Making life work

I know.

It's impossible to get every detail of life to work perfectly.

I am learning though, that it is critical to know my own stress points and to be proactive in avoiding them.

I know.

It's not that easy.

I can't just jump in and out of life as I please, doing only the things that make me feel happy and alive and fulfilled.

But, I'm not a victim either. I do not need to live my life in one big wadded up ball of frustration and fury.

I can make decisions and take steps to minimize my points of stress.

The word stress for me is nearly synonymous with Walmart.

Walmart does nothing for me -personally- besides fill my cupboards with household and cosmetic  products, rob my wallet, give me exercise I never said I wanted, overstimulate my mind, over-complicate small decisions, make me stand in hopelessly long lines and cause me to loose all hope in humanity (primarily myself).

 I usually get most of my household and paper products and cosmetics at Walmart. I have figured out over the years that these are the items that I most hate spending money on, which is certainly a contributing factor to the angst I feel as I push and pay for a huge load of paper products and cleaning supplies that will all literally go down the drain in another month.

Admittedly, this is my own personal issue and not to be blamed on Walmart. But as I wrote earlier, it has been important for me to identify my own stress points and learn to minimize them as best I can.

I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Aldi. I am an unashamed fan of Aldi's philosophy and functionality, not to mention their prices.  They offer quality products at rock bottom prices. (a few exceptions, I know...) I love how uncomplicated it is for me to shop at Aldi versus Walmart, especially when it comes to doing all the price comparing for this brand, that size, different packaging, etc. I usually feel quite happily satisfied with the haul of goods that I bring home from Aldi's for the amount of money that I spent, all in record time too.

I also frequent Valesky's, local grocery store, that's barely a mile down the street from my home. Valesky's is the only locally owned grocery store in Meadville. I like to give them as much business as I can afford. I buy my milk and eggs and fresh produce there on a weekly basis. Most of the meat we eat comes from this grocery store.  I love that they offer some bulk food products, such as 50 lb bags of high quality flour.

I love the hometown feel of Valesky's. I know the cashiers and they know me. If I show up without a cartload of kiddos, I am often asked where the kids are at or how they're doing.  Usually there is instrumental gospel music being played across the PA system. Sometimes there is live music coming from the grand piano set up on a balcony above the frozen items. I  typically walk away from Valesky's happy with my purchases and feeling calmness in my soul.

However, there are a few products, especially household products and cosmetics that Walmart offers that are hard to find anywhere else at an equal price. So. I occasionally find myself scurrying through the great maze of our local Super Walmart, either frustrated or numb or - on occasion- surprised by the peace and happiness that is accompanying me. (it's called the Grace and Mercy of Jesus, BTW)

About a year ago, I was introduced to Walmart's online shopping options by a good friend from church.

I know that online shopping has been an option for quite a few years already, but typically I do not shop online, especially from local venues, because of the shipping costs.

Well. I came to find out that Walmart offers free 2 day shipping on orders over $35. *

If you happen to do shopping for a family of 8 you probably know that you can barely buy a month's worth of TP for $35.

This is a win, win, win situation for me. Especially in the dead of winter when there are 3 preschoolers to tote along with me.

I know which products I like to utilize from Walmart. Walmart saves my favorites in my account. All my information, in fact, is stored in my online shopping account.

Ordering then is as easy 1-2-3.

My absolute favorite part of this whole process is having big boxes from Walmart arrive on my front porch 2 or 3 days later-- heavy with things like dish soap, napkins, toilet paper, laundry soap, laundry softener, contact solution, body wash, shampoo, paper towel etc.

It's so satisfying... As long as  I remember to reorder before the napkins, tissues, toilet paper and paper towel all run out on the same day.

I also like that I can talk about Walmart these days without gritting my teeth or getting heart burn.

I like that I can say that Walmart offers me competitive prices along with some good shopping options.

I like being able to give Walmart a big thumbs up.



 *one note of caution: not every item at Walmart is eligible for 2 day free shipping. Just be careful.