The Frugal Grad Student: Finding My Regular Store: Trader Joe's

Wow, the month of October is almost over already... I got a little busier than I expected. Guess I should finally talk about where I went grocery shopping at the beginning of the month, right?

So to start off, prior to this month I’d only ever been to a Trader Joe’s once. All the organic food can be kinda pricey. There wasn’t one in Cheney, which is another reason I didn’t shop there. But then when I was running errands and trying to find a grocery store at the beginning of the month, I got turned around on the road when I was tired, cranky, and was ready for all my errands to be over with. And there was Trader Joe’s, shining like a fancy organic beacon.

So I stopped. And I was expecting a tiny, bustling store like the one in Spokane. I was pleasantly surprised to discover, however, that it’s actually quite large inside, if still bustling. People still stepped right in front of me when I was trying to look at something, but it wasn’t quite as chaotic as my first experience. The produce selection was large, the guy bagging my groceries knew what he was doing, and we even had a pleasant conversation about The Hunger Games and Joyce Carol Oates.

Look at that beautiful, organized packing job.
Pay no attention to the lurking Goodwill bag.

I rather enjoyed shopping at Trader Joe’s, especially because it’s so close (right across the road, but not in the country sense of “across the road” like I usually mean, which really implies a couple miles away), but I won’t be shopping there again because I went over my budget. It was way too easy to do, with all the pretty chalkboard shrines to all the pumpkin things, displayed at the end of every single end-cap. …I went a little overboard, and I’m not proud of it. I’m a sucker for pumpkin stuffs.

Le pumpkin goodness.

I’m not a coupon diva by any means, but I do like to use them occasionally, and that’s not possible at Trader Joe’s because practically everything they sell is strictly Trader Joe’s brand. So there’s another strike against it. However, there were a few things I was able to find cheaper there than would normally be at home, such as the above pictured pumpkin flax granola, and a small package of chia seeds (I've been itching to try cooking with them, but they're difficult to find for a reasonable price in Spokane).

Also, I discovered I'm a sucker for cute packaging. Which is terrible because Trader Joe's is excellent with the whole eye-catching illustrations and such. I present to you, exhibit A:

I really did ned hamburger buns, I promise.

And exhibit B:

I may have impulse bought this solely because the fox's face looks like Archie's.
Also the leaves. Glorious leaves.

Evidence.

Besides, I think I might have found My Store about a week ago when I was looking for the post office. It’s wonderful and I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I go shopping for November. It feels like the store I worked at back home. Only a week away, hang in there, friends!

Until next time, I'll leave you to admire the proof of my happy, happy cupboards.