Feingold Friday Finds

Just a couple of quick things to mention that I thought of today--

Target has Sun Chips on price cut at $3.00, and there are tearpad coups for $.25/1 right next to the product and if you look carefully you might find $.55/1 peelies. The new packaging is 100% compostable, so that's cool!

Also, if you haven't already,
become a fan of Einstein's Bagels on Facebook. They are offering up a coupon for a free bagel & shmear, and they frequently offer coupons to their fans. Einstein's bagels are preservative free and they have a hummus option for all you vegans out there! Everything bagels with hummus are definitely a fave around this house.

Coupon Organization

So once you start collecting coupons, where do you keep them?

At first I just shoved all my coups into my purse, hoping I would remember them when I was out shopping. By then they would be crumpled in the corner of my bag.

So I caved and went out and bought one of those simple cheap organizers you can get just about anywhere, and that worked for a little while. I wasn't really able to label the sections very well and there weren't as many sections as I would have liked. So I sometimes misplaced coupons because they were miscatagorized.

After some careful searching around the web I decided to try the binder method, which is as simple as a three ring binder with baseball card organizer sleeves. The sleeves each have 9 openings and are almost always perfect for my coupons. They work beautifully with printable coupons and almost all of the sizes found in the newspaper.

This has allowed me to add as many pages as I need to accomodate the different catagories of coups I have. It also makes it extremely easy to find the coupon I am looking for since everything is easily seen. It's also cheap! You can buy packs of those sheets at amazon for just a few dollars, throw them into your own binder and away you go! If you look around you will find there are all sorts of fancy ways to organize your coups but this very inexpensive method has worked for me.

I also really like having all of my coupons with me all the time when I am shopping, that way if I see an unexpected deal or clearance item I will already have everything I need.

Sorting your coupons can be another challenge-- sort by brand, type of item, store, etc?

At first I separated all my Target and Publix coups out into different sections and separate from all my manufacturers coups. But then I realized it would be better to keep all of the coups for the same item together- for example, if I have a Publix coup, a Target coup, and a manufacturers coup for Ziploc bags, I will keep them in the same sleeve because I would want to stack a couple of those together depending on who has the best price.

I keep my catagories as much like the actual grocery lanes as possible,
on separate pages I have coups for:

*"health food items" (anything they keep separate from the rest of the store)

*produce(or other items found in the prduce dept, like tofu)

*dairy(or refrigerated items kept in that section, like eggs)

*cereal & breakfast bars(other items found here are maple syrup, honey, oats)

*spices and condiments(olives & pickles too!)

*pet care(household items like light bulbs are often in the same area)

*paper goods

*cleaners & detergents

*personal care & toiletries(I have a separate page for cosmetics)

*frozen foods(I just keep it all together since we don't buy to much of this but you might want to sort yours out)

*beverages & alcohol((if you buy a lot of juice you might want to sort those coupons out since some are found on the aisle and some are refridgerated)

*packaged grocery(crackers, chips, pasta etc. We don't buy too much of this so I keep it all together)

How do you keep your coupons?

Friday Fact Finding

Here is my attempt to keep up to date with food related issues, health & food connection, and the latest information about supplements, superfoods, etc.

Eating Meat May Increase the Risk of Bladder Cancer
How many studies do they have to put out linking meat to cancer before people stop eating meat? No, I'm actually asking that question in hopes I will get an answer.

Sugar in Diet Hurts Cholesterol Levels, Too
See, I thought eggs were going to be bad for my cholesterol. But maybe if I continue to avoid processed foods like canned soup and store-bought bread I will be okay?


Is Caffeine Really Unhealthy?
Three different perspectives on caffeine and health. I need to read this but I don't want to feel like I should give up my coffee...
it's just not going to happen folks.

Vegan Raw Orange Chcocolate Truffles!

Dude-
Raw Orange Chocolate Truffles
and they are vegan.

This is from one of my favorite vegan cookbook authors, Dreena Burton. Her recipes are delicious and practical for families with picky young children! Check out her books in my sidebar links. I have all of them and I use them on a regular basis, especially Eat Drink & Be Vegan. And even though we are not being particularly vegan right now, I still love her recipes, especially her baking recipes. They never call for ingredients that are hard to find, they are always nutrient packed, and anybody that make me feel good about eating cookies is wicked awesome.

Make these!!

Related Coupons:

Sugar in the Raw *printable*

McCormick Almond Extract-
-$1/1 Mccormick spice, extract or food color – 04-25-10 RP
Or check out Badia Brand extracts at Sweetbay in the Ethnic foods aisle- they are super cheap!

