Yesterday I full intended on taking pictures of my food for a what I ate Wednesday post, but I decided last minute that I could not miss the grand opening of Lake Norman’s new Whole Foods, so I ended up waking the girls up early and piling them in the car to park across the street then wait in line in a parking lot in the cold morning air.
I never claimed to be a smart woman.
And in doing so, I forgot to eat breakfast. I didn’t even know that was possible! I make sure I eat through juggling a newborn and toddler, but throw in a Whole Foods opening and I just get blinded by excitement.
We ended up standing in line for an hour and 15 minutes. Luckily there was a marching band and I ended up standing next to two awesome ladies, Kelly and Amy, that made the time pass quickly. Kelly even taught Hailey how to do the hokey pokey. I also got to meet blog reader Joni- thank you for coming over to say hi! Though you did prove wiser than me by not bringing your daughter to endure the wait with you. Smart.
However, at the end of the long wait, both Hailey and I got to spin the prize wheel, which was WAY exciting for a three year old.
She won a $5 gift card and was pretty pumped when I told her she could use it to buy anything she wanted in the store… after I nursed Kaitlyn. Yes, as soon as we got in, Kaitlyn was starving so I was grateful to find a relatively quiet nook near the Burger Bar.
By then we had been there about 2 hours and had yet to see anything of the actual store, so we went exploring to find Hailey something to buy and the first thing we ran into was…
Dear goodness, Whole Foods, the tops are open!!! How am I supposed to control a three year old around that?!
Oh, by distracting her with these, I see. Sneaky.
If you haven’t picked up on it yet, things were a bit chaotic. I tried dropping her off in the walk in beer freezer so I could peruse the store.
But after she discovered it was pretty cold, she simply told me that daddy would like it, but she was ready to go.
So somehow I left Whole Foods after spending only 20 actual minutes in the store out of my 2.5 hour venture. I also ended up leaving with only this:
I think I did it wrong.
Oh, and a chocolate chip cookie of course.
We actually did have a blast and I am really excited about the new store, though I will have to return for a look-around when I’m a little less distracted.
In honor of our new Whole Foods, I thought I’d finish up with a little survey I saw on Christina’s blog: splurge or save? Self explanatory right? Super.
1. A cocktail dress to wear to a wedding – SAVE! Because 99% of the time I’m wearing something I already own. However, if I’m in need of something new, I usually splurge. I’d like to find something high quality that flatters me and will hold up over many, many uses.
2. A glass of wine at a restaurant – Save. I know my wine pro friend Jenny just cringed but the mark-ups in restaurants are ridiculous. I’ll either look for a bottle I recognize or find the pinot noirs and go one up from the cheapest. And now you know that for as much as I love wine, I know nothing about it. Clearly I need an educational trip to Napa… or Spain. Someone tell David.
3. A hotel room – Save. Nothing dirt cheap, but if it’s safe and clean, I’m good. Sure I love a snazzy hotel room as much as anyone else, but if I’m traveling somewhere I try not to spend too much time in the room, so I hate to pay a premium unless it’s something really special.
4. A haircut – Splurge. I used to go the Great Clips route, but my hair is thick and unruly and it really makes a difference when I pay a bit more for my girl Elyse to wrangle it.
5. Wild card … you name it! GOOD FOOD – Splurge. Mmm… yes, splurge.
Whew, that was longer than I intended, so I’m cutting myself off, but please play along!
What do you save on and where do you splurge?
Jenny Tomanchek says
Thanks for the shout out Britt!
John J. Stathas says
Tend to be a “save” guy on most things but anything that is really important, i.e. a vacation, car, etc… then it’s “splurge”. Don’t like mediocrity!
Lauren @ Kale and Cookie Dough says
I love all of your splurge and saves, I feel the exact same way about all of them!
Lauren Brennan says
I used to buy really cheap-o jeans, until I decided to splurge on a pair of really good (and expensive!) ones. I’ve never looked back. The incredible fit and durability totally make the hefty price tag worth it, especially when I wear them over and over and over! Though for other clothing items, (shirts, accessories, etc) I’m still a Marshall’s and Target girl.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Exploring Whole Foods is the greatest past time 😉 Any grocery store for that matter! Which means I frequently splurge on all the greatest foods 😉
Christina says
I splurge on haircuts too! And I love to splurge on fun and unique-to-me dishes at a favorite restaurant. I save on clothes, for the most part – I love thrift stores, and most of my daughter’s clothes come from consignment sales!
