[kristen.c]

I go to the local organic market (Voted best of Baltimore!) to buy the majority of my groceries. They have fair prices, quality products, and incredibly friendly service. They bag your groceries, return your cart to the corral, and they insist on carrying every customers bags to their car (unless you really insist that they don't) and they do it happily- rain, snow, or sunshine. Their prices are always lower than the grocery stores in my area- many times even lower than traditional counterparts for produce, canned goods, cereals, etc. I know that they have really good benefits and treat their employees well so I buy what I can there and go elsewhere for what's left on the list. Not to mention their produce is the most fresh available and doesn't even compare to the sub par organic produce available from the supermarket.

When the weather is better I like to also stop at farm stands and do the farmers market. I'd rather spend at least some of my dollars supporting locally owned businesses than a big multinational corporation. Yes I understand that even local people work for the big multinational corporation, but the money ends up going into this giant fund and doesn't trickle down evenly to the people that are doing the bulk of the work. I hope that makes sense.

And just as Heather mentioned, I can drive all over the county trying to scoop up a few things at this store and a few things at that store, and I could end up saving some more. But the time that it takes to get there, the gas it takes to make the extra trips, I'd rather just go to my regular place and stop elsewhere if there's a bigger reason than a net savings of a couple dollars. I could spend every day driving around doing the deals at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and all of the grocery stores, but that takes away from me-time and it's not worth it to me in the long run.