Tonight’s lecture is on the folly of chasing deals.  I am holding Meijer rain checks for 24 Smart Balance milks at $1.99/each; I currently have six coupons.  My question is:  Do I drive to Bolingbrook and see if they’re in stock and if so, do they even have 6?  Let’s assume (not a good idea with Meijer) that the milk is in stock and I can get all six using my $2 coupons – so free milk!  But is it?  Toll charges are $1 and the trip will require a minimum of one hour driving and shopping.  Now I can drive a mile to Jewel, where the SB milk is $2.49 and pay (gasp!) .49 for each of the six milks and be back home in a matter of minutes, or save the $3 and hit Meijer… guess what I did (hint:  got more stamps).

You may counter that there are other deals to be had this week at Meijer, but frankly, free pet treats doesn’t justify the trip.  Maybe next week…