This is how I shop. Like a crazed coupon clipper who listens to the rhythm of her pantry.

It took me over the course of six months to get this crazy.  Mad hunting for coupons, sitting the library filtering through miralax, puppy chow and Excedrin coupons to find the gold nugget -- .55cents off Land o' Lakes Butter.  Yes, I'm that crazy.  But I don't mind.  Even my four year old understands how important those "coopuns" are to me.  I faithfully buy two, yes two, Sunday papers.  One from the town I live in and one from a neighboring town.  The coupons are not always the same in each paper.  The $3.25 I shell out every Sunday, except for Holidays because they don't print coupons, pays for its self ten, sometimes twenty times over.  

So, that is step one.  TWO papers, every Sunday.  Not too shabby.  Because I know when I go shopping I will save NO less than $30.  The most I have ever saved in one go was $98.  Yeah.  I gulped.  Waited until I was outside, did the shout dance and called my husband.

Now, on to the nitty gritty.

Here is a list of items that I buy consistently to stock:
Chicken broth/ Beef Broth
Cream of Mushroom, chicken, celery
Tomato sauce, paste and diced tomatoes
Beans (black, pinto and pink)
Noodles (jumbo shells, mini penne, vermicelli)
Tuna
Marinated artichoke hearts (for casseroles)
Salsa
Ketchup
French Fried Onions
Water Chestnuts
Jelly
Oatmeal
Cream of Wheat
Juice
Flour (depending on how often you use it, I now make my own pancake batter so I tend to use a little more)

Here is a list of the items I buy to freeze:
Shredded cheese (sharp, mild cheddar, colby jack, mozzarella, parmesean)
Bread
Bacon
Butter (yes, I freeze butter)
Chicken
Pork (shoulder, and center cut pieces, labeled frozen and cut according to how much we eat)
Ground Turkey rounds
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Potatoes (if I made too many mashed potatoes over dinner, I freeze the remainder...I will go more into depth about other ways to freeze your 'taters')
Rice (more on this later)
Asparagus
Green Onions
Store bought, Pre-bagged mixed veggies (for soups and stir frys)

Store bought, Pre-bagged frozen corn (for soups)

Ok, there is SO much to talk about concerning these lists.  I buy a whole lot more than what I listed, but it varies.  It depends on what type of foods I'm cooking and what time of year it is.  I tend to buy more beans and frozen corn in the winter...all of the soups I make.  And in the summer I buy more hamburger buns(bread) and ketchup.  Either way, you will find the rhythm of your pantry.
One trick is to -- take advantage of the B1G1.  That is: BUY ONE GET ONE FREE.  Shoot.  If it's something you use a lot, get it!  Especially if it has a long shelf life like: ketchup, soy sauce, juice, mayo.  Also, the bread( know it doesn't have a lot of shelf life but it's expensive and is frequently B1G1).  We eat a fair amount of bread.  Not so much sandwich breads but when it's on sale I buy three loaves and pop two in the freezer.

O. that's the other thing.  My freezer. 
It's a life saver/money saver.  Invest in a freezer.  There has to be some room in the garage for a small freezer.  That's what makes all of my "stocking up" work so well.  My freezer.

Back to the food...  It also comes in handy to freeze your leftovers.  I make rather large batches of homemade spaghetti sauce, chili, ploff and a few other things.  How many times have I NOT wanted to make dinner, or, been a little short on ingredients and it's not convenient to run to the store?  Too many.  So, I pull out my reserves and dinner is served!

I am going to stop here and do a second post on how to freeze some of these veggies.  And also talk about some of the other non-food items I stock up on.  I don't want to system overload everyone.  I hope this has been helpful.  If you have any questions...

