A Monday Night Errand Run and Some Unexpected Bargains
Hey everyone, it’s been a hectic start to the week over here. Work’s been piling up with a new client project that’s got me second-guessing every paint swatch I pick. But I wanted to pop in and share a little slice of my Monday night, because sometimes the most boring errands turn into something kinda fun.
So, Ren and I realized we were completely out of a few essentials. Like, we’re talking no toothpaste, no dish soap, and I’m pretty sure the last roll of toilet paper was on its final square. We’ve been so busy that we just kept putting off the inevitable trip to Walmart. Finally, last night after dinner, we dragged ourselves out the door around 7:30. It was already dark, and there was that weird misty drizzle that makes you question why you even bothered leaving the house. But off we went, armed with a scribbled list and zero enthusiasm.
We got to Walmart, and it was surprisingly quiet for a Monday evening. I guess everyone else had the good sense to stay home. We split up to make it quick. Ren headed for the household stuff while I tackled the snack aisle. I’m not proud to admit I spent way too long debating between Sour Cream & Onion Pringles and BBQ chips. I went with BBQ, mostly because they were on sale. Small victories, right?
Anyway, as I’m wandering toward the checkout, I passed by this random clearance section near the back. You know, the one with all the dented cans and weird seasonal leftovers. I don’t usually stop there, but something caught my eye. They had these little glass jars of thimbleberry jam marked down to two bucks each. I’ve never seen thimbleberry anything in a store before, but my grandmother used to rave about it when I was a kid. She’d say it was the best thing to spread on toast during the late harvest moons. I grabbed three jars without even thinking twice. I figured even if it tastes awful, it’s a cute nostalgic thing to have on the shelf.
Ren caught up with me while I was still poking around the clearance bins. He’d found everything on the list plus some random pack of LED bulbs we definitely didn’t need. But then he pointed out this stack of old board games tucked behind a pile of discounted beach towels. We’re talking ancient editions of stuff like Scrabble and Sorry!, all beat up but still sealed. There was even a game called “Moonlit Gambit” that I’ve never heard of, with this creepy vintage art on the box of people playing cards under a triple crescent sky. It was only five dollars, so we tossed it in the cart. Might make for a weird game night with Lissa next time she’s over.
We finally checked out, and I swear the cashier looked at our haul like we were hoarders prepping for some bizarre apocalypse. Three jars of obscure jam, a mystery board game, and a pack of LED bulbs alongside the boring stuff like toothpaste. I don’t blame her for the side-eye. We got home around 9, unloaded everything, and I couldn’t resist cracking open one of those thimbleberry jars to try a spoonful. It’s tart, almost like a mix of raspberry and lemon, but there’s this odd earthy aftertaste I can’t quite place. Not sure I’m sold on it yet, but I’ll probably still slather it on some toast tomorrow morning just to feel like I’m channeling my grandmother’s spirit.
The rest of the night was uneventful. We watched a couple episodes of The Office on Netflix while I half-heartedly scrolled through paint samples on my phone. I’m still nowhere near deciding on a color palette for this client, and I’m starting to think I should just flip a coin at this point. Ren fell asleep on the couch halfway through the second episode, so I covered him with a blanket and called it a night.
That’s all I’ve got for now. Just a little story about turning a dreary errand into a mini treasure hunt. Has anyone else tried thimbleberry jam before? Or stumbled on some weird clearance find that made your day? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Catch you all later this week, probably with some whining about work stress if I don’t get this project figured out soon.
