Thursday Thirteen Ed. #126: 13 Things I Bought Today at Costco
Dear Thirteeners and Usual Suspects,
There is nothing that screams HAPPY NEW YEAR’S to me like going shopping. Do you have a special, intimate relationship with Costco? Sam’s Club? Whatever you have, wherever you are? (If you are in America, that is. Do these large, somewhat hideous stores exist in other parts of the world? Non-Americans seem to have such better taste than we Yanks, in general.) (PS don’t tell my Southern relatives I called us all “Yanks,” they’ll shoot at me. Not “shoot me,” “shoot at me.” There’s a difference.) (And they’ll make sure to tell you it was “The War of Northern Aggression,” not “The Civil War.” And they will not care to discuss which side lost.)
(Yeah, we try not to talk politics, believe me.)
1) I bought a dog bed. No, we’re not getting a dog. It is huge, this dog bed. Everything looks so small or normal-sized in Costco, and once you get the stuff outta there, it puffs up like no-knead yeast bread and won’t fit in your car. It’s like a fuzzy beanbag chair, it’s totally great. Why did I buy a dog bed, you ask, since I have no dog? My first answer would be: See the effect Costco has on me? My second answer: It was cheap. (Eighteen bucks.) My third (and final) answer: I bought it for my sister’s dog, The Little Crazy Random Pooper. Also, my mom went with me, and she and I thought it would be fun to push two carts around the store — one for The Stuff; one for The Kids. With a dog bed in the Kid Cart, it made for a cushy ride for them. When I tried to leave the dog bed at my sister’s, though, she had a little “episode” wherein she would not “allow it through the door.” Then, when I insisted on bringing it in, and the Random Pooper jumped on it and made a nest, pure glee and joy, Wacky Sister informed me, “I do not really have an ‘overstuffed furniture’ theme in my house, so take it.” The kids were thrilled — they never wanted to give it to Random Pooper in the first place. My sister did, however, accept…
2) …the jumbo-size bag of dog toys. (Santa forgot about the Random Pooper.)
3) We also bought food at the deli: two slices of cheese pizza, two frozen yogurts (swirled, vanilla/chocolate), one hot dog, one berry-berry sundae. Happiness, all around, and it only cost me ten bucks.
4) Paper products of various sorts.
5) Little wheels of cheese wrapped in wax and red plastic.
6) A bottle of white, for me. (Willamette Valley Pinot Gris, 2006. A good year.)
7) A bottle of red, for Hockey God. (Francis Ford Coppola’s vineyard, a Black Label Claret Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005. Another excellent year.)
8) Granola bars, variety pack.
9) Organic toaster pastries.
10) Dog biscuits. Again, why??? Internets: “Geez, it’s almost a year since they lost their dog. Is she still in nervous breakdown?” Me: No. I bought them to throw at the neighbor’s addled dog whenever he won’t stop barking at us. I will keep some in the car. Brilliant, no? I also gave a bunch to Random Pooper. She was in a pretty happy state of Chiahuahua-terrier bliss by the time we left. Even though we took her new bed away.
11) Frozen scampi in butter sauce. Scampi, I love you so much.
12) Organic ravioli and fettucine, two containers of each. No, I do not care to discuss the final bill. More than ten bucks or twenty bucks, let’s leave it at that. We bought more than thirteen things, I cannot fib about it.
13) A Willie Nelson boxed set for Wacky Grandma.
Happy Thursday, you guys, and HAPPY YEAR OF THE RAT!
xxox
WM
, 
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I’m kinda thinking you have a “thing” for dog items………LOL. I’ll come share the scampi! I avoid costco like the plague. We don’t have the space and I always buys things I don’t need. :) I thought it was year of the pig? I’m a tiger myself.
January 2nd, 2008 | #
Oh, but this made me smile. I have lived my entire life in IL, The Land of Lincoln, and I was just telling a friend of mine who lives in Florida that I’m always surprised when I visit him and see the Confederate flag. Not only does it celebrate states that embraced slavery, it’s the flag of the side that LOST! Losers all! He just chuckled and asked me to keep my voice down.
I’ve never been to a Costco or a Sam’s Club. I have been in a Super WalMart and was overwhelmed. Too … much … stuff …
January 2nd, 2008 | #
Wow! Those are quite some purchases! Hope Wacky Grandma likes her music. My 13 is up.
January 2nd, 2008 | #
we don’t have a costco ’round these here parts…hehehehehe…but we do have a sam’s club and until recently i was a loyal shopper and then i reallized i never left that store without spending a minimum of $150.00 and there were more sam’s club receipts at the end of each month than anything else – the temptation is just too much to resist. thanks for visiting my post!
January 2nd, 2008 | #
Awwwww, your sis should let the little pooper have his big comfy Costco bed.
January 2nd, 2008 | #
I try not to go to Sams Club too often. I almost always end up buying stuff!
January 2nd, 2008 | #
Sounds like you had a good ol’ satisfying shop! I used to love shopping but not anymore (thankfully).
January 2nd, 2008 | #
We used to shop at BJS club, but then we found most of the stuff we bought in bulk went to waste, so now we just go to walmart/target/store as needed.
January 3rd, 2008 | #
Amazing how you can never get out of their for under $100. You need a dog dear, how about adopting one?
Happy TT and thanks for visiting and your kind comment.
January 3rd, 2008 | #
Yeah, I taught U.S. History for many years, and my final year teaching, I was “told” that it was no longer called the “Civil War” but the “War of Northern Aggression!” Haha! :) And, I am not even from the south!
Happy 2008!
January 3rd, 2008 | #
I simply cannot even read this entire post as I saw the words Costco and had a melt down. I am still suffering from Post Traumatic Costco On Christmas Eve Disorder.
January 3rd, 2008 | #
I love love love Costco. But yeah I don’t go there much, but I do have them deliver to my house!!! :D
January 3rd, 2008 | #
We don’t have a Costo and I’ve never been in Sam’s Club. I don’t think I could justify getting large quantities of much of anything. Plus I think it might be safer for me to avoid such a place! I have a hard enough time in stores that sell *small* quantities of stuff!
January 4th, 2008 | #
I can’t go to Costco with my husband; otherwise, we’ll have a lot of impulse purchases. We’ll go just so I can pick up my contacts and leave $130 poorer. I almost bought our dogs another bed from Costco despite the fact we have a huge one (not from Costco) currently occupying half of our living room. (I only wish I were kidding.)
January 4th, 2008 | #
It’s just those large jars of pickles and mushrooms that get in the way of the regular sized jars in my refrigerator. BJ’s is our friendly shop for kitty litter and cat food, not to mention large packages of anything we would ever want. Like most of the commentors, just can’t go in to get one or two things.
So when are you going to get another dog? I am hearing it in your blog already…LOL
January 7th, 2008 | #
Jenny McB,
I wish. Fear nervous “brake-down” if I do. That dog ruined me for any other dogs, he was so fantastic and so awful.
“He was the best of dogs/
he was the worst of dogs…”
The jars? SO GREAT for storing flour, rice, etc. in cupboards.
January 7th, 2008 | #
I love to shop! Thanks for visiting my TT; sorry I’m late in returning the favour!
January 8th, 2008 | #