Food

      I totally want to do a whole post on food.  Foods that I've never heard of, until recently.  Why I'm afraid to try them?  But, I'm very, very tempted to start spreading my palate (or making my tongue fat).  I think I have a rather large taste-base.  But, I don't think it's very diverse or sophisticated.  Mostly, I stick to basic ingredients.  I'm not much of a gourmet cook.  It's fun to try new recipes, mostly the ones that have ingredients I'm familiar with.  I serve a lot of Russian and Latin foods at home and we have worked hard to make sure our children love veggies.  Asparagus, Broccoli, Leafy Greens, Zucchini, Cucumber, Bell Pepper and such like, you have 'em, they'll eat 'em. 
      My seasonings are basic: salt, pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, chicken bullion, cumin, bay leaves, coriander...
See, all of those I'm sure you've heard of.  So, now, here I am surfing the net.  Submerging myself in the world of the blogging foodie moms and feeling a little stupid because I don't know WHAT in the world a cippolini onion is, or pecorino cheese, a meyer lemon, uhm, semolina flour, and frisée lardon is beyond me.  I feel so inadequate as a cook.  Is there hope for me?  I think I just made a pact with myself, while I was doing dishes, after torturing my mind with all the things I don't know about cooking.

"You need to expand your family's palate."  (I'm talking to myself at this point...more like inaudible mumblings)

"Get brave, go to the store and just do it!"
"But that's sooo scary!  Some of those things we might not like and then there goes a whole meal down the drain."
" Ok, fine, then don't do it.  Wait, ok, do it, but try it in small increments, first."

And so the convo went for a while until I settled on the recipe that I would make to introduce our family to new tastes, and stuff.  *gulp*

Anyone up for some Potato Gratin With Broccoli/Kale Pesto And Balsamic Shallots?
Yeah, I know, sounds kinda cool.  I've never made pesto before.  We shall see what we shall see.  Right?

Ultra

So, I was skimming through the news online and I came across this clip about an Ultra-marathoner.  For those of you who know me, I have recently developed an affinity for running.  I will run at any time of the day, and in most weather including snow, but I prefer late afternoon when there is a breeze and it isn't blistering hot or freezing cold.  Ok, so that is NEVER the case in my neck of the woods, so, I have to settle for dusk when D is home from school so he can watch the babies.  And I run.  It feels so good.  Almost like drinking an energy drink, only better and without the crashing part afterward.   But, so, back to this Ultra-marathoner.  This particular lady is training to run 130 miles.  Nonstop.  One.hundred.thirty miles.  I thought it was a mistake.  But it's not and she's doing it.  With one leg.  She lost her other leg in a crash.  One leg.  She is a single mom and an Ultra-marathoner. 

Now, I'm not even close to running a real marathon, although I've set my goals, but I am, most definitely, an Ultra-mom.  And I kinda like it.  I'm growing into my position, through much difficulty learning patience, and finding that I cherish my mornings when I can stare at my little babies sleeping, snoring and making smacking sounds with their pudgy little lips.  I enjoy playing baseball and basketball with my little boy and running with him.  He is very much the runner now and he wears his special shoes every time.

They are watersocks.  Meant for wearing while you go swimming...not running.  But he doesn't care.  He thinks they make him run faster and he demonstrates his super speed for me every time before we set off together.  Of course, I bring the stroller because he's tired by the time we reach the next light pole but it's priceless.  He is so earnest, "Mahm, wess go wunning!"

And I enjoy making faces with my little girl, touching noses, munching on her soft little ears and humming together.  She and I sing together.  Our own little songs and she'll dance.  Her chubby little feet slapping on the wood floors.  We chase each other around the house and laugh and hide and scream.  That's the other thing we do.  We'll stand in the kitchen and shrill back and forth until one of us giggles.  

  Now, I may only have two children, so I might not be amongst the highest ranks of Ultra-momness but I've earned a few medals.  Like, the one where I stayed up 23 hours straight two days after giving birth to my precious little Romalise.  I was nursing everyone in the house back to health from a nasty flu.  And the one where I was getting up every hour, on the hour changing off between a screaming toddler and a screaming baby, and D...my wonderful D sleeping through this whole mess of a night.  And yes, I did make breakfast in the morning.  So, no, I can't run 130 miles, but I can clean up splattered poop, puke and food faster than you've ever seen.  I can stay up nursing my family back to health and clean the whole house the next day.  I can make dinner, kiss boo-boos, wipe away tears, sing, smile and love...

I'm an Ultra-mom.  And I know I'm not alone.