Saving money by doing less running (you know the running you do in a vehicle...)

Last night I was contemplating on what I should write about for Frugal Friday. We save money in many ways but I was trying to think of something I haven't written on before. The money saving tip that I thought of was: "Stay home more, combine errands and stay away from stores. :-)

  Okay,  maybe we don't have to completely stay away from stores though that probably would save quite a lot, but running to them less can help save money too. This is the way I was raised and I try to do that now that I am grown as well.

   My goal is to going shopping once a week at most (preferably every two weeks) and only go to the super Walmart (which is my major shopping trip), once a month. I also try to combine other errands together. For example: We are invited over to a friends home tomorrow. As we go there and back I also have come up with some other errands that need to be run such as: Pick up something at the church building, drop off recycling and buy some stuff for an upcoming wedding. That could have been 4 separate trips but instead I combine it all into one trip.

  The benefits I find in combining trips are this:

• I save money on gas.
• I save wear and tear on our vehicle.
• I save time.
• And I have less stress of rounding children up, getting them loaded and then unloaded many more times.

  Some things that help us to accomplish this a little easier are:

• Keep a running list of things we need at the grocery store. That way when I do go I can get everything.
• Keep a list of errands I need to run. So when I do have to go out I will remember what other errands I want to do at the same time.
• Keep water bottles, snacks and kids magazines in the van so even if errand running gets long, the kids stay happy.
• Avoid unnecessary trips to the store by being willing to substitute and make do. Here is a list of food substitutions you can make.

I am curious how often do you go to the grocery store? Or do you have any other tips to share for staying home more?

For more ways to save money have fun checking out all the Frugal Fridays links at Life as MOM.