“Uh-oh,” I thought, as six jars of jelly rolled through the checkout and into the hands of a bagger during one of our monthly grocery shopping jaunts. I wasn’t surprised, since my husband and I each take a grocery cart upon entrance and go our separate ways. We both took advantage of some featured “super specials” that day. As I watched the cashier punch in more items from our carts, I saw that we had selected other similar items.

I try to take stock of the groceries we have on hand before we leave home. Sometimes, though, I forget to tell him that we already have three jars of mayonnaise and several jugs of vegetable juice jammed in the pantry. Or that he needn’t add to our already abundant supply of hot chocolate mix.

He’s in charge of getting the eggs, margarine and dairy items, such as milk and cheese. He also gets the breads. Too, I can count on him to find special goodies. He once told a cashier that he gets the goodies and I get the food.

There’s always a vendor who offers great bargains. Sometimes she has tasty samples as well as coupons to further entice the shopper to buy her products. Most of the time one or more of the item she pushes winds up in our cart.

I compile a grocery list to take along with me and try to mark off what I toss in my cart as I move leisurely from aisle to aisle. Invariably, though, I forget something and have to back track. That forgotten item is usually on one of the first few aisles as I entered the store. As I make my way back to pick it up, something else catches my eye. At times I have concentrated so hard on a new item that I’ve forgotten what I came back for.

I enjoy checking out what’s available, but sometimes tire of hunting what I need when there are so many choices these days. Just finding my favorite cereal or kind of soup can get tedious. Mind you, I’m not complaining. I’m thankful we are blessed with choices.

Since I’m short, I always have trouble getting groceries off the top shelves. Jars of pimentos and small cans of our favorite brand of English peas sit on top shelves. By the time I reach that aisle, my husband has disappeared, probably three or four aisles away. It’s easier to just look around for someone tall enough to get them for me. Since there are plenty of people moving up and down the aisle I’m in, I find some kind soul to help me out.

Now, after all that work loading our cart, we stand by and watch the amount go higher and higher while the cashier punches away to reach that grand total. But the fun isn’t over yet. Once we arrive at home, we have to haul in the bags and put all those groceries away.