They're groceries, not Red Sox tickets.

So then how come I used to spend waaaay more at Stop & Shop than I did on overpriced tickets to Fenway Park?

Here are my strategies of the past:

-Drive to grocery store EXHAUSTED on the way home from work... the one my mom always shopped at. I like stuff I am familiar with.

-Meander down aisles, randomly putting stuff in my cart.

-If something was on sale, I felt good about saving money. If it was priced 2/$5, 2/$6, or 10/$10, I would buy that many... you have to, right?

-See a coupon for some brand I use, put it in my wallet. Forget to use it. Notice it one day, then notice it had expired 2 weeks prior. Feel sad.

-Since I am perpetually on Weight Watchers, fill my cart with a rainbow of fresh fruits and veggies, because that's what they say to do. Disregard the price per pound- you just can't put a price on good health... feel sad when I had to throw half of it out because it went bad.

- Buy a bunch of deli meat- too much. Again, sadly throw it away when it went bad.

-Buy chicken. Leave it in fridge with the intention of cooking it. Stare at it at the end of each workday. Decide that I'm too tired to cook the chicken. Vow to make it tomorrow. Buy takeout.

- Oh, tomorrow is here, the chicken is bad. Throw it out. Feel sad again.

- Spend about $150 for a week's worth of groceries for just my husband and I.

--Stop at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods every other week or so- drop an additional $60-$80 on prepackaged meals that are "healthy." Again, health is more important than cost... right?

- Did I mention my husband buys lunch at work every day?

-Did I mention we eat out/take out 2-3 times a week?

We had two incomes then. We had no children then. We had no savings, either.

While I am certainly not the guru on all things supermarket, I have managed to drastically cut our grocery budget over the course of the past year or so. I've made some large changes, and some tiny changes, but the savings have actually started to add up. I now spend a little less than a third of what I used to spend on just my husband and me, and actually feed our little family of four very well.

Yeah, my kids are 2 and under, and yeah, we don't eat out much- BUT, we eat good stuff. There are always a zillion choices for breakfast. My husband packs a satisfying lunch every day. I am no Rachel Ray, but I cook my family a doable, tasty meal every night. Most importantly, we are able to put a little money away every month for the important stuff- college, retirement, and a trip to Disney World in a couple of years. Call me crazy, but I'd rather take the kids on vacation than let a bunch of food go bad in the fridge.

This week, I'll post the steps I took to change the way we spend and save at the grocery store. I don't promise instant reformation, but I do hope to share some tips I've learned from other moms like me.