Five Guys Below and Beyond!

I have a can-do attitude.  I like to believe I can do anything that I put my mind to.  On occasion, it turns out I am wrong...dead wrong.

This morning when I woke up I had a plan.  The hubby would take our 5 year old son to see Thor 2 and while they were gone I would take our daughters, 2 years old and 3months old, Christmas shopping.  This seemed like a very good idea for the following reasons:

• It would allow for father son bonding.
• It would allow for mother daughter bonding.
• I would not have to sit through Thor 2.
• The kids are better behaved at the store when there are less of them.

The movie didn't start until 3:30 so the hubby suggested that we do a little of the shopping together as a family.  This taught me a lesson.  The lesson is that a mother cannot go shopping in December with multiple children and no other adult.

First we went to Bed Bath and Beyond.  It started out lovely.  However, my children are loving inquisitive creatures.  This meant that they had to hug me whenever I was trying to squeeze through somewhere and that they had to pick up everything they saw.  I had coupons and we found everything we needed, so I consider that one a win.

Then we went to Five Below, which I like to call Five Under. I got a lot of goodies, but the place was a mad house and the children wanted everything.  I had some piece of paper that meant they would donate money to the kid's school, but with all the commotion, I forgot to give it to them, I call that a tie.

The loss was Five Guys.  I don't know why we go to Five Guys.  I think it is the fancy pop machine and the all you can eat peanuts.  This must be a huge draw, because when we got there ALL the tables were taken.  My favorite was an 8 seater with one girl sitting at it.  She was working on some sort of mobile tablet device, drinking pop, and eating peanuts.  I am pretty sure her plan was to stay there all day until the pop machine and the peanut boxes were empty.  She had already emptied half the pop fountain as many of the flavors were no longer available.  I was trying to give her the stink eye as my family  of 5, with many small children, tried to eventually sit at a 4 seater high top.  After a minute, I gave up on my stink eye.  I was torn about whether I felt sad for her because she was living at Five Guys, or if I was impressed that this person had managed to fend off starvation with the simple cost of a soda pop.  By the time our food was done, we managed to find a regular 4 seater.  The only downside was that I had to put the baby's seat on the floor and she was forced to have another customer's thong showing butt in her face.  A small price to pay for fancy pop and all you can eat peanuts.  The baby was asleep most of the time anyway.

What are your secrets for cheap/free nutrition?  Dumpster diving at high end grocery stores?  Sitting all day at OCB?  Chugging salsa?  Please share.