With two children, I don't have time to bounce around to a lot of different grocery stores to get the best deals. I have to admit that I'm totally addicted to Publix's penny items on Sundays & Mondays, so I often sneak in there to get their deal of the week. While I'm there, I stock up on their buy-one-get-one-free items (which are usually a steal!).

Other than this shopping splurge, I've found two stores that consistently offer the best deals: Wal-mart grocery and Aldi. Wal-mart's bonus is that they price match other stores' sales, so if Publix is offering Ragu spaghetti sauce for .99, then Wal-mart will give you the same deal. They do not, however, match the buy-one-get-one-free items, because no specific price is listed in the store flyer. All you have to do is take your grocery flyers, and show the cashier the store ads. As appealing as this sounds, however, Wal-mart's prices are usually as low, or almost as low, as the competitor's sales prices, so I've quit comparing. Wal-mart, even though they are sometimes called an evil empire, is great for frugal moms!

Aldi is another great find for thrifty shoppers. They offer only store brand items, with a limited selection, but I've found 95% of their items to be great quality. I'm not crazy about their corned beef or their american cheese, and their milk seems to spoil quickly. Their yogurt is a fantastic deal at 35 cents for 8oz containers! I also stock up on their fruits & vegetables, which are great deals. They don't say fresh as long as Publix's produce, but I buy whatever my family will eat in a 4-day period. Another great Aldi find is the monthly menus that Amy Clark put together for $150. Check this out - http://www.momadvice.com/food/aldi_meal_plan_fall1.asp and http://www.momadvice.com/food/aldi_meal_plan1.asp. Aldi's does a few peculiar things to keep their prices down - you 'rent' a cart for a quarter (which you get back at the cart return), you bag your own groceries, and you buy grocery bags for a nickel/dime. The savings are still worth the extra effort!

That's all the shopping time I have for today. We're off to work a "Thomas the Train" puzzle!