What you need to get by

Yesterday I trekked to Ikea. I think I could spend hours wandering there to see what they have...Oh, wait. That is what I did. I similarly visited a Trader Joe's last weekend and went a little crazy there too. But it got me thinking about if I limited myself to a certain number of stores, what would they be.

The bare minimum would be Ikea, Trader Joe's, and Target. I think I could literally get anything I would need ever from these stores. Above this minimum, I would add a good farmer's market and something like Ann Taylor for nicer clothes (although I admit I do have a skirt suit from Target!).

I did go in to Ikea looking for two specific things: straw Christmas ornaments and a $4.99 17 piece container pack for CF. (He recently commented that he needed some of those ornaments and his roommates just moved out after depleting his stash of containers over the past couple of years and he refuses to shop anywhere but Target and Tractor Supply Company.) Then the containers turned out to be THE perfect container I had been looking for to get for my students doing Western blots in lab. That may not mean much to you, but do you know how impossible it is to find inexpensive plastic containers with a completely flat bottom that only curves up at the edges?

 

I also wanted to check out their couches. If I could buy one now, it would be one of these. Both are sleeper couches; the first one is part of a modular series.

Then I also got some candles that smell amazingly like spiced apples, some scentless colored candles (which are nearly impossible to find, even at Target?!), and some Swedish food.

Trader Joe's, on the other hand, would easily provide all the groceries I would need. I bought a lot of Yogi tea recently, as it is my new favorite brand, and they come with fortunes/sayings on the bag tag. They are all quite boldly flavored but smooth, like a good porter. :-) I got the Lemon Ginger (for digestion), Kava Stress Relief, and Cold Season. I think that may have been all TJ's was carrying at the time, but there are many other types. True to TJ's purpose, their regular price for these teas was less than the sale price I recently paid at the regular grocery store. It is amazing what you can get for how little at TJ's! I also bought this Yerba Mate tea, which TJ's sells for half of what GNC advertises and chocolate covered almonds and ginger for snacking at work, among other things.

Target? Well, it is Target. Need I say more?