I’m going to link up to Jo-Lynne’s What I Learned This Week carnival a couple of days late.  I apologize to anyone reading this who now thinks it is Tuesday.  No worries: the week is almost over and trick-or-treaters will soon be descending upon your door.

Last week, after 8 years of service, our toaster that we got as a wedding gift bid us farewell.  It was only toasting one half of whatever was being toasted.  I think I lasted maybe 2 days of flipping the toast over and toasting it again before I was done with that.

I told my husband I didn’t want to shell out a lot of money for a toaster.  And believe me, if you haven’t been toaster shopping lately, I’m here to tell you there are some ridiculously expensive toasters out there.  I think they not only provide you with toast but pay your bills  and raise your children as well.

I settled for a 4 slice toaster that was 15 bucks.  I was so proud of myself for being frugal and ignoring the higher priced toasters that seemed to be calling out for me.

Here’s where the “you get what you pay for” part comes in.  This is a “no frills” toaster and apparently being able to fit your entire piece of bread in the toaster…is considered a frill.  I love when I put in a frozen waffle and the top of it is sticking out.  It’s a great way to get your day started!

Lesson of the day: Sometimes it’s best not to skimp on certain things. And a toaster is one of those things!

I’ve noticed I only seem to get around to posting when it’s Tuesday.  That means it is time for the What I Learned This Week hosted by Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife.

This week I learned…that I clearly do not have a life when the highlight of my week is a trip to a new Target!

Saturday morning I needed to run out for some Easter goodies.  I knew that a Target had opened up recently and I was itching to get there.  I extended an invitation to my friends Kim and Jo-Lynne.  Sadly, Jo-Lynne was unable to attend as we left at 10 am and apparently she was just rolling out of bed.  It’s cool; I’m only mentioning it because I’m jealous!

Kim, however, came out of her house dressed in red and white (the official colors of Target).  She completed her outfit with a red umbrella.  Although she insists that her wardrobe choice was coincidental, I have my doubts!

We arrived at the Target about 20 minutes later, got “rockstar” parking and headed inside.  There is nothing like a new Target.  New carts, new smell, clean floors, nicely stocked shelves…I could go on and on.  We hit up the Starbucks inside which has little cup holders that attach to the cart so that you do not have to hold your coffee as you peruse the aisles.  Pure genius, I tell you!!

And you better believe that Kim and I took full advantage of our outing sans kids and strolled down every aisle like we had all the time in the world! The only downside to all that time was that our cart was overflowing by the time we were done.  But it was well worth it because when I came home, I felt calm and relaxed.

It was a good day!

My list of lessons this week are completely random.  Some are serious and some…not so much.

1. My husband and I leave for Las Vegas in two weeks.  Normal people would be jumping up and down with excitement at the mere thought of spending quality time with the love of their life sans kids.  I have learned…that I am apparently not normal. I’ll give that a minute for that to settle with ya!  I am anxiety ridden with the thought of leaving Kiki and AJ.  I know they are in good hands because my mom is coming to stay with them.  But my thoughts are more along the lines of: What if we don’t come back? What if the plane crashes? My kids would lose both parents AND a set of grandparents because we are taking this trip with my in-laws.  I know once we get there, I will be ok.  But when I leave that morning, should anyone see me as I depart the house, they may think I am on my way to a funeral rather than a fun-filled vacation!

2. I went to a Pickle Purse party this past week.  For those of you who may be unfamiliar with such parties, you basically design yourself a purse.  You choose the style, which is anything from wristlets to beach bags (with some wallets thrown in), the fabric, the hardware, pockets or no pockets, one strap or two, pickle logo or no pickle logo.  The choices are endless!  I have learned…that Pickle Purse parties stress me out with all the choices! But I think I designed a gorgeous one and I can’t wait to get it! I’ll have to put a picture up when it arrives so you can marvel at my wicked designer skills! HA!!

3. I learned CPR (again) and how to use an AED device properly. I may have passed the written test with a 100%, but the real test would be having to actually use what I was taught in an actual event.  When you turn our AED device on, one of the first things it says is “Calm down.”  If only it had a hand built in that would slap me in the face as well!  Then I know I would be able to focus on the task at hand!

What did you learn this week?  To see more, head on over to Musings of a Housewife.

Recently I met up with my friend Marta at our local outlets.  The plan was to spend some time together shopping for ourselves.  The rule we set before we even got there was we were NOT going into any children stores.  And believe me, there are some good ones there like Children’s Place, Carters, Gymboree, and Hartstrings.

We pretty much went into every non-kid store they have.  We drooled over the purses in Coach, Kate Spade, and Michael Kors.  We checked out what our friends Eddie Bauer, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ann Taylor were offering us.  We even went into the uniform store since we are both x-ray techs, although that was probably the quickest visit we had.  Who wants to shop for boring ol’ scrubs when we are shopping for fun stuff?

The best part was trying on jeans at True Religion and Lucky.  They really are nice jeans but in the end we couldn’t justify coughing up the 100+ bucks it takes to own a pair.  Apparently, we couldn’t justify spending any money on ourselves except for lunch.  Oh sure, we tried.  But we talked ourselves out of everything we  contemplated purchasing.

That’s not to say that we didn’t leave empty handed.  Yes there were bags in our hands…bags to Children’s Place.  Oh, and Marta bought her husband a pair of athletic shorts.  We really did have the best of intentions when we started out that day.  Somewhere along the way I guess mom guilt (and a little wife guilt) won over.  I could go out on a limb and say maybe next time, but I’m not that stupid anymore!!

So recently I have been contemplating shopping at a discount grocery store.  I have been talking to some of my friends who shop there and they swear by them.  And let’s face it, wherever we can cut costs right now we should.  But in all honesty (and I know this sounds horrible) but there is just something stopping me from going in there - pride.

We already belong to BJ’s Warehouse, and although I’m not the greatest with coupons I do compare prices when I’m at the grocery store and try to get deals.  But the people I talk to say that a lot of the stuff in the discount stores is just overstock.  Or maybe the manufacturer changed the design on the label and sent the products with the older label there.  So there wouldn’t be anything wrong with them, technically.  Apparently, you just have to really look at things like expiration dates.

So I don’t know why I can’t get over this pride thing.  Especially when I shop at stores like Marshall’s all the time.  I mean, it’s pretty much the same thing except on the grocery end of it.  My neighbor has even offered to take me to the one she shops at, Amelia’s Grocery Outlet, and show me the ropes.

So let’s open this up.  Do any of you shop at the discount grocery stores?  If you do, what types of things do you buy there?  What types of things don’t you buy there? Do you find it a lot cheaper?

And for those of you who don’t shop there: Have you ever considered shopping at one? What, if anything, stops you from shopping at one?  Do you think you can get better deals at regular grocery stores?

I’m looking forward to reading your opinions.  If I do go, I will take a picture of me entering the store (when I get a new camera) and post it on here!