Trader Joe's

I have lived in Norwalk, CT for almost 7 years now with access to not ONE, but TWO Trader Joe's stores. I have never shopped there regularly and am now kicking myself. Just recently I have taken the time to peruse their aisles and check out all their goods and noticed one unmistakable fact.....their products are not only good.....they are really, really inexpensive!

I have been scouring the weekly fliers that come in the mail for savings to the stores I tend to frequent, like Stop & Shop or Shoprite and while they my have some decent deals depending on the week, they really can't beat Trader Joe's on certain things. Just last week I was at Trader Joe's with my son when they were going around with cereal samples for their Gourmet Flakes and Chocolate Cereal. Kellogg's has a similar product, in a smaller box, for almost twice what Trader Joe's is asking!!!!! It's amazing what a name brand can do to a price. And that's just one of their products that I have allowed myself to indulge in now that I can justify buying it again. They also have almond butter their which I have to buy for my daughter since she is allergic to peanuts and they charge around $4.00 for theirs where Stop & Shop has an almond butter for $10.00. Uh, no brainer! They also have their own verson of Pirate's Booty in a bigger bag for a whole lot less!

Not only does Trader Joe's do wonders for my budget, but they also offer a HUGE range of products that are ORGANIC!!!! Now that I've been scared into consuming mostly organic foods after reading Skinny Bitch, this is a mecca for me. The Trader Joe's I've been going to in Westport, CT is a small store and they don't offer fresh cuts of fish or meat (only frozen fish).....not that I should care since Skinny Bitch pretty much scared me into being vegetarian as well, so I'll have to check out the one in Darien, CT to see if that TJ's does things differently and offers a different variety.

All the same, Trader Joe's has great products and offer them at such competitive prices that I wish I'd taken the time to notice a long time ago. I was under the impression that it was high end health food store that only those who live in Westport and Darien could afford to shop at. I was way wrong. In fact, the staff as well couldn't be nicer! They all seem to enjoy their work, which makes the store feel so welcoming. They are so helpful and are so sweet to the kids. My son is sure he leaves with at least 2 balloons for both he and his sister whenever we go. Today he not only copped two balloons, but snagged two sets of mardi gras beads from one of the employees.....again, one for him and one for his big sis. What a nice little brother.

So, if you haven't yet discovered Trader Joe's, you must go! You can thank me later.

Until next time......

Thanks for reading!

Kristen