If you choose to use agave, look for Wholesome Sweetener tearpads in your local health food store- I found $2/1 coupons with their products starting at only $3.19!

Truffles are one of my favorite indulgences! Lately I've been snacking on the Whole Foods Organic Truffles. At least I wouldn't feel so bad after having these!

What is a Good Deal?

When browsing couponing websites you will find people bragging about $200 worth of merchandise for which they paid $2.
Sounds fantastic!
When you look a little closer often times they have stockpiled an item like Tilex or Windex, which I don't really even want one of; they have bought 15 or 20 of them!

I guess if that is an item they use frequently and they want two years worth of it in their cabinet then fantastic! But for me, I only want to stockpile items which I will actually use in the span of their shelf life. So a box of cereal will be ok for quite some time, I might buy a bunch if they are really a good price. Example: I bought about 10 boxes of Kashi cereals while they were on sale at publix. After sales and coupons I paid around $1.12 a box for cereal that would normal cost $4. And it is Feingold approved so Maya can have at it! And believe me, she is.

Deals look different when you are talking about higher priced items. Also, smaller companies don't necessarily get promoted through stores as often or put out as many manufacturers coupons. You can guarantee that on any given week either Kelloggs or Post cereals will be BOGO, not so much with Barbara's Bakery or Envirokidz. So we have to start working out what a good deal is for these types of items. Scope out the prices at your local grocery & your local health food store. If you're not good at remembering those sorts of things you might want to have a notebook handy.
Then when you come across a sale or get a coupon, you will know if it is actually a good deal.

Publix Trip April 29th

Just got back from Publix. I went to the Dale Mabry location next to Tijuana Flats(one of my fave restaurants!). I didn't need much, wanted to take advantage of a few sales and we are mostly "shopping from the stash" this week.

I did pretty well, Paid $10.96 after coupons, Saved $39.10
So, about a 79% savings!

For $10.96 I got:

6 Chobani Greek Yogurts
B2G1 Chobani Greek Yogurt *printable*

2 McCormick Garlic Powders
BOGO combined with
$1/1 Mccormick seasoning coup- 04-25-10 RP
Plus $.55/1 Publix *printable*
Use two of each to make both free!

3 Giant Organic Tomatoes(on sale for $1.99 lb this week!)

2 Fresh Express salad blends
BOGO combined with $1/2 coup from Publix Family Style Magazine

4 Vitamin Waters
$1/2 in last week's paper, combined with $.50/1 *printable* Whole Foods Coup

2 Mission Tortillas(10pks)
$.75/1 *printable* Looks like a Kroger coup but prints as a manufacturers- Click the "coupons" link

2 Sambuchan Drinks(acai berry, very yummy!)
BOGO combined with
$1/2 hangtag manufacturer coup
$1/2 Publix coupon from Family Style Magazine

1 bag of Mahatma rice
$.50/1 peelie found at store

1 Mazola oil
$.50/1 hangtag

1 Cascadian Farms frozen peas
$1/1 *printable*

Not bad, I was saying to mike on the way out, we would have easily paid $6 for the two Acai drinks a few months ago. It's amazing what a little information can do for you!

A Few More Printables

Here are a few deals from the interweb today...

Terra Chips
$1/1 *printable*
Love love love the sweet potato chips! An the Exotic Blend. These go on sale at Nutrition Smart or Publix sometimes for around $2.39, so $1.39 after coup!

Bakery on Main
$1.50/1 coupon when you sign up for the newsletter *printable*
The granola bars at Nutrition Smart are $1.50-- Free granola bar!

Aveeno
$1/1 Aveeno Baby *printable*


Del Monte Fruit Undressed
I'm not big on fruit that isn't fresh but at the same time the no sugar added products might be a good item for travel
$1/1 *printable*

Have you found anything else interesting out there lately? Let me know!

Whole Foods Coupons!

There are a bunch of new Whole Foods coups up on the WF website today.

Highlights include:

$.50/1 Vitamin Water

$1/1 Cascadian Farms cereal

$1/1 Kashi Organic Promise Cereal

Either pair these up with manufacturers coups and go to whole foods, or use them as competitor coups at Publix for a great price!!

Feingold Finds

If you are not familiar with the Feingold diet, check out this link.

