Today we’re going the hear from Amy, who does a great job of feeding her family healthy, nutritious foods all while saving TONS with coupons! Amy has so much great information to share that I’ve had to ‘break’ the article – just click “Read More” to see the rest. Take it away, Amy!
Recently, a friend of mine who was shocked to find out that I love to coupon said to me, “Oh, but I thought you ate all healthy and organic and stuff!” and I just laughed to myself. There seems to be a common misconception out there that health minded people won’t have much use for coupons. I’d like to clear up that misconception by talking a little about my own experiences. I’ve only been couponing since March of this year, but I eat healthy and I shop at everyday grocery stores, not specialty markets.
Right off the bat, I have to tell you that I’m not a coupon expert or a healthy living expert – I’m just a real person trying to serve my family in the way that seems healthiest and wisest to. Maybe you are interested in eating healthier but you still want to coupon and you don’t know where to start. Or maybe you have friends who could benefit from coupon savings but are doubtful that they can still eat healthy. I hope I can clear things up and help you see that eating healthy and using coupons is not that complicated.
What IS healthy food anyway?
Opinions vary on what it means to eat healthy, what foods to include and what foods to avoid. It can become mind boggling! So keep in mind that this is what I mean by healthy and what I look for when I shop:
• whole grains (pasta, crackers, breads, chips, cereals, snacks, etc)
• natural sugars (sucanat, honey, fruit, fruit juices, etc) I really avoid things with corn syrup and other processed & refined sugars which includes white sugar
• lots of veggies & fruits
• natural/organic eggs & meats when I can afford them, and I usually can
• avoid hydrogenated oils (scientists say hydrogenated oils look similarly in molecular structure to plastic and are not as easy to digest –yikes!)
• dairy products (unfortunately, these make me sick so I stay away. The less processed, food colored, and more naturally raised products are considered healthier)
• keep “fillers” and preservatives to a minimum. I go for products that list mostly recognizable foods on the label. I avoid MSG too.
Life Before Coupons
When I met my husband he was a vegetarian. Out of habit we have eaten mostly this way for years. I was spending $65 dollars a week on groceries for a family of 3 plus an infant. I bought lots of fresh produce and cooked mostly from scratch using basic ingredients like rice, pasta, dry beans, breads, etc. I bought mostly store brand items. As food prices rose and our family grew I was finding that by the end of the week, our cupboards were pretty much bare and on grocery day we had to creatively figure out what we were going to eat before I got home from my shopping. I also had a $75 a month budget for toiletries, household, and other personal needs but often found myself going over or having to make do with not quite enough. I ordered grains in bulk from a local co-op every quarter so I could make my own flour and bake my own breads. This was probably one of my number one healthy eating habits although I rarely had any money set aside for this. I just hoped when the time came to place my order, we would have extra in our budget. I loved to go to an international farmer’s market to get amazing deals on produce. I was pretty familiar with Wal-Mart, Aldi, & Kroger. I never shopped at Publix, because I thought is was too expensive!
Life After Coupons
I knew we needed expand our grocery budget when I decided to give coupons a try. I was skeptical at first, wondering if I could really get deals on healthy foods we would actually eat. I have been more than pleasantly surprised at the results.
We still eat many vegetarian meals, but we have added a little more meat into our diet. My new grocery budget is $75 a week. At first glance it might look like I spend more than I did before, but here is how it usually breaks down: $55 for the grocery store, $10 to set aside for my quarterly bulk grains co-op purchase, and $5-10 for coupons (Sunday papers) and drugstore shopping. If I don’t have this much money on a given week, it’s no sweat. I can tweak it and still get what I need. I still buy lots of fresh produce which can take up to half of the $55. I still cook mostly from scratch using basic ingredients (which are now much cheaper!). I rarely buy store brand items. I still love to grind fresh flour to make my own breads, but couponing allows me to have enough money left over that I can save up for quarterly grain co-op orders. I love to shop at Publix and find they have the best deals and customer service. I still like to shop at the local international market for amazing deals on produce (and the fun cultural experience) but the other grocery stores I used to visit now seem expensive to me.
There are now four of us who eat our fair share. On grocery day, I do not have to put together any weird lunches to get by until I get home from shopping. We have an overflow of lots of basic things in our cupboards as my stockpile is beginning to grow. I find that I can get all of our household items, toiletries, & supplies in my weekly budget. I’ve got a good stockpile of these items and this is by far my biggest area of savings! Now I can set aside $25 dollars a month for the home to buy things to decorate and organize. Basically, we still eat pretty much the same way we used to but now I do a LOT more with a little less!
What Do We End up Eating?
