I can see the headline now:
34 year old single mother of one forced to file bankruptcy due to extreme over-expenditure on produce. According to court documents, Child Protective Services is looking into case to determine if all child support funds were spent to support extreme produce and organic foods habit.
If only I could have found a coupon for apples, lettuce, spinach, bananas, squash, potatoes, berries, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots…this all could have been prevented.
Speaking of blueberries, I may have to start rationing. You see, when I spot this large container in my kitchen, I think I can go to town with myself and not portion control the berries as is required when they are in limited supply during their off season.
Just because the stores are stocked again with the big container, doesn’t mean we want to spend $4.99 every 2 days.
Not very cost effective or budget friendly.
So…before I head to this morning’s spin class, I am browsing through this weekend’s coupons that were delivered to my doorstep. And, once again, most of the options are the big brand, empty-calorie, processed foods made with ingredients no one can pronounce.
Is it any wonder the obesity rate is on the rise? Not to mention, is it any wonder the statistics show that a large percentage of America’s obese population are of lower income status?
Who can afford a healthy diet these days? Let alone piece of fruit? Especially with no coupons? (This can be my argument in court!)
It is not easy to keep your house stocked with healthy options when the weekly sales and coupons are marketed towards the empty-calorie, processed, packaged foods.
And, most people don’t have the time or desire to shop around each week to 5 different stores to seek out the best deal on the items they want to buy. I must admit, can get tiring.
Now, while I can rant on and on about this topic as I seem to do lately on Sunday mornings, there are some easy steps worth mentioning you CAN take to start saving some money. And, I am happy to get you started on your path to healthier coupons:
First and foremost – Make a list of the brands you typically buy. Then, do a google search using the brand name and throw in “coupon” as part of your keyword search. Several pages of different coupon sites will pop up for you to click your way through.
Go directly to a brand’s website –A majority of brands do offer coupons on their websites, and, on a regular basis.
Below are some of my favorite brands that I am often able to locate coupons for:
Dr. Praeger’s, Nature’s Path, Applegate Farms, Muir Glen, John McCanns Oatmeal, Country Choice Organic
The following links are for sites I print coupons from on a regular basis:
www.coupons.com – (Now don’t get all print happy here- a lot of the coupons are not wise choices! Be selective!)
www.target.com – Yes, Target offers some great coupons available on the web only!
You may have to register for some of the sites to receive/print the coupons/offers (but any link I provide must have a minimal registration process because I have zero patience for the whole registering thing).
And, if you are on facebook, “like” The Cookie Chrunicles today for a great coupon link posted this morning for a Chobani Bite 4-Pack!
Listen, this all may seem time consuming – it really isn’t and it is so worth it when you get to the register. Just pick one time a week to sit down and do your searches (and if your time slot happens to be during work hours, please don’t blame me when your boss catches your computer screen displaying yogurts).
Enjoy your Sunday!
I need to know:
Do you try to stick to a weekly grocery budget?
The Cookie ChRUNicles 
I used to be better about budgeting…I need to get back in the habit. I clip coupons and then forget to use them *facepalm* ugh!
I know, I am trying to get better at always having them with me! I carry them lately in a small index card type folder that fits in my bag. Now if only I can remember to bring with me the shopping list I write at home and never take with me lol