Coupons and healthy eating.

[lilyofcourse]

I have been noticing on these coupon shows the number of things like instant meals and sport drinks that are purchased. You dont see stock piles of anything but unhealthy fatty foods and prepared meals full of sodium. So how do you use coupons to save money on things like veggies and healthier things?

[Deleted]

I am not a big user of coupons, but I have read posts from the ladies on here who are. I believe they use coupons, rebates or store promotions to save money on health and beauty aides, cleaning supplies, pet supplies and paper products which they can then use towards fresh fruits and veggies.

[thyme4change]

Some of those couponers are FAT! I think they should put a couple hours of effort in at a nutritional class, or the gym, and leave the couponing to be their second priority.

[Deleted]

You don't need coupons to buy seeds and grow a garden. Although you can get coupons to buy the canning jars.

[dakota4600]

Lily- I only coupon on household and Health & Beauty stuff, because we just don't eat the stuff that they put out coupons for. For the brands of healthier things you use, like their FB page, sign up for their e-newsletter and sometimes you get coupons that way. Otherwise try a local farmer's market. This weekend I got 20lbs of apples for $10.

[mizbear]

I was actually going to put these links on the GC but I hadn't gotten a chance to yet- There are several links where you can get deals on healthy foods:

From Vegetarian Times Magazine: Sept 2011

mambosprouts.com
organicdeals.com
recyclebank.com

if you shop whole foods- you can get coupons for their store online at:
wholefoodsmarket.com/coupons

[dancinmama]

Oct 5, 2011 11:39:29 GMT -5 lilyofcourse said:

I have been noticing on these coupon shows the number of things like instant meals and sport drinks that are purchased. You dont see stock piles of anything but unhealthy fatty foods and prepared meals full of sodium. So how do you use coupons to save money on things like veggies and healthier things?

lilyofcourse: I have posted on other threads and will repeat it here - Extreme Couponing in anything BUT realistic. Most stores do not offer doubled coupons and I have heard that they have a disclaimer now at the beginning of the show so that people do not think that they will be able to go to their stores and do the same thing. So what is the point of the show? Certainly not to "teach" people anything.

My pantry has stockpiles of canned tomatoes, pasta, pickles, tuna fish, coffee, sugar, peanut butter, V8 juice, etc. - none of which I would classify as unhealthy foods and all of which were "purchased" for free or almost free with coupons. It doesn't mean that I have NO soda or pretzels, but those are minimal.

I stockpile food staples when I can (which is more often than you might think), but as someone else mentioned, my best stockpiles are of mostly non-perishable items: paper products (including foil and Ziplocs), personal hygiene (shampoo, razors, body wash, deodorant, saline solution, toothpaste, etc.), cosmetics (lipstick, mascara, foundation, moisturizers, and even some expensive Jessica McKlintock cologne, etc.), and cleaning products (laundry, dish, household cleaners, etc.). All was purchased with coupons and was either free or cost pennies on the dollar.

None of my stockpiles look like anything like what you see on TV. Most people who use coupons on a more than average use basis, like the gals on the Grocery Challenge, do not have even 20 of any one thing and what they do have they did not acquire because of any single sale or trip to the store. Their stockpiles have grown a product or two or three at a time as they have come across sales that allow them to pick up products for free or at very steep discounts.

[dancinmama]

Oct 5, 2011 11:55:56 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

I am not a big user of coupons, but I have read posts from the ladies on here who are. I believe they use coupons, rebates or store promotions to save money on health and beauty aides, cleaning supplies, pet supplies and paper products which they can then use towards fresh fruits and veggies.

beerwench: Yep, that's right. Rarely, but sometimes we do get some coupons for produce. We always get coupon for Cuties in the winter and often for the Delcenea Watermelons in the summer. I also used A LOT of coupons for the Fresh Express salad kits this summer and got them for $.50 each and the ones I bought included chicken!! Many of us who shop at Safeway got our hands on some $1/$5 in fresh produce that we used practically all summer long.

