Thursday, April 7, 2011

Shopping . . . And Spring Cleaning

We did a supply run to the big city yesterday. Mainly for electrical supplies, but since we were there we had to take full advantage of the trip and fill the back of the Suburban to the tippy-top.

First stop was Menard's. Hubby was pushing the cart and I was walking beside him but kept getting distracted by one thing and then another (you know the ploy of putting all that interesting stuff on the end of the aisles) as he trotted along on his quest. Each time I tore myself away from some item I had to check out, there he was half the store away searching behind him to find his missing partner. I'd race walk to catch up as he stood shaking his head. "Hey, I don't get out much. You have to be patient with me," I told him.

But don't get me wrong; I am not a shopper and don't do shopping well. By the end of our day, my lower back was so stiff I could hardly climb in and out of the truck.

It's just that when I'm there, my brain goes on overload because of all the sensory stimulation. I have my cast-in-iron list to which I adhere, but all the same I'm forced to make all those decisions . . . NOW. I can't think about it and come back tomorrow.

More often than not, this gets me into trouble. Today I feel so stoopid for not buying that package of gold wire I finally located (it's been on my list all winter) just because it was priced at about $2 more than I thought it should be. And those everyday cotton socks I like and purchased, why the heck didn't I get two packages of them so I wouldn't have to make the agonizing search for "just the right kind and color" again so soon?

Now that we have our booty home and into the house, I need to spend today putting it all away. Should be a simple task, right? Well, for some reason I feel energized to not only squirrel the new inventory away, but to take the time to clean and reorganize the storage areas the supplies go in to. (Must be spring fever.)

So I will now rise off my sedentary duff and get on with the day. I think it may have already started without me.

12 comments:

Susan said...

There is nothing like having a stack of stuff to store to motivate one into cleaning out the storage space first. I feel the same way about shopping - Sunday was my marathon shopping day; four hours of in/out drive here/there. I was exhausted when I got home. But, then it IS so nice to get home, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

I can totally understand the whole shopping (oooo look at that) thing, unfortunately my hubby isn't as patient with me. LOL I did some rearranging in the "home" office (tax write off) yesterday and ended up going through years of old paperwork, etc. I am itching now to sort the material, etc in that room, unfortunately I work a split shift and have to drive 45 mins 1 way to get feed, so I am sure my motivation will disappear.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - That was something I meant to add in my post but didn't. It feels so good to BE HOME today! (Doesn't take much to satisfy me.) ;o}

Ruth - I'm with you, Girl. To do cleaning, sorting, reorganizing you need to have the full day at home to make it work. Maybe tomorrow for you?

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Those stores pay someone BIG bucks to do research, planning, and layout to get you to get distracted and wonder on over to all that stuff. So don't blame yourself. I get tunnel vision because I hate to be in the store so much. Get in, get out. Dont worry about not getting the extra stuff you needed, because with this remodel, I am willing to bet you get back to the city more than you think.

Erin said...

I don't like doing those stores with hubby in tow, he wanders off like a 2 year old and then it takes us twice as long since we have to continually find him, I usually get all Home Depot/Lowe's related stuff and bring it back to him, even lumber LOL that's how much I don't want him with :)

We have 5 of those big box home improvement stores (no Menards here) within a 15 minute radius, so I can easily understand how you could get distracted when you only visit them a few times a year, good thing you had a list so you don't forget stuff! I think you are definitely having a case of spring fever, enjoy it! Is the jingle still "save big money at Menard's..."? I still remember that from being a kid :)

Mama Pea said...

Jane - Another (dirty) trick they pull to get you to wander the store is constant rearranging so nearly each time you go in, you have no idea just where the item(s) you want is located! Grrrrr . . .

And you're absolutely correct. With the remodeling we will have to be making more frequent trips for supplies. Sounds like fun to me. Not.

Erin - Do you have a retractable leash for the dogs that you could use on your hubby for these shopping trips?

Gosh, ya know I haven't heard that Menard's jingle in a long time. (Thanks, Pal. Now it's going to be going through my mind all day . . . and night . . . and day.)

Melissa said...

I love Menards! My hubby can go do his thing and I can go do mine. There's pet supplies, bird feeding stuff and we get all our seeds and garden stuff there. You'll be there a lot this year, guaranteed!Good luck with your renovation up there. Let's hope for some nice weather!
By the way, my kids always thought the jingle said, "save big mommy at Menard's," when they were younger. Kids are too funny.

Mama Pea said...

Thanks, Melissa! Love your kids' version of the Menard's jingle!

Jenyfer Matthews said...

I love wandering in stores when I am back in the US, but I too get distracted and some what over-stimulated by all that there is to see! I am already wondering what I should buy to pack up if I end up going back to Egypt at the end of the summer - I haven't a clue and I'd have to think of Christmas shopping too!

Lisa said...

I'm so glad to feel "normal" after reading your post!! I usually hold my husband's hand (he walks slow for me and stops often!) so I can look around and not have to worry about running into anything...although have run into him as he stopped when I wasn't expecting it! "Overload"...."decision making"...second-guessing decisions when home.... good post Mama Pea!
Lisa

Sparkless said...

Ahhhh shopping, I remember that from when I actually had money to spend. Enjoy your booty.

My kids are off school today cause of a teachers professional development day. It's a beautiful sunny day here so I'm hoping I can make them go outside and get some vitamin D.

Mama Pea said...

Jen - It's amazing to me that you can even THINK of Christmas with the unsettled situation you're in!

Lisa - Thanks, Lisa. Maybe someday (when I mature a little?) I'll turn into a better shopper. Or . . . maybe not! In the meantime, holding the hubby's hand sounds like a darn good idea.

Sparkless - I'm sure there are some people out there not worried about every dollar they spend these days. I just don't know any of them! We've worked and saved for these remodeling dollars but now that we're starting it, I'm scared to death that it just won't go far enough.