Shop Smart: Make a List

I usually have a shopping list in hand, along with select coupons, but then I find myself getting sidetracked by the store deals that I didn't know about or my daughter's incessant pleading for expensive smoothies.

The problem is that I see so much potential -- wow, I could make fill-in-the-blank or that recipe from last April's Real Simple (if I could find it) -- and then I buy more than I need. At the end of the week, I open the crisper to find rotting cauliflower that I was going to puree with pork, but didn't get around to, and lifeless lettuce (because, really, isn't a sandwich easier than a salad for lunch?). And, I feel so guilty that I make my husband throw it all out.

I vow not to be wasteful, and to make well-balanced, creative meals every night...and then, life steps in.

So, my new & improved savings routine is to also make a rough meal plan for the week, then build my shopping list from that and maybe still cave on the over-priced, organic smoothie.

And, I allow room for improvising. If the green beans look puny and the squash is begging to be roasted with a sprinkle of dill, so be it. I can see the swap on my list.

As for stockpiling, I still do it. Kashi offered $1 coupons recently, my local grocery had their cereal, snack crackers and cookies already on sale, plus they doubled my coupon, so now my pantry looks like I might own stock in Kashi! Fine by me. We eat these products every day (I'm addicted to those oatmeal, dark chocolate cookies!), and they won't spoil.

Plan your week's menu, make a list, leave the kids at home, be flexible and save!

What are your grocery store saving techniques? Please let me know below!