WinCo Wins

Brand-name items are interesting for me. I've never been one to worry too much about brand-name clothing or shoes; I don't really care if I have Fred Meyer pants or Payless shoes. If they get the job done & don't fall apart after a few washings, I'm happy with them. Groceries are a different story. I used to really feel good about my pantry, cupboards or refrigerator if I had "Kellogg's," "Heinz," "C&H," etc. I was really making it if I had some Trader Joe's items in there. After reviewing our budget a while ago, we decided to try shopping at WinCo to see how it went. The savings were pretty obvious; especially if I went with the generic brand. However, I didn't want to become a regular WinCo shopper. For some reason I really kicked my heels in at the idea of having all those generic brands in my cupboards, and more importantly, that I would have to bag my own groceries!
Well, with gas prices (going down, though--yeah!), food price increases, and the point that WinCo is just minutes away, I couldn't keep giving excuses when Keith would ask "Tell me again why we don't just shop at WinCo?" I finally gave in when I saw how much I had spent at a competing store, only to get home with one bag of groceries. At WinCo, I knew that amount would buy twice as much!
Although going to WinCo is still a bit of a difficulty for me, I like it a little more knowing that I'm saving a lot of money & that I've noticed more people that "look like me" there, in terms of silly superficial demographics. You really can see every range of people there; it's quite interesting. Sometimes I forget "the rules;" for example, yesterday I was there & without thinking, pulled my cart forward when the lady in front of me pulled hers to the end to bag (gasp!) When she came back to pay, she said--somewhat rudely--"exCUSE me, MISS!" I apologized and backed up, only to run into the guy behind me who had mistaken my pull-through as valid.
Anyway, it's a work in progress. I've decided the benefits outweigh the negatives, and, as Senia has pointed out, you can't beat their bulk section!

Breaking Dawn at the break of dawn...

Well, the time is drawing near. Come August 1st, I will be heading to Powell's for a release party! I never thought I'd be "that person" that would be so interested in a book to attend a midnight release, but it sounds like so much fun. Mary & Senia are going to come along, and we are going to party it up vampire-style! I will definitely be posting more about it later, but it is going to be lots of fun, if for no other reason than I get to hang out with my best gals. :) My act of service for the night will be giving blood, as they say, "To the Red Cross, not vampires..." which will be interesting but hopefully uneventful.
That is all I have to say about that for now.

In other news, Hannah is as fun as ever! She is getting a little longer & a little chubbier (at least in my opinion) and it is fun hearing her "talk" in her little voice. It's fun to try to imagine what all she is saying. Tonight we went on a walk & she was just chatting away with her little leg resting on her stroller tray--so casual & relaxed. Her newest thing is that she makes a little round-lipped face and says "Woo-woo" when she sees a dog. I have to say that it is PRETTY cute! :) She has also had some fun times in her little wading pool; the other night she even went skinny-dipping and even sat down. The water is becoming a little less intimidating for her, which is nice to see.

Well, that's enough for now; I've been wanting to post something, but I have a hard time coming up with topics that I feel will be interesting for people to actually read. :) Senia, I could use a few more "post-starters." :)