Here's to the good old days...or not?

Today I've been reminiscing about the good old days, when I could simply go to the grocery store, put whatever I wanted to eat that week into my cart, and check out.

Those days are gone.

J is what you might call frugal.  For those of you who knew me before he came into my life, you know this is probably a good thing for me!  Shopping used to be my favorite pastime, and saving was not my forte.  (One look into my shoe closet demonstrates this point.  And yes, I do have a separate closet just for my shoes.)  However, I have since embraced fiscal responsibility.  And the grocery store is where I'm at my best!

Saving money on groceries is great.  All of the work I go through to save that money, however, is a little crazy!  My style of shopping is not for rookies.  I have reached major league status here.

Before I can leave for the store, I have to prepare:

• Coupon binder (yes, I said binder)- check!
• Shopping list, organized by meals I plan on cooking that week- check!
• Circulars to review, to make sure I'm getting important sale items- check!
• Canvas shoulder bags, so I can be "green"- check!  (Okay, truth be told, I forget these all.the.time.  They should really be on my pre-grocery store checklist!)

Once I ensure that I have all vital items, I set out on my grocery shopping quest.  This is where the REAL craziness begins.  I typically hit three to four stores in a given week , so that I can get the best deals on the foods we typically eat.  Whew!

You know that you're a grown up when you get excited about saving money at the grocery store.

I saved over $50 this week.  Word.