Arby’s Grand Turkey Club: Answer to Your Fall Cravings! #craveability

Fall is the season of harvest. It is hard not to notice the extraordinary abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables in grocery stores and supermarkets at this time of the year. While modern technology allows us to enjoy various fruits and veggies all year round, they taste best when they are in season. Now it's the best time to satisfy your cravings for pear, grape, apple, cranberry, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, mushroom...to name just a few.

Arby’s is “slicing up freshness” this fall with their all new Grand Turkey Club. You've probably seen mouth-watering pictures of this delicious hot sandwich at Arby's all around town lately. Arby's kindly invited me to try the Grand Turkey Club for free. Oh, it tastes incredible! Made with freshly sliced roast turkey and toasted Harvest Wheat bun, Grand Turkey Club is served hot with melted Swiss cheese, pepper bacon, leaf lettuce, tomato and mayo. It puts several of my favorite food items into one yummy sandwich. It's perfect for those who can hardly wait until Thanksgiving to have their hot turkey feast!

There are so many more things that I love about fall besides food. The change of colors in nature adds to the pleasure of cooler weather that is more agreeable to those who enjoy outdoor activities. The fallen leaves could arouse sentimental feelings in some, but the crunchy sound they make when walked on is music to my ears.

Our favorite family activity in October is a lovely trip to the pumpkin patch at the arboretum. My preschool can have hours of fun learning about pumpkins in a wide variety of colors, patterns and shapes, playing hide and seek with other kids in between cute houses, maze and hills built with hay and pumpkins, posing in front of daddy's camera, and picnicking on the beautiful lawn. Another thing we love to do as a family (not only in the fall) is to go fishing. It's not only a great bonding time for father and son, but also gives good exercise to everyone.

Fall is also such a nice season to try out different outfits and experiment with all kinds of cool accessories. The weather is neither too cold for dresses or too hot for cardigans. You can easily mix and match with silk scarves, sparkling belts, stylish boots and so many more!

Is there a specific food you crave in the fall that is not available the rest of the year? Is there an activity that you do with your family that really kicks off the season? What are your fall favorites? Feel free to share with us in the comment section below. Don't forget to check out Arby's Grand Turkey Club and give its "cravability" a personal test. "Like" Arby's on Facebook to enjoy all the sweet treats reserved exclusively for fans!


Disclosure: This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Arby’s blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.

Yahoo! Shine Women Who Shine Contest #WomenWhoShine

I know quite a few of you love Twitter parties, a super fun and engaging way for Twitter users to learn about new products, interact with brands and other consumers with similar interests, and win fab prizes. But do you know who started the very first Twittery party? Hint, hint. The inventor is a woman, a mom, a blogger, a social media maven, and an award winning entrepreneur? Her name is Amy Lupold Bair, also known as Resourceful Mommy!

Yahoo! Shine is running a wonderful Women Who Shine Contest, which aims to give recognition to women "who are blazing new trails, changing lives, and doing extraordinary things every day." As soon as I learned about the contest, I decided that Amy is the perfect candidate for it. Here's why I nominated her as a woman entrepreneur who shines:

"Amy shines as an extraordinary mom entrepreneur, champion of creative social media marketing and advocate for social good. As the founder of Resourceful Mommy Media, LLC, Amy invented the very first Twitter Party, also known as Sitewarming™ Parties, which has quickly grown into the most popular platform for new sites and trusted brands to share their voice with the Twitter audience. 

Another great creation of Amy's is the Global Influence Network, which allows public relations agencies, brands and organizations to work directly with Amy and her team to develop valuable contents for her network of over 1800 social media savvy bloggers to share with their readers, Facebook friends, and Twitter followers. Having been an active part of various public service and socially responsible campaigns and events, Global Influence Network bloggers continue to lead the online charge in blogging for a cause and stand ready to write about the issues that touch their lives. 

Amy and Resourceful Mommy Media have won wide acclaims and been featured in the press and around the Web, including ABC News, The New Yorks Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNET, The Digital Mom Handbook, to name just a few. In 2008, Amy was named by the Working Mother magazine as the Most Powerful Women in Social Media (Ranked #3). The RM Media won third place in the Shorty Awards for Advertising. Amy is currently writing Raising Digital Families For Dummies."

Don't you agree that Amy is amazing?! Whether or not your know her personally, I would love you to vote for Amy and help her win the Grand Prize of $10,000!

Please feel free to nominate your own choice of Women Who Shine. The entry with the most votes by 10/29 will be the final winner of $10k. Check out who the other social moms have nominated and show your support for the contest by "liking" Yahoo! Shine on Facebook, or follow on Twitter and



I was compensated for this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.

Soft or Strong? What's Your Choice? #CharminVote

Parenting has been an ongoing learning process for me. I find it more challenging to take care of children's emotional and psychological health than their physical well-being. Every small action I take might have a long-term impact on their behavior. It is therefore important to establish some basic principles about when to play soft or play strong and be consistent.

I'm usually soft and permissive to my preschooler when he makes a mistake out of good intention. For instance, he tried to help mom with cleaning but ended up spilling the trash can. He tried to show affection to his baby brother but the hug was too tight. Instead of criticizing him for making a mess, I assess the situation, ask him to explain how it happens, show appreciation for his good intention, and then discuss about what he has learned from the accident and how to avoid it next time.

I can't act strong when my son appears to be sleepy or tired, because it proved to be useless to try disciplining an exhausted child, who has lost control over his own behavior.

Young children are no less sensitive than teenagers. I will sooth and encourage my son softly when he gets frustrated over a new game or new skill that he is trying to master.

I am firm and strong however when it comes to discipline. I have zero tolerance for certain types of misbehavior, such as being wasteful, disrespectful or destructive. While I am always outspoken about my love for my kids, I also teach them about the importance of following rules and setting boundaries. It is OK to not take a nap, but it is unacceptable to make loud noises while others are sleeping. I repeatedly tell my son to treat others in ways that he likes to be treated.

I am also strong to keep my "no" promises. No candy before bedtime. No toy cleaned up, no meal will be served...

Real Moms Love To Eat Preview & Chances to Win Prizes #RMLTE

Do you have a passion for food? Do you love to cook? Are you looking to eat healthier food that will help you look your best? If your answer "yes" to any or all of these questions, Real Moms Love To Eat would be the perfect book for you!

Written by mom blogger and certified health counselor Beth Aldrich, Real Moms Love To Eat introduces a simple and realistic approach for busy moms to healthy eating, losing weight, and feeling fabulous. Using a mom-to-mom conversational tone, Beth reveals her secrets for keeping fit while enjoying the foods she loves. Her book lays out in three sections, a fun and easy-to-follow 10-part plan for moms to implement to make gradual, life-long changes in their approach to food and 21 days of meal suggestions, tips, recipes and lifestyle exercises. You’ll learn a lot about the food you eat and how it impacts your body and develops a more natural, positive, and pleasurable relationship with food.

Real Moms Love To Eat will be officially released on January 3, 2012. You can pre-order a copy now and be entered to win nice prizes every other week!

Beth also offers a unique Food Affairiate program for bloggers who are interested in helping spread the word about this new book. All registered Food Affairiates who post a review of the book will receive a digital copy of the book and be entered to win awesome food-related prizes like blender, food processor, bakeware, kitchen utensil goodie basket, cutting boards, and more. Please visit Beth's website for more details about the program and sign up today!

I look forward to reading this fun book. Hope you'll get a chance to check it out too. Happy and healthy eating!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Beth Aldrich - Real Moms Love to Eat blogging program, for a chance to get 3,000 My SocialMoms Rewards points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Ten Tips for Preparing Your Home for Your Newborn #SeventhGeneration

Creating a safe and healthy environment is one of the most important steps to getting your home ready for the arrival of a new baby. As we strive to achieve a greener lifestyle, we start outfitting our nursery with more natural and eco-friendly products, including furniture, wall decor, bedding, diapers, cleaners, and more. I'd like to share my top ten tips for getting prepared for a newborn.

1. Safe painting.
It's fun to paint your nursery with a cute color, but you need to choose the paints carefully to minimize your baby's exposure to toxic chemicals, as she will spend the majority of her day indoors. Use low- or zero-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds, which are harmful for both humans and the planet) paints, and paint the room at least one month before the baby is due. Expecting moms should stay away from the painting job and have it done by another family member or a professional. If you live in a house or apartment built prior to 1978, you also want to make sure that lead paint has been properly treated or removed.

2. Eco-friendly baby furniture
It's not really a good idea to stuff your baby nursery with lots of fancy, expensive furniture. The basics--crib, changing table, dresser--are all that you need to make your newborn and yourself comfortable. Choose real wood furniture with natural finish or non-toxic paints to keep your newborn away from toxic chemicals in cheap baby furniture made from synthetic materials. If you're on a tight budget, spend your money wisely on high quality baby safe furniture instead of splurging on items of no practical use.

3. Safe crib
Besides its material and paint, you also need to pay attention to the safety features of your new baby's crib. Look for the certification seal on the crib showing that it meets national safety standards. There have been quite a few instances of crib recalls and baby injuries and deaths due to design flaws in cribs. You may want to subscribe to the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) mailing list to stay on top of baby product recalls. You should also keep the crib clear of small objects that may cause suffocation or choking.

4. Safe bedding
Newborns will spend hours sleeping in bed. It's therefore important to choose bedding products that are both comfortable and non-toxic. Buy a mattress made from all natural material or a regular mattress well ahead of the baby's arrival to allow it to offgas. Firm mattresses are better for babies' growth and safety than soft ones. For mattress cover, sheets and blankets, give preference to those made from organic cotton or wool if your budget allows. Refrain from using crib bumpers as they can pose a safety hazard to your baby.

5. Green baby clothes
It's nice to dress up your newborn in organic baby clothes with adorable designs, but it's not always an affordable option for parents on a limited budget. Hand-me-downs from friends or older children in your family is in fact a great green option. Babies outgrow their their clothes very quickly. It would be a huge waste to buy a lot of new clothes in the same size. Used baby clothes are actually more gentle on a baby's sensitive skin. If you do prefer brand new clothes for your newborn, remember to rinse them off before putting them on.

6. Eco-friendly diapers
One thing that new babies will consume a lot is diapers. Choosing natural and biodegradable diapers are good for both your baby and our planet. Seventh Generation, the nation’s leading brand of eco-friendly products, has introduced their new Free & Clear diapers, which are free of chlorine, latex, fragrances and petroleum-based lotions and come in a range of sizes from newborn to stage 6. In addition, the new line includes soft, cloth-like Free & Clear Baby Wipes, which are free of alcohol, synthetic dyes and fragrances and whitened without chemicals containing chlorine. You may also consider cloth diapering if you don't mind the extra work of cleaning.


7. All-natural baby care
Babies' gentle skin needs extra care. Look for all-natural ingredients when purchasing baby care products like shampoo, body wash, moisturize and bottom balm. Avoid petroleum-based lotions and products that contain artificial colors and fragrances or other harmful chemicals.

8. Safe toys
There's hardly any nursery without toys. Plastic toys are found to be a major contributor to indoor air pollution. Avoid plastic baby toys that are not BPA-free and switch to natural cloth or wooden toys that are no less fun to play with. You can even make your own baby toys with organic fabrics and natural wood if you love crafts. There are plenty of neat toy-making ideas you may find over the Internet and in magazines.

9. Green cleaning
The arrival of a new baby involves new cleaning routines. When cleaning your baby's clothes, bedding, furniture, and toys, choose green cleaning products that are free of harsh chemicals to help keep your nursery safe and clean. Seventh Generation's new Free & Clear line includes baby liquid laundry detergent that are formulated with plant-derived cleaning agents and free of fragrances, dyes, and optical brighteners. The brand also offers a nice selection of eco-friendly household cleaning products to help you live in a greener home.

10. Green nursing/feeding
There are more and more eco-friendly nursing gear on the market to help breastfeeding moms go green. From nursing wear and nursing pads to nipple cream and stretch mark cream, you can choose green options made from organically grown material and all natural ingredients. When you need to feed your baby with a bottle, be sure to choose BPA-free bottles or glass bottles that are safe for babies.

If you're a new parent, I hope you'll find these tips helpful. Please feel free to chime in if you have great tips to add to the list. Visit SocialMoms and read more helpful advice from expecting moms who are welcoming their newborns with a safe and eco-friendly nursery.

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Seventh Generation blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Ten Tips for Keeping Your Family Safe on the Road

As the weather gets warmer and kids get out of school, Summer is the perfect season for family outings and vacations. A significant amount of our travel time is likely to be spent in a car (even after we fly to a destination). While we enjoy family fun during a road trip, it's important to take preventive measures to increase safety in driving.

I didn't know that windshield is ranked as a vehicle’s third most important safety component behind seatbelts and airbags until I read it from Social Moms, who has teamed up with Safelite AutoGlass on a new blogging program on road trip safety. I learned that a properly installed windshield ensures the passenger-side airbag deploys properly and helps maintain a vehicle’s structural integrity in the event of a rollover, while an improperly installed windshield could pop out during an accident. Without the windshield, a passenger can be thrown from the vehicle or struck by its collapsing roof, greatly increasing the chance of injury or even death.

Safelite AutoGlass has provided some safety tips that I think are helpful for all of us.

1. Do not ignore a chip in your windshield! The windshield provides up to 30% of your vehicles structural integrity, and a chip smaller than 6 inches (or the size of a dollar bill) can easily be repaired by filling it with a special resin.

2. Have a windshield repair to prevent a chip from turning into a crack. Windshield repair is often a safe and economical alternative to a full windshield replacement. Safelite AutoGlass saves approximately 35,000 tons of CO2 during windshield production each year, enough to fill the Empire State Building approximately 19 times. In addition, it saves the number of damaged windshields being sent to the landfill by approximately 12,500 tons annually.

3. Choose professional service over a DIY repair kit. The resin in do-it-yourself repair kits could easily shrink or yellow, lowering the quality of the repair. Safelite AutoGlass uses a patented repair process and its resin is proven to be the strongest and longest lasting on the market. Safelite AutoGlass provides mobile service–-wherever your car is–-often within 24 hours of your initial call.

Here are some more tips for keeping your family safe on the road I've collected over time.

4. Have a mechanic checkup before a long road trip. If you're driving your own car, have your tires, battery, belts, fluids, and air conditioning checked by a qualified mechanic to make sure your car will work properly. If you're driving a rental, check the basic safety features carefully before you drive out.

5. Make sure your child's car seat is correctly installed. A disturbing research finding is that four out of five car seats aren't installed 100% correct, which has put children at serious risk for injury or death. Call 866-SEAT-CHECK to schedule a free safety seat inspection by a professional.

6. Pack a road trip emergency kit. An appropriate emergency kit should include a first-aid kit, jumper cables, a flashlight, tools for a tire change, flares, blankets, and clean drinking water. The kit could help you survive a car accident or breakdown.

7. No texting or chatting over the phone while driving. The person who is driving should be strictly prohibited from performing any activity on her cell phone. Talking over the phone can be very distracting even when a wireless device is deployed. Ask a passenger on the car to make the phone call instead if necessary. Texting is even more dangerous as both your eyes and hands have to participate in the action when they should focus on the road and the wheel.

8. No drowsy or drunk driving. The driver should have plenty of rest and keep a clear head while on the road. It's great to have more than one adult drivers taking turns. But if you're the only one who can drive, take more stops and nap when you feel the need to. No alcohol drinking should be allowed at all. Alcohol could make you drowsy too.

9. Pull over to read a map or program your GPS. The road condition needs your full attention. Any distraction can be extremely dangerous. Don't panic when your get lost. Stop the car in a safe zone if you want to read a map or change things on your GPS. Or ask another adult in the car to help you re-route.

10. Protect your family from sunburn. Make sure all family members have their own sunglasses and hats. Apply sunblock to all exposed body parts periodically. Equip your car with removable sunshades if possible. Remember not to leave your child alone in a parked car, the interior of which could reach 100+ degrees within minutes.

Do you have any unique safety tips to share? The first 100 bloggers who submit a quality post sharing their tips for keeping their family safe on the road will receive a $30 Amazon Gift Card from SocialMoms & Safelite AutoGlass! Don't miss your chance to participate in this meaningful and informative program.

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Safelite blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Little Switches That Make A Difference

I've seen a lot of discussions about making small changes in your lifestyle to make a difference in your health, your home, and your impact on the planet, such as choosing skim milk over whole milk, switching to organic products, unplugging electronics while they are not in use, etc. Have you ever thought about taking some simple steps to extend the shelf life of your loving relationship with your spouse?

The Cottonelle brand would love to show how little switches can make all the difference in our lives and relationships, so they have partnered with SocialMoms on a new blogging program calling for quality posts on little switches that make a difference. This first 100 qualifying participants will each receive a $25 Target gift card. Don't miss this opportunity to share your idea and get rewarded!

I believe in the importance of reserving "personal space" between couples. My husband and I don't always stick to each other in our social lives. He would attend a basketball match with his buddies while I would go fashion shopping with my girlfriends. In our spare time, we may sit in the same room doing completely different things while pursuing our own hobbies.

It's been working great for the past years, but at times I felt that my husband would have been happier had I become more involved in his life or opened up some of my "reservations" to him. Every time before he decided to do things without me, he would ask if I would like to join him. I would find an excuse to decline his offer if it involved an activity I'm not interested in.

I think it's time for me to make little switches from that status quo to prevent personal space from turning into unwanted distance in our relationship. I would start with joining my husband in the gym. I must admit that the only form of exercise I do on a regular basis is walking. I'm not the physically active type. I prefer to stay healthy by watching what I eat. My husband on the other hand, loves sports and outdoor activites. He has an active gym membership and exercises at the gym after work and on weekends. He's invited me repeatedly to go to the gym together and told me that he would enjoy my company. Every time I said "No, thanks."

I've already taken the first step to making my switch and bought a new workout outfit. I will surprise my husband with a different answer when he asks me again if I'd like to join him in the gym. This simple change would not only enhance our relationship but also help me lose weight and stay fit. I plan to make more switches like this from time to time, including accompanying him to a sports event, watching his favorite show with him, and taking him to more of my favorite occasions like concerts and parties.

I still don't think it necessary for couples to do everything together in order to keep their relationship close, but it's definitely an art to set your personal space to a level that makes both of you feel comfortable and engaged.

Every relationship has its own unique stories. Do you perceive any small changes that you can make to bring a positive difference to your relationship? Share them with us and we may all learn something about how to improve our relationship with our beloved ones. Don't forget to check out all the great ideas from Social Moms like you!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Cottonelle blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Tips for Getting Away with Great Family Travel Deals

Spring break has already begun in many schools, which means another high travel season is coming. Do you have plans for a family outing or vacation? Both my husband and I love to travel, but we are also concerned about the costs associated with taking longer trips. So we are constantly on the lookout for ways to save money when planning for a family vacation.

Alamo Rent A Car has recently launched the Alamo Insiders program, which offers its members various perks including exclusive, member-only deals, quick and simple reservations, and frequent traveler miles with each rental. To help raise awareness for this new program, Alamo teamed up with SocialMoms on an exciting blogging contest. The first 100 bloggers who submit a quality post sharing top 10 tips for getting away with great family travel deals will each win a $25 Amazon gift card!

Here are my top ten tips:

1. Plan well ahead.
This is a golden principle that works well for almost everything, but it's particularly important when it comes to trip planning. You need to leave ample time for researching and comparison shopping in order to get the best deals. Your planning usually involves decisions on a variety of elements, such as travel dates, trip duration, destination, itinerary, and budget.

2. Do research based on your budget.
The first step to keep control of your travel costs is to set a budget that you are comfortable with. Once you have the rough boundaries for spending, you can narrow down your research to offers and packages within the appropriate price ranges. For instance, to save money, you may want to limit your air fare search to economy class or lodging search to 1-2 star hotels.

3. Be flexible.
The more flexible your travel plan is, the more likely you're going to get a good deal. Try your best to avoid peak seasons, when air fare and hotel rates are considerably higher. When checking prices, be sure to experiment with different dates and time selections to find the best combination. If time is not a primary concern for you, you may consider non-direct flights, which are likely to cost less. For hotels, be flexible about amenities that you might not have a chance to use, such as pools, gym, and business center.

4. Use free price prediction services.
Advanced booking may or may not save your money. To get a better idea of how prices fluctuate over time, you may use free search engines like Bing.com, which not only shows you travel-related price changes in the past but also makes scientific predictions about price trends in the near future. It may advise you about the best time to make a purchase. Very cool, isn't it?

5. Comparison shop via the Internet.
There are numerous travel comparison shopping sites that you can use to search for the best deals. Commonly used ones include: Orbitz, Traveloity, and Expedia. Kayak is a relatively new website which provides searches across hundreds of travel sites at once so that you can have all the search results in one place and sort them whichever way you like.

6. Double check on the provider's site.
Think you've got the best deals after the comparison shopping searches? Not necessarily! To make sure you're getting the lowest prices, go to the official site of the airline or hotel showing the lowest prices on your search results and double check. Sometimes you will be amazed at what you can find out. You may be charged a service fee (around $5) if you book through some of the sites listed in Tip 5. But you may as well book directly through the provider at exactly the same price minus the service fee! So it's always a good idea to double check.

7. Join loyalty/rewards programs.
Most of us are aware that airlines reward frequent flyers with mileage, which, once accumulated to a certain level, can be redeemed for free perks like upgrades, tickets, magazines, merchandise, etc. In recent years, a lot of hotel chains and car rental companies have also started to offer their own loyalty programs that reward you for using their services. Alamo Insider Program is probably the most recent example. It's not necessary to sign up for every frequent user program that exists. But it's wise to sign up for the ones that are relevant to your upcoming trip. Memberships are completely free. Why not take advantage of the extras that may come with what you're about to do anyway?

8. Sign up for free deal alerts.
Most travel service providers offer newsletters that keep you up to date with exclusive discounts and time-sensitive offers. If you happen to meet the specific requirements for an offer, you can save big, usually a lot more than what you can normally get from comparison shopping. Don't forget to read the fine prints and make sure the offer is right for you.

9. Bid for last-minute deals.
Life is full of surprises. We can't really plan everything well ahead. But you can still save by getting some last-minute bargains through Priceline or Hotwire. The downside is that what you may get depends a lot on luck and bidding strategy and that you may not know the exact provider of the service before you pay. But if you're pressed by time and intimidated by costs, it doesn't hurt to try your luck at travel deal auctions.

10. Search for provider-specific coupons and partner deals.
Once you have your pick for the travel service providers, you can always do a targeted search on coupons and deals over the Internet. This may bring up additional savings that you cannot find otherwise. All in all, the key to getting the best deals is search and research :)

Do you travel a lot? Have you got any special tips and tricks that you care to share? Feel free to comment below or write your own post and link up at SocialMoms.

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Tips for Saving Money at the Grocery Store #CartBuster

Grocery shopping is probably the kind of shopping that we do most frequently--weekly, biweekly, or even daily. And for some of us, grocery spending consumes a considerable portion of our family income. But do you know that it's also an area in which there is a lot of room for extra savings? There are so many great coupon/deal bloggers out there that commit to helping people get the best deals from their local grocery stores. You can get some free grocery almost every week. Sometimes you may even make money from the best combination of coupons, store specials, and cash back offers!

What has received a lot of buzz lately is the Kroger CartBuster Savings Event! As I introduced to you on Sunday, it's a two-week promotion between 2/27-3/2, which offers deep discounts on a wide variety of popular products from reputable brands, like P&G, General Mills, Nestle, and Pepsi. In addition, you may get one free product coupon per day by checking their Deal of the Day between noon and 6pm EST. I got a coupon good for a free full-size bottle of Tide detergent on 2/27. Monday's deal was free Coffee-Mate. I can't wait to find out what's up for grabs for the days to come!

To celebrate these incredible savings, SocialMoms (formerly TwitterMoms) has teamed up with Kroger on a new blogging program, in which the first 50 qualified bloggers who share tips for saving money at the grocery store will receive a $50 Kroger gift card! Only bloggers in select states are eligible to win, so it looks like they are still in need of a few more good posts. Don't miss this great opportunity if you are a blogger living near to a store in the Kroger family.

Here are a few money-saving tips I find particularly helpful:

1. Plan your meals based on store specials.
Grocery stores usually have a set schedule for releasing weekly specials. For instance, weekly deals start every Wednesday at our local Kroger. Before we go shopping, we browse through the weekly ad either online or in print to see what the best deals are. We'll make a shopping list accordingly and plan our menu around the food items that are on sale. It doesn't mean that you will be having the same dishes every day. You can still diversify your menu with a certain ingredient being used more frequently. You may also find a lot of unadvertised specials featuring your favorite brands. Be sure to include those!


2. Buy only what you need and what you will use.
This is an important supplement to the previous tip. No matter how enticing the deals may look, stick to things you truly need and will definitely use. Do not splurge on useless stuff, which varies significantly by individual. When it comes to grocery shopping, stay away from unhealthy food choices--the health risks that may likely result will far outweigh current savings!

3. Do not stock up on items that will go stale easily.
It is often advisable to stock up on household items that are on sale. It's wise to stock up on toilet paper, trash bags, diapers and the like while they are on sale. But it usually means a waste of money if you buy a lot of food items that will soon expire or go bad easily. From my experience, some products are on sale precisely because they are about to expire. Milk, bread, and packaged deli meat are common examples. Please make sure you check the expiration date before making a purchase.

4. Be a smart coupon user.
Coupon clipping is usually taken as a signature trait for a frugal or smart shopper. I think it important to be a selective rather than addictive coupon clipper. Do not try to collect every coupon you see either online or offline. Focus on the ones for your favorite products and with the best values. This strategy will save you time, clutter, and money. When you have a nice collection of useful coupons in front of you, try to combine them with store specials to get the best deals. Manufacturer coupons and in-store coupons are usually stackable. Use both to maximize your savings. Free product coupons are even better. You may get them from manufacturer promotions, blog giveaways, or product testing programs.

5. Good customer service helps you save too.
If you visit deals forums often, you may have seen "YMMV" from time to time. It means your mileage may vary...depends on the store you shop at. I love shopping at our local Kroger, not only because of their nice deals, but also because of their excellent customer service, in particular, their permissive coupon policy and full refund for error policy. Unlike many places that reject e-coupons, Kroger accepts valid coupons of any form. You can even load e-coupons into your shopper's card and receive the discount automatically during checkout! Human errors are inevitable, but Kroger pays you for identifying them. If you find a mistaken charge on your receipt, take it to customer service. Upon verification, Kroger will refund your money and let you keep the product in question, which means free grocery for you!

I'm sure everyone has their own favorite set of money-saving tips. Please feel free to share yours with the rest of us  and let's learn from one another. Don't forget to plan your grocery shopping around Kroger's savings event for the next two weeks if there is a participating store near you. While you are here, enter my giveaway to win a $25 Kroger gift card!

Happy shopping & saving!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms Kroger CartBuster blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate,click here.