Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:

> I gotta admit, I don't shop prices and I don't clip coupons. We both
> work full time and the idea of studying market ads and the Sunday
> coupon section to save a few bucks isn't worth the aggravation to us.
>
> My idea of cost cutting is to know that whatever I buy at Bristol
> Farms is going to be more expensive than at Gelson's and Gelson's is
> going to be more expensive than either Von's/Pavillion's or Ralph's,
> so when I'm buying just everyday *stuff*, I go to Von's/Pavillions or
> Ralph's. When I want sushi grade fish and the best meats, I go to
> Bristol Farms. I want the best produce, I go to Gelson's. Shopping for
> everyday *stuff* means blasting into and out of a market at warp speed
> at 6 p.m. on a weekday. Creating a nice dinner involves Bristol Farms
> and Gelsons with little thought to the cost or how much I hate
> shopping after work :-(
>
> OTOH, we do Costco about once a month for paper goods and such, which
> is a total dichotomy given the above. Go figure.

Funny how differently we see things. I buy virtually all my big-ticket
food items at Costco. Their beef is consistently the best in this
market, always at the best prices - I usually buy whole rib sections
and cut steaks from them. On weekends, they do their seafood
promotions and I buy bags of mussels, salmon filets, U-15 shrimp, huge
scallops - at prices significantly lower than even Wal-Mart's
superstores, at way better quality. Boneless pork loins are up to
$2.09/lb and a good deal. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs for $1.69.
Bulk cheeses, etc.

Wines. Big bags of almonds. Dairy products. Bacon and other processed
meats. Paper products, as well. Some things come in packages or groups
too big for our house, so them I'll buy in supermarkets. I'm not a
price shopper, either. I want the best produce, so I go where it is.
WHen I'm feeling extravagant, we'll run over to Charlottesville, VA to
the Whole Foods store for cheeses, breads, etc. where we leave a
significant amount of money. Or we'll hit "Foods of All Nations" and
get some really exotic stuff. Then we behave for a few weeks while we
eat everything.

Pastorio