I'm not in the habit of photographing my groceries, but this was all part of my mom's and my scheduled day together, which we hadn't had much of because my grandmother had been visiting, and she doesn't have the energy to run around like we do. We had a few errands to run, but also, I wanted to take the opportunity of being down near Super Target to investigate whether or not I should shop there more often because their collection of organic products is far superior to Walmart and is mostly cheaper than Publix. We walked the aisles and piled coupons together for some great deals, especially the "stackable coupons" from target and the manufacturer yielding an $0.84 box of MorningStar Farms Buffalo wings and $0.50 box of MorningStar Farms Chick 'n nuggets. Mom got free mayo and salad dressing by stacking the coupons. Target had the Quaker Oatmeal Pancake mix that I couldn't find at any other stores, and that only cost me $0.69 after the coupon. Paul wanted to try the new Olive Oil Mayo by Kraft, which I had a Target coupon for. Then, there were lots of items on sale or clearance that I acquired without coupon because even paying the sale price without coupon is better than paying full price at any other store I'm often near. I was very happy to acquire the Back to Nature Triscuit-type crackers as that is a good, healthy brand. The only things I paid full-price for were Riceworks chips because I wanted to review them to go with our gluten-free series on Eat Like a Rabbit and bananas. If someone knows how to get a cheap price on Chiquita, please let me know!

I had read online that last Friday was National Doughnut Day and that Krispy Kreme was giving away free doughnuts. We were surprised to find a Krispy Kreme right by Target and stopped in there as a reward for our successful grocery shopping trip. A lady and her kids were standing in front of us in line choosing doughnuts. When the lady at the counter asked if she could help us, I asked if they were participating in the day's festivities. She said yes, and smiled while she handed us each a baggie with a fresh glazed doughnut in it. The lady still standing at the counter was stunned and asked how we did that! Goes to show, you can learn a lot from the internet.

After Target, I showed Mom my new favorite store, which I found because it is next door to one of my company's offices. Freshfields Farm had the best strawberries I have eaten all season, and as we walked in, an old pick-up was pulling out with an empty trailer telling us something had just been delivered. Local makes this stop important for me. The strawberries were a success, again. Consistently at this store; no where near at other stores I have shopped at this season. The kiwis, peaches and apples however, were most disappointing. My proudest purchase was a beautiful head of Romaine Lettuce for only $0.85. The asparagus was also better than I have purchased in grocery stores or at the farmer's market this season. I also have enjoyed the beautiful, albeit slightly more expensive than Costco, tomatoes offered at this shop. I'm sorry it's not consistent for all produce, but if I can figure out what items here are successful, I will be happy shopping there more often.

This past Friday was a free Bagel at Einstein Brothers with coupon that came in the mail. I wonder what we'll do next week. . .