Never Go Grocery Shopping Hungry
I hadn’t eaten all day, I was starving, and I was headed home. I should have just gone straight home and eaten something but it seemed like a pretty good plan to stop by the grocery store.
Bad Idea!
One hundred and seventy nine dollars later, I was grocery set for the next 6 months. Don’t ever, ever go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. I now have enough chips to last me until open water fishing season! Not knowing what was already at home didn’t help either, anyone need a couple quarts of homemade Guacamole? I have some extra.
Outdoors Stores Are No Different
I was able to hop in to both Cabela’s and Scheel’s over the weekend in Grand Forks. Although having an empty stomach will have no effect on a person’s purchases in these two stores, having a plan will help.
As stores are starting to change over from Winter Gear to Spring and Summer Gear, the deals to be had on leftovers can be extraordinary. Slow your roll there though, there is probably a reason a lot of that stuff is ‘leftover’.
One Swedish Pimple in my arsenal is about one too many, but boy could a guy get some good deals on them. I actually like to shop for gear out of season. If you have a plan and know what you need, the after season market can really be beneficial.
Add to that, when you get home and stow the stuff away, when that season comes around, finding and remembering those purchases is just like big boy Christmas!
Right now, Ace Hardware in Devils Lake has some awesome 25% off stuff on their shelves. I was just in on Monday and it is even stuff that a guy could actually need! If you are a Swedish Pimple guy, they have a bunch of those too.
It’s A Trap
I try to avoid shopping for stuff in the season I am in. Shopping for in-season gear is like going to the grocery store on an empty and grumbling stomach.
I need that, I need that, and 6 of those, and 8 of those and 10 of those and I can’t wait to use one of those tomorrow and 6,000 of those!
Obviously there are some things that are a necessity and it is required that you go and get it, but for the bulk of my stuff, I try to buy it in the season that we aren’t in.
- Ice Fishing Equipment- buy in July or April
- Hunting stuff- buy in May or December
- Open Water Fishing- buy in February or November
A guy can save oodles following this system. Do not go out and try to buy silo sock decoys RIGHT NOW, they are at a premium, buy those in December.
One of those necessary purchases for me are #5 Shad Rap and #5 and #7 Scatter Raps both in Bleak. This color is a specialty ‘Scheels Specific’ offering from Rapala. This is also my Number 1 lure for casting on Devils Lake. They aren’t always in stock and most of the time only during the Open Water Fishing Season, so it is a necessity to have to purchase them during primetime, when they are at a premium.
The LIST
The center of this plan is the dreaded…
Shopping List.
Stick to it. These stores are like Outdoorsmen Porn. I could literally spend hours in Cabela’s or Scheels without even batting an eye. I would also be bankrupt if I were to do so, so I always make a list of what I am after and I attempt to stick to the list. Cabela’s Bargain Cave has been one of those things that has been a list breaker for me,
LOVE THE BARGAIN CAVE!
Another way I try to combat the allure of spending way too much time and money in these stores is…
I bring my kids!
Nothing brings about the desire to end a shopping trip like an 8 and a 9 year old that don’t really want to be there.
My list for this excursion broke some of my rules above as I was in need for material for a few spring and summer posts coming up so in reality they were a necessity. Seems weird to be getting excited for open water when it is -5 degrees outside but it is coming faster than we are probably ready for.
Make sure you make a list and don’t go to Sam’s Club while your stomach is growling, you will thank me later.
Good Luck out there!
Excellent site.