I am sort-of-a-deal-chaser. I plan as much of it ahead as I can. F'rinstance, there are 4 main supermarket chains in my area, plus SWM and Sav-a-Lot. Every week when the ads come out, I sit down and make a shopping list of what's on sale at each. I write the list on an envelope and mark anything that I have a coupon for with a (C) and put the coupons in the envelope. Now over the course of the week, I know I am going to be going to Winn-Dixie, which is nearby, so I'm not taking a special trip for that. Dh is going up to Home Depot which is near Albertson's? I hand him the envelope. Getting a haircut in the same shopping center as Publix? Stop and pick up what's on sale there, please. This saves on gas.

I don't buy what I need because I need it, I buy what's on sale/with coupons and stockpile it. When boneless chicken breasts are $1.69 lb, when catfish nuggets are 99¢ lb, when cheese is 99¢ for 8 oz, when italian sausage is $1.60/lb, that's when I stock up and freeze. When vidalia onions and peppers are on sale, stock up, dice 'em up, and freeze. Now Pilgrim's Pride frozen ground turkey I like is $1.06 for a 1# chub at SuperWalMart, and I can get 55¢ coupons for it, so I accumulate the coupons and buy 15-20# of it at a time. I don't like to shop at SuperWalMart if I can avoid it, but the turkey is just too much of a bargain to pass up!

I won't go to Food Lion all the way on the other side of town for one item unless I am headed that way anyway. Not with gas prices as they are now!

Careful planning is the trick. If you're going to have to pick up milk or bread during the week anyway, go to one of the other stores to hit THEIR sale.

Rani