It happens to all of us: A quick trip to Target to pick up a few essentials somehow turns into a full-blown shopping spree complete with a cart full of impulse buys. With your budget blown, you're left toting a dozen shopping bags to your car and wondering how you can prevent this from happening again.

With a bit of strategizing, it really is possible to shop at Target and not overspend. We talked with several shopping experts about smart ways consumers can save more every time they shop at the big-box retailer no matter what's in their cart. Here's what they had to say.

Sign Up for Target's REDCard

Photo by Mike Mozart via Flickr

If you visit Target on a weekly basis, signing up for their could help unlock more savings on your purchases. You can set it up as a credit card and pay a monthly bill or as a debit card and link it to your bank account, notes Jeanette Pavini, a savings expert for . Money-saving perks for REDcard