Walmart does NOT save you money

I sat down the other day and actually figured up my budget, something I haven't done since I was 9 and mom made me save 10% of my allowance for college. After figuring and refiguring a half dozen times, I came to the realization that somewhere along the line, I was blowing anywhere from $600-800 a month with no clue where it was going. A quick check of my debit card transactions, however, showed exactly where that money was going.

Walmart. I simply cannot go into that place and come out with just the 50 pound bag of dogfood I went in for.

This is hardly something unique to me. Half a dozen comedians talk about how you go to Walmart for Q-tips and come out with $800 worth of crap. The truth is, Walmart wants all your money. I mean ALL of it. The really big ones look more like a mall than a single store, with the idea that if they can keep you there all day, you'll spend every penny you make on worthless crap that won't last a month anyway.

Therefore, I have a new policy regarding Walmart visitations. In the interest of saving money, I now buy groceries at United. Sure that Bambino watermelon is .50 cents cheaper at ChinaMart, but if you factor in the additional $8 I spent on a bargain bin DVD and another 6 pack of socks, it's not so cheap after all. If I absolutely HAVE to go there, I only take enough cash to cover the item I'm after.

I've always thought Walmart sucks. I would not work there unless I was starving and my only other option was to walk the boulevard in Amarillo looking for tricks... and even then it'd be a hard decision. I know a lot of people who work there, and they all hate it. The only reason they can give for staying is the insurance, and it's not even good insurance at that. THEREfore, I have an added incentive to no longer shop there.

This really doesn't go anywhere except it's the end of the first month of not shopping at Walmart and I actually have a surplus of cash in my account, something that has not happened in many years, and I feel like telling someone, ha.