In the summer of 2010 I was able to get Del Monte Real Fruit Smoothies for free all summer long. I found them in the refrigerated section of the produce department. They were $1 and I had $1 coupons. They were a wonderful and healthy "treat".

When I get deals on produce, I feel "extremely" lucky.

[mizbear]

I have certain things that I will "extreme" stockpile-

bunny rabbits (my 10 and 12 year old nieces visit regularly)
TP
toothbrushes (they don't expire and I get them for practically nada since I get them on BOGO with Qs usually or buy one get EBs and then use the EBs to buy the next)

[bluecluessubtlety]

Great post by Dancinmama.

There have been Qs for fresh veggies and fruit.

And when you're paying next to nothing for health and beauty items, there is more in the budget for fresh food. There is also sometimes overage on processed items that allows that money to go to fresh items.

[973beachbum]

I will not pretend to be a paragon of healthy eating but I bought some fairly healty stuff today and used some coupons.

I bought Bird's Eye frozen Veg free after coupon, Carolina Brown Rice free after coupon. I also had coupons for Greek Yogurt and tunafish.

I also got a bunch of American Cheese that isn't as healthy but my kids love it.

[dancinmama]

Oct 5, 2011 14:04:48 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

I bought Bird's Eye frozen Veg free after coupon, Carolina Brown Rice free after coupon. I also had coupons for Greek Yogurt and tunafish.

I also got a bunch of American Cheese that isn't as healthy but my kids love it.

Not only that, but beachbum put out a request on the Grocery Challenge for extra Bird's Eye frozen veggie coupons. A couple of the gals pitched in and sent her some. As a result, this time because she was able to match up a current coupon with a great sale and she was able to get extra coupons through her network on the Grocery Challenge, she will be able to stockpile several free bags of frozen veggies!!

You go girl!! ;D

[leanna]

A lot of things are different, depending on where you live. Where I live, I was able to get free frozen veggies throughout most of 2011.

As DancinMama mentioned, some of us got produce q's - I had a LOT of those - different kinds - some were $1/5 and some were other amounts. It's definitely harder to find coupons for healthy food. But, those of us on the Grocery Challenge use a multitude of ways to save money. We use coupons, we buy chicken/meat/veggies at their low price, we freeze things, etc. A lot of us track prices, so we know what the low price is for an item such as chicken, meat or veggies and will stockpile it at its low price.

It's a lot easier to get highly processed food for free with the use of coupons, sales and doubles. It's more complicated to get natural foods for good prices. But we do it. It wouldn't be as "fun" to see on t.v. because it takes more time and effort. So you only see a certain portion of the coupon population on Extreme Couponing.

[Frugal Nurse]

I don't know, there seem to always be coupons out for Earthbound Farm organic veggies, either $1/1 of $2/2 and they go on sale around here every few weeks or so. Kroger sends me store coupons quarterly for discounts on fresh foods, and Meijer prints out catalinas for various fresh foods. And it seems that every few months you can frozen veggies free or nearly free. Lots of organic products go on sale with coupons out, and you are able to get them pretty cheap. The coupons are out there, you just have to know where to look.

As far as stockpiling goes, it would be pretty tough to stockpile perishables. You can stockpile the frozen veggies though.

[mizbear]

If anyone figures out a reputable way to stockpile seedless cukes when they are on sale- please let me know! I LOVE those things! No peeling, no seeding... just remove plastic, rinse, and eat.

[ooty1234]

I use coupons but do not buy a lot of the processed junk. I just don't like the taste of it, especially frozen foods (except veggies and fruits) I stock my pantry the way Dancinmama does. I have been cooking from scratch a lot lately. I don't need to shop the way extreme couponers do, I don't need 40 of anything, but I will go for 10 if I have 10 coupons on stuff that we use all the time. I do use the drugstores to stock up on toiletries and HBA stuff. I do shop at Aldi for basic supplies.

I do agree with finding your favorite companies on Facebook. They release a lot of coupons on there.

