Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

How to Spend $169.22 on Three Bags of Milk

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I believe there’s a saying somewhere that states it’s virtually impossible to go to Walmart for just one thing. Even with the best of intentions, one always ends up spending more than he/she had originally intended.

Of course, this ragebuilder sums it up perfectly:

So I suppose you can say it was wishful thinking when I believed I could stop in for some milk last Friday night. I know, I know – “Friday night, what?” << Yes, I have a cardinal rule for never shopping at Walmart unless it’s at 7:00am, as witnessed here. You see, I just don’t do crowds. But on this particular evening, I was passing the store, had milk on my shopping list, and figured I could be in and out in less than 20 minutes.

I figured wrong.

So what happened? How did I go astray? Come shopping with me, and you’ll find out.

The evening began with me pulling up to the store to find the parking lot quite full. This irritated me for some reason, even though the rational side of me understood that a Friday evening at Walmart was bound to be crowded. Still, I pulled my coat around me tighter and prepared to make a beeline for the dairy department.

First obstacle: Pampers on sale. ($37.83 down from $49.97) Since Reid’s potty training is painfully off schedule, I decided it was wise to stock up on the “last box” of diapers I’ll ever buy. (Technically, this is the third “last box” of diapers.) I turned around and reached for the shopping cart that I wasn’t supposed to need for one package of milk. However, I didn’t feel a desire to lug around a ginormous box of diapers, so that was that.

Alas, beside the diapers were Allen’s juice boxes on sale for just $1.67 per 8-pack. Since Ryder takes a juice with his lunch every single day, it would be silly not to stock up at such a great price. Before I knew it, four (4) packs had found their way into my cart.

Okay, for those keeping tabs, I’d been in the store for under two minutes, and I’d already filled up a shopping cart to 50% capacity and spent close to $45.00. Good grief.

Whatever. I’m here – and I’ve already deviated from the original plan – so I decided to take a walk around the perimeter to see what deals were there to be had. Here are just a few of my favourites:

1. A “Store Manager’s Special” on boys and girls tees and shorts, sizes 4-16… for just $3.00 each. I mean really, how can you go wrong? I walked up to the display, expecting to encounter rough, cheap cotton and silly little motifs. Incredibly, I was duly impressed with the soft, thick feel of the fabric, and the little truck and dinosaur designs were perfect for a young child! (“George” brand, for those that are wondering.) The items passed my quality inspection and I loaded up my cart with five (5) tees and five (5) pairs of shorts for Ryder. Seriously, I spent just $30.00 on 10 articles of clothing! His summer wardrobe is almost complete. Score!

2. Character-licensed spring jackets for kids were a-plenty – and super affordable. I found a lightweight, waterproof jacket that was lined, and had a hood, for $25. The most fabulous part? The Spider-Man motif across the front, of course. They had similar items featuring Batman, Disney’s Cars and other kid favourites, too. When I brought the jacket home, Ryder took one look at it and declared it was “exactly right”. When did he turn into such a scrumptious little know-it-all?

3. I soon came across another Store Manager’s Special: Giant Colouring Books for $4.00 each. At Walmart they regularly retail for $4.76, so it was by no means the sale of the century, but I’ve seen the same colouring books selling for $5.99 at Staples and even $6.29 at Loblaws. Hence, it was a great deal by comparison. Since I am already stocked up on giant colouring books for my little Picassos, I opted to grab 24 washable markers, on for $4.00 as well.

4. Next, did you know that Italpasta is just $1.00 every day at Walmart? I feel like I’ve been overspending, even though pasta is relatively inexpensive wherever you shop. Still, it’s not $1.00! Both my boys adore spaghettini so it was a no-brainer to grab a few packages, with some penne for the husband. If you make your own sauce from scratch with a can of crushed tomatoes, you can feed a family of four for under $2.00. Crazy.

5. Finally, have you discovered Walmart’s oven roasted, fully cooked chicken and turkey breast strips? They are hands down the BEST thing for a quick, satisfying meal. With flavour varieties such as Italian, Thai, Mild Curry, Rotisserie and more, they’re the perfect addition to wraps, salads, pasta dishes, stir frys and cold lunches. I love snacking on the strips straight from the package; they’re full of protein and low in fat. Could you ask for more?

Okay, so eventually I made it to the dairy section. The dripping bag of opened milk put me off just a little, but the boys needed their homo milk, and so I reached below for a dry package. At this point, I had been in the store for over an hour… way to blow my original plan of being in/out in 15 minutes or less!

