving Maine-iac!)


• Kiss My Face Orange Cream Detangler, $6.99, use $1 off here


• Kiss My Face Kids 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner, $6.99, use $2 off here
  
  Also, Tazo tea is on sale until March 30th-- use the $1 off coupon from the Jan/Feb Whole Deal.
  
  And the unsweetened Blue Diamond Almond Milk is $1.99, use $1 off from either Jan/Feb or March/April Whole Deal, and stack with $1 off from 2/28 Smart Source or here.
  Likey the free almond milk!
  
  

My Little Purple Piggy...

Alright, I'm back from my downer yesterday about my underearning. My little purple piggy bank is getting fat (but not yet ready for the slaughter). I am really quite pleasantly surprised at how those little pockets of cash here and there add up. Plus it's just plain fun. I have no idea what, if anything, I'll do with the innerds of my little piggy, which is probably a good thing. Maybe we'll put it towards the principal of our mortgage, or in our kiddo's college account, or maybe we'll just let it sit there collecting heaps of compound interest (haha). But I've grown to love my little trips to the bank with my three bucks here and my $1.72 there. The tellers puzzled faces be damned. And there's still a little pile of Euros from our trip to Spain several years ago that I need to cash in.

My experiment with the Examiner is not quite going so well. I've posted three articles so far and netted about $.90. I have to make it to $25 to even cash out, which probably means writing, oh, about 750 more articles. But hey, it's given me an excuse to write, and maybe some clips for my "portfolio." And it's been fun, which writing isn't always. And fun is something I can always use more of. Shameless self-promotion alert: if you click here or here , you can read about my fab friend Maggie and her Nia classes. And help me get to that $25 payout before I'm too old to drive myself to the bank.

Nocial Necurity

The other day when the mail came, my heart started to race as usual. What kind of coupons might be waiting for me? Or tiny checks for hours spent doing surveys on facial moisturizers? Or samples I'd signed up to receive months ago and long since forgotten? Well, those things were there in the mail but so was my social security statement. In the past I've glanced at these statements and then filed them away in a dusty drawer. This time I really looked at it, or at least the part about my earnings. The statement basically documents, in one column, how much I've earned each year since I began working. I was disturbed and a little shocked to see how little it was. Actually it made me want to throw up a bit. I've never earned more than about, let's say, just under $30,000 a year. Now, I have a masters degree, for whatever that's worth. When I looked at that statement and saw the reality of it, it felt like a gut punch.

I know that there are many more important things than making money. The social security statement doesn't list time I've spent volunteering, or that I've worked in non-profits, or the awful, amazing time I spent with my family after my brother's death. But let's face it, money is charged. Most of us want more of it-- that's why we read and write blogs like this, right? And to perhaps oversimplify, there are two ways to have more money-- spend less, or earn more.

So this has really got me thinking about my "underearning" and why that might be. I haven't come up with any answers yet. Low self-esteem? Lack of ambition? The wrong personality type to follow a career path that would net me a big paycheck? The fact that I'm for the most part out of the workforce currently while I raise my little one complicates this even more.

I actually thought long and hard about even writing this, so ashamed I was about my underearning. But as they teach you in writing classes, or at least the good writing classes-- if you're feeling shame or other strong emotions-- write it. Somebody else is bound to relate. So, there it is. I'm Lynn and I'm an underearner. Anybody else?

Walgreens? Ehhh.

My first encounter with Walgreens was not a stellar one. I went in armed with the $3 off $10 purchase that I mentioned was in the Sunday paper, a couple of $.50 off qs to use with the buy one, get one free Blue Diamond almonds, and a Walgreens coupon promising Reynolds wrap tin foil would be a breezy $.89. They were almost out of the kind of almonds I wanted, and totally out of the tin foil. I grabbed some dried fruit to make my purchase $10 so I could get the $3 off, but my other coupons brought my total down to $8 something, so I couldn't use the $3 off. Now in my experience, at Rite Aid, they'll take your $3 off $15 or $5 off $25 coupon even if your other coupons bring your total down under that amount. So yeah Walgreens, you're all shiny and new, and I'll probably explore you again, but for now-- still a Rite Aid girl.

Oh, and I saw a big sign on the Forest Ave Rite Aid exclaiming "We accept all competitors offers." So maybe I'll just jaunt over to Rite Aid with my tin foil coupon and my $3 off $10.

