My Trader Joes Experience

My Trader Joe’s Experience

 

I’ve been meaning to get this post up for a while now, but just haven’t made the time.  If you know anything about me, you would know that I absolutely love to eat and especially love to eat healthy foods.  A few months back, I heard about the opening of a health food store called Trader Joe’s and had been meaning to make a trip for some time.  I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Whole Foods.  The hate only comes in when it’s time to check out and I’m ringing up five items for $100.  I heard that Trader Joes was very reasonable in price and I’m all about staying on a budget.

Last Saturday I took the girls to Trader Joe’s and I must say that it was love at first sight.  The prices were very reasonable.  There were fresh fruits and vegetables and lots of quick frozen foods that were also healthy alternatives.  I found a few great snacks and even some toiletry items as well.  When it comes to the kitchen, I’m what you would call a semi- homemade type of mom.  I don’t like to spend a whole lot of time slaving over the stove, so any quick alternative makes me happy.  I grabbed lots of frozen vegetables and some were even grilled and pre-seasoned.  As far as snack foods go, I picked up some blue corn chips and mango salsa, organic cheese cracker sandwiches, all natural frozen fruit popsicles and some breakfast bars.  Trader Joe’s was definitely home of the nut butters.  I am all for a great tasting peanut butter and almond butter, but this time I picked up a jar of sunflower seed butter and some Cookie & Cocoa Swirl peanut butter.  Yea, so, those two jars are pretty much gone and it’s only been a week.  I guess I’ll have to double up next time.

I picked up some Trader Joe’s brand shampoo and conditioner and some tooth paste.  From my many binge sessions of watching YouTube, I’ve heard that this particular brand of shampoo and conditioner were amazing.  The exact name is called Tea Tree Tingle.  I would say that it is comparative to the Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat shampoo and conditioner.

I initially only went in this store looking to pick up a few items to try and ended up spending close to $100 on a basket full of items.  Nothing on my receipt was over $5.  I was pretty surprised and satisfied as a mom on a budget.  I still have food in the freezer and in the pantry that I haven’t even touched.  I think this was definitely a mission accomplished.  Of course, this store is not a complete replacement for the usual Wal-Mart run, but it’s definitely a nice getaway from the norm.

If you’ve ever made your way over to Trader Joes, let me know what your experience was in the comments below.