Today was not just an ordinary Target run.  Today I went prepared.  I was armed with list in hand and coupons clipped.  After going to playgroup last Friday and talking with some of my girlfriends about most contaminated foods and ones you should always buy organic, I decided to come home and clear out our fridge and pantry of as much junk as I could.

I sat and made a list of things I wanted to start buying differently – like all natural peanut butter, better cereals for Nathan, all natural jelly/jam, all natural beef, and chicken, cage-free eggs, organic milk, produce, etc. – you know, basically stuff without added hormones or antibiotics.

So then I am going through the Sunday paper and start to see a TON of coupons in the paper for stuff I was going to get anyway! Score!  It then occurs to me to go online and check out a few of my favorite coupon sites here, here, and here to see what else was out there.

Let me just say that I found a coupon for twelve specific (and brand name) items that were on my shopping list.  So I dowloaded the printing feature and printed them out.

Back to Target.  I get there, get a bag of popcorn – which by the way was free since I had a coupon for it –  for N8 so he’ll be content throughout the trip, and get moving on my list in order. I pretty much stuck to what was on the list except for a small $1.29 purchase of Market Pantry nacho tortilla chips.  I was so proud.

But picture this. I am at the checkout counter and the guy totals me up and announces that I owe around $137.  I hand him my stack of coupons and after it was all said and done, I had only dropped $107.  Not bad, huh?

So, I think I am going to add a new resolution to my list.  I am really going to try and be more thoughtful in planning my grocery shopping trips from now on.  I spend a killing on those Otis Spunkemyer muffin impulse-type purchases.  Not anymore.