Or, the short version is that Feingold makes my life so much better. And it can help you avoid unnecessary chemicals and additives in your diet. The major things being eliminated on the Feingold diet are artificial colors, flavors & preservatives, all things that have been proven to cause behavioral or learning difficulties in children. And in my experience, even an adult can react to foods with these ingredients. Also, in the first stage of the diet all natural Salicylates are removed and then slowly reintroduced.

In my family we have not yet been able to reintroduce those foods. It seemed like a challenge at first but compared to the challenges we face when Maya eats those things, it's small fries.

So, these items may not seem like health food, and many of them are not that at all. But you can be assured that they are free of synthetic colors, flavors, BHA, BHT, TBHQ, and synthetic sweeteners. Sometimes these items are not listed in the ingredients of a product, so having my Feingold Foodlist has been priceless.
I can't specifically list which items are feingold approved so you will need to refer back to your food list.

Current Deals at Publix:

Kashi Crackers 2/$5
Kashi TLC Honey Sesame Crackers
There are a ton of Kashi coups going around, peelies on many items in the store. Publix has a Kashi coupon booklet with $1/1 Kashi Crackers, and many of the cereal boxes have a $3 coupon booklet peelie which has a $1/1 coup in it for crackers.

Kashi Cereal $2/5
Go Lean Crunch, Go Lean original, Honey Puffed Kashi, Puffed Kashi

Tostitos Tortilla Chips
Check your foodlist for approved types.
Buy one Get one Free
There have been a variety of coupons available for these lately including peelies on the bags themselves-- be on the lookout!

Mazola Corn Oil 2/$5
Remember than many oils are preserved! Always use an approved oil.

Kelloggs Crispix 2/$5

Let me know if you see anything else! I'll keep adding/updating after my shopping trip today if I see anything else!
I'm off to shop!

Stay on Target!!

Target has been a mixed bag of experiences lately.

I used to love shopping at Target before I had my daughter. I used to spend a leisurely sunday browsing the store and leave at least a hundred dollars lighter than when I came in. Lately life doesn't allow for such leisure, so Target trips are mostly utilitarian and I usually know exactly what I need before I go.

So it can be a real wrench in the works when my coupon scenarios don't play out as intended.

The last few times I visited Target I had plans, big plans!
I was going to leave with bags of stuff, having paid little or nothing. Instead my coupons were met with disdain, I struggled with both cashiers and managers, and did not have success. So I went to another location and had absolutely no problems. Know that when coupon shopping at Target it is very much dependent on the management in that store.

That said, Target can be a great place to get things free or cheap.

Their coupon policy can be found here.
Go in knowing what you want and don't get distracted by all the shiny goodness.

Here are some current deals of interest at Target:

Pure & Natural Liquid Handsoap 8.45 oz Rosemary or Oatmeal $3.49
OR
Pure & Natural Body Wash 16 oz Rosemary, Almond or Oatmeal $4.99
-$1/1 Any Pure & Natural Product *printable*
Some of the Pure & Natural products might be found on clearance as well!

Plum Organics Baby or Tots Products
These are new in Target stores, and have BPA-free packaging. They retail for around $1.39 There's a coup for that-$.50/2 *printable*


Tazo Tea Asst. Flavors 22 ct Box $2.50
Not a coupon deal, although I do have a coup I found in a sample pack at my local health food store for $1/1- Yay for cheap Tea! And this is some of my favorite.

Alexia sweet potato fries $1.99
A great deal on ts own or whip out your $1/2 coupon from the 3/21 SS

Seventh Generation Spray $2.69
There is a $1/1 manufacturers *printable*
And a $1/1 Target *printable*
So you would pay $.69!! Great price for a highly preferred cleaning product.

Remember when you are first couponing, never buy anything with a coupon that you wouldn't be willing to pay full price for. I ran into this several times and had a pantry full of food that no ne in the house would eat! Unless the item is entirely free and you can donate it, don't purchase items you don't want. Eventually you will fid ways to make those awesome coupon deals into money-makers towards the other items you want. And of course the goal here isn't just to save money, but also to live better.

I love the idea that I can buy better groceries not spend a cent more than I was before!

Have fun at Target!

A Megaton of Printables

Looking for printable coupons for awesome food?

Check out this link for Earth Fare, tons of printable coupons!!

A lot of these are manufacturers coupons so you will be able to use them at other stores. And for those of you near an Earth Fare-- lucky you!

This is the place to start building a coupon stash!
Print all the ones you think you may use and then be patient! Wait to match these up with some great sales! I know I'm going to need a new ink cartridge really soon!

