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!

Publix promise, price guarantee

Doesn't the lady in this picture seem to be standing

a little too close to that employee? Awkward!

If you shop at Publix, take advantage of their price guarantee. If their price at checkout is above what was listed at the shelf, you get one of that item for free.

Tonight, I got free Fresh Express baby spinach, five pounds of gold potatoes and a bag of Stacy's multigrain pita chips.

If numbers stick in your head, these will be easy for you to spot as they ring them up. Someone has to go check the shelf tag, so I find that it is easier to wait and go to customer service so that you are not holding up the line. Also, they are a little more used to dealing with it and don't act like you are a crazy person for asking about three items in one transaction.

Saving $15 was worth the three extra minutes it took me at the store tonight.

$10 Publix Gift Card for purchasing $30 of Participating Products

Publix is offering a $10 gift card for purchasing $30 in participating products. I bought two boxes of Huggies diapers (with a $13 off in coupons and free wipes) for mine.

From the rebate form, the participating products are :

HUGGIES® diapers, PULL-UPS® Training Pants, GoodNites® Underpants, COTTONELLE® Toilet Paper, KOTEX® Products, VIVA® Towels, KLEENEX® Facial Tissue, SCOTT® Towels, SCOTT® Bath Tissue, DEPEND® Underwear, POISE® Pads, Bertolli® Dinner for Two, Bertolli® Oven Bake Meals™, Bertolli® Pasta Sauce, Breyers® Ice Cream (1.5 qrt.), Breyers® Novelties, Brummel & Brown® Spread, Country Crock® Side Dishes, Shedd’s Spread Country Crock® Spread, Good Humor® Ice Cream, Hellmann’s® Mayonnaise, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®, Klondike® Bars, Knorr® Sides™, Lipton® Iced Tea Mix, Lipton® Green Tea, Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Mixes, Lipton® Tea (24-100 ct.), Popsicle® Frozen Novelties, Promise® Buttery Spread, Ragú® Pasta Sauce, Skippy® Peanut Butter, Slim-Fast!® 3-2-1 Snack Bars, Slim-Fast!® 3-2-1 Meal Bars, Slim-Fast!® 3-2-1 Shakes,Wish-Bone® Salad Dressing, Caress® Beauty Bar or Body Wash, Degree® Deodorant, Dove® Beauty Bar and Body Wash, Dove® Lotion, Dove® Hair Care, Dove® Deodorant, Lever 2000® Bar or Body Wash, Pond’s® Facial Care Products, Q-tips® Cotton Swabs, Suave Kids®, Suave® Hair Care, Suave® Deodorant, Suave® Body Wash, Vaseline® Lotion products.

I also heart Publix

Today I made a trip to Publix with lots of printed coupons and deals that I found on iheartpublix.com. I spent $8 and saved $37, and I was able to complete the trip in 15 minutes because I knew the exact items I was going to get. So this was a deals-only trip, meaning I didn't shop for anything except the bargain stuff (because it was expiring tomorrow). Ok, so I did buy some bananas, but I can never pass by those without picking them up. It's one of our staples.

So here's what I got for eight dollars:

4 packs of Pillsbury break-and-bake cookies (in the refrigerated section)

6 boxes of Mueller's whole wheat pasta

2 bags of Fresh Express salad

1 3-1b. bag of apples

2 bars of white chocolate baking squares (6 oz. each)

1 container of All HE detergent (for 40 loads)

2.4 lbs. of bananas

I used 19 coupons. Woohoo! I'm so excited.

Publix bargains

Here is a great site for those of us who shop at Publix. It has lots of coupon links and deals. iheartpublix.com

Great blog for Publix couponing

This is the BEST blog I've found for great coupon deals for Publix. These people are amazing! They save so much money with coupons, many of which you can print out through their links. Love it.

Walgreens (use at Publix) Coupon $5 off $25

Here's a link to a $5 off $25 Walgreens coupon. Good for today and tomorrow. And you can use it at Publix!

$5 off $25 at CVS (use at Publix) for taking quiz

Take this quiz to get to the $5 off $25 coupon for CVS. You have to use within two weeks of printing. And remember that you can use this coupon at Publix, which is how I will be using it!

Coupons!

So if you knew this and didn't tell me, I am unofficially mad at you.

Publix takes all competitors coupons. So this means that if a store like CVS gives you a $5 off $25, you can redeem it at Publix. I am freaking out over all of the missed opportunities for savings.:) OK, so I'm really OK (after several hours of discount therapy), but this is huge! I always thought those coupons were junky because I hardly ever spend that much at CVS. Sigh.

If you know any other coupon tricks, post them in the comments below! Fast so I don't hyperventilate over more missed savings.