My sister, who works a high-powered job for which she has to dress very formally, decided today to finally check out the dry cleaner in the basement of her office building. Since this dry cleaner is an office perk, she had been sure that it would be much more expensive then her usual place. However, she was excited to discover that actually the office dry cleaner is significantly less expensive, not to mention incredibly convenient!
This really got me thinking how important is to shop around and try new venues for shopping and services. You never know what you might find -- sometimes the exact opposite of your expectations, as my sister did!
The same thing happened to me when I first shopped at Wegmans, my favorite grocery store ever. I had heard about how nice it was and all the gourmet products they carried, so I planned to limit myself to a few special items, certain that all their prices would be above average. However, I eventually discovered, to my surprise and delight, that Wegmans actually has the lowest overall grocery prices in my area. I now shop there twice a month, although it is 25 minutes from my house. (You'll definitely hear more about my Wegmans obsession if you read this blog.)
Your expectations can work the other way too. Another grocery store in my area is very no-frills inside, so I assumed it had bargain prices. Upon research, however, I discovered that most of the prices really weren't that much better than other stores, and some items were more expensive.
I also think of when I first started shopping at the dollar store. I had always assumed that these were junk shops, but I have been pleasantly surprised to find the fun and useful items that can be purchased there. Dollar store shopping is worth a post of its own!
Anyway, it is definitely worth being open-minded about trying new stores and service providers. Savings can appear in many different places!
This really got me thinking how important is to shop around and try new venues for shopping and services. You never know what you might find -- sometimes the exact opposite of your expectations, as my sister did!
The same thing happened to me when I first shopped at Wegmans, my favorite grocery store ever. I had heard about how nice it was and all the gourmet products they carried, so I planned to limit myself to a few special items, certain that all their prices would be above average. However, I eventually discovered, to my surprise and delight, that Wegmans actually has the lowest overall grocery prices in my area. I now shop there twice a month, although it is 25 minutes from my house. (You'll definitely hear more about my Wegmans obsession if you read this blog.)
Your expectations can work the other way too. Another grocery store in my area is very no-frills inside, so I assumed it had bargain prices. Upon research, however, I discovered that most of the prices really weren't that much better than other stores, and some items were more expensive.
I also think of when I first started shopping at the dollar store. I had always assumed that these were junk shops, but I have been pleasantly surprised to find the fun and useful items that can be purchased there. Dollar store shopping is worth a post of its own!
Anyway, it is definitely worth being open-minded about trying new stores and service providers. Savings can appear in many different places!
I found your blog by way of Frugal Friday!! I am also trying my best to be frugal, although I've got the blonde part covered!! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing what else you post about!
Kim in NC
Hey Liz! Love your blog... I'm going to check it out often! I just gave in this morning and brought sth to the dry-cleaner's (I almost never do, since my mom has all these handy tips for washing "dry-clean only" stuff by hand for FREE) but I wish I had known that the dry-cleaner's in your sis's office building is cheaper since I live right behind it too!
ReplyDeleteTherese
Kim and Therese, thanks for the encouragement! Hope you enjoy the blog!
ReplyDelete