The $644 Costco run

This week I walked out of the South Austin Costco $644.38 lighter.

Before you do the math, most of that is one line on the receipt: a Shark vacuum, $299.99, with $60 off. So $240 for something I actually needed, and the rest went to groceries. Shrimp, chicken breast, ground beef, butter, ghee, trail mix, beef sticks, strawberries, mango, and enough Kirkland staples to fill the pantry.

Here is the part I am learning: the bulk buy only works if you have a plan for it. I ran the haul through an AI meal plan, and now this cart should cover me for a while. Fewer trips, fewer impulse grabs, more weeks covered per dollar. That is the whole strategy. Buy big once, eat well for weeks, stay out of the store.

I forget things. Then I do them at the last minute. Then I stress about them for days before I do them.

I am bad about this. But here is what I noticed: once I finally get the thing done, I feel accomplished. Proud, even. And the stress leading up to it? All for nothing. The task was never the hard part. The dread was.

So the lesson I am writing on the wall of the garage (when the garage exists):

Just start.

This morning I went out to the dove lease as a treat to myself. Shot 8 birds. That set the tone for the whole weekend. I wrote above to keep your hobbies alive. This morning I lived it.

Buy again: a chest freezer. Mine was about $300, bought it two years ago, and it has been a lifesaver. Here is the thing nobody tells you about buying in bulk for a family: you need somewhere to put it all. The freezer is the other half of the Costco strategy. Without it, bulk is just a bigger fridge problem.

And while we are here: buy something you will enjoy. Keep your hobbies alive. That is not a luxury line item. That is maintenance.

Skip: nothing this week. I have not found anything to skip just yet, and I am not going to force it.

Second-hand kid clothes. Those things grow fast, from what I hear. Spending real money on clothes a kid will outgrow in three months is ridiculous.

Found someone at work with a ton of kids' clothes who is willing to just give them to me. Free. Zero dollars. No negotiation, no hunting, no Facebook Marketplace meetup. Just ask around. People are sitting on this stuff.

Second win this week: a great dresser for $125. I didn't have time to hunt for one, so I had Muse (Meta's AI) do the looking for me. Found it, bought it, done. When you're short on time, let the robot do the scrolling.

Nothing in the immediate future, but there is one coming up: the garage.

Right now it is a garage. I want it to be a place I actually want to be. There is a difference, and it matters. Just like hobbies, I need my own space. A garage you avoid is just storage with a door. A garage you want to be in is a workshop.

More on this when it starts. There will be costs, and I will share them.

Nothing new from the shop this week. But we are making progress on the Redbubble merch, three designs up, and that will help support this adventure. Every shirt and hat that sells is a little fuel for the newsletter.