I have a little trick I use whevever DH goes out of town – while it isn’t always so great for the budget, it saves my sanity for just an hour or so. That trick is called “Target.” You’ll usually find me wandering the aisles at least once every day while DH is gone.
What makes Target so great is four things. First, they sell a popcorn combo (small popcorn and drink) for $1. This keeps DD occupied and quiet. Second, they have the $1 bin area that always has a book or similar item that I can bribe DD with (“If you stay good while Mommy shops, you can pick out one toy…”) and it doesn’t break the bank. Third, the baby carrier actually fits in the seat (unlike many grocery stores), and the wobble of the cart lulls my DS right off to sleep. And lastly, there are just enough other mothers wandering the aisles that if DS starts crying, it just blends into the crowd. So for a total of $2, I can usually have an hour of peace – well worth the price!
The only problem is that more often than not, what started as an escape from the house turns into actual shopping and I buy something – usually something I don’t need. Like the $7.50 kids video. Or a new cookbook (that remains unused). Or clothes for the kids (kind of needed, I suppose). But my favorite area is the office supply section. This probably is a remnant of my college days when I could spend a fortune at Office Max on a bunch of supplies I didn’t really need but that were so cool. Luckily for my wallet, I overcame my Office Max collection fetish, however the Target office supplies lull me in everytime. New pens, cute post-it notes, neon labels for my printer, scrapbooking paper – Target has it all. I could wander those few aisles all day long.
So for the next few days, if you are trying to get in touch with me and I’m not home, you know where I’ll be…
$2! Can I come next time?