[cheapnessihasit]

I coupon for pantry staples, and health and beauty items. I have a stockpile of flour, steel cut oats, sugar, yeast, pasta, pasta sauce, canned black beans, tomatos, soups, tuna fish and rice.At christmas last year I got several bags of pecans and bags of dried fruit for .02 a bag. I have been happily making granola out of them and the steel cut oats for months now. My kids love having fresh made snacks in their lunch! Having these items on hand all the time helps me make meals out of very little. I keep my grocery bill down by only purchasing the fresh veggies and meat we need.

I hardly ever pay for soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes, shampoo, floss or mouth wash. These items come up on sale with coupons way to often to pay anywhere near the regular price for them.

[weltschmerz]

have certain things that I will "extreme" stockpile-

bunny rabbits (my 10 and 12 year old nieces visit regularly)
----------------------
Wait....what?? You can get coupons for live animals?

[mizbear]

LOL weltschmerz! My aunt and her friends developed that code long ago. It has stuck with my nieces. You should have seen the look on my DBs face when his 10 yr old looked at me one day and asked if we had "emergency bunny rabbits" in the car. I thought he was going to choke on his sushi.

[weltschmerz]

Mmmmm....sushi! I adore sushi.
So, you were talking about chocolate or marshmallow bunny rabbits, I take it?

[mizbear]

I do get coupons for organics- but not many. I understand other areas do better on the organic coupon thing.

welts- We get flying only.

[mizbear]

Most of the organic coupos I have seen are for specific brands- like the canned tomatoes, organic soups and broths- that sort of stuff.

Now here, sometimes in the flyer we will have in store coupons for the Safeway Organic/Natural brands... but I don't know if those are regional or not.

[mizbear]

I'll go through my coupon box. I am having a brain freeze right now.

[leanna]

Oct 23, 2011 16:16:48 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Glad to see this thread, as I've wondered about this also. I try to coupon, but there is NOTHING in the food department that I would eat, even if it was free.
I have never seen coupons for ANY organic items.

Ah, my dear Lonewolf, I have good news for you - there's organic coupons out there!

I just got Organic chicken broth and Organic turkey gravy FREE from Whole Foods. I posted about the deal on the Grocery thread. I'll repeat it here for you:

Imagine Organic 16 oz Broth and all Gravy's are on sale this week for $2 at Whole Foods.

Less:
Imagine Stock, Broth, Soup or Gravy $1/1 mq (manufacturers coupon) from the SS (Smart Source) Insert 10/16/11 and
$1/1 Whole Foods coupon (found in their coupon pamphlet in stores or on their website)
FREE after coupons

OR, since you mentioned Safeway in another post, Safeway also does sell the Imagine brand. I don't believe it's on sale this week but perhaps next week.

There's a Safeway Organic's Tofu coupon and Safeway Farms Cut Vegetables and Whole Leaf Singles coupons here:

www.tonytantillo.com/newsletters/safeway.html

Other Organic coupons:

C&H Organic Sugar .40/1 RP (Red Plum) 10/16/11
Eggland's Organic Eggs SS 7/31/11 and SS 10/2/11

Organic coupons come out online all the time. I've got one for Safeway Organic Apple Slices, and one Santa Cruz Organic Juice, for example.

I just obtained a bunch of different organic coupons from Fred Meyer's. They are for the Simply Organic vanilla extract, baking mix, or seasoning packets. I also have Kashi Organic cereal q's.

So, that's just a quick list of what I have in my stash of coupons. And, I'm not even an all organic shopper.

[Wisconsin Beth]

My Woodmans' currently has a $0.75 manufacturer's coupon on Fresh Express (I think) salad/spinach in 5oz or 16oz plastic cartons. They've got the dispenser thingy stickied to the shelf. And I've got coupons for Egg-land eggs and I know I've seen coupons for other fresh/organic/soy milk/gluten-free stuff.

[dancinmama]

Although there are coupons for organic foods/drinks from time to time (Santa Cruz lemonade, Muir Glen tomatoes, Horizon dairy products, etc.), I think that most people buy non-organic foods that they still consider "healthy".

