Last night, I walked with my wife to the nearby supermarket. At first, I didn’t want to go because I was tired from work and just wanted to sit around. However, my wife convinced me to go with her in the end and I was so glad that I did. We ended up having so much fun. The fact that we had a healthy walk and also saved some money was icing on the cake.
It all started after work when my wife wanted to buy some eggs. We moved recently, so we are still in the discovery stage instead of having a set route for everything. So, she decided to walk down to the closest grocery store to buy eggs because of a lack of a better alternative. I didn’t really want to get out of the house at that point but I agreed to go with her anyway.
During our walk, we talked and shared our day with each other and it was super nice. We don’t usually walk to places, so it was nice to be able to share that time together. If we drove, we probably wouldn’t have shared and talked with each other as much.
When we reached the supermarket, we realized that they had a pack of 18 eggs on sale for $1.89. This was much cheaper than what we were expecting (we’ve seen as much as $4 for 12). What a nice surprise which made our walk back even more pleasant.
So, last night’s walk saved me money on the eggs, gave me a chance to share with my wife, some exercise and also saved transportation costs.
Maybe you should try walking sometime. It is better for the environment, healthier for you and beneficial for your wealth.
{ read the comments below or add one }
@Cleo: I second Lesa’s recommendation of sunscreen, and further recommend a hat! Wore a straw hat for 10 years working at the Renaissance Faire, and if I hadn’t, I’d look like an old-fashioned apple doll right now. Sunscreen slithered right off our sweaty faces, so we had to keep reapplying it, but our hats stayed on! 🙂
Eventually, you will look in the mirror and realize your face is weatherbeaten. I always walk to and from my supermarket with full knowledge of what I am doing to myself because I can’t afford to drive.
Wear sunscreen and think about the health benefits. Hopefully you will have a car one day soon and just walk because you want to.
Well done, moneyning. I have been shopping with my feet for years.
And Ryan’s comment regarding walking home with supermarket purchases being a great way to keep from overspending – absolutely. I am always working from a list, and I by now have a very good idea of just how much will fit into my oversized backpack. So I make decisions throughout my shopping as to what weighs too much, what is unnecessary this trip, what is not a healthy choice for me, what I can wait to buy until it goes on sale, etc.
So many good points to this method of shopping, not least being the excellent weight-bearing exercise it provides. Plus you get to see what’s going on all around you in your neighborhood. Keeps you on your toes
[no pun intended].
You also get the benefit of not being able to overspend because you’ve got to carry the groceries all the way home.
Great to see the support for walking. I happened to stumble on this blog for the first time today. I work at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, where we’ve launched a “Burn Calories, Not Carbon.” (TM) pledge. It’s a great way to make a statement about more walking and biking.
Thanks for the blog post.
Walking is a good excercise. So keep it up while you save a penny for the rainy days.
I think it’s really nice to have some common activities with your other half. Keep it up moneyning.
David, I can tell you’re so in love. This was sweet, and you as usual showed folks that getting outside their comfort zone is good. Thanks For another great post.
That’s a wonderful story. My late husband and I used to take a drive on a country road from time to time, then get out and walk to pick berries or wild greens. Those were some precious times for conversations and just being together.