Is it weird that one of my favorite things to do is go grocery shopping?  Well, let me rephrase that, if I'm by myself, one of my favorite things to do is go grocery shopping.   I do, I love it.  I love memorizing the aisles, I love standing there reading labels of products, I love seeing new products and getting new ideas for dishes, I love getting the circulars in the mail.  I love clipping coupons.  I love lining my purchases up a certain way at check out.  And I LOVE seeing the savings on my receipt and running home and showing Poppa how much I saved us.  Hey, more savings means more shoes for Momma!! Can I get an AMEN!?

I am a loyal customer to Kroger.  I have their savings card, plan my shopping around their sales and what coupons I find.  I love that I go in the store and it's clean, stocked with the items I need, good quality items, but at a very low cost.  Now add in the coupons and sales and you've got one very happy momma on your hands. 

There are so many ways to save money at many stores, that's no new concept.   And many of us have what works for us.  Many of us have brands that we are loyal to as well.  And Kroger helps me save on those brands with their already low prices, store sales, store coupons, and their Cart Buster Savings Program going on now.

I want to share with you some of the few ways I save on money but don't miss out on quality.

• I spend a little time each week going through the circulars and compare them to what coupons I have found.
• I always make a list for that week's meals and needs for the house.  I never step foot in a grocery store without my list.  Doing so ends up in a bigger bill at the end.
• When planning meals I always try to have at least 1 that can be used in a 2nd meal.  Like If I make tacos one night then I make enough meat where I can make Taco Soup a few nights later.  Or If I make grilled chicken and vegetables I know I can use the left over chicken in pot pie the next night.
• I load coupons from Kroger's site to my store savings card.   This way I don't have to keep track of an actual coupon, save money from printing coupons, and save time from clipping them.
• Always stockpile on your favorite more expensive items when they go on sale or when you have a coupon.  Some items I stockpile on are toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, laundry soap, cleaning products, canned items, and deodorant.  I have a little closet where I keep my stockpile and it's so nice to pull from that instead of pulling money out.
• Buy items to make lunches instead of eating out.  I have saved nearly $50 a week just by cutting out eating out for lunch and buying sandwich stuff or soup. 

So even though you won't find me on Extreme Couponing, I am a frugal shopper who loves to save money for more important things like shoes! :)  I enjoy finding ways to save my family money that doesn't cost me a lot of time in the process because let's face it, Time is Money.

So how do you save money in your grocery cart?
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms Kroger CartBuster blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.