My free grocery obsession

I'm hungry and I need to go grocery shopping. So what better way to pass the minutes until quitting time than with a blog entry devoted to free food!

I've always been a coupon clipper. But last year, I pretty much stopped. That's because I heard the tip to grab a binder and save the entire circular each week as a time-saving tool. Boy is it ever.

Each week, when I'm about to plan my shopping list, I camp out with my binder and laptop. Several websites, run by busy moms like me, study the weekly sales and pair those deals with coupons from the weekly newspapers, online sites, even magazines.

Although most sites have similar lists, I usually visit a handful of them to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Check out: pocketyourdollars.com by Maple Grove mom Carrie Rocha, couponcravings.com, and commonsensewithmoney.com.

There are dozens of these sites that aggregate deals and coupons, not just for groceries, but also for clothes, restaurants, you name it. The site creators often direct readers to other sites for more information about different offers. So I encourage you to check many out and see which ones feel most useful to you.

Once at a site, look for the latest entry about weekly deals at Cub, Rainbow, or Target. Most sites make lists for the chain drugstores too.

You may not have noticed, but on the spine of the weekly circulars in teeny weeny letters is an ID. That's how you know that the cereal coupon you need is in the 3/28 Smart Source circular without tearing through your binder. Nifty, huh?

I've found that using these sites, I can get items that are very reduced in price, or free. I've even found myself buying more branded products these days because they are cheaper than the generic brands if you time it right.

I will say that you can't be picky to shop this way. And one my major beefs is that plenty of the best deals are for icky processed foods I'd prefer not to feed my family.

Once I decide which offers to pursue, I finish up my list. If I have some staples or must-haves that weren't listed, I head to the invaluable coupon database at dealseekingmom.com. Type in a search such as "Kraft" or "cheese," and it will show you where to find printable coupons (which are plentiful and valuable these days) for the item, or point out coupons that the other sites might (but usually never) miss.