Managing our resources: Consumables - Thriving week 27

I have been making progress on my to do lists for the resource areas already discussed, but the remaining areas on my managing our resources list have not been as easy to assess for improvement ideas. I’m going to focus on consumables this time.

My short term To Do list for consumables - 

• Figure out the minimums we need on hand in this category including supplies for short term emergency survival and comfort
• Do price comparison where easily accessed purchasing options are available
• Assess what we have as opportunity to use it or need to clean it arises (keep, store differently, mend, declutter, replace)

Food for us & the pup

It took a while to find acceptable grocery stores in our new location. By acceptable I mean close by, clean, not overpriced and with decent staffing and service. Initially we were shocked by how high the prices were compared to Southern Cal and how unpleasant the shopping experience was.

We settled on The Grocery Outlet and Trader Joe’s with small forays to a little neighborhood market that we can walk to. We use Safeway or Target occasionally as a source for the few things we can’t get at the others.This approach has worked but limited our choices. We are relying on Chewy and Amazon subscriptions for dog food, treats and some household supplies which works ok.

What I am missing most is variety in fruits and vegetables but I know they are available close by if I look. I found a seasonal fresh foods list for this area so I can broaden what we are eating and enjoy the seasons.

Household supplies including medical

We have settled into relying on CVS and Amazon subscription service but it is time to do some brand price comparisons and expand our shopping options. 

ACE Hardware near us does have a large selection of household cleaners, but I haven’t price compared. We get $5 off $20 or more coupons from them each month so a look is in order.

I did see that CVS brand has the kind of eye drops I need at a lower cost than the brand I have been getting from Amazon. We get 30% off total purchase coupons each month from CVS so I have been using those as much as possible.

Clothing, furnishings and other personal items 

We haven’t been buying much in these categories but will need clothing soon as ours are wearing out. I need to brave the drives to check out the women’s clothing stores that are in outlying areas. I do buy my shoes through Amazon or brand websites and do lots of returns until I get it right.

The clothing stores nearby are just Marshall’s, Ross, Target and some boutique stores which I still need to check out. Online clothes shopping hasn’t been working for me recently.

I haven’t tried to find stores for furnishings but just relied on online shopping for the few things we have needed except for the occasional ACE Hardware, Harbor Freight and Target foray for specific items.