Shaws Gift Card Deal

Thanks to Money Saving Maine-iac for pointing out a great Shaws promotion-- buy a $250 Shaws gift card and get a free $20 Shaws gift card, or buy a $300 Shaws gift card and get a free $30 gift card. A great way to shave an easy 10% off the top of your grocery bill. Read all of this weeks Shaws deals, including free Honest Tea, here.

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 3/17 to 3/23

Here's what I'm seeing for good deals at WF this week. By the way, I had a great cashier the other day there who actually was cheering me on for my coupon usage. I'll be heading for her checkout lane whenever possible!




• Organic Cameo Apples, $.99 lb.-- 50% off

• Dancing Deer Chocolate Chunk Brownies, 6pack, 2 for $6-- over 50% off

• Garden of Eatin, Sesame Blues, 2 for $5, click here for $1 off 1

• Muir Glen Diced Tomatoes, 2 for $4, click here for $1 off

• Delallo Fusilli Pasta, Organic Whole Wheat, 2 for $4, use $1 off 2 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal

• Brown Cow West Maple Yogurt, 6oz., 5 for $3, use this and stack with buy 4 Brown Cow cups, get one free from March/April Whole Deal

• Odwalla Mango Tango Smoothie, 15.2 oz. 2 for $5, use $.50 off 1 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal

• Nature's Path Optimum Slim Cereal, 2 for $6, use $1.50 off any two Nature's Path Organic Cereal Items from March/April Whole Deal

• Knudsen Just Juice Black Cherry, 2 for $6, use $1 off from Mambo Sprouts winter coupon book or here

• Santa Cruz Organic Applesauce, 2 for $6, use $.75 off from Mambo Sprouts winter coupon book

Walgreens coupon alert

Haven't tried Walgreens yet, despite several drive-bys... but I happened to notice in this Sunday's paper, that in the front of the Walgreens ad was a $3 off your $10 purchase, valid only at the new Forest Ave. store. Driving by I also noticed they have those yummy blue diamond almonds on sale for buy one, get one... I'm going in! Anyone else checked it out yet?

There are also some good Rite Aid deals this week. There's a $25 rebate when you buy $50 of Johnson & Johnson products (includes Neutrogena, which my hubby uses, Band-aids, etc.). The $50 is before coupons. I am seriously smitten with Rite Aid, and I will do a more in-depth post (love letter) on its best qualities soon. But yeah, I'm still going to have to have at least a brief fling with Walgreens. Just to see if I'm missing anything.

Extras, Extras!

This weekend I was able to snag a couple extra newspaper coupon inserts. First, I have the best parent in-laws ever-- they not only are wonderful people, but my mama-in-law gave me her extra inserts yesterday and indulged my coupon talkin'.

Today, we ended up at Artemesia for brunch which was delightful in many ways (good food, efficient and pleasant waitress, baby who remained calm and entertained until it was time to go, and last but not least the sighting of a gentleman with a braided rattail), one of the ways being that as we waited for our table, I spied a lone Sunday paper spread out on a bench in the waiting area. I eyed it hungrily as other waiters perused it, forgetting for a moment that I was also hungry for brunch and that we had our little ticking timebomb of a toddler with us. As soon as the other folks were seated, taking some portion of the paper with them, I sidled up to the paper and held my breath as I rifled through the paper under the guise of trying to entertain my little one. And then... yes, I found the Red Plum. And a moment later-- Smart Source. Twas a good weekend for this couponer indeed.

Do you get extra coupons? Where do you find yours?

Examination Station

So I'm trying another little experiment. That's how I convince myself I've not leapt over the deep end into crazy housewife land, by saying "it's just an experiment." I'm trying writing for the Examiner, which actually seems like a somewhat cool, well, experiment. I figure it's another way to keep me writing, make a few cents on the side (I've already made 20 cents, watch out purple piggy bank!) and gather up some clips for any future writing endeavors. So I'm now a Portland Healthy Living Examiner. Let me know if you have any ideas for little articles~ healthy living could include quite a bit. Of course my first article was about savin' money. Check 'er out here.

