Angry Birds may be an incredible doctor’s office distraction, but kid-friendly games are hardly the only iPhone apps that moms depend on. Whether you’re looking to lose the baby weight, simplify grocery shopping, or make a mid-movie pee-run without missing a key scene, these mom-recommended iPhone apps, many of them free, are indispensable.

1. Cozi Family Organizer (Free, $5.99 for ad-free version)

Get organized with Cozi's color-coded calendars, grocery lists, to-do lists and family journal. Paige K. shares:  “With a blended family of 5 kids schedules and 2 parents with multiple jobs, it has been a lifesaver. I can set each one's schedule AND have reminders sent via text message so we don't inadvertently miss an event or appointment.”

Runner up for organizational apps: Intuition

2. Lose It! (Free)

Need help losing the baby weight? “Loseit app helped me lose 50 pounds,” says mom Heather N.  She’s not alone—the average user of this diet and fitness-tracking app has lost at least 12 pounds.

Runner up for weight loss apps: MyFitnessPal

3. Period Tracker (Lite, Free; Deluxe, $1.99)

Whether you’re trying to conceive or just don’t like surprises, Period Tracker makes tracking your cycle a breeze. See your predicted start days, ovulation days and fertile days at a glance, and log symptoms and moods with the notes feature.

Runner up for cycle-tracking apps: Fertility Friend

4. Grocery IQ (Free)

Moms go gaga over many grocery apps, but Grocery IQ is a particular favorite. Synchronize the family’s phones to a single grocery list, scan barcodes to add items, add coupons to loyalty cards, sort by aisle, and more. Jennifer  M. raves: “Grocery IQ rocks!!!”

Runners up for shopping apps: Our Groceries and Cardstar

5. Child Page (Free)

We're admittedly a little biased since we created this app here at Circle of Moms, but Child Page is truly a great way to record special moments in your child's life—as spontaneously as they happen. We use it for milestones, funny quotes, and photos, and especially love that we can instantly share these moments with friends and family through email, Facebook, and Twitter, and control who sees what. Circle of Moms member Lori Dillman says, "I love Circle of Moms on my computer and love it even more on my iPhone."

6. RunPee (Free)

Thanks to RunPee, you'll never miss a critical movie scene as a result of a busy bladder again! Sarah H. explains: “It tells you the certain times and scenes of the movie that would be 'safe' to run to the restroom if you need to without missing important scenes! It's really cool especially for pregnant moms and parents with kids that have to unexpectedly 'go'. ;)” Timers can even alert you when a pee time is coming up.

7. Sex Offenders Search ($3.99)

Updated daily, this app contains data on registered sex offenders located in the United States. Search by name, address and zip code, or activate your phone’s GPS to search near your current location. As Sarah S. explains: “It uses GPS to locate where you are and where all the sex offenders live around you. Plus a photo, description and what they were charged with. Creepy, but nice to have.”

Runners up for bathroom apps: Have2P and Sit or Squat

8. Allrecipes.com Dinner Spinner (Free)

Looking to pull together a meal in 20 minutes with what's already in your fridge? Dinner Spinner lets you search thousands of recipes by ingredient, dish type and preparation time, plus view photos and reviews. Sendy T. raves:  “I can put in an ingredient and it pulls up recipes with it in it..I love it."

Runners up for cooking apps: Martha Stewart Makes Cookies/Martha’s Everyday Food: Fresh & Easy Recipes

9. Total Baby ($4.99)

Moms like Ellen D. swear by this all-in-one baby tracking tool: “TB helps me keep track of feedings, diapers, sleep, as well as measurements and vaccinations.” You can also log milestones, doctor’s visits, allergies and more.
 
Runner up for baby info tracking apps: Similac Strong Moms Baby Journal

10. Family Tracker by Life360 (Free)

By using GPS to locate your family’s phones, Family Tracker lets you see your kids’ real-time locations, view nearby threats and safety resources, and send a one-click panic alert to family in emergencies.

Runner up for location tracking apps: Loopt

Do you have any favorites that we missed? Let us know in the comments below. 

Image Source: Yutaka Tsutano via Flickr/Creative Commons

Could you buy over $1,100 worth of groceries for just $51.67? Or pay off a $600 bill with just $2.64? TLC's new Extreme Couponing special is raising eyebrows with the jaw-dropping savings, massive stockpiling, and even dumpster-diving of its zealous couponers.

While most of us don't aspire to live this group's lifestyle, we can all whittle down our grocery bills by adopting some of their money-saving strategies. We've scoured our communities for simple coupon and money-saving tactics suggested by Circle of Moms members and extreme couponers alike. Grab your scissors!

1. Combine Coupons

Combining manufacturer coupons, rebates, store coupons and in-store sales is a great way to save extra money. Renea H., a mother of three in Pennsylvania, combines coupons to score deep discounts on diapers: "Just picked up Huggies Pure & Natural diapers for less than $3 a pack (jumbo pack) using the $3 coupon from the Sunday paper, and the $2 Rite Aid Video rewards coupon, and the '$5 off a $20 purchase' coupon also on the Rite Aid Video rewards site."

2. Find Extra Coupons Online

In addition to grocery store circulars, there are numerous websites devoted exclusively to couponing. Emily S., a mother of two in Flint, MI, is one of many Circle of Moms members who recommend Couponmom.com and Coupongal.net: "Both sites have all the links to sites to print out free grocery coupons." Several others moms approve of Redplum.com. Melinda M., a mother of one, also advises checking individual store websites: "Some of the grocery stores allow you to select your coupons online so that they will be on your store card. When it is scanned at the register the savings comes off."

3. Keep Coupons Organized

Discount cards and coupons are slippery little things! Circle of Moms members suggest organizing coupons with envelopes, accordion files or coupon binders to avoid losing or accidently tossing them. San Diego mom Niki K. shares, "A clear expandable envelope works miracles (the kind you'd use for bills), then instead of months tabs, you mark store names (or whatever works for you), and you always have them right where you can find them." Meanwhile Rachel R., a mother of three in Germany, has tried two organizational approaches: "I used to have a small accordion file with things organized by category, but it took me forever to find things I needed...so now I have a binder with baseball-card-type pages to separate the coupons. The best part is I have it broken into grocery aisles, so I flip pages as I go, and it's much quicker and easier to see what I have."

4. Buy in Bulk

While you may not want the giant grocery stockpiles treasured by extreme couponers, buying in bulk is a valuable money-saving tip when you're careful to only choose items that your family really uses. Laurie H., a mother of two, buys rice, oatmeal, couscous, and spices in bulk from a local health food store, while Heather B., a mother of one, suggests buying and freezing meat: "Buy meat in bulk and freeze it. I won't pay more then $1.99/lb for any meat, so when it's on sale I stock up. Most meat is good for a few months if put it in the freezer quickly."

5. Plan Ahead

Embarking on each shopping trip with a specific plan is another great tip to borrow from extreme couponers. Jessie T., a mother of one in Busselton, advises making (and sticking to!) a detailed shopping list for the week: "Plan your meals out for the week before you go shopping. It's the best advice I can give. Before I started doing that I was spending $230 a week on shopping. Now that I plan out my meals through the week I only spend $180." With a specific plan, you'll avoid tossing extra items into the cart and racking up a higher-than-expected bill.

Looking for more coupon sites and money-saving tips?

With communities like Coupon Clippin' Mamas (11,000+ members) and Money Saving Tips (400,000+ members), along with conversations on everything from money-saving suggestions for single moms and being green and saving money, Circle of Moms is a great place to find and share money-related advice with other moms.