Monday, October 6, 2008

How I Justify Spending the Extra Money

Justification. Is it only me, or do we all do this?

I've pretty much decided I'm the master of justifying pretty much anything. The thud you just heard was my husband falling off of his chair after reading that confession from me.

Tom Thumb is my favorite grocery store. It is beautiful and clean and best of all always has great looking produce. To me, it's like having my own little Central Market a mile from home.

It has also proven to be a bit more expensive than the local Kroger or Wal*Mart where I also shop. There has to be a way to pay for the perfect lighting, bakery fresh smell piped into the entrance area, the cool mini shopping carts for quick (and childless) jaunts...and countless other little amenities that warm my heart...and that I'm also sure you could care less about.

When a recipe calls for some strange ingredient...you know the kind that necessitates a call to mom so you know if you should be looking on the spice aisle or for some funky item in the produce department...Tom Thumb is the place to go. At Tom Thumb, not only does the helpful worker know what you're talking about, but also knows exactly where to find it. And it must be some store policy that they don't just tell you where it is, but personally walk you right over to it. Justification #1.

Tom Thumb also happens to be the host of these babies.


TV Karts. Free TV Karts. Add that to the list of things their higher prices fund.

Sure, Wal*Mart has them too. Not enough of them though. And if one is available, it is most likely broken or in need of a battery recharge. Justification #2.

The girls love it. Since we don't have cable, they are thoroughly entertained by shows they don't get to see at home: Dora, The BackYardigans, BluesClues, etc. I don't want them to be completely clueless at a Bob the Builder themed birthday party. Justification #3.
Oops. Need to belt Jade in before she escapes.

Now we're ready to shop.
Also, since they are content, mommy has piece of mind and some actual time to contemplate what she is buying. And maybe even match up an unexpired coupon to the appropriate brand and size of an item she actually needs. Justification #4.



Sorry for the grainy photos. Believe it or not, I didn't head to Tom Thumb with a blog post in mind, so all I had was my cell phone cam. Wait. That could be justification #5. Blog fodder.


What is something you love that is easily justified? In your mind anyway.

12 comments:

Michelle said...

I love Tom Thumb too!! They do have lower prices on some things and they have great weekly deals - don't feel too bad. Either way the perks are so worth the cost.

But, I miss my old Tom Thumb so much - all they have here are HEB's. Keep shoppin' for me :)

My2Gs said...

The only store around us that has those is Meijer. That $1 is sooo worth it :-)

Mrs.Naz@BecomingMe said...

I've never seen those karts before...very clever...we don't have a Tom Thumb but do have a Publix and I bet it is comparable and I am always trying to rationalize going there because I like it soooo much better than the other stores.

life with the wisners said...

name brand velveeta. not store brand. i'm good at buying store brands to save us $$. but have you tried store brand velveeta?

oh. my.

Carolina Mama said...

Oh you're speaking my language.... do I have to confess Starbucks - still. This has been going on for a long time. Say Cir. 1992.

Marci @Finding Joy in the Journey said...

Seriously, TVKarts?? Wow, here in the middle of nowhere Illinois we don't have things like that... I'm not sure if that's good or bad!

My husband was just telling me about a somewhat local grocery where you can shop online, and then drive by and they load it in your car all for a $5 charge...I'm gonna be looking into that! (i can totally justify $5!)

jennifer said...

OH I'm SOOOO jealous! Avery might actually sit in the cart if she could watch Dora while riding around! We don't have Tom Thumbs around here.

Justification:
A great pair of jeans. They may be more expensive, but they last longer and make me feel super cute. Worth every penny.

Wilson Family said...

You are sooo funny! I love reading your blog! I totally know what you mean about Tom Thumb, however there aren't any near me anymore. My justifications are WEAK... They probably wouldn't even make sense if I said them out loud. Ohwell... I don't really think them through, but most of the time unfortunatly I am trying to justify what I am about to put in my mouth! Ugh... total addiction to food!

Unknown said...

I would definitely shop there too!

And thanks for the sweet comment. I should be up and runnin' in no time, hopefully.

Jackie said...

TV Carts...oh my. Savannah would be in heaven. I have never seen those anywhere around here.

I never shopped at Tom Thumb when I lived in Dallas, but I would drive by the one in Highland Park and think how nice it would be to push on of those little mini carts around. :)

No Chub Club said...

I guess it's been too long since I have shopped at Tom Thumb. I stick to Costco and Wal-Mart. But, I justify spending more for Dannon plain nonfat yogurt. I tried the generic and BLAH! Terrible! Also, I spend more for brand name olive oil. It all comes from the same place but who knew there was a difference! Silly justifications but they are money well spent!

Alana said...

TV Karts???? I've never heard of such a thing and that makes me so sad. Seriously, though, why did it take them so long to come up with that?? Sounds like a great store, wish we had one here!!

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