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Savoring life in the Berkshires

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Why I Fell in Love With BJ’s Wholesale Club

Published on August 9, 2012 By Emily. Updated on August 9, 2012

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Once upon a time, I got tricked into getting a BJ’s Wholesale Club membership.  Okay, that may not be entirely true, but I went into BJ’s without intending to actually become a member.  Unfortunately, I’d misplaced the free trial membership coupon–I still have no idea where I put it, but it was no longer attached to the rest of the trial membership flyer.  And then they were running a special for new members.  So, I signed up.

I hadn’t planned on signing up because I didn’t think BJ’s was for me.  Ever since a store opened near us last fall I’d been interested in checking it out, but I didn’t think there’d be much I’d want to purchase.  I’m trying to minimize processed foods, we’re a two-person household, I have a source for local produce, and I generally don’t need to do more shopping.  Plus it’s an extra trip out of town for us.

But I signed up.  And I pretty much started falling in love immediately.  There were far more items that I use regularly available than I’d expected.  In some cases, buying items in bulk creates less packaging waste, which I appreciate.  In addition to my frequently purchased items listed below, I’m intrigued by their selection of organic produce and the possibilities their shelves hold for any events or parties that may occur in the future.  I also love the fact that BJ’s mails out coupon books with great deals on a monthly basis and accepts manufactures and internet coupons on top of their coupons.  As a result, I’ve been able to get some really good deals on things we were usually all the time anyway.

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My Frequently Purchased Items at BJ’s

Cereal (which Brian goes through at astounding rates) 
Cracker Barrel cheese
Sorrento mozzarella cheese (which I go through at astounding rates)

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Organic quinoa
Polaner All-Fruit Spread
Tollhouse chocolate chips

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sugar
all-purpose flour
nuts (for snacking and baking)
Food Should Taste Good chips

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Chobani yogurt (both large and single serving containers)
body wash
contact lens solution
allergy medication
gasoline (which averages 10 cents cheaper than local gas stations)

Since part of the new member deal was a 14 month membership, we still have a year left.  It remains to be seen whether we’ll renew.  I think we’re saving money (it’s pretty much paid for itself in gas already) and it’s been pretty easy to pick up items because we’ve been making a lot of trips in the direction of BJ’s.  I’m interested to see what happens with the convenience of our trips once school starts up again.  Overall though I’ve been pretty impressed with how their stock matches my food preferences.

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Filed Under: places, products Tagged With: shopping, supermarket

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Emily
Spring has finally come to the Berkshires! It has Spring has finally come to the Berkshires!
It has been such a joy to finally spend time outside regularly and see everything in bloom.

I bought myself a bike and, after the initial adjustment of learning how to ride again after a nearly 25 year hiatus, it's become one of my favorite ways to experience the outdoors. (None of these photos was taken while riding. I barely stay upright with both hands on the bike.)
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #AshwillticookRailTrail
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Pictured:
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New year, new theme word! This year's word is "enr New year, new theme word!
This year's word is "enrich" and I'm really excited about it.

I've written more about this year's theme on the blog. Click in the link in my profile or follow the link below to read the post.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-2023-theme-word-enrich/
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#YearlyTheme #MyOneWord #2023 #enrich2023 #NewYearsResolution
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2. A reel from North Carolina where I could have watched birds all day.
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6.@sculpture.now at @themountlenox 
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New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year' New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year's theme word - resume. 

I was able to get back to many activities that were meaningful to me this year and I'm calling this theme a success. Follow the link below or click the link in my profile to read more.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/reflections-on-resuming-in-2022/
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#resume2022 #newyearsresolution #myoneword #yearlytheme
New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022. For New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022.

For the fourth year, I've recapped the best new (to me) recipes I made this year in the hope that they'll give you some new dishes to try. This year's list is short, but delicious. It includes @budgetbytes My Favorite Recipes of 2022
Published on December 30, 2022 By Emily. Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is basically behind us. Though overall this year found me getting back to the person I want to be (post-babies and “post”-pandemic), I did not try nearly as many new recipes this year as I used to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d made note of any new-to-me recipes I wanted to share in this post. This year’s list is short, but delicious. It includes recipes from @budgetbytes, @smittenkitchen and @howsweeteats.
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Read the post by visiting the link in my profile or 
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-favorite-recipes-of-2022/
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#RecipeRoundUp #BestRecipes2022 #FavoriteRecipes
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one @coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one of the highlights of all my return trips to Boothbay and their annual Gardens Aglow event continues to impress. It was great to be back to walking the gardens instead of the pandemic drive through and there seemed to be more lights than ever.  I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#Boothbay #BoothbayMaine #CoastalMaineBotanicalGardens #GardensAglow #BotanicalGarden #MidcoastMaine
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #FallFoliage #FallColors #autumn #AshuwillticookRailTrail #JaeschkeOrchards #GreylockGlen
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