Highlights include

$1/1 Aubrey Organics(Yay for local companies!)
$1/1 Applegate Farms (if you are going to eat meat, please eat organic!)
$1/1 Blue Diamond product (we love almond milk)
$1/2 Kind Bars (a great alternative to the typical protein bar)
and so many more!

(Thanks to Hip 2 Save for the heads up!)

Publix Healthy Highlights

4/29-5/5

Juicy Juice All Natural 100% Juice, 64 oz BOGO $3.65
-$1/2 Juicy Juice *printable* you must register

Fage Authentic Greek Yogurt $1.25
-.50/1 off any Fage product *printable*
OR become a fan of Fage on Facebook and save $1/1
With the Facebook coupon you are getting yogurt that is normally $1.66 for $.25!!


Chobani Greek Yogurt $1.00
B2G1 Chobani Greek Yogurt *printable*
This will make yogurt which is usually $1.33 cost $.66 each!!

Glaceau Vitaminwater 20 oz bottle $1.00
-$1/2 Vitaminwater 20 oz. SS 4/11, 4/25

Fresh Express Salad Blends, 4.5-12 oz BOGO $3.99
-$1/2 Fresh Express Salads “Family Style Magazine” Publix Coupon
-$1.50/2 Fresh Express Blends SS 2/21


Not too much is on sale this week that I could even pretend to call healthy.
But I noticed at my store that there were a lot of really great items on clearance, including some Avalon Organics shampoos and conditioners. These often retail for $8-10 bottle. They were priced at 2 for $6.49 and 2 for $9 I believe.
At any rate it was a great price for a really nice product. They also had some Gaia baby items, Badger sunscreen for $3.50( an awesome price for this chemical free sunscreen!), and a lot more.

So search your store for a clearance table, it's not all junk!!

In the meantime I will keep updating whenever I see a deal worth mentioning!

How to make a deal out of nothing at all

Sometimes the things you want are just not on sale.

My family and I just went from being vegan to being vegetarian. One of the most important things to me in this process was that the dairy we bought should be organic. I always had an issue processing dairy and the more I learned about it the less I wanted conventionally produced cheese. The problem? Organic cheese is expensive, dude!! Really pricey. So I have had to get clever and work a few things out.

Whole foods frequently offers coupons for organic dairy items. They currently have a printable store coupon for $1/1 Organic Valley cheese. My Publix accepts Whole Foods as a competitor so I know I can pair this coupon up with a manufacturers coupon.

When I want to find manufacturers coupons for organic and natural items I usually hit up my local health food store. They have tearpads laying around everywhere. I'm sure to be considerate of my fellow couponers and only take a couple off each pad. I also pick up a Healthy Clippings magazine and several others which I will post about soon.
So, on my last trip to my local health food store I found loads of Organic Valley cheese coupons for $1/1. Paired with my store coupons I can get organic cheese at Publix for between $1.69-$2.49.
That's a great price!! And I know I'm eating right.

Who wants free cheese if you have to pay for it later??

Couponing is killing me!

Literally, I almost died on my way to work this morning trying to clip coupons at an intersection. Two thoughts-- first, don't do anything other than drive when you are behind the wheel. Second, don't use scissors in the car.

Getting Started

One of the first things you will need to know as a beginning couponer is where to shop. I typically shop in three stores on any given week: Publix, Target, & CVS.

Before I started couponing I hadn't set foot in a CVS for years-- it was a money-suck for me, I'd go in there and suddenly lose half an hour and $40. I could spend $10 on hair dye, because the box was pretty, never even checking the clearance section or the store flyer. So I quit going in an effort to reduce my habit of shopping just to shop.
Well, couponing feeds that same need for me to browse and spend time shopping, it's just that I do the majority of it at home, in flyers and online. I have discovered that between these three stores I can get most of my needs met for the least amount of money-- be patient, I will get to the "how" of it eventually.

I chose Publix as my primary grocery store for one main reason- the coupon policy is very flexible. In fact, although the overall company policy is good, much of the decision making is left up to the manager in each store. So my first step was to find out directly from customer service desk & the store manager exactly which coupons my Publix takes and how I can use coupons and still be within the rules.
My publix rocks because:

They accept competitor coupons(and they consider every single other grocery store a competitor!)
They accept both a store and a manufacturers coupon on each item purchased.
When you are getting a BOGO(buy one get one) deal, you can use coupons on both items, YES, you can use a coupon on the item you are getting free!
The publish a lot of store coupons.