Free & Cheap drinks at Whole Foods

Shoutout to Organic Deals & Coupons and The Thrifty Mama for the heads up that Clif Quench Sports Drinks are $1 off at Whole Foods this week. Use the $1 off coupon from the March/April Whole Deal, and that makes them free. I verified that these are indeed on sale at the Portland Whole Foods. Also on sale there are the small Izze sparkling sodas. Use this and they should ring up at about $.25 each. Plus they're super yummy and have no added sugar.

Envelope Me

The envelope experiment has been pretty interesting. Despite my initial resistance and paranoia about carrying my grocery money around, I'm actually starting to enjoy the change. It feels much more immediate to pay with cash than swiping a little plastic card. And then there's the extra coins left over at the end of the week. I don't know that I'm spending less or more than I would otherwise-- it's just different. I do like knowing exactly how much I have left without having to do math-- I just peek in my envelope and that's that. So we'll see, but I may just continue with this cash thing, especially if I can make it to the end of the month without losing any of it.

Whole Food Deals

Hi~

Sorry my posts have been sporadic this week. I should be able to post more from here on out. In the meantime, visit Money Saving Maineiac's coupon match-ups for this week's Whole Foods deals.

Trader Joes?

Sounds like the sad hollow husk that used to be Wild Oats could be resuscitated in the form of a Trader Joes...

read about it here or here!

Sweet vegan coupon

Go here for a $1 off any Purely Decadent or So Delicious dairy free frozen dessert. This stuff is pretty good. After you print the first one, if you hit your browser's back button three times, it should print you a second one. I noticed these were on sale at Whole Foods for about $1 off, around $4 something.

Tradin'

Of the many places my newfound love of couponing has taken me, one of the more surprising and rewarding places has been trading of said coupons. Because like any addiction, you start off needing just a smidge, and before long you want more. Trading works, at least for me, because I also end up with a whole stack of coupons for things that my family can't use. And one of the saddest things in the world is an expired, unused coupon.

It also happens that many of my favorite coupons are internet printables, most of which limit you to two prints per computer. So into the exciting, underground world of coupon tradin' I went. I joined what is called a train, which is basically a congo line list of couponers. Each member must create a wishlist of coupons they are seeking. There are different rules for different trains-- on the one I'm a-ridin', every week you send 30 coupons to another member of the train, and at least half of those coupons must be from their wishlist. Which in turn means that I receive a nice packet of coupons I desire each week as well. It also means that occasionally I'm spending time that probably would be better spent sweeping the kitchen floor (since my kiddo seems to be on a constant scavenger hunt for scraps of food) or showering. But, on a good day, when I have a little snippet of time, it's almost like a scavenger hunt-- it becomes a fun challenge to try and put together an envelope (or envie, as they are slightly annoyingly referred to) that someone I'll never meet will be happy to open.

All in all, it's been a great way to score extra coupons. Some go the route of Ebay or a coupon clipping sight for coupons they want extra of, and that is definitely the most no-nonsense way to go. But if you're a little geeky and you like getting surprises in the mail (and who doesn't?!), I'd recommend this. All aboard!

Seventh Generation Products at Babies/Toys R Us

I got a great deal the other day at Toys R Us on Seventh Generation Wipes. We used to order these by the case from Amazon and they averaged around $3-something a pack. At Babies & Toys R Us, they sell for around $3.50 a pack, but right now both stores are having a deal where if you buy $30 in any Seventh Generation product, they automatically take $5 off. This should be good until early April. I combined this deal with several of these coupons , which took $1 off each pack, and they also let me use a $5 off $25 Toys R Us coupon that I got for registering my kiddo on Geoffrey's Birthday Club. Altogether, I paid a little over $14 for 9 packs of chlorine-free wipes~ not bad.

Back soon....

Sick kid + day job = not much posting. I'll be back soon.

Rite Aid update

So I went back to Rite Aid for another round of nuts and found out that they do indeed have a Rite Aid rewards card and it's not just for seniors. Did y'all know about this? Pretty cool-- now if I can just remember to make my Rite Aid runs on Tuesdays, I'll be in good shape! And I have to say I've had excellent luck with the Rite Aid folk being very coupon friendly. I always feel slightly guilty when I head in there with my giant stack o' coupons, but I've had the best luck so far. So if you're a Rite Aid fancier and you don't already have a rewards card, ask for one-- it'll earn you an extra 10% off every Tuesday, and a plump 20% off on the first Tuesday of each month.

