Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Eating healthy on the cheap


Lately, I've talked to a lot of people about couponing without buying junky processed foods. It's hard because a lot of the foods advertised in the Sunday coupon section are junky and will make you and your family feel gross. I love coupons as much as the next person but not quite as much as the people on Extreme Couponing. Admission: I've never watched this show because I know I will be annoyed that they are saving more money than me. So here are a few ways that I try to eat healthy (not California healthy, just regular healthy) and save money.


  • Stock up on coupons for healthier products. Example: I like to buy Kashi cereals, so I signed up for their mailing list and such online. Also, any time I have requested a free sample from them, I get a bunch of coupons with it. Save these to combine with a sale at Publix, and bam, you've got cheapish, healthyish cereal. 
  • This week, I had a $5 off $30 Winn-Dixie coupon and a $5 off $30 Publix coupon. My store accepts both and will let me use both in one transaction. So you can buy whatever the heck you want and still save $10. 
  • Stock up on in-season produce. Some things I buy no matter what the season (bananas, lettuce, spinach), but when produce is on sale (because it is in season), I buy more of that item that week. It's a good way to rotate and add variety to our diet too! Also, hit up the farmer's market for produce. It adds an extra trip, but it's fun and educational for the little people too. 
  • BOGOs are our friend. So ever since my trip to California I've been trying to eat raw foods for breakfast and lunch. Because I love greasy unhealthiness, it has been a hard transition to make, but there are some things that make eating veggies easier for me. Hummus is one of those things. This week hummus was BOGO at Publix, so I bought ten of them. Even better would be to make my own, but I can only do one super hard thing at a time. Right now that is eating vegetables. 
  • Pick your own fruit. I haven't found any places I love in Alabama yet, but in Florida we explored a lot of pick-your-own farms. Again, educational and fun for the kids and cheaper for you. Here is a site I use for finding places to pick.
What do you do to save money and eat still eat healthy foods? I am seriously asking for help with this one!

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