Good grocery shopping day

I had a good shopping day at Winn-Dixie yesterday. Spent $66.28, saved $68.09 between sales and coupons. I love getting more and paying less (doesn't everyone?).

Winn-Dixie stores have been around for years. They took a hard hit a few years ago, though. They went into chapter 11 bankruptcy, the reorganizing kind, and it was unknown if they'd be able to get back on track. Lots of stores closed. Personally, though I'd shopped at Winn-Dixie, I wasn't fond of their stores. I found their prices to be on the high end, their produce was yucky looking, and most of the stores in my area were not the cleanest. Once Walmart supercenters came in, Winn-Dixie couldn't compete. This saddened me, because Walmart is something of a bully. Sure, consumers love Walmart because they've got so much stuff jammed into their super stores at very low prices (or so it seems). But once a Walmart comes into an area, all the stores around it suffer. I've seen many stores close (including Winn-Dixie's) after a Walmart opens, which means loads of people out of work. People that won't get hired by Walmart because Walmart already has their employees. Is this REALLY good for the economy?! What good is a store with low low prices to a consumer, if the consumer doesn't have any income thanks to that very store?

Thankfully, Winn-Dixie used the bankruptcy, not to permanently shut down, but to restructure and make their stores better. And I've found that at Winn-Dixie I can get much better buys and bring home lots more food than I do from Walmart. For the $66 I spent at Winn-Dixie, I got:

2 boneless pot roasts
2 pkgs pork chops
2 bags chicken wings
2 containers ice cream
2 bags salad blend
2 pkgs Keebler chocolate chip cookies
2 pkgs fresh croissants
2 loaves Arnold italian bread
2 boxes Pop Secret popcorn
2 boxes Lunchables (my son likes them)

All these at buy one get one free prices. Plus I got taco shells, cucumbers, limes, tomatoes, cheddar cheese (for tacos; cinco de mayo is coming up), bleach, pkgs of instant mashed potatoes (for when my son wants something quick), and breakfast foods. I looked at all the bags in my car and realized I come home with less from Walmart and spend more! I've compared prices, and I can assure you Walmart is NOT always the cheapest. Shop around, check out your circulars, and make wise choices. Thanks to careful planning, I've managed to bring down my monthly food budget by over $200. It's worth the effort!