making the most out of the recession/ why i love trader joes.

So no one has money right now, which means people aren't going out to eat as much, which means as a server I make less money and therefore go out less. It is a bad cycle considering over the summer I must have gone out to eat at least five times a week, it begs the question "if I'm not going out to eat who is?". Luckily recession brings out the boozers in all of us, so bars and restaurants will survive (and hopefully Oprah won't make anymore comments about tipping 10% either so servers can survive as well).
As much as I love going out every night I have been embracing this economic meltdown to spend some more quality time at Trader Joe's. I am not just saying this because I would love to work there, I would love to work there because everything there makes me happy all over. I was and am still all about Whole Foods for a lot of the same reasons I love Trader Joe's ( focus on local and organic products, socially responsible companies, and they treat their employees extremely well) but man I can no longer afford to step foot in there. Trader Joes has somehow perfected the art of affordable healthy natural food. The pre-made frozen food is really good, and keeps me from ordering take out on a lazy night. The fresh meat and produce selections may be limited, but the frozen selection of both are above average. The frozen New England Bay Scallops are awesome, and I am from Boston!
And the wine...
Don't get me started. The days of "Two Buck Chuck" are far behind me, but there are really drinkable wines starting at $3.99. You wont have to pay over 8 bucks for a bottle of Yellow Tail ever again. I will say of what I have tried I would stick to Italy, Spain, Australia, and South America if you are looking for wine for under $10. As I sit here I am drinking a glass of the "La Boca" Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. $3.99 and delicious.
It may sound like I am writing an ad for Trader Joe's, but really I just love that place.