Yesterday in my Sunday paper here are the SIX coupons that I got that I'd put in the "healthy food" category: Newman's Own (all natural) products, Arrowhead water, Sara Lee 100% Whole Grain bread, Mountain High yogurt, Sunmaid raisins, and Barilla pasta.

Here are the SIX coupons that I'd put in the overly processed/not healthy category: TGI Fridays entrees/snacks, Jose Ole, Farm Rich snacks, WhoNu cookes (although they SAY they're nutrition rich ), TruMoo chocolate milk (even though it IS milk), and Sara Lee frozen desserts.

If you actually LOOK at the coupons offered in your Sunday paper, you'd see that there are always some coupons for "healthy" foods.

[973beachbum]

Last week "I bought" for free with coupons Barilla whole grain pasta, wacky mac veggie pasta and Almond Breeze almond milk. The week before I got frozen veggies for free. Like everyone has said it is easier to get a coupon for frozen veggies than fresh. I have also gotten the occasional coupon for $1 or $2 off fruit and veggies when I bought something else like cereal or something. The cereal could be in the highly processed category but that part is my choice which cereal I pick, not theirs, so it can either be pretty healthy or not at all.

I also have cut into our "grocery" budget a lot with the use of coupons for non food items that I include as part of our grocery budget. While it may not be actual food it does still free up money for other things.

[va500]

Healthy Snack Foods -- Sunsweet Dried Apricots

Use the 55 cent off Sunsweet coupon (from the Sunsweet web site / or HCW) with this weeks Walgreen sale.
13 ozs of dried apricots -- $2.99 less .55 equals $ 2.44 -- This works out to be a 30% to 33% savings over the major food stores. So yes, there are coupon savings to be had - even on healthy foods!

[suziq38]

I have gotten coupons for fresh fruits and bagged salads.
As Far as deals for buying fruits and vegetables, I like to shop Winco and the Farmer's Market at the swap meet.
I go at about 12:00 noon when they get nervous about their sales and start selling really great produce for cheap.
Here are some examples:
Asparagus $1.00 a bunch
Green and red grapes 50 cents for a gallon bag.
5 lb bag of navel oranges $1.00
Zucchini squash 5 gal bag (about 8) for $1.00
Various bell peppers, all different colors (about 6 for $1.00)
Weird looking cucumber 50 cents
White corn 6 for $1.00
Broccoli $1.00 a bag.

No, it isn't free, but so what. It is still a lot cheaper and tastier than Von's or Ralph's.
There are just the 2 of us, so I don't mind.

I still have plenty of free non-perishables that I have bought in the past for free: Razors, toothbrushes, baby wipes, diapers, toothpaste, shampoos conditioners, hair dye, laundry detergent, dish washing liquid, hand soap, hand sanitizers, feminine pads, tampons, mouthwash, you name it, LOL.

In February I bought a lot of Hefty bags (30 boxes) from Ralphs for free, also Schick razors at Food For Less were free (20), I also bought some salad dressing (Ken's) from Albertson's for free.

I have also gotten free items from Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS for free; too numerous to list, but admittedly not as much. The reason:
The deals are not as good.

The deals are just harder to come by lately since the show has aired.

I still check the newspapers once a week and see what the best deals are. I think that Foster Farms Chicken was on sale for 69 cents a pound at Albertson's or Stater Brothers. I have to think about buying it, because I still have one frozen from the last sale at about that price.

My DH and I can make about 5 meals from one chicken.

I have been exercising and going to the gym everyday.
I get up and go at about 6:00 AM and get to work by 8:30 AM.

I have lost 35 pounds since May.

I log the food that I eat on "My Fitness Pal.com,"
and the calories that are burned by my daily exercise.

My doctors have recently discontinued my cholesterol pills, and my BP has dropped to 106/65.

I have successfully staved off diabetes and the diabetes medication for now.
I have family history with both of these conditions: heart disease and diabetes.

It makes sense to make lifestyle adjustments.

Just me.