If you are hungry, this probably is not the best blog to be eating...I mean reading... at this time! See what I mean? Being hungry makes you read things that aren't really there!!
People have asked me multiple times, "How do you eat healthy while couponing? All those coupons are for processed items!"; "There is no way to eat healthy with couponing- you really won't save any money." While it is true that a lot of coupons are for processed foods, there are a lot of coupons for OTHER things i.e. shampoo, toilet paper, batteries, napkins, paper towels, etc. When I coupon, I don't necessarily coupon for food items. I coupon for things I will use and that I can stockpile for later on- like paper towels and toilet paper. When I SAVE money in the categories of household items and personal care items, I have MORE money to put in the food category to buy healthy food.
I didn't always coupon this way, though. When I first started, I bought anything that I could save money on- cookies, granola bars, cereal, canned food, candy, etc. However, this did NOTHING good for our personal well-being, so I switched my thought process in couponing. Instead of buying things just because they were on sale, I switched to buying things because we needed them and would use them.
Eating healthy on a budget is difficult. I am not going to lie. However, it is possible. Here are some ways that I have found to save money, live frugally, and still eat healthy.
1) Coupon for items that aren't food related and save in other categories of the budget. With the savings in other categories, use that to buy the healthier options at the grocery store.
2) Only buy the food items that fit into your current eating plan. Don't buy food items just because they are on sale!
3) Grow a garden! Whether you live on 10 acres or have a 10 inch porch, you can garden! There are inside gardens; there are potted gardens; there is square foot gardening; there are places to rent small plots of land to garden. Where there is a will there is a way!
4) Shop at off-brand grocery stores. Our favorite is Aldi. Bananas are usually 29 cents a pound; bags of baby carrots are usually 65-99 cents a bag; eggs are $1.29 a dozen; yogurt is 39 cents a container, etc. Aldi is BY FAR the cheapest place to grocery shop without coupons, on a budget, while still eating healthy food!
5) Be okay with not eating organic. WHAT???? I know. This is crazy talk. I didn't say don't eat HEALTHY, I just said, don't eat organic! If you are on a budget to get out of debt, save for a purchase, or whatever the reason is, there will eventually be an end. When that debt is paid or the item finally purchased, then you can go back to paying big money for better food. I understand that there are people who legitimately cannot eat processed foods, and really, I don't eat much of that. However, for those that are on a strict diet and want to stick to a budget, you will have to find other areas of your life to cut back. Maybe you can add an extra $15 to the weekly food budget and get rid of your monthly cable bill...just a thought. :)
It truly is feasible to live well on a tight budget...and coupon! Just tonight, on a food budget of $50 a week, my husband and I had a delicious dinner of salmon, rice, and cantaloupe. And last night? We had chicken fajitas complete with garden fresh tomatoes, avocado, beans, and salsa! It takes a little planning, but it is totally doable.
Oh, and just in case you wanted to know. The items in the above picture (excluding the toilet paper and paper towels), after coupons, cost me $0.03. That's some frugal living and pretty healthy eating right there!
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