….Talk is cheap….take it with a pinch of salt!
Or so I thought!!!
I arrived at Tesco Mutiara Damansara today at noon, ALONE (the Hubs had taken Tee for a movie) with a mission to fill up my kitchen with value for money food for the week. We don’t usually shop there but in attempt to cut cost, I braved the trip all by myself. For once, I could have my OWN music in the car. For once, I could relax, drive and dream to myself without a high pitched voice shooting questions like a machine gun. For once, I didn’t have to rush…….
It was nice. It was REALLY nice. I can’t begin to express how NICE it was.
Till I arrived at a sea of parked cars, stressed out drivers and hurried people with full trolleys. It took me twenty minutes to get a parking spot. Note to self, if I ever return, never to go at noon.
Since I wasn’t familiar with the layout of Tesco, things took longer than necessary. The place was crowded with families; some rude and obnoxious, some clumsy, some in a hurry and many who had all the time in the world to stand around chatting with their trolleys blocking the way. Every corner I turned, every aisle I worked, I was faced with an obstacle course of the highest standard.
I thought this was supposed to be a relaxing ‘me-time’ escapade. *roll eyeballs*
Despite bringing a grocery list to ensure I didn’t sell our souls to the bank, my bill came up to a whopping RM580, which is more than I’d ever spent in a grocery store. Ever. To be fair, I bought double of the big bulky items like toilet rolls, paper towels and tissue boxes; because they were cheaper than usual. For example, I usually buy my toilet roll for RM16 but at Tesco, it was RM11. But still, it was groceries for the 3 of us, and I’d hardly bought any meat, chicken or fish! The vegetables were not fresh, the fish was worse but variety and choice were good. I couldn’t find a single onion that wasn’t rotten. Perhaps Sunday isn’t a good day to shop at Tesco.
Also, I noticed that eggs cost RM3+ and above when I always bought my eggs for RM2+ at other places. Again, I think it’s really check and balance. If we wanted to save, we’d have to go to three different places to do our groceries and with the time and gas spent, I’d rather just live on bread and sardines from one store. Like the store down my street.
I finally got home at 3pm exhausted. It was raining cats and dogs and there was an accident on the opposite side of the Penchala Link, phew! Because I hadn’t had anything to eat nor drink since I’d woken up. But when I came in, I was greeted with hugs and a coffee.
So there is still hope for a nice day…..
Here’s what I bought:
Chicken thighs, drumsticks, carcass, steaks, milk, eggs, sardines, pickled vegetables, cooking oil, lots of cheese, wet wipes, tissues, toilet roll, paper towels, asam jawa, chocolate, curry powder, chilli powder, red beans, fish curry spices, brocolli, long beans, french beans, oranges, papaya, pineapple, apples, kiwis, pencils, books, workbooks, lots of pasta, a drawer set for Tee’s hair accessories which is getting out of hand, canned tuna, cucumber, and more vegetables. Something like that……
Once upon a time, I designed buildings and interiors of corporate offices and on the rare occasion, homes. Now, I clean poop and am student of a patience management course. From the drawing board as a London Architect to the realities of Motherhood, I have certainly learned many lessons in humility. And then others.....
To succeed in the corporate world, first succeed with your kid as the happy boss. Seriously.
This blog is about me, Mamapumpkin. A crazy, demented Mom who cares full time, alone, without any help, for an even crazier preschooler AND a baby with a boob addiction problem. *sniff* Someone, please get me a chair.......
I write anything that comes out of my head, mostly without thinking first, which almost always gets me into trouble (according to my husband, also known as the love of my life.......on a good day).
My pet monkeys drive me towards challenge after challenge, 24/7.
Gotta love it.
Contact me : Mamapumpkin at gmail dot com
Norman (1 comments.)
September 29th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
That was interesting … I stumbled upon this when googline for where to buy groceries in KL. Since I just moved to KL from Australia. Has been a month and I haven’t had a clue as to where the locals buy their groceries from.
I have bought from Isetan in KLCC and mercato in Pavillion and Carrefour in Midvalley. Honestly, I’ve not really seen variety in the fruit and veg section. For example, I really wanted to buy local fruits (like the big Pineapple, rambutan, Durians, lechee) etc. etc. Being in Malaysia I expected to see a large variety of each of these fruits and I didn’t, no matter where I went.
And I got my toilet rolls for a lot more than what you have quoted here, am I missing something here. I’d appreciate any guidelines you could give me about where to find the best of grocery and food shopping.
Also, I’m sure many others will benefit from the info, since this article ranks among the top articles on google about grocery shopping in KL.
Thanks in Advance,
Norman S.