Know where to shop!

Even if it's on sale and you have a coupon, it's not always a great deal.

Today, I stocked up on a few things that are staple items in our house: instant oatmeal for Bright Eyes an whole grain/multi-grain bread for Big and Little Ms.

First, the oatmeal. I detest that instant oatmeal is so full of chemicals and sweeteners and artificial crap. But I'm not a morning person and trying to dress up real oatmeal so that Bright Eyes will devour it just isn't happening. Before I hit up Kroger today, I stopped in at Big Lots. They had Smart Balance Omega instant oatmeal - 8 packets per box - for $1.50. Quaker happens to be on sale this week. Even with the sale and a coupon, I still couldn't beat the Big Lots price. The added benefit -- Smart Balance is much healthier!

Second, the bread. Big and Little M love their sandwiches! More correctly stated, Big M likes to make sandwiches for Little M because it's easy to do and it's easy to hide veggies and such in a toasted cheese sandwich. We go through a lot of bread so I want it to be healthy bread. The favorite around here is the Arnold's 12 grain. Not cheap! But today, I got it at Big Lots for $1.79 a loaf! I bought every single loaf and they are now all quietly resting in my deep freeze waiting to be called into action.

Saving money on your groceries is more than just clipping coupons and buying on sale. You need to start remembering which items you buy regularly and how much they cost. Then be willing to make a side trip to buy it cheaper. In oatmeal and bread alone, I probably saved about $15 today. While $15 isn't a grand amount of money in the broad scheme of life, $15 every month adds up. Or I can take my savings and splurge on lunch at Chipotle with an Izze!