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 3/3 to 3/9

You can view the entire Portland, Maine Whole Foods sales flyer here. Below are sales/coupon match-ups:



• Izze Sparkling Soda, 2 for $8, use $.75 off coupon here

• Celestial Seasonings Tea, 2 for $5, use $1 off 1 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal, stack with $1 off coupon from the 1/10 or 2/21 Smart Source insert-- this would bring the total down to $.50 per box!

• Odwalla Super Protein Soy Shake Almond, $2.50, use $.50 off 1 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal and $1 off 2 here

• Deboles Foods Angel Hair Rice Pasta, $1.79, use $1 off here

• Kettle Chips Krinkle Cuts Light Salted, $3.50, use $1 off from 1/31 Smart Source insert

• Muir Glen Soup Organic Chicken Noodle, $2.50, use $1 off 2 from Jan/Feb Whole Deal

Also, not listed as on sale this week, but both the Jan/Feb and March/April Whole Deal have $1 off Almond Breeze Almond Milk. Combine with this or the $1 off from last Sunday, 2/28 Smart Source, and get cheap or free almond milk (they make one variety that's in the non-refrigerated section that's $1.99, so free!).

Nuts for Rite Aid

A Walgreens is opening not too far from my house this Thursday, but I'm feeling pretty smitten with Rite Aid. This week they have buy one, get one free Blue Diamond almonds, which I'll use for making almond butter. I combined the b1g1 sale with some Blue Diamond coupons I garnered from trading, and a $3 off $15 that I got via email because I've been participating in Rite Aid's Single Check Rebate program. And here's where things got a little dicey. The cashier offered to enroll me in a program where I could get an additional 20% off my purchase since it was the first Tuesday of the month-- anytime I used this card on the first Tuesday I'd get 20% off. And every other Tuesday I'd get 10% off. How could I have not known about this program before? And how lucky was I to have inadvertantly wandered in to do my Rite Aid bidding on the month's first Tuesday?

Well, when I got home I discovered why I hadn't heard of the program before. Because it's for senior citizens, that's why. Now, I haven't had a decent night's sleep in over a year, but do I look 55? Really? In full disclosure, I happen to know the cashier personally, and let's just say the Blue Diamond almonds were not the only nuts in the store. I suspect she was trying to do me a favor, but at what cost? Should I wheel back in on the first Tuesday of next month in my motorized cart and try and purchase some discounted Benevia (why are there always so many Rite Aid Video Value coupons for those?), and some denture cream? Sheesh.

So I now feel less than stellar about this deal, but still-- just over $10 for four packages of almonds, 1 Burts Bees lip balm that I grabbed as a filler, and a pack of City of Portland trash bags... which themselves are usually $7.50. It's hard not to feel a little satisfied.

Coupon Cows

Love this post by The Thrifty Mama on Coupon Burnout, an affliction that could befall us with little warning. Terrifying!

Master-Rebater

This week I've gotten two small yet supple rebate checks. One from a hummus rebate that I sent in back in December thanks to Money Saving Maine-iac, and one from the SC Johnson rebate that I used on Ziplocs. I might actually do that one a few more times, as it's good through June and they allow you to do three and Ziplocs always seem to get used around here. And they don't disciminate against us Mainers like Broke207 points out that many other rebates do. (that was terribly poor grammar but I'm in a rush and sleep-deprived.)

I'm still waiting on my Rite Aid Grab the Gold rebate Visa to come, but I did receive a $100 contact lens Visa rebate the other day too. I'm feeling pretty good about all this rebatin', I have to say. Plus here's a rebate site that, though lacking in options, cracks me up. I might pick up some cheapish Cottonelle bum wipes at Walgreens when they open this Thursday, and cash in on some rebate action here, too. Oh, and you don't have to be a caregiver to access this-- it even says that on the website lest you think I'm trying to partake in shady rebate shenanigans.

And what shall I do with all this rebate cash? Well, I consulted the husband on that one to see what he thought made the most sense. Should it go back into the grocery budget to allow for some saucy extras? Or go back into the grocery budget but without making space for extras? Or should it go into my purple piggy bank? He thought the purple piggy bank was the most sensical, since my experiment with said piggy was intended to be a repository for money I'd previously ignored. I agreed with his logic (having seemingly lost my own logic at the moment of giving birth), so looks like the little piggy bank will be getting chubbier soon (but not ready for slaughter!).

