Confession of a Grocery Store Shopper

It's confession time.

I CAN'T STOP GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE!

I know it sounds strange. But ...

I CAN'T STOP GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE!

Here's what happens. I browse the daily newspapers and, inevitably, come across the grocery store circulars. All of them. So, I look and I see all kinds of sales that I feel I can't pass up. You know what I'm talking about. The 10 for $10 sales. Pies for $3.39 (only around the holidays), a bag of chips for $1.50 (prices are going up so I tell myself I better buy, buy, buy). It goes on and on and on. And for some reason, I can't ignore these sales. I even write down a list of all the sale items I want from each grocery store in town so I can strategically map out my plan for the week. My husband doesn't even know it's gotten this bad and he won't if he doesn't check the Visa bill. But here lies the problem. Like everyone else, we're trying to tighten the budget. Except our grocery budget isn't getting smaller. In fact, I think it's getting bigger.

I'm starting to think this is an addiction. Each time I walk out of the store, at least $50 poorer, I feel guilty and tell myself I won't go back for another week, but I always do.

My neighbors even joke that if there's a national emergency they're coming to my house because my pantry can feed an army for a month.

I guess I found one positive aspect to stocking up .. just don't tell my husband.

Battling Cold and Flu season

Now that cold and flu season is here .. you may be reaching for Airborne, the over-the counter supplement that has claimed to prevent and cure viral infections. But before you spend your money .. consider this .. in March the manufacturers of Airborne agreed, as part of a class action lawsuit, to refund more than 23 million dollars to consumers who had purchased the product in the past. While Airborne has made certain claims about its ability to boost immunity, there is no data to support these claims. I better send this article to my mom.

Just Four Cereals Are Good For Kids

My three children are constantly asking me to buy sugary cereals. Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms and Apple Jacks top the list. I told them, though, that I'm no longer buying this junk and I've kept to my promise. It's a good thing because I just came across an article that said Consumer Reports recently rated 27 cereals advertised to children and found most of them had a lot of room for improvement.

Only four - Cheerios, Kix, Life, and Honey Nut Cheerios, ranked very good.

In fact, in an international study, Consumer Reports found that several US cereals has more sugar and sodium than their counterparts in other participating countries.

Some helpful news .. now all I have to do is get my kids to eat the above cereal. So far, it hasn't gone so well.