Of course, these were just the highlights of my shopping trip. To see everything that made it into my cart, be sure to check out my Google + story. You’ll see lollipops, puzzles, strawberries, and a whole list of things I didn’t think I needed before I set foot in Walmart – but became an absolute necessity once I walked through the sliding doors.

And that’s how I spent $169.22 on three bags of milk. *Shakes fist at Walmart.*

Do you find yourself constantly overspending at Walmart? Why is it so hard to stick to just one item?

I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias #SocialFabric

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Holly

    I do this every single time I am there. Thankfully, we don’t have a Walmart here in Stratford and the closest one is 40 minutes away. My husband and bank account appreciate that. However, we have Walmart AND Target opening here soon. I think I’m going to be in trouble.

  2. Carlee

    Yes. YES!!! All the time. Thanks for the heads up on those cute t-shirts, I’ll be stopping by Walmart tomorrow for sure.

    • Lena

      Hahaha he knows how it is, so he was very forgiving! He too succumbs to Walmart’s great prices and buys too much :)

  5. Lisa H

    Oh boy! I just went to Walmart to get some free items I had coupons for (Lindt bar, Dr.O pudding, BlueWater fish etc) and I ended up spending $174! Thats what I get for letting my husband come along lol!

    • Lena

      Oh my! You theoretically would have spent nothing with Free Product Coupons – and you still spent almost $200, haha! Sounds like something I would do!

  6. Jackie

    ok, I’m laughing – with you, though, not at you. This happens to me here all the time. And at Costco. I don’t know what it is – maybe some kind of subliminal voice? at walmart I’m sure it’s the smiley face. He’s just there, smiling at me, saying.. ‘check this out? it’s a good deal… c’mon… go for it…” and I fall for it everytime. :-) Yep, you can’t just buy one thing. It’s impossible.

  7. nicoleroannef

    Yup guilty over here. It’s just so much fun to browse at Walmart and the prices are so good, especially on candy, cookies, chips and ice-cream… yup.

  8. Soozle

    Hahah! I hear ya, Lena! I am not capable of walking into Walmart and purchasing ONLY the item I went in for…

    Actually, I use the Field Agent app and end up spending more money buying things in the stores I go into then I make on the job hah :-)

    Cute outfits for your boys! I am loving the quality of clothing Walmart is putting out these days!

    • Lena

      Me too! When George first came out I was very neutral about it, but they’ve made great strides in quality and design. Two thumbs up!

  9. AlwaysARedhead

    What saves me – I hate shopping, with the exception of groceries, and then I mainly shop at the Hamilton Farmer’s Market, & Costco. I’m a five minute drive from both Walmart & LImeridge and I maybe visit the three times a year. It also helps that I no longer have toddlers, my children, aged 23, 20 & 18 all buy their own clothes and have for quite a while now. The 23 year old cleaned out her closet this weekend, and mom got hand-me-ups!

  11. Anne Taylor

    Omgosh, yes yes and yes lol My husband and I go in for just a few things because we love going in the under 12 items lane but we rarely get to go through them lol We forever find great deals and things that we “need” at that moment!

  13. Darlene Schuller

    lol thats right !! That is me.. i can never go to walmart or any store w/out my coupon book and walking out with what I came for only. If I want that to happen, I send my husband :)

    • Lena

      Don’t they have milk bags in your area? I know US folk think it’s the weirdest thing, but I’m so used to it!

  15. AlexandraSD

    WOW!! Thanks for the tip on the tee shirts, I went yesterday and picked up 10 for my 8 YO daughter. 10 tee shirts for $30, what a bargain!!! And you’re right they do feel like high quality cotton. Wouldn’t have known about it if I didn’t see it here so thank you!

  18. Victoria Ess

    Haha this post resonates so deeply with me. It could also be titled, how to spend two hours buying three bags of milk.

  19. Dawn

    lmao! that is totally me!
    i went in for deodarent one day and spent over $200 lol!

    i feel your pain Lena!

  20. Florence C

    Yes that can happen very easy. the bottom of my coat closet is filled with toilet tissue and paper towels. My cupboards are blocked with food.

  22. NT

    I never, ever walk out of Costco with a bill under $100, and usually its closer to $200, even when I’m just “popping in for 1 thing”.