Treasure Hunt Surrogate

Anyone who knows me very well knows that I love finding a bargain. It used to be garage sales when I was a teenager, then my friend Ernie introduced me to the mystique of "dead man shops" (thrift stores). It's amazing what you can find at a great dead man's shop!

One of my favorite things to do is to go "hunting" with my kids to see who can find the best treasure. We had a great time! --especially when I was still building my Beatrix Potter collection.

I love the Old Lady who Lived in a Shoe figurine that I scooped up for $1 from a roadside junk sale which sells for over $65 on ebay (it's in the box with the rest of my Potter collection). I love my antique blue glass canning jars. I love that I found Cole Haan shoes and a Brighton bag (still in the box!) at a fraction of their retail cost--even if I don't use them much. I loved the french coffee table book that I bought for $1 and resold on Amazon for $30. I love giving new life to sad little castoffs (ie, junk)!


But, alas my modest square footage overfloweth! Plus the sticker shock at the gas pump has taken it's toll on such frivolity!


But, isn't there a saying "you can take the dog out of the hunt, but you can't take the hunt out of the dog" ? Or did I just make that up? Well it should be a saying!

So, my treasure hunting time is now spent at the grocery store, which, depending on the growing amounts of non-food items piled in there, sometimes resembles dead-man shops!

I've found that navigating the grocery pricing maze is even more challenging than maneuvering through the most precarius flea market.

It takes a lot of strategy to outwit retailers' myriad of ploys to separate me from my money.

But is all the circular gazing and coupon organizing worth it? Or will I just end up buying stuff I don't really need because it seemed like a good deal? and, I just can't see myself reminiscing about that time I found a great deal on the Cheerios.

Anyway, here's a list of my best loot for the week:

6 boxes of Cheerios @ 1.25/ea

Airwick nightlight oil warmer - free

2 boxes of Curves cereal @ .50/ea

2 bottles Ajax dish soap @ .79/ea

Bayer Heart Advantage aspirin @ .49

2 Suave shampoo & Conditioner @ .47/each

2 suave antiperspirant @ .47/ea

2 suave hairsprays @ .47/ea

3 suave advanced therapy lotion @ .47/ea