Chalk and Cheese Chronicles

My Discount Shopping FAIL

I go on a Target run at least 2-3 times a month. I buy staples such as toilet paper and cleaning supplies (mostly Method Products). In the background of all my Target runs, I'm vaguely aware of the extreme couponing craze.

The extreme couponers have great tips to share, but they mostly apply to stores I don't frequent such as Walgreens, Walmart, and conventional grocery stores and for items I don't normally buy (like mascara and Ritz crackers). I do know how to shop the sales and use coupons at Whole Foods, it's not terribly complicated there, and doesn't require a five inch binder filled with coupons but I realize it's a much more expensive place to shop. My grocery bill at Whole Foods/Trader Joes/Target has never been five dollars, like the ladies in the coupon videos. Well, unless you count the times I bought just one item.

Since I do shop regularly at Target, I watched with interest as the extreme couponers pushed their carts through Target for their You Tube viewers. They knew their stuff. They knew average prices, they knew how to stack coupons  - there were just so many ways to bring down that grand total close to zero. And if something wasn't on sale, they didn't buy it.

Twice now, I've printed out a handful of Target coupons and even used them. Look for the unadvertised five dollar gift card with purchase deals, the experts said, about Target. So one day, I saw one! It was for toothpaste and we needed toothpaste. I think it said, buy three twin packs of Crest Pro-Health at the sale price, and receive a five dollar gift card.

I glanced at the tantalizing savings sign. "I'll do it!" I beamed, grabbing the boxes from the shelf.

When I got home, I broke open a box of my new toothpaste and put the rest into the my tiny hall closet. I had my first little stockpile of sale items, yay me!

As I was enjoying the high of my first thrify savings, I noticed that I was constantly having to wipe up the gooey mess that oozed from the hard to close cap of my new toothpaste. It was all over the drawer and the bathroom counter. The toothpaste was soft like a slushy. When I later opened a second tube, the same thing happened, an ooey-gooey minty mess.

I need to Google this, I said. So I did and lo and behold, the online reviews for the entire line of Crest Pro-Health products were horrible. Customers had the same complaint as I about the toothpaste, namely, that it was terribly gooey. Some even noticed a dark discoloration on their teeth. Some of the reviews were downright scary.

Prior to all that, this is how much thought I'd ever given Crest toothpaste (when I'm not buying Tom's or Rembrandt or Colgate): A Crest is a Crest is a Crest. Well shame on me then because a Crest is a Crest except when it's Crest Pro-Health. Then it's just a mess.

Some of the review comments said they'd just tossed their unused tubes of Crest Pro-Health. So I did the same and tossed out all four remaining tubes, gift card be damned.

Clearly, my first foray into discount shopping was a failure. I knew that to follow these expert couponers would be to veer outside my usual shopping realm. I thought I'd make a small effort to trim my spending at one store only, at Target. That's what I still intend to do, but I realize I can't always let the promise of savings steer me to products I don't normally use without doing a bit of research first, especially when buying in bulk.

Even if I could get a lifetime supply of Crest Pro-Health for free, I wouldn't have it. Free isn't free when you're spending time cleaning up a toothpate mess, or when you're staring in the mirror at at your darkened teeth (mine look a bit darker).

I think I'll try to remember to clip Target coupons, but I'll never be an extreme coupon kind of shopper. I just don't have it in me. I don't like having to do the work upfront (all that clipping and organizing, etc) and I don't generally shop at the kind of stores which offer coupons. 

But Savvy.com - oh. my. God. Easy peasy savings for lazy me. Why should I spend my time clipping coupons when I can let this handy shopping app do the work for me? It's not about grocery store savings or drugstore savings, but it watches the purchases I make at my favorite stores like REI, JCrew and Williams-Sonoma and gives me savings by way of a gift card! It's a purchase protection plan. Now this I like, and if I can save money somewhere, while having fun then hey, I'm happy.

Shopping Like a Guy

I have a favorite olive green sweatshirt. It's soft and bit stretchy and sort of makes my arms look Photoshop thin. I wore this shirt Monday on the walk to school. I wore it Tuesday on a late night grocery store run and I wore it... wednesdsaythursdayandfriday as well.

I am wearing it right now.

Ok, so even my husband won't wear the same thing five days in a row,  but the point is, why have a closet full of clothes I don't wear when all I do is cycle through my favorite clothes again and again?

I have been on a mission to simplify my life. I've calmed down my social networking. I've been cooking from scratch. I've been keeping my house in a zen-like state of cleanliness. I bring into the house (mostly) what I think I need; if I don't think I'll use it, then I don't buy it. On my to-do list is to get back into a daily routine of reading books and working out. I've simplified my life by nourishing what's important to me.

