Foodie! (Me!)

     If you know me, you should know that I am a huge grocery fan. I used to be a grocery store fan - you couldn't keep me out of them, but now, I really hardly ever go. I'll tell you why because I know you wanna know.  If I know one thing, it's that my readers are too interested in the crazy things I say - they really do want to know why I stopped going grocery shopping and why I only (or mostly only ) shop online for my food. Well, it's simple really.

    When I was living by myself, I didn't have the option of shopping online for groceries; that option wasn't available. I began going to this store for some items, but because I could get other things cheaper at another store, I went to that one for those particular items. Soon, I began going to eleven different stores because I could and because it made sense to save as much as I could. I got my walking in going from one store to another (the ones that were close to home), and I did the whole "I'll go when I'm already going to be out for something else" to get the items at a store further away. 

    Then, time went by, and the invention of the internet took over the world, and there it was - online shopping. It wasn't in my neighborhood, city, county, or state, but it was online, and I would pretend I lived in Chicago so I could shop online at Peapods and pretend to buy food. I did that so often that I became really good at it. I was a pro when Walmart and other stores started opening their stores for online orders. I didn't like the fact that they still made me go pick up the items, and more often than not, the food that they chose wasn't what I would have picked up - I stopped buying online for a good two years and dreamed of the day it would be perfected.

    ENTER...KROGERS!!  When we lived in Indianapolis, we always shopped at Kroger's. I loved that store. It was a little more expensive, but then again, if you bought Kroger brand items, it wasn't. I found out that so many Kroger-brand foods are made by the big names anyway, with the brand name changed on the packaging. Win-win!  Now, Kroger's has online shopping and delivery, so that's exactly what I do, and I do it literally on a nearly weekly basis now. I spend more than I would if I went to the store because I pay for the delivery and give a $10 tip every week. Overall, I spend about $45-50 more a month NOT going to the store but allowing others to do the shopping and driving, and of course, I pay a tip.

    Let's work it out -- the average American, according to three internet sources I looked into, spends $300-370 a month on groceries, and that's them getting in their car, driving to the store, shopping, driving back, unloading, and putting the food away. That's not how much they spend eating out, but just grocery shopping.  OK then, let's compare.  I have been going to Kroger since November 2024, nearly weekly. I added up all the orders I placed and divided them by the actual weeks, which, so far, has been 20. I get this: I average $450 a month for two people, not one! That includes the delivery charges and the tips.

    I'm not driving to the store in traffic or bad weather. I'm not fighting people who can't or won't shop with purpose, I'm not standing in line, or dealing with lines or people who don't know how to do self-checkout. I'm not putting up with the people I don't want to see or be around -- you know who I'm talking about -- those people who thump melons, reach for the boxes in the back, etc. I'm just sitting here on my computer, typing, waiting for the Kroger delivery person to shop for me, and to drive my food to me, and I'm doing it for less than the average American shopper! Another win!

    I get the full exciting experience of online shopping. I know for a fact that Kroger always picks out the best produce and/or product I want; it's been that way since the first order. I can HONESTLY say that in the 15 times I've had them deliver the food to me, only one (once) time has something been opened or broken open; and they refunded me immediately! It could not be easier or a better experience, and no, they aren't endorsing me. I just seriously love this way of shopping! No matter what I'm looking for, they have it. I'm not over the top crazy strange in my food loves, so I'm not asking for something that isn't normally found on their brick and mortar store shelves. 

    The Kroger warehouse is somewhere here in OKC. When I shop I take my time, I choose when I want it delivered; and I can save another $3 if I get it delivered around 2:00 or 3:00 on Saturday or Sunday, so why not? They have refrigerated vans! Rolling ice-boxes! Sign me up. They have coupons, good prices, and fresh everything, and if you go online and look, they have recipes! I don't go there, but I saw the link! I may go there. You can't stop me...nope, don't try -- it's a goal now. I'm going.

    Honestly, this is life. I truly, really do love it. I just paid $131.35 for food and $4.95 for the delivery. That's about average for every 10 days or so. I don't have it delivered every week, it's almost every week. It's about 3 times a month to be really honest -- So average? $405 monthly + $15 delivery, so $420 and then $10 tip, another $30 for the month. That's $450 a month for two people, or $225 a month for one. Dang! The thing is, we eat well. We are not skimping, don't hold back, get as much as we want, and eat well. We go out once a week too, and we feed dogs, cats, rats, and lizards, which are not included in the Kroger bill - except yes, I guess some of the lizard food is included; they eat salad.