New Whole Foods Coupons

It's March, and you know what that means... new Whole Foods coupons!

After my shopping trip there today, I grabbed a few and hunched over them greedily in the parking lot like an alkie who couldn't wait to tear into her paper bag. I even momentarily forgot that I'd purchased some delicious chocolate pomegranate thinkfruit bars. Anyways, here's the loot for March and April-- and these are all good through the end of May:

$1 off 365 Everyday Value Paper Towels 12-pack
Buy 1, Get 1 Free on 365 Everyday Value Nonfat Yogurt
$1 off 365 Everyday Value Organic Peanut Butter
$1 off any 1 Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk
$1 off any 1 4.25 oz box of Blue Diamond Nut Thins
$1.50 off any 2 Nature's Path Organic Granola Bars or Hot Oatmeal Items
$1.50 off any 2 Nature's Path Organic Cereal Items
$1 off any 1 Method Item
$1 off any 2 Clif Builder's Protein Bars
$.50 off any Luna Bar or Luna Protein Bar
$1 off any 1 Clif Quench Sport Drink
$.55 off any 1 San-J Tamari, Cooking Sauce or Salad Dressing
$1 off any 2 Lifeway Products
$1 off any 2 32 oz. Helios Kefir Products
$1 off any Kashi Heart to Heart Product
$.75 off any Dagoba Organic Chocolate Product
$1 off any 1 Lightlife Product
$1 off any 1 4-pack of Stonyfield YoBaby Meals Organic Yogurt
$.75 off any 2 LaraBars or Jocalat Bars
$1 off any 1 32 oz. Odwalla Beverage
$1 off any box of Cascadian Farm Granola Bars or Cereal
$1.50 off any 2 Nasoya Products
$1 off any 1 Nature's Rancher Grilled Chicken Breasts or Strips (12-20oz package)
Buy any 4 Brown Cow Yogurt Cups, get one Free
$1 off any 1 Michael Angelo's Frozen Entree or Pocket Calzone
$1 off any 1 Seventh Generation Disinfecting Product (Sprays and Wipes)
$5 off any 1 Vitamin Code Raw Multivitamins
$1 off any 1 Organic Valley Yogurt
$1 off any 1 Organic Valley Cheese 6oz or larger

The Blue Diamond Almond Milk qs can be combined with the $1 off any Almond Milk found in yesterday's Smart Source insert, making for free almond milk if you buy the little asceptic cartons.

Otherwise, sadly, there actually isn't a whole lot in this month's issue that I use-- kind of excited about the Lara Bars though-- they're tasty and gluten and dairy-free. See anything you like?

Tryin' it

This month, I'm trying something new as an experiment-- the envelope system. Pretty fancy, eh? Basically it just means that each week I'm taking my grocery budget out in cash, stuffing it in an envelope, and when it's gone-- if it's gone-- that's it for the week. I'm curious from a psychological angle if this will change my spending at all-- actually exchanging cash for goods instead of just swiping the old card through the credit card machine and voila! I get my groceries.

So far it hasn't affected my spending but it's definitely making me anxious. For one thing, I, sadly, had to call my bank to find out my pin number so I could withdraw said cash. That's how little I generally use cash-- I don't even know how to get it. When I called the bank, I could tell Banky Bryan was trying to supress his shock that I didn't know my pin number and hide it under his thick cloak of banky telephone professionalism.

I managed to procure my pin number though, and hit the ATM right before I hit Shaws. And was quickly reminded why I don't like to carry cash. I lose things. Phones, money, babies. Okay, the baby thing was just a nightmare but it was vivid! It wasn't long before, while scouring Shaws for Izze sparkling drinks (they're in the Wild Harvest section, and not in one of the eight other places that Shaws stores their drinks), my fresh new wad of cash was lying in the pasta aisle. Fortunately I too was in the pasta aisle and retrieved my cash quickly, but it made me anxious.

Since then, every place I go where I've had to leave my coat (which is where I store my grocery money currently) somewhere, I come back to it afterwards, eyeing everyone suspiciously like they'd stolen my grocery money. As soon as I can, I surrepticiously count it to make sure it's all there. Having cash on my person makes me feel like an old rich dude who thinks the hired help, and everyone else, is out for his goods. And I'm neurotic enough without this added pressure.

But press on I must, for that's what experiments are for. And April can't come quick enough.