I have had several requests from readers asking how to use coupons and still eat healthy. So I thought I would give my 2 cents then turn it over to you guys to give suggestions!
I think every one’s version of eating healthy will vary! Whether you choose to go completely organic, vegetarian, vegan, trying to limit processed foods, food coloring…whatever you deem as healthy–you can still save money! There are coupons available for just about anything–but, some are not as readily available as others! You can find coupons for items like meat, seafood and dairy that do not require you to purchase a specific brand. So if you prefer organic meats-these coupons would reduce the cost of meat that is typically much more expensive than standard meats! There are also lots of coupons that reduce the cost of fresh vegetables–they are not as prevalent as other coupons but they do exist!
Most everyone will have a some basics or necessities to buy! If you just use coupons to reduce the cost of these items you will have a larger portion of your budget to spend on items that are more expensive or those items for which you do not have a coupon! After all, most of us use dishwashing detergents, toilet paper, paper towels, window cleaners, shampoo, etc…
Another great way to stretch your budget is by planning!!! Just by planning your meals according to the weekly sale you will save money! Develop your meals based on the produce and meats that are a good deal and consider meals that allow you to cook once but eat twice! Also, when you see a specific item that you use frequently and it is on sale–get enough to hold you until the next sale cycle!
OK–I’d love to hear other suggestions and ideas. I like to think that I cook well balanced healthy meals for my family but I can always use some tips!!
20 Comments
Well here’s how I feel about what’s healthy,
cereal is NOT healthy unless it’s organic, it’s still not great for you. Juice is NOT healthy unless it’s 100% juice. All processed foods are unhealthy. Most breads are not healthy, unless they are 100% whole grain. Smart Balance is one of the better peanut butters for the price, Organic would be best.
I live in South Florida, there are 300 acres of vegetables growing right now outside my gate. They are NOT healthy to eat. They get sprayed with chemicals at the least 1 time a week. More if it rains.
I can not really afford to buy what is the healthiest for me. It would cost me too much, but try to stay away from all the processed foods and eat natural products when I can’t afford organics.
Newman’s Own products are great, and not too expensive. I always buy organic milk and eggs. I try to buy organic meats, but I usualy buy all natural meats. Publix makes it easy to find the organic products and that is what you should buy if you can pay the extra money for them.
Unfortunately the really good for you, things, you SHOULD eat, are very rarely on sale.
I read/heard somewhere that coupons for a product can be used for their organic counterparts even though the coupon doesn’t specifically state that. You may want to call those companies who put out coupons and have an organic line as well to see if that is true.
Where do you find the coupons for fresh vegetables/fruit?
I love to eat healthy, too. I think the important thing is for us to do the best we can.
The frozen Green Giant veggies which go on sale often are pretty good (the ones without the sauce mixture)! Whole wheat pasta and pasta sauce goes on sale a lot.
Check ingredients and read labels!!I am proof that you can coupon and steer clear of Pop Tarts and macaroni and cheese!
We just have to train our taste buds to fresher and healthier options!
FROZEN VEGETABLES! They are just as healthy as fresh and go on sale allll the time. I especially like the steamfresh variety. When they go on BOGO, they’re super cheap but still healthy. This is actually why I shop at Publix because they have healthy food on sale much more often than other stores. Whole Wheat pasta and 2% milk cheese are also things I stock up on when they go on sale. I think my main helpful thing though is that I try and save as much money as possible on things like paper towels and shampoo (which practically are ALWAYS available) so that I can use the money I saved on things like fish and produce. You’ll never save as much as you see on some of these blogs but it still saves alot this way! So try not to get to upset that you don’t leave the store with $200 worth of food for $2. A deal is still a deal!!
I’ve been able to use regular coupons on organic things. I used the ground beef coupon last month on organic lean ground beef. Not as a good of a deal as regular but it’s still saving!
Since I started using coupons, I have allowed myself to eat unhealthier becuase i am so new at this and just couldn’t beleive I could get free cookie dough!!
But coupons have also allowed me to get 2% cheeses, and whole wheat pasta for much cheaper than before.
So its about discipline I suppose. Though I will going to continue to sample unhealthy foods I didn’t have access to before couponing, I will still limit them!