    Overall -- perfection! I LOVE IT.  I hope you can benefit from it too. I don't miss the parking lot mayhem. I don't miss the people in line who can't move up when it's their turn to do so. I don't miss the cashier talking to me and messing up my order. I don't miss the crowds, the noise, the spills on aisle 5 -- and I do not miss the getting home and realizing that the cashier didn't push the milk to the conveyor belt so it didn't get packed. This has been a Godsend -- www.kroger.com  Give it a go. 

Photo Credit: Kroger.com

She's (It) is Here!!

     So, like a dummy, I ordered a blue-tongued skink online without so much as asking what color it was, or what sex it was. All I saw was the "on sale" banner and snatched that puppy up before someone else could. BTS (blue-tonuged skinks) can go upwards of thousands of dollars if they are a certain color and/or fit for breeding. I am really NOT interested in showing my baby off for completion, nor am I wanting to make more of them, so the sale thing was huge for me. To get a young BTS for $149 was awesome.

    Of course, as I stated in my last post, it's rarely just the lizard that you have to buy. You need the enclosure, the bowls, the hides, the fake plants, lamps, a heat source, and UVB, as well as bowls for them to drink and eat out of. Don't forget the substrate to go on the bottom of the tank; yes, the huge tank can also be a bit expensive. I did the math, and the entire thing was around $700 after all was said and done - there's the shipping too.

    Cion made it! She was packed and shipped off; only staying in the box about 24 hours before being unboxed and immediately loved. She went into her mesh bag, packed with paper and stuffed into a regular box lined with Styrofoam, and then taped shut! OMG..there was no air really -- but I'm told that the Stryafoam breathes and there was enough air. The box was small. I was concerned, until I did a bit more research on it, and the great people at Backwater Reptiles assured me and explained to me just how safe it really is. I have to admit, I wrote to Abbey at Backwater Reptiles and asked her to teach me about such things - because to me, it was crazy! They did such a great job! They really know their stuff.

    Cion is about 5 months old. She's grey-tan with black stripes, and she has a beautifully curled blue tongue. I'll see if I can post photos when she's up to it. You can catch my Instagram, and that way you can see all the updates.   She arrived at 11:15 a.m. today and we immediately took her out and gave her a nice warm bath to restore any moisture she may have lost, and we made sure to hold her and keep her close to our chests for warmth too -- and let me just say, she loves me so much more than she loves Laura. I know this because it was ME she decided to release every drop of pee and poop she had inside of her onto ME...not Laura. She loves ME!

    You haven't lived until you're holding a little lizard and a gallon of "stuff" comes out of it - I had no idea skinks could do that - but I now know; I will never forget it either. I've had skinks, and I've had BTS before, but that was just such a kind and generous welcome gift. We really bonded in that moment. I was thinking of returning the favor, but didn't know if it would fare well in their culture. I refrained.

    We went straight out to Exotic Pets in OKC  and bought her a few things. Just for your information, the one BTS they had at the Exotic Pets store last month was $560, and she was 8 months old.  Cion is really happy in her 40-gallon, but she's young, and I know I'll need an 80-gallon tank in the summer. No worries, we'll keep the old tanks for new lizards. It works out perfectly -- waste not, want not; that's our motto.  Why, just today, we were walking through PetSmart, minding our own business, and buying a new tank, when the manager asked Laura if she wanted a free Crested Gecko -- what? Are you serious? It was missing its tail, and they can't sell it -- of course, Laura said yes, and there we were, minding our own business, buying another tank -- it's sort of a Catch-22. I can't take Laura anywhere.

    Cion is resting. She's had a hard first day traveling in the dark all the way from Hollywood, Florida, to Oklahoma. She's not sure she likes all the fuzzy faces staring at her, but she knows she's in good hands -- I don't know about you, but I tend to pick up my lizards and love on them -- not sure they love the singing, but I do at least try to stay in key.  She'll learn to love it -- they all do.

Photo Credit: Me.  Cion the Blue-Tongued Skink (5 months)

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