Today was grocery shopping at opposite ends of the spectrum – $1.99 Mojo Marinade and $7.95 Papaya Lime Grilling Sauce.  $1.39 Pickles and $7.95 Black Olive Spread.   Gift Certificate buying and Debit Card (my own) buying.

A while back I did a web design for a friend.  She has a great business doing equine massages.  I just gave her the design (another reason why I will never have money – I keep giving it away…) and her husband put the site together.  She offered to pay me several times but I just said don’t worry about it.  So Saturday, she gave me a $50.00 Harry and David’s Gift Certificate along with another certificate good for $10.00 off a $20.00 purchase.  $60.00 worth of free food!  See Tim Smile.

In the meantime, I’ve been hearing a lot about a grocery store named Aldi.  There’s one about 6 miles from us, so I thought I’d start out at the mall and then head up and see what all the fuss is about.

First stop was Harry and David’s.  I’ll admit that I haven’t been in a Harry & David’s store before.  I’ve seen their catalogues and have even been the recipient of a Fruit of the Month Club, but I’ve never really shopped one of their stores.  They are not inexpensive.

They had a lot of stuff that looked interesting, but had I not been armed with free money, I definitely would not have been shopping there.  It’s amazing how fast things can end up in your basket when someone else is paying the bill!  I really had fun!  Papaya Lime Grilling Sauce!  Just the thing for the new BBQ grill. Relishes at three for $14.50?!?  Why, three, of course!  Love mustard.  Need a new flavor.  Chipotle and Bacon in a BBQ sauce?!?  Add it to the bag!  A couple of fruit spreads, a caramel sauce and a Black Olive Spread ate up my card, and I quickly exited The Mall in search of Aldi’s.

The store is decidedly different.  Not a lot of shelves – aisles made of pallets stacked high with products.  Very inexpensive products.  Tomato sauce for 25¢, saltine crackers (without partially hydrogenated fats or high fructose corn syrup) for 89¢ and vanilla extract for $1.99.  Everything in the picture above came to $38.86.  You bring your own bags and bag your own groceries.  And you have to put a quarter in the little slot to get a shopping cart.  But the place was clean, well-lit, well-stocked – and almost devoid of any customers.

I couldn’t see myself shopping there weekly, because they really didn’t have a lot of the things we usually eat, and the staples I picked up should last a while.  But I’m sure I’ll be back in a month or so to see what new things are available.

Tonight’s dinner is going to start with a Papaya Lime Pork Tenderloin on the grill.  So what if it’s wet and rainy outside?  Time for some Island Fun!