I want to reiterate that a person can coupon and eat pretty healthy and normal. I tend to follow this weekly schedule regularly with a few adaptations, and I’m finding that as I grow my stockpile it is becoming easier to do:Sundays- crockpot meal & muffins or biscuits
Mondays- main dish salad & bread
Tuesdays– beans & rice dish
Wednesdays- pasta dish
Thursdays- breakfast for dinner
Fridays- nice family meal with meat main dish
Saturdays- leftovers & picnic foodsWhat Gets in the Cart?
This should help you get an idea of what kinds of things I fill my grocery cart with, using lots of coupons at everyday grocery stores (mainly Publix). These are all things I have bought (some regularly) since I started couponing. This is just off the top of my head. I know there are others I’m not even thinking of at the moment (& this is just food). I’m sure many of you out there have lots of other things you could add to this list. I think most of these I’ve gotten for around $1 or far less!Valley fresh steamers veggies
Birdseye steamfresh veggies
So delicious coconut milk & ice-cream
Silk Almond milk
Almond breeze almond milk
Non-hydrogenated spreads like Smart balance and Best Life
Mahatma brown rice
Whole wheat pasta
Condiments, pickles & peppers
Springer Mountain Farms chicken
Al Fresco chicken sausage
Hummus
Strawberries & blueberries
Earthbound farms vegetables
Cascadian farms frozen fruit
Whole wheat pretzels
Canned tomatoes
Salsa
Pasta sauce (recently Rinaldi to be healthy)
Thai Kitchen coconut milk
Salt & spices
Arrowhead Mills Flax seed
Baking powder (aluminum free)
Peanut butter
Tahini
Salmon
Boca and Morningstar products
Terra Chips
Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips
Boulder Canyon tortilla chips
Eggs
Polaner all fruit with fiber jelly
Honey
Olive & vegetable oils
Vinegar
Raisins
Canned pineapple
Tea
Coffee
Pure Fitness crystal light mix
Crunchmaster crackers
Peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts (I make homemade nut butters with my vitamix)
Trail mix
KashiThere are also a few things I will buy on sale that I don’t see coupons for. A BOGO sale is half price, and that’s still pretty good for an item you like and use!
What Coupons Are Out There?
This list is just a sample of coupons “in my stash” that I know I have now. There are many more tucked away in inserts & tons to be found online everyday.Springer Mountain Farms natural chicken
Morningstar veggie products
Al Fresco Chicken sausage
Egglands eggs (regular, cage-free, & organic)
Dole salad
Fresh Express salad
Thai kitchen product
Dole all natural fruit
Best life buttery spread
Polaner all fruit with fiber spread
Chi-chi’s salsa
Lindsay olives
Filipo Berio olive oil
Muir Glen products
Smuckers organic jelly and peanut butter
Near East products (couscous, rice, tabouleh)
Country Choice organic products
Arrowhead Mills product
Gluten free item (from arrowhead mills, deboles, tropical source, etc)
Late July organic snacks
Pirate’s Booty
Grande tortilla chips
Eatsmart Naturals snack
Tetley tea
Silk Almond milk
Heinz vinegar
SteviaServing my Family
To me, couponing is not so much about what I spend or save, but how I can best serve my family with what we have. This idea helps me say no to those super cheap but less healthy options & frees me to spend more on a quality item I want. This also means that if a grocery store doesn’t have deals on items I want in a given week, I don’t have any problems taking a break and just shopping for the basics.
Building a Stockpile
I think the most important thing you have to do in order to eat healthy while couponing is to pay attention to sales cycles on foods you consider healthy. I finally feel like I am beginning to figure this out – and the more I do, the more healthy options we regularly have on hand. Don’t be afraid to really stock up when you know the item and price are good! For example, pasta sauce & pasta are on sale often but waiting for the few healthier varieties I like to go on sale can take a little longer to cycle around again, so I am learning how much I should get when they do.
Finding Coupons Online
If you are on the look-out for healthier items, chances are you will be more tuned in to finding the right coupons. There are lots of healthy items mixed in with everything else on Redplum, Coupons.com, and Smartsource. Check out Mambo Sprouts and sign up for their e-mail list. They are probably the biggest online source for health & wellness coupons. Check out the websites of products and brands you like, there are often coupons there. If not, email the company and ask if they ever put out coupons or if you could get some to try the products. Some of my favorites are Earthbound Farms (I’ve gotten several coupons for produce and I won a reusable shopping bag), Organic Valley (milk products and eggs), Biokleen, & Kiss My Face. Check a coupon database and type in brands & products to see if any coupons are out there or have been out there recently, or pay a visit to ThriftyMama.com – this frugal lady offers a wealth of information on finding healthy coupons and tips for eating well on a budget. Here’s some other ideas to help you find healthy savings:
- Check in At Clearance – Always check the clearance rack at the stores! It’s always fun to see what’s there. If you’re not sure where it’s located, ASK! This applies at drugstores too. I have seen lots of all natural beauty & bathroom products on clearance at drugstores.
