Before we get started…Have you entered my contest to win a signed copy of Rocco DiSpirito’s NEW Cookbook?
And now? A guest post from my friend Dana!! Dana is a registered dietitian, new to the blogging world, and working in the Chicago area. She loves to feed her family well while saving a buck. Visit her blog at www.budgetdietitian.com for more money saving tips.
Are you trying to save money on your food spending? With the economy in the tank, many of us are trying to reduce our spending. You may have looked into coupons as a way to do cut back on the grocery store bill, but as you flip through the coupon inserts in the newspaper, you notice many coupons are for foods with little nutritional value such as Pop-Tarts, sugary breakfast cereal, and other processed foods. Is there anyway to save money on healthy foods using coupons?
As a registered dietitian, I love to buy wholesome foods for my family and I have found over the past 3 years that coupons can really reduce my grocery store spending. In fact, we only spend $15/week for each member of our family on groceries and personal items. Curious? Here’s how:
- Use coupons on personal care items. Frequently, there are high value coupons for items like razors, shampoo/conditioner, lotions, toothpaste, etc. By combining them with store specials (like Walgreen’s Register Rewards or CVS’s Extra Care Bucks), you can purchase these items for pennies on the dollar. This frees up grocery dollars for items that rarely have coupons, like fresh fruit and vegetables. In fact, I haven’t paid for shampoo or conditioner in one full year! To take full advantage of this money saving technique, it helps to be flexible on the brands that you use.
For more details on saving on personal care items, Hip 2 Save has detailed information on using coupons at Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid. - Keep your eye out for coupons on healthy items. More and more healthy food manufactures are issuing coupons. You can find these coupons in the coupon inserts in the newspaper, as well as printable coupons that are available online. When using coupons on healthy food items, combine them with a store sale to really save. On my Budget Dietitian blog, I have a weekly “Healthy Coupon Roundup” that lists where to find coupons for healthy foods that week. Other sources for online printable coupons are:
- Whole Food Store Coupons. The best thing about these is that they are store coupons that can be combined with manufacturer’s coupons for an awesome deal!
- HealthESavers.
- Eat Better America. You need to join to access coupons for Muir Glen and Cascadian Farms Products.
- Earth’s Best. I love their baby & toddler food.
- Coupons.com. They have coupons for both regular and healthier food items.
(Please note that printable coupons often require a download of coupon printing software).
- When the price is right, stock up! By combining coupons and store sales, you can score some really great deals. Buy as many as you are able to at the times that you can score rock bottom prices. This past week, whole grain pasta was only 40 cents/box when I combined a sale with a coupon. So I bought 10 boxes! We will eat the pasta over the next few months while our grocery money will be used to stockpile other great deals. This also works for non-coupon deals. For example when boneless, skinless chicken breast is on sale, I will get six pounds and then freeze the rest. No paying full price for my go to ingredients!
Photo Credit: Michal Marcol / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Awesome informational web page!!! I have to say which I am entirely adoring it.
I’ve just signed up to your site RSS feed also and I’ll come back yet again. 
give thanks to
I definitely stock up on good deals. Only if I know I will use them though, that’s the key! Also, lately I have been surprised that our local grocery store has been sending me coupons for fresh and frozen produce. I love this, because as you said this is very rare. I think it’s sending a great message, and giving people more excuses to buy fruits and veggies. I even got one for a FREE bag of blueberries!!
Something that I try to do is not get all caught up when I find a GREAT coupon. If it’s not something I NEED, why buy it just because it’s a good deal!? Many people get sucked into this trap.
Wow these are great money saving tips. I am so good at using coupons for clothing but rarely on food which is were I spend most of my money. I have been getting better at menu planning though which really cuts down on buying unwanted groceries. Subscribe to your blog now too.
Nichole-One of the best things about those Target coupons is that they are usually store coupons and you can use manufacture coupons on top of them to really save. Check out my latest Target trip on my site.
Mary & Rachael-I shop the same way!
Tina & Monet-It is addicting once you get started, huh?
Ayla-Welcome to the coupon club
This was great!! I try to save money but only buying certain ingredients when on sale or searching out healthy brands that are on sale but not normally what I buy.
I don’t use coupons yet but once I move out on my own next Fall I will DEFINITELY start using them. I’ll become a coupon Queen.
I am a coupon girl…I’ll admit it! Kashi had a display at my grocery store a few months ago, and I picked up a HUGE stack of coupons. I am still trying to use them! The Whole Foods coupons are great too. Thank you for sharing all of these money-saving tips. I hope you have a beautiful day tomorrow!
OK I just stumbled on the Target website for coupons last week and now I am a coupon whore. This post just made my day!
Thanks for the tips! I always shop the local circulars each week. Even if I end up buying something in bulk one week, it lasts over time! They often have fruits and veggie specials in there too.
Thank you for this post!!! That is one of the biggest issues I have. I WANT to clip coupons but hate how so many are for things like PopTarts. I do the Eat Better America deals and love Earth’s Best but can always use other ideas.
I save money at the store through the use of coupons, buying generic brands when I can (if it’s not worse thn the name brand), and shopping store sales..which usually means going to two or three different stores just to get my shopping done. But I dont mind that, it’s a small price to pay to save money
Thanks for the coupon links!
[...] Today I have the privilege to be guest posting over at The Healthy Apron. My article is titled “How to Use Coupons Without Buying Junk!” You can read the post here. [...]
Amy- I can’t stand to pay full price either!Not when there are so many good deals out there!
Jessica- Glad to help!!! My advice for a newbie is to start slow!
I’m a firm believer in buying the majority of my stuff (whether it be groceries or clothing) either on sale or with coupons. I hate paying full price for anything- so it’s a matter of scoping out weekly ads or google-searching promotions/coupons for big things I’m planning to buy.
OMG this is so funny you posted this. I have never been one to use coupons unfortunately, and every time I cut them out I end up buying stuff we never even use, like cereals and coffee creamers. I actually was going to ask on the blog how one uses coupons effectively, and this post answered my question! You are awesome Dana.