Schwan's is the most affordable of them all. I just wish they could deliver more often. My next delivery date is 5/9.....and I'd love to get some things sooner than that.

I like every 2 weeks, but there are times I could use something before my scheduled delivery too. I try to plan but you know what the say about the best laid plans..:rolleyes:

Hello all
 

Just thought to make a quick comment about shopping. I hate it :eek:. I now live in a high tourist area, use to be a sleepy little place, not so anymore. Now the stores are packed, packed with there grubby little germy hands too. Sneezing, sputtering, nose blowing in many locations. I am becoming a germophobic!:eek: I use the wipes and get out of the store quick. It is a floating petri dish around here!:eek: ginnie

Insane, confusion!!!!!
 

Back to the first posting. This is a very disturbing ordeal. Yes walking into Wal- Mart can scamble my brain, but Home Depot or Lowes is even tougher. I can barely shop for anything.
I made a trip to the city last year alone to catch a flight, and the airport freaked me out. all the people moving in every direction, and all that noise over the intercom. I had my first panic attack ever, had to call my wife to calm me down.

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH OUR BRAINS??????????????

P.S. My occupation was an entertainer for 40 yrs. I had no problem with crowds and noise until recent 3 or 4 years!

"Freaked out" is an excellent way to describe it, Dewtwo. I react in two different ways (sometimes simultaneously) to this "Walmart syndrome". Sometimes it's a typical panic attack: feel trapped, hard to breathe, people's faces are too close/big, let me out!! More often it's confusion, overload, and my brain locks up like a ten-year-old computer. Sometimes they overlap, or one leads to another.

To add insult to injury, this is one of the harder symptoms for me to explain to non-MSrs. No, I don't have agoraphobia. No, it doesn't change anything if I go with someone as opposed to by myself. No, you probably don't know exactly what I mean.

Recently someone suggested, as a treat, a trip to Boston for a Red Sox game. Are you KIDDING me? If Price Chopper overwhelms me, Fenway Park would kill me.

My issue is that I ran a medical department for the prisons for 20 plus years. I KNOW what confusion is. I know what chaos is, I know how to handle a crowd, and I know how to keep my cool, but in the last year, I get spun, confused, disoriented, my protective space around me gets minuscule and yet the folks who are banging into me with their carts dont seem to know what a boundary or personal space is! They reach over you to get soap or cheese. They open products and then put them back! They turn their children loose or let them swing like monkeys from the carriage and I just know that I am about to witness a child plummeting to their death.

Why is it that one year ago I could balance my coupons, recipes, and crowds, without hassle and now i panic, lose it, and cant think for hours sometimes days after? What about my brain shuts down?

Its just not fair!

I guess it's just disease progression.....as much as I hate to think it. :( Like Dej, I used to be able to organize my list, coupons, etc. and do a good job getting a good deal at the grocery store. Now, I feel like it's a successful trip if I make it out without crying. I used to love grocery shopping. Now....well, it's just another chore.

I now take the coupon inserts out of the paper and don't even look at them. I give them to my son and his girlfriend who are thrilled to get them. I really don't even look at what's on sale. I need what I need and saving 25 cents isn't going to sway my decision.

I miss the challenge of getting a great deal, though.

Dewtwo, Yes, I hear you and welcome to you.:)

Blessings, funny you should mention agoraphobia. I think I had that for a few years, before taking Paxil. After having many panic attacks, I was actually afraid to leave the house.

DH would get me out with him and we would go to the VFW, which I enjoyed. But I would panic and tell him i had to leave. He did all my grocery shopping for awhile.

Kelly, yes I miss the planning of meals, the shopping with coupons, the feeling of accomplishment and the fun of it all.:(

I just placed an order with Alice.com for paper products, dry grocery goods and non perishables. Just placed an order with Petco.com for cat food and litter. I get free shipping with both places and their prices are very good. Comparible to Publix. Once you figure in the price of gas, the time and effort it takes just to go to the store and the emotional price we pay just to organize such a trip the delivery is well worth it. I think I'd do it even if I didn't feel I had to. Plus, I don't get suckered into the spur of the moment "impulse buys" at the store. :o These two websites are a life saver (and money saver) for me. :)

Ya know, shopping online gives me a feeling of accomplishment too and you can take your time. On some days you can even multitask....like eat a pineapple in lime jello cup, at the same time..:yahoo: