When I went shopping this week for milk and eggs at my favorite grocery store, I was stunned at the increase in prices. During the last month, I have watched the price of milk shoot up a $1 a gallon and the price of eggs jumped more than 70 cents. I told my husband that we may have to take out a loan to support my son’s milk habit and jokingly questioned whether or not it would be just cheaper to buy a cow.

While I try to make light of the situation, the rise in grocery prices is really no joking matter. The recent rise in groceries can take a huge hit on your budget. This is why it is more important than ever to know your prices, check for sales and coupon.

One way I find I can save money is by making list. I make list for everything. I make list for meals, I make list for what I need to get accomplished during a day and I make list for what I need when I go grocery shopping. I am a task oriented individual and I cannot tell you how good it makes me feel when I can cross off items off my list.

List are a great thing to have when grocery shopping too. When grocery shopping, make a list of the coupons for products that you need. Remember that just because you have a coupon does not always mean that you will get the best price. Make sure you comparison shop. Before heading to the store, plan out your meals and check out what is in your fridge. Make a list of items you need from the store to make your meals and try to only purchase things you need from your list. Do not wonder the store, do not go to the store hungry and only purchase the items off your list. You would be surprised, but this can save a bundle.

I also create list for clearing out your clutter. As I told you, I am a firm believer that if you know what you have and do not live amongst a lot of clutter, then you save money. When you have a lot of clutter, you do not know what you have and you tend to go out and buy more. So I make a list of chores every day that I am able to check off. This is a great thing to do if you are trying to purge. Start with small task that do not take a lot of time and make a list to accomplish them. I cannot tell you the sense of euphoria you will feel when you accomplish that task.

Do you have tips for saving money? E-mail them to localnews2005@yahoo.com. You can also check out Frugal Family on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/frugalfamilycolumn?ref=ts. This week’s Facebook savings included free shampoo and 50 percent discounts at Starbucks. Make sure you like us on Facebook.