December 18th – Shop

Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?

Where did I spend most of my money in 2009? Hmmm…this honestly requires a bit of thought to answer, as my shopping habits changed a bit this year. I believe that I spent the most money at Whole Foods. In late 2008, I was already becoming more savvy to organics and eating, but it wasn’t until the beginning of 2009 that I really got the engine going on this way of eating.
Every Saturday afternoon, I go to Whole Foods to do my weekly grocery shopping. Most of my groceries are purchased there, less for some things I can find at Publix or Target. On the good side, both Publix and Target are slowly but surely becoming more organic and vegetarian-friendly in the products they carry, so it makes it easier for those of us seeking those items. As far as Whole Foods goes, I am sure I have spent hundreds of dollars there in 2009. It is far too easy to spend a lot of money in a store such as Whole Foods. So many great things to choose from, including freshly made food items from the food bar and vegan baked goods that one could spend hours within the store’s confines. And yes, I have spent over an hour in the store on more than a few occasions.
As far as non-grocery stores go, the aforementioned Target is easily where I spend a lot of time and money throughout the year. More specifically, any Super Target store. Target is a store that I tend to wander around in almost in a daze at times, just looking at the items they have for sale. They stock such a variety of things, so it is easy to find almost anything there, which is not only convenient, but a time saver.

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This blog post is in response to Gwen Bell’s 2009 Best of Blog Challenge

December 15th – Best Packaging

Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?

This question revolves around creativity, plain and simple. Creativity on the part of the company or person who packaged the item as well as the person staring at that item on the shelf. What one person might see as uncreative, another might see as brillant and vice versa. Creativity all around needed.

I consider myself a pretty observant person, taking note of things most people would just walk by or not even catch, but yet, I really had to think about this one. Most packaging in my opinion is just plain and merely used to seal said item or what have you, there is not much to excite in most cases. The package normally just tells the consumer what is inside that box and why they simply MUST buy it. A salesman on a package.

So…I racked my brain and less for book covers and magazine covers that I have seen throughout the year, not many products have stood out to me in this area. If I have to pick something, I would have to go with plastic or canvas re-useable bags that you can buy at most stores and then use them over and over again at said store or what have you. In this bag area, the one re-useable bag that stands out design-wise, is Whole Foods’ plastic bag. It is made from used plastic bottles. I use this bag every week when I go shopping. Definitely a winner in my book.

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This blog post is a part of Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 Blog Challenge