- Save in Other Areas – If you find there aren’t many coupons for foods you eat or you find you have a very specific non-coupon friendly diet, you can always focus on using coupons for HUGE savings on toiletries, health & beauty, & household supplies – which will give you more money for food.
- Use Those Swagbucks – Sign up for swagbucks and use your points to get amazon gift cards. You can buy health foods on Amazon often along with the subscribe & save option to get some good savings with free shipping.
- Go off the Beaten Path – Not all savings come in the form of coupons. You may need to get creative to find good prices on the produce, eggs, meat & dairy that you want. There is always gardening which I have wanted to do and never gotten together. I know I could save big time if I learned how to grow some things for myself. Ask around for local sources in your area until you find some, they are out there. Be on the lookout for international markets. I live in suburban Atlanta and have shopped at Assi, H-Mart, and Dekalb Farmer’s Market (DFM) where I can always find great deals on produce and meat. H-Mart and DFM even sell organic meat. If you live near any of these stores or stores like them, GO CHECK THEM OUT!!! It’s a fun cultural experience of seeing new foods, bumping into people from around the world, and freaking out at the ridiculously good prices everytime you go. Just last week at Assi I saw small artichokes on sale for 50 cents each and picked up 6 lbs of organic apples for 50 cents a pound! You could even make a monthly trip to stock up & do some freezer cooking so nothing goes bad.
- Get the Most Out of What You Have – I can stretch the veggies & meat that I buy with a little creativity. I try not to make the more expensive things the focal point of a meal, but make them go further in a dish with grains, beans & other basic veggies. You can easily make a meal more filling using pasta, rice, and breads. I mostly buy meat with bones because when I’m done with the meat, I can use the bones to make easy broth or stock in my crock pot.
Summing It Up
You can eat healthy and coupon, and it’s not any harder than couponing in general. You can do a lot more with less spending. I’d love to hear from other couponers on the healthy living journey. I know there are many out there who have been doing this longer than me who have some great experiences and tips to share.
Thank you so much for sharing, Amy! You’ve given us a TON of great information and really helped to dispel the “You can’t coupon healthily” myth!
In order to keep this new feature going, you all are going to have to volunteer to tell us all about something YOU do when you are couponing!! Your post can be about almost anything to do with couponing. You can tell us about a particularly good or bad situation you’ve dealt with as a couponer, about how you got into couponing or how couponing has impacted the rest of your life, you can make a list of things every new couponer should know…just about anything, really! If you think it’s interesting and it has to do with couponing, email me with your idea at contactiheartpublix @ gmail.com!
I would really like your crockpot broth recipe! I use a ton of broth to flavor foods and always have a bone or two laying around! Thanks!
Put those bones in the crock pot and fill it up with water. Sometimes this is all I do. You can add some veggies (cut up a little onion, carrot, celery)and add in a bay leaf or two. This is a great place to use up veggies that are not quite bad but not quite good enough to eat raw. Salt & pepper to taste if you want!
What a great post, thank you for sharing. I also am on the more healty side of the shopping scale and have found that I am VERY lucky. I work in an environment where I have access to alot of computers so I am able to print quite a few coupons that give me overage (Wholly products and Beech Nut baby food) so when I can get a good amount of overage it subsidizes the cost of some items I rarely have coupons for (like meat and produce).
Great post. I LOVE, love, love the Dekalb Farmers’ Market. I also like the Buford Hwy Farmers’ Market. They do cooking classes in the evenings for 20 bucks, but you get a $10 gift card at the end, so it’s a class (including dinner) for 10 bucks. One of the best bargains in all of Atlanta. And, it will give you new ideas on how to cook beans nad rice. LOL
sounds like a great date night, thanks for the info!
THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! My thoughts exactly! And I learned a lot too! This was so very encouraging to read. And very well written 🙂
Thank you!
I get so tired of people thinking that if you coupon you must be feeding your family cheetos & soda pop!
Thanks for the great post!
Hi Amy- that’s a great post. I think most people do not realize you can eat healthy food while on coupons and save so much as well.
Great Post and very well written! This is is becoming one of my favorite parts of the website. It is fun to peak in a window into someone else’s life and see how they make it work on a budget! Thanks for the inspiration to choose the healthiest options! My family has definately been eating healthier due to couponing!
