Shopping and Lunch

 

A couple of days ago, my wife and I went down to Knoxville to buy some items at SAMS Wholesale club.  In previous visits, we discovered that not all items in SAMS were cheaper than they were selling at Walmart, so we make sure to compare prices.

We usually buy toilet tissue, paper towels, kleenex, cereal, coffee, olive oil, pretzels, captain's crackers, trail mix and a few other items at SAMS because they are always cheaper.  Most of these items we store on shelves in the garage until we need them.

We also noticed the day we went that unleaded gasoline was selling for $2.66/gallon which is by far the best place in town, including the new Buc-ee's.

Before we left SAMS, we purchased two all beef hot dogs and two 32oz drinks for $2.80, bring them home to eat for dinner.

After leaving SAMS we drove across the highway to Cheddars restaurant for lunch.  My wife had a grilled chicken salad while I ordered grilled salmon and rice, broccoli, and a loaded baked potato without butter.  Our bill was $31.66 which included tax.  I got the 8oz (largest) piece of salmon.  My meal was under $15, and the salmon was cooked perfectly.

When my wife and I go out to lunch/dinner, we always get water with lemon rather than some other kind of drink because all these other drinks start at $3...  so, you have immediately added $6 to the cost of your meal.

I have compared Cheddars to Red Lobster, and I cannot tell the difference in how the salmon were cooked but the price is over $5 less at Cheddars, plus the service is much better.  Both cuts of salmon were from fish farm and were not wild which disappoints me.

Sharing this post with you is intentional because I want you, the reader, to know that if you hunt around, you can find clever ways to spend your money while saving money.

We live in EAST TN and this area is cheaper to live in than south TN (Chattanooga) or mid TN (Nashville) and of course, it is much cheaper to live here than Atlanta, GA, Raliegh, NC, or Washington, DC.

I made the decision 34 years ago to move from NC to TN for the sole purpose of lowering my cost-of-living expenses.  While that move had its pros/cons, in the long run it proved to be very beneficial, and I have not missed anything that might have been offered in NC that was not offered here.