Couponing For Mere Mortals: Getting The Most Of Your Healthy FoodPurchases

When you make the commitment to eat healthy, you may think that your savings options are limited. Not true it just takes a bit more creativity. Products that are natural, organic or specialty cost more to produce and tend to have a higher shelf price. In our house, we have a few items and brands that are "non-skimp" items. These are things that we feel are worth spending a little more on like, meats and eggs. The investment in our health is more beneficial then buying items because of sale price. Also, I try to be a thoughtful shopper. I am brand loyal. If I get good service or feel that a company is really making a good product then it's my job as a consumer to support that business. I understand that for so many stretching your food budget is survival and sometimes means compromising the healthier or preferred product. How do you balance being a thoughtful shopper and still save money?

Make the decision about which items are your "non-skimpers." Make a quick list for those items. This only takes a couple minutes on your computer. Save it and print it each time you sit down to make your weekly list. Keep track of the base price of these items, so you can easily compute when you find a bargain. By starting with these items first you can scan for deals and decide what portion of your weeks budget is still available for your additional needs. Now here is where you need to plan ahead a bit and get creative. For items like meats, dairy and produce buy direct and in bulk. You don't have to live in a rural community to support local farming. With a little research you can find great resources for fresh healthy ingredients. If you aren't sure where to start you can contact your local or state agriculture department to find co-ops, farms that sell direct and farmers markets. Many ranchers will sell meats in bulk, even butchering them into your preferred cuts. Check with the farm to find out when they will be offering meats, often they have set dates when you can purchase and you will need to order ahead. You can go in with a friend or two to cut the costs if you don't need such a large amount of product. Eggs and dairy often cost less than and are fresher than supermarket items. When I buy fresh eggs, I pay less than $3 for 18 and they last about a week longer than store bought. Buying local is fun too, make it a regular part of your shopping routine. Over time you will get to know your farmers and many times they will throw in extras for you to try or just as a thank you. Those relationships are far more valuable than saving a dollar.

Now, for those items that you need to head to the grocery store for, it is best to track when they typically go on sale. There are certain times of the year when select items have promotions. Jumping on the New Years resolution band wagon, this is the time of year that manufacturers push their healthier brands. They want consumers, who may not usually buy their brand to try out products. Items like, snack bars, cereals, frozen meals, and vitamins and supplements are at unusually low prices. This is when you stock up until the spring/summer when they begin their bikini ready campaigns. For example, our local store has a month long promotion with Lean Cuisine. I purchased 6 meals (any variety) for $12 (usually $3-$4 each) and also got a 12ct pack of Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches ($7.99 retail) for free! Look for ways to benefit after you purchase. Three big brands, Lean Cuisine®, Kellogg's®, and Kashi® have great reward programs that you may not know about. By signing up on their websites and entering codes printed inside select products or doing bonus activities like watching informational videos, you can bank points to redeem for products and additional coupons and discounts.

Finally, don't hesitate to send kudos directly to brands. Send an email to them letting them know they are doing a good job. Sometimes they will thank you in return with a coupon or promo code. Also, use social media. Some discounts are only available to fans that follow on sites like Twitter or Facebook. You don't have to compromise your food standard. It will take a little investment of time getting set up but you will recoup in the long term. Health and happiness from our home to yours! Ta!