Enjoyed this post!!
Thanks so much for the post. This year I discovered that I have 4 food allergies which has definitely made couponing more difficult for me. Thanks for the good tips!
Excellent post!!
Love this post and this feature on the site. Thanks for sharing!
This is turning into one of my favorite parts of the site as well!! It’s great to hear other people’s experiences!
Thanks for the post. I have a family of 6 and we try to eat as healthy as possible. We also grind wheat for our bread products (which sounds complicated, but is super simple and healthy!!). I was skeptical of the whole coupon deal, but you really can save a ton of money on healthy foods. I encourage everyone to do the research about the foods we eat. What one eats really does make a difference on our long term health (speaking as a nurse). Have a great day!
Great post:) We are health nuts too. I always check labels and often find trans fats in the food, so I end up leaving the coupons I had gathered right on the products so someone else can use them. But maybe I shouldn’t do that because no one should be eating anything hydrogenated. It solidifies in our veins and arteries at our high body heat. Yet the front of the package says, “no trans fat”. It was nice to hear from a fellow organic chick. Keep spreading the news that couponing and eating healthily go together quite well:)
It is good to see someone who uses coupons to keep to a budget, but doesn’t let coupons dictate what they will buy and eat. Our family keeps kosher, which makes keeping to a grocery budget even harder. (Kosher meat is very rarely on sale.) I have found that eating healthy and mostly vegitarian helps keep the grocery costs down.
Thanks Amy! What a great post.
My family is on the Feingold diet due to my daughter’s chemical sensitivities, and before I started couponing I spent hundreds a week just to keep her fed. Now I have a huge stockpile of healthy foods that she can eat and we never spend more than $30 a week! It’s awesome knowing that you can still coupon with special diets. Thanks for your post!
Truly one of the most helpful articles that I have read about this topic. For someone who is just getting started with couponing, I find that I have so many unanswered questions. Your column has answered so many of my questions with specific details. I love that you listed what you buy because I can compare it with my items. I don’t have the time to do all the research for “healthy foods” and you have given a great place to start just by using your list. Please consider contributing more often.
Thank you!
Fantastic post! Very thorough. I’m on the same path as you – except we have a family of 7, going on 8. We do as much natural/organic/eco as we can and Publix is our first place to go now. I agree that once you get into couponing, they are the best & nicest place to shop.
One thing you drove home for me is how much we could benefit from vegetarian meals! Its always been in the works, but hasnt come to fruition. Not yet anyway. 😉
Well done!!!
when i started couponing {Q-ing} i saved about $$ 10-20 $$ per week. But i was also buying items i would never buy before.
Soups {campbell on a BOGO w/ Q was always cheap, it also contained enough salt for 1/2 a day. other products , such as kelloggs of General Mills cereal that always in the BOGO w/ a Q rotation are IMO equally bad.
I started a healthy lifestyle and walk 45 mins 5X a week.
my meals consist of a protein drink w/ fruit after the walk. next is a whole grain bread or bagel with either fresh ground peanut butter {publix deli}or cottage cheese on the side.
next meal is 3 to 4 oz of lean meat or fish, never canned, and never with skin, its either boneless skinless chicken breasts or fresh salmon. with Fresh vegys and whole grain product.
dinner again is a serving of chicken , meat or fish, with FRESH vegatables , never some green giant bag soaked in sugar and salt, and a whole grain product , be it pasta or rice.
Ive lost 16 LBS in 6 weeks.{goal is 25lbs} I still have my no sugar added ice cream some evenings,and 2 fruits a day, never canned tuna or canned / jarred spaghetti sauce anymore, except if its for the monthly eat-pig-out and I need canned whole tomatoes}.
Condiments are usually a healthy olive oil/vinegar & seasoned {no salt} and little bits of ketchup, bbq sauce & mustard.
more importantly, my blood pressure is down, my sugar is under control and …..I save more than ever eating healthy than when i did Couponing.
i still use a Q for items such as whole grain rice or pasta….and sure once a month is a pig out , of goodness, like some great spanish, italian or jewish dish, where Ill get a recipe from the web….and it aint healthy, its old school with the products needed, and if it calls for a product thats on sale or bogo and I can pair it with a Q, of course I do.
But all in all Q-ing was great, but this has turned out to be better for me.
best of all my overweight daughter has also lost 9 Lbs, {goal is 15 LBS}
so Ill still do Q-ing, but eating healthy SAVES YOU MORE MONEY, the $ 10-20 per week savings no is a regualr saving of another $10 added to that, because of the products we buy , and actually it gives you more food.
so Q-ing is good, but eating healthy saves you more money and saves lives.