For the first time ever, my clothes take the same amount of space as my husband's clothes. All of his clothes would fit in a large suitcase. My clothes would fit in two (or 3! or 4!) large suitcases - plus a carry-on!

Ok, so it's not totally equal, but it's getting there.

I used to have an embarrassing amount of clothes, each item tied to a special moment:

She bought me on a late night Target run, just for the thrill of the buy!

She got me as free swag at a blogging event!

She bought me when she was a working girl, two sizes down and 10 year's ago!

She paid too much for me but I never fit her right. She keeps me because I was expensive!

She bought me in France. I am a French brand!

... and she pulled us out of her closet and passed us off to second hand shops. We are gone!

Yes, they are gone. Well, mostly gone.

I have been purging my wardrobe since forever and finally, I have it down the the bare minimum. My small closet is filled with only items I do wear.

How on earth does one manage to do such a thing?

 Well, to start, here are a few of my rules.

Rule #1 Avoid Costco. Sure, there are some really good deals on quality items, but really, you will end up buying much that you don't need.

Rule #2 Be picky about free stuff. It's not useful if it's sitting in your garage, gathering dust.

Rule #3 We grow to fit the size of our storage area. Bigger house, bigger piles of stuff. With no basement, no attic and no walk-in closet (I know, it pains me, too!), I have to keep my belongings to a minimum. If you have tons of storage space, limit your wardrobe to what will fit into one or two closets.

Rule #4 Always have a bag destined for a second-hand store at the ready. Outgrown something? Toss it into that bag. Hate that blouse your mother-in-law gave you for Christmas? Give it away. Always be moving stuff OUT of your home.

Rule #5 Avoid impulse shopping and stick to your favorite shops and brands. Avoid inventing scenarios in which you might wear something, "This would be perfect for a summer evening in Prague."

Rule #6 Find a friend who likes to organize (a friend like me! I just organized my friend's entire playroom!) and ask them to help you. :)

Rule #7 Only replenish your wardrobe twice a year. My husband makes two trips to his favorite store per year and comes back with everything he needs. Ok, well, scratch that, this would be a tactic for the most disciplined of shoppers only. I'm not like that and probably, neither are you. That would be like detox.

Shopping is like a drug. I get high from it, too. I love to shop! My guilty pleasure is the late night Target run. I never end up wearing the clothes I buy at 9pm at Target. I buy clothes there because my favorite shops are closed by the time the kids are down and I can leave the house. Sure, I can shop online but I want instant gratification. It's hard to resist the thrill  of something new!

That said, I truly am down to just two pairs of pants. Yep, two. Like a guy - or worse, I have fewer pants than most guys. I am a skirt girl, true, but even then, I've parred it down to just a half dozen skirts.

I think I need to go shopping!

 

This is an original post to Chalk and Cheese Chronicles.

Note: I realize that not all guys dislike shopping and not all women like shopping. I like shopping, and my husband does not. So I aim to shop like *my guy*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Daylife Scene

Whenever I head to Santana Row, it's usually at the start of the day, when the shops first open. Sometimes, I meet friends for coffee; other times, I dash in for an Anthropologie fix. But it's usually done at the start of the day, when the kids are at school. I zip in and out and parking is not a problem. There's never a line at Pinkberry at 10am. On the weekend, sometimes I'll bring the kids because they love the giant chessboard. My social life takes place during the day: I have a daylife.

On the occasion that I find myself there during the transitional period of 5 to 7pm, panic sets in. If it's Friday, I'll notice cars starting to fill the parking lots and an increase in foot traffic. The ladies with shopping bags go home, replaced by, as they say, all the single ladies and all the single men. Those young 20-somethings are gorgeous in a way that only youth can supply. When I hear the music booming from the restaurant come bar called Straits (which, by the way, I used to go to in San Francisco back when it looked like any SE Asian restaurant), it's my signal to head home - or to Target.

I like pretty things. Pretty dresses, pretty rooms, pretty flowers. But I don't like exuding sexiness, and could never exude it even if I tried - it's just not me. Santana Row at night is the sexy side of Silicon Valley. It resembles the Vegas crowd. Get me out of here, I whisper, fleeing in my flats. I'm dumpy and tired and I want to wear sweats.

I haven't been part of a nightlife scene in ages, excluding the nightife that befalls new parents when they're up at night with a newborn (or in my case, two newborns). Santana Row has a buzzing nightlife scene. I was with a group of my mom blogger friends on a recent Thursday night and I swear, we were the only females wearing flats.