I buy anything that is free- even if I don’t use it, I can always donate it or give it to those who I personally know who are strapped for cash. To eat healthier, I make sure I get whole grain and whole wheat as often as I can, fat free milk, lean milk and lots of fruits and veggies.
Since there are rarely coupons for meat, milk and fruits, I plan my overages carefully and use it for that. I can almost always get non grocery items free by waiting for a sale, so I try not to use overage for those things. As someone above said, I stock the frozen plain veggies when they are on sale.
I agree that it seems like the least healthy items are those where the coupons are most prevalent. Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatos are filled with salt and seem to be free after coupon regularly. Lots of frozen prepared meals have a ton of salt or fat or both and often have coupons that make them cheap or free. If you want to eat healthy, then make that a priority and save money with coupons where you can. Look for money makers (if your Publix allows) like the Phazyme, Rolaids, Sundown Vitamins, Nail Clippers, etc. to help lower the cost of your main groceries. Also, if there is a Whole Foods near you, maybe your Publix will accept their store coupons as competitor coupons (mine does). Whole Foods puts out a flyer every two months and it’s got 10-15 coupons in it for organic foods. I’ll admit, you may not be able to save as much eating healthy, but you can skill make it worth coupon-clipping.
One good thing about those bad-for-you frozen meals is that they are way smaller portions than I would typically eat when cooking for myself from scratch. So it evens out a bit.
I often find dollars off of produce items when you buy particular breads and cheeses. I LOVE The Laughing Cow Cheese (the light variety is 1 point on Weight Watchers), and have found tearpads that give dollars off produce with a purchase of the cheese. Keep an eye out for these type tearpad Q’s. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen them in the newspaper, only in stores.
I really struggled with this myself when I first started couponing. I have not been able to get the deals that I see some ladies(and men) getting, but I have gotten my grocery bill down to $50 or less per week. That’s a savings of $200-$300 per month for my family. We try to buy all organic meat, eggs and milk. We also buy a lot of other organic stuff, but not everything. Since I started clipping coupons and shopping at Publix I’ve actually had more money to go towards fresh fruit and organic meat. It really helps to try and get the overages, even if it means giving some of that stuff away.
I have found a lot of organic coupons on eBay.
About those bad-for-you frozen meals. In the grand scheme of things most of them are not good for you. However sometimes it works out to be better than the alternative. Before couponing I never bought those frozen meals. I am a busy mom that homeschools, works from home about 25 hours/week and has all the “stay-at-home mom” responsiblities. I also have a child with a severe case of ADHD. I can plan all I want but some days dinner just doesn’t get made. Before couponing this would have resulted in eating out. Now we grab a frozen dinner out of the freezer. The last one, a Bertolli frozen meal, cost me $1.50. It had two servings with 22g of fat per serving. The servings were huge though and we split the meal between 3 people. So each of us only had around 15 grams of fat. We had frozen veggies along with it that had no fat. This was far less than the fat content we would likely have consumed had we gone out to eat and the entire meal cost us $2.00. Also,not all frozen meals are high in fat. I purchased a couple of Voila meals recently that only had 1 gram of fat per serving.
What’s considered healthy really depends on individual’s opinion.
I just stock up on what my family eat, healthy or not (this week, I just had to buy dove chocolate. lol ).
So it’s hard to give advice. My idea of healthy food might differ from yours.
What I do basically is buy things when they are on sale, and when I have coupons.
If what you consider never goes on sale, and coupons for them never gets released, then try to buy them with overrage. Or you just have to try to find the best deal around your area. (lowest every day price.) There’s also option to buy the Publix gift card off place like ebay for cheaper and buy the item with that. You can also use the Publix gift card you receive from rebates. YOu have to bite the bullet if the item never goes on sale and coupons for it is never released.
there’s also an option to buy it with $/$$ coupons. If you are lucky enough to get on hold of something like $10/$50 (I think there are some $/$$ in entertainment magazine, and also, there are some competitor $/$$ coupons. like win-dixie.)
