Let's save some money honey!

Yesterday's Oprah was about families that had found ways to cut back on their spending. Some of them had done so out of necessity b/c of losing a job, others, it had been a way of life for years. One mom, the "coupon mom," thoroughly enjoys grocery shopping and wowed all of us when she saved 71% on her cart of groceries at Kroger. Her total was originally $127.00 and with her coupons and other tips, it was reduced to $37.16!!! AMAZING! With the economic trouble we're all experiencing these days, it's nice to get some tips on how to save money. Josh and I are always looking for ways to save or cutback, so I thought I'd share her website (click on "coupon mom" above) as well as her tips from Oprah's website with you! Although I'm always looking for a deal, especially at the grocery store, I've never been much of a coupon clipper. Her tips and money saving abilities inspire me to get to clipping!
We are hoping to put some of her advice to good use and save some money honey!:

5 Ways to Save Money on Groceries

By Stephanie Nelson

Stephanie Nelson, founder of CouponMom.com, says it's possible to fight the rising cost of groceries without sacrificing your favorite foods. Try her simple coupon saving strategies the next time you go to the grocery store:
Plan your meals and shopping lists around featured sale items.

• Use your store's weekly sales ad flier to plan your menus for the week. Then, write your shopping list around the items and brands that are on sale.
• Taking a few minutes to make a detailed plan will save you the time of making unplanned trips to the store during the week—which can ruin your budget.
• Planning ahead also helps you avoid impulse shopping during your trip.

Know how your stores' savings programs work.

• Do they have "buy one, get one free" deals?
• Do they double coupons?
• Do they offer a store discount cards that gives you automatic discounts?
• Do they have special store coupons?
• Once you know your stores' rules, you can combine them to pay the lowest possible prices for your items, such as using two coupons with a "buy one, get one free" deal. Combining strategies can result in free items.

Use grocery coupons, ideally when the item is on sale.

• Buy the Sunday newspaper—75 percent of grocery coupons come from the newspaper. Buy two to three copies per week to save dramatically.
• Go online—grocery stores often have their best deals and printable coupons on their websites.
• Many stores offer electronic coupons that go directly on your store discount card.

Stock up on common items when they hit their lowest price.

• Don't buy a year's supply, just enough to last until the next sale (two to three weeks).
• Boneless chicken is on sale every other week at Stephanie's grocery store, so she buys two weeks of boneless chicken every other week to store in her freezer. This habit saves her family of four $325 a year on this one item.

Be flexible about brands and stores.

• Buy the brand that's on sale with a coupon, or get the store brand if it's less expensive.
• Shop at the store with the best prices for your items that week.