I hadn't known skyhigh heels were in style! I'm not talking platform heels, but spikey heels. What happened to Toms and espadrilles and flip flops? This was a look-at-me kind of scene. As I looked down at my white dress that my mom friends had complimented, I also realized that I was probably the only women around wearing white and worse, white paired with flats. One white dress in a sea of black and red and majenta.

Time to retreat to the comfort of home. I looked at my friend who was clad in shorts paired with - gasp - was it Clarks clogs? She didn't fit the style bill of Santana Row as well. It's not that we were lamenting our youth or craving attention; it's just that we're just not interested in that scene. Well that, and the fact that we like comfy clothes.

We are all in our bubbles, all in our time warps, caught up in the here and now. I must say that it is refreshing to step outside my bubble once in a while and realize that all the world does not live life as I do, at home, behind a computer, for the most part.

Anyhow, as I will be up early to drop off my kids at Camp Galileo in the morning, I'm sure I'll pop by Santana Row because I did spy some pretty (but not sexy!) dresses in the window of H&M. I'll just be sure to do my shopping at the start of the day because, you know, I relish my daylife.

 

This is an original post to Chalk and Cheese Chronicles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Kid Friendly at Whole Foods Blossom Hill (San Jose)

The long awaited grand opening of the new Whole Foods Market Blossom Hill is today!

I got to tour the store a day in advance of its opening and let me tell you, this is a store that was thoughtfullly built, with emphasis on eco-friendly and energy efficient development and design. That said, I toured the store from the perspective of a parent shopping with young kids. The sheer size of all these massive new Whole Foods Markets makes it not kid friendly in my book. When I'm pressed for time or have kids in tow, I need to be in and out of a grocery store fast.

So let's have a look...

Coffee Bar

The first thing that caught my eye was the location of the coffee bar. It was right there at the entrance where I could hit it on the way in or on the way out. The coffee bar serves Allegro coffee and organic, soft-serve Straus frozen yogurt which I know my children will love. For Kombucha fans, the elixir will be available on tap.

 

 

Restrooms

Restrooms are on the front right side of the store, not far from the in-store dining area. Each restroom is equipped with a swoon worthy Dyson Airblade hand dryer which is always fun for kids to use.

Grind-Your-Own Nut Butters

One of the places in Whole Foods where I always stop with my kids is the grind-your-own nut butter section. It's a fun way to show kids how peanut butter and almond butter are made. Of course, once my kids spot the chocolate chip blend, they aren't content with grinding up plain old peanuts.

Healthy Eating Specialist

There are store tours just for moms as well as classes and free consultations with the store's in-house, full time Healthy Eating specialist, Georgia Brown. Georgia caught my attention when she re-quoted the warnng that "this might be the first generation of children who might not outlive their parents" due to unhealthy lifestyle choices. You can bet I'll be seeking out Georgia's advice whenever I'm in the store.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outed at Forever 21

My gorgeous and stylish sister-in-law was outed the other day. I don't know what gave it away. Perhaps a single strand of gray hair?

It was a targeted but covert verbal launch.

Will that be all for you ... Ma'am?

Translation: Will that be all for you ... and pssst, you're not 21 anymore!

Yes, my youthful 30-something sister-in-law who could pass for the actress Anne Hathaway was outed at Forever 21.

My sister-in-law laughed it off, saying, "How can I feel Forever 21 when they're calling me ma'am?"

There are the 21-year-olds who shop at Forever 21 and then, well, there's the rest of us who shop there.

The 35-year-olds.

The 40-year-olds.

Forever 21 and perimenopausal.

Forever 21 and a grandma.

Forever 21 by night, Chicos by day.

I Spy with My Little Eye...a Return Policy at Affordable Treasures

This past Sunday, while out with one of my sons, we stopped by Affordable Treasures to do some poking around, just for fun. Near the register, I spotted a turnstile display rack of cheap, costume eyewear: cat eye frames, star frames and some wire frames that might just work as a stand in for Harry Potter glasses. My other son is a Harry Potter fan who has been begging me to replace the broken "official" Harry Potter glasses we bought for him for Halloween. I have not been able to find an exact replacement anywhere and thought I'd give these a try. I figured I could always return them.

My son did not like the glasses, of course.

So back I went to Affordable Treasures today (2 days later), with receipt in hand and tried to return the glasses, with price tag still intact.

They wouldn't let me return them.

Apparently, it's a sanitation issue, they cannot resell what others might have worn.

I guess they looked the other way when I had my other son try on those gold rimmed specs at the store. I guess they look away whenever someone tries on a hat (I see people having so much fun trying on hats) in the store, too. Where's the concern over sanitation there?