If you are able to gather $40 worth of free after coupon items, like, revlon beauty tool, covergirl, sundown vitamin and banevia. and you buy $10 worth of healthy food you want to get,
$40 worth of itmes
+
$10 worth of healthy food
= $50 subtotal
-$10/$50
– $40 worth of coupons (revlon… sundown.. wahtever you have)
= $0 oop. But I would never do this, and do not want to advice you to do this. Buy many many other items, or don’t buy $40 worth of free after coupon items. instead, buy about $10-$20 worth of free after coupon items, and buy other itmes that are not free after coupon. so your OOP won’t come $0. And it is not so obvious that you are saving so much money. I do not know about your Publix, but my Publix hates people who save money. They will post picture of me on WANTED flier at Publix if I did this. lol
I love to stock up on leaner meat when they are on sale. It’s even better when there’s meat coupons like $/$$ from meat department from FLIP.
If you are into organic, there are coupons like muir-glen $1/$1.
My Publix has a tearpad up in the bread section for $2 off fresh produce WYB Earthgrains 100% whole wheat bread or thin buns (or something like that.) There are 55c Qs out for the thin buns, so use the 55cQ on the thin buns, which are 2/$5 right now. Pay $1.95 for the thin buns, and get $2 of produce for free. I love it when these coupons come out!
I am with Jennie. I too run a small business and homeschool a special needs child. In addition to, that my husband is a very picky eater, but has agreed to try anything once, since the prices that I am paying for these products is so low.
I very seldom use the frozen diners, however, they have been a lifesaver when needed. Especially considering the alternative which is going out or pizza delivery. Partnered with a vegetable, either frozen or from the garden when available, the frozen dinners are convenient and cost effective meals.
On a side note, I actually use this site and Publix to help with homeschooling. Since using this site and couponing, my daughter has actually fould me betters deals and coupons!!
Wow, it is amazing how everyone is pretty much on the same page! I personally never pass up an item that is free since the food banks pantry never has enough in it. We actually eat healthier now as a family since we do have extra money to buy more produce, lean meats and fish. Unless, you are personally growing your fruits, veggies and raising cattle, poultry and fish there is never a 100% guarantee what you will be eating. The more you save on every day essentials and plan your meals the higher quality meats, cheese, and produce you can purchase!
Without coupons we certainly wouldn’t even be close to eating organic items at our house!
Hi! My take on healthy eating………I have joined the Publix Points Plan on Emealz.com. For $5 a month, you get a complete menu for the week BASED ON THE current Publix Weekly Ad! Our family meals are much healthier, easier, quicker and CHEAPER!! If you need a jump start to your weekly menu ( as I sure did!), try this website!
Jennie, what Bertolli frozen meal did u get that had huge portions? I tried them a while back when I had Q’s for them & was very disappointed. They tasted great,but there wasn’t much in the bag! Had I bought them at reg. price,I would’ve been upset!
Georgia, The one I had was called Chicken Parmigiana and Penne. It was plenty for three of us. We thought it was very tasty and satisfying. I would buy it again for that price.
Georgia & Jennie, the Bertolli frozen meals are the best compared to others. But the portions are not enough for a family of four by itself. I would make a salad & some bread to stretch it. The frozen veggie as a side would help also. For a quick meal for the price after coupons I think it is totally worth it! But I would never pay full price for the portions!
Our rule of thumb for eating healthy is 80%/20%. We try to eat healthy 80% of the time. I always buy organic eggs, milk and try to buy the dirty dozen organic also. Here is a list of the dirty dozen from worst to least pesticides. peach, apple, bell pepper, celery, nectarine, stawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrot, pear. Here are the Clean 15, lowest in pesticides. Onion, avocado, corn, pineapple, mango, asparagus, swt peas, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomato & swt potato. I carry a list of these when I shop. You can download it from http://www.foodnews.org. It is always best to buy organic meats but we can rarely afford it. I check the sale price on organic meats and produce each week compared to the non organic and if the difference isn’t much than I go for the organic. I always buy the milk organic! Then try for the eggs and dairy. Eating processed foods that we get for cheap or free is rare but we do stock up on them for those nights when you need a quick meal on the table. And if your eating healthy most of the time its ok once in a while! Hope this helps.