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
I love that every Whole Foods is slightly different. I have two near me and I go to each for different reasons (one has a much larger hot foods section, the other one doesn’t have as many hot food options but is located in a much larger shopping center, so I can get other shopping done there too.
I agree with splurging on good food and a good haircut! I also have thick hair that is hard to tame!
Molly says
Burger bar?!? If I didn’t want to go already, I sure do now! Hoping to get in a trip next week!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Whole Foods opening would have had me all excited too!
Save – clothes. I love AT Loft store, but I never buy anything unless it is at least 50% off! I also shop Stein Mart, TJ Maxx, etc. Also for my son we shop consignment sales. And even better, one of the doctors that works with my husband has a son one year older than Canon, and they have given us TONS of cute clothes and shoes for free. Can’t beat that!
Splurge – high quality food and high quality supplements. And daycare for my son. We are not wealthy, but we splurge on one of the best daycares in the city. We cut back in other areas to make it work.
Joni says
The new Whole Foods is awesome. I was proud that I didn’t buy out the store! So I was little too excited about the opening and my husband, daughter, and I went back last night for dinner to check out the burger place – it’s really good FYI! 🙂
Heather says
First, I’m completely jealous of your Whole Foods – mine is much smaller with none of those really cool options (hello walk-in beer freezer???)
As far as splurging goes – I will always splurge on good food and drink and a haircut – like you said, it’s totally worth it.
christina says
i love this post. i did the same thing when trader joe’s opened in my old town. it was so fun!! thanks for the shoutout…and love that we have pretty much the same answers! 🙂
Lindsey @ Simply Lindsey says
It depends! In general, we save up to buy things that’ll last for a while so we don’t have to replace things often (e.g., solid wood furniture, designer jeans). But, when we buy them, we try to buy on sale so it’s kind of a save/splurge haha!
Natalie @ The Ravenous Mommy says
Your daughter looks SO happy with her cookie!!! So cute
The hubby and I splurge on date nights, since we only really have the chance to go out once every 2 months. I am a sucker for some amazing food!
Danica @ It's Progression says
I got a little chuckle out of this – leaving with a pizza isn’t the worst thing though! 😉
A new Whole Foods just opened up yesterday near our place too. I haven’t been to it yet but plan to stop over tomorrow, hopefully it’ll be a little less busy then – I get so anxious shopping in packed stores!
Monica says
Oh, to have a WF nearby! The closest one to us is an hour drive! Yikes!
Funny, but I am almost opposite of you on the Save/Splurge thing.
1. A cocktail dress to wear to a wedding – If I have to buy something new, I save and buy a cheaper dress because I don’t like to re-wear stuff to dressy occasions!
2. A glass of wine at a restaurant – Splurge. I don’t drink out much, but if I do, cheap wine is yucky.
3. A hotel room – Splurge. It is a mini vacation, and it has to be lovely and relaxing.
4. A haircut – Agreed. Hair is important, so splurge.
5. Wild card … you name it! Coffee… splurge! We often make an hour drive to get bags of coffee from a cafe in our old town, which is stupid-expensive, but totally worth it.
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
Walk in beer fridge?! Ummm our Whole Foods failed when they built their new one a few years ago! Though we do have a pub in ours. Except, I shop at the tiny Whole Foods near my house so mine has nothing. lol.
I save on all the things you said too!
Jessica @Myhealthypassion.com says
I love whole foods, Its like my happy place! And I often splurge when I am there which is totally worth it!
Tanya says
Officially the funniest post you’ve ever written 🙂 Alex and I have date night for our anniversary on Saturday and Whole Foods is our first planned stop on the agenda! Can’t wait!
Lee says
Save on dress and wine, splurge on hair and hotel.
emma @ be mom strong says
I agree on the wine! we have a glass before we go out usually!
Melissa says
Hair is always a splurge and a part of my budget. Very important. Shoes are another spulurge because if my feet aren’t happy, momma’s not happy!-
Good food and grocery store openings are one of my favorite things to do as well as when we travel, going to the grocery store tells me a lot about the city we are in!.
Your oldest is a little ‘mini me’ of you!! She is adorable and I love the rocking’ braid, leggings and boots outfit!-
Stay well and eat well!