Where does it say that the glasses are non-returnable? I asked. There was nothing on the eyeglass display. Nothing on the receipt. Nothing was told to me at the time of purchase.

Seriously, not even a store exchange?, I asked.

Nope.

Then three clerks pointed to a busy homemade sign on poster board hanging above the registers, where the return policy was written in permanent markers: No returns on leis, hats, etc...

While I can accept that the store has a return policy, they do need let us know at the time of purchase that something is not returnable.

That sign? Phooey! It's like playing a game of Eye Spy. I Spy with My Little Eye...a Return Policy at Affordable Treasures! The policy is there, but not noticeable.

The Two Day Macy's One Day Sale

I should have seen the clues. Going up the escalator of my local Macy's, I shared the ride with a dozen or so women, all toting armfuls of clothes. The store was abuzz. It was only 11am on a Tuesday morning and the parking lot was full.

Apparently, I'd gone to get lipstick on the day of the Macy's One Day Sale. And that's not a good thing when you're pressed for time and out of lipstick.

Clearly, I am not the shopper I once was, or I would have known about this sale (and avoided it.) I looked around, everywhere there were women. It was a bit of a frenzy. Everywhere there were sale signs. Steep discounts on racks upon racks of clothing. It was almost overwhelming but I could feel the adrenaline pumping, fueling my body into shopping mode. I decided to take one peek into the boys' section. 

My husband would have high-tailed it out of there, deeming it not worthy at any low end price, even if free.

Then I saw the boys' jackets, at 50% percent off. I looked at my watch - almost school pickup time. I had ten minutes left to shop. Panic set in as I lifted two snow jackets off the rack, a steal at $14.99 each. I'll just get these and be on my way, I told myself.

Ikea Småland Gave Me 45 Minutes to Buy Nothing

We started using the Ikea play area, known as Småland, about a year ago. Before my kids were potty trained and before they'd reached the minimum height requirement, I'd eye that place with curiosity. Would my children like it in there? Would I be comfortable leaving my kids to encounter germs play there? Would Ikea Småland give me enough time to buy something?

Visit after visit, as I'd push my double stroller full of double trouble into the nearby elevators, I'd glance over at Småland and think to myself...another year...six more months...two more months and finally, bingo! My twins were 4-years-old and well beyond being potty trained and well above the minimum height requirement so off to Småland we went. We were all excited about our first trip to Småland. This is going to be a win-win, I said to myself, smiling in anticipation of 45 blissful kid-free moments to roam about Ikea and for free (Ikea doesn't charge for use of Småland.) We went off-hours when I knew Ikea would not be crowded.

The first thing I noticed was that, despite the friendly sign that beckons children into the "Magical Forest," this was drop-in day care. I knew it straight off the bat. Nobody welcomed us in like they do on the first day of preschool. Nobody sent us loving smiles. Instead, I heard, KEEP THE BALLS IN THE BALL PIT. DO NOT THROW THE BALLS, PLEASE! I wondered to myself how many times they probably screamed that throughout the day. Soon she'll be screaming that at my kids, I figured, resigned.

We got off to a rocky start, not knowing the procedures for checking in and all. Mistake #1: My boys took off their shoes and held them in their hands while we lined up for entry.

YOU NEED TO GET A BIN.

Doing the Happy Dance in Crocs

Enjoy this little video made by 4-year-old Chalk Boy whose chubby hand can be seen in the first few frames. My boys are wearing their beloved Crocs while the other shoes belong to our good friends from preschool Benny and Andrew, who are brothers. I love the video's perspective! Music by They Might Be Giants.

Spot the Difference in Product Packaging

I am not a big fan of those Spot the Difference picture puzzles. You know the kind, two similar looking pictures are shown side by side with subtle differences thrown in for fun. They're usually found at the back of magazines and in children's books. Even Ellen has one on her site. I know a lot of people enjoy hunting around to see what's different in the two photos: The checkered tablecloth is now solid! The glass has disappeared! The dog now has a collar! The only time I'll settle down to play Spot the Difference is when I happen upon it in a magazine I'm leafing through at, say, the dentist's office. I'll spend a few moments hunting in earnest and feeling a bit smug when I've spotted some of the differences. However, I'm a busy mom and playing Spot the Difference is just not how I wish to spend my time.

So why do packaging designers force me to play this game even at the grocery store? Oftentimes, I rush through my morning Target run, tossing the things I need into my basket while navigating the store aisles by heart. Shampoo and conditioner? Check, check. Instant oatmeal? Check. Handwash? Check. I leave thinking I've got everything I need.