Wednesday, July 23, 2008

First Bike Trip to the Grocery Store

Great weather for cycling today. Good thing, because I needed stuff from the grocery store and wanted to try out my new thermal lined, zip top, reusable grocery bags. True, I'm not thrilled about moving away from Super Target and having to pay full price at a regular store (12 years of military base commissary prices makes it tougher to swallow), but so far I'm liking the Hy-Vee. It's employee owned, the stores are clean and well lit (though the aisles COULD be a bit wider), and the staff are helpful and friendly. Grocery shopping has proved to be my single best source for the Savings to Invest game (just shy of $53 for the month as of today), and this store even gives you 5 cents off for each bag that you re-use. (Note to self: Take all 4 thermal bags even if you're not going to use them all. Hey...20 cents is 20 cents, right?)

So anyway...After I rode to and from the gym (Upper Limits class was super fun today), I came back home to hook up the Burley trailer and headed off to the store. Thankfully, the paved paths running parallel to Hwy 22 make it safer and more convenient to get there, so it only took a few minutes. There could certainly be better places to lock up bikes just about anywhere you go in this town, but there's usually at least a sign post or something similar that will do just as well. I got a couple of odd looks as I was loading up the trailer for the trip home, but maybe I also made a few people realize that it IS possible to run errands around town on your bike instead of polluting the air with your gas-sucking SUV.

I actually started thinking about the possibility of us becoming a one car family today. Uber-Hubby hasn't touched his car since we got to Mankato, and mine sits in the garage unless we're going up to the Twin Cities or it's a Monday and U-H is on one of his trips to visit fellow dentists in his referral base. So basically, where his car is concerned, we're paying hundreds of dollars a year to insure the drying rack for my hockey gear. Points to ponder, for sure.

Almost forgot...Tonight is William Hung Night at the Mankato MoonDogs baseball game. Remember him? He's that little Asian dude who got famous by being so totally horrible on American Idol a few seasons ago (She Bangs). U-H and I will, of course, be riding our bikes to the ballpark tonight. William Hung Night is simply NOT an occasion to miss.

While we're doing that, why don't YOU get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off?

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