So, if you won't be going to Publix, look for a store with similar policies. Often times it will be one of the more expensive stores.
The other reason I love Publix is that for a mainstream grocery they have a large selection of natural and organic products, and they also have Greenwise stores, which are like the health food store version of Publix, and which have the same coupon policy as regular Publix. We are lucky enough to have one in driving distance.
I'll touch on my reasons for visiting both Target and CVS in future posts, in the meantime start thinking about this: if you plan to use coupons you will probably start using more and more of them(it's very rewarding!). So choose a place to shop that will welcome your coupons and make it easy for you. My choice in Tampa is definitely Publix, but remember also that it depends quite a lot on the manager in your location.
So ask some questions and you will be much better prepared when you're at the checkout.

Definition of Healthy

So I'm fairly certain I'm going to get into some debates over whether or not the items I post on this blog are healthy.
I'm ok with that. I guess i want to start out by clarifying my intentions. Some of the items I post here will be because the are Feingold approved. It can be expensive to stay on the Feingold Diet because you can't just buy whatever is on sale. So, if I find a Feingold approved item for a good price I will let people know. Sometimes this might be "natural" cheetos. Not a healthy food by my standards, still cool as an occasional snack for a kid on a special diet.
Sometimes I will find deals on organic items, but for the most part my goal is to find the best in each category, to find grocery items with fewer ingredients, more whole foods, and ways to save on produce and basic pantry needs like grains, beans, flour, etc.
So feel free to chime in with your definition of healthy, but know that I am just doing my best to provide my family with better choices.

Last Minute Publix Healthy Highlights

So, one of the things I intend to post here on Purely Saving is a shortened version of the Publix weekly ad, focusing on super deals for healthy products. Publix ads switch over on Thursdays(wednesdays in some areas), so you just have one day to take advantage of these deals.
If you are new to couponing, look for my upcoming posts on couponing basics, organization & getting started. In the meantime, stick to easy things like printable coupons and buy one get one free deals. I will write a post detailing the Publix coupon policy as soon as I can.
SS refers to the Smart Source booklet in your Sunday newspaper, RP refers to the Red Plum booklet.

Deals end 4-28

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta, Assorted Varieties, 12 to 16 oz pkg, BOGO $1.79
-$1/.2 Healthy Harvest *printable* you must register
-$.75/1 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest, Any – 04-11-10 SS

Pompeian Olive Oil, Classic Mediterranean or Extra Light Tasting, 32 oz bot, BOGO $10.99
-$1/1 Hangtag
-$1/1 Pompeian *printable*

Whole Fruit Sorbet, Assorted Varieties BOGO $2.89
-$.50/1 Whole Fruit Sorbet – 03-28-10 RP

Silk Soymilk, half gallon, 2/$5
-$.55/1 Publix coupon *printable*
-$.75/1 Silk Soymilk *printable*
-B1G1 Silk Soymilk – 04-11-10 SS
Buy two, use one buy one get one coupon, one $.75/1 coupon, and two publix coupons!!

Horizon Organic Milk, half gallon, 2/$7
-$.55/1 *printable* you must register

Cascadian Farm Frozen Fruit, Vegetables, or Potatoes
OR Cascadian Farm Granola Bars or Cereal, $1.99
-$1/1 Cascadian Farm *printable*
-$2/3 Cascadian Farm Fruit/veg Publix coupon *printable*
-$2/3 Cascadian Farm Cereal/Granola bars Publix Coupon *printable*

Kashi Cereal or Granola 7.5 to 17.5 oz box, 2/$5
Kashi coupon book in stores has $1/1 coupons for just about every Kashi product-- mine was located near the Kashi bars. Also look for peelies on Kashi cereal boxes

Snyder’s of Hanover Organic Pretzels, 8 oz bag, 2/$4
-$.50/1 Snyder’s Oganic Publix coupon *printable*
-$1/1 Snyder’s of Hanover Organic Pretzel Sticks - 04-11-10 SS

There were a lot of organic & healthy deals this week around Earth Day.
Good luck going out & getting some last minute deals!!

Welcome!

Hi!
Welcome to Purely Saving.
My intention is to create a blog for those of us who want to eat healthy foods and still live on a budget.

I'm meli. I'm thirty years old and have a 4 year old daughter who is on the Feingold Diet. You can read up on that here or just watch this video.

My husband and I were vegan for the past six years, until a recent health scare made me adapt back to a vegetarian diet. We definitely have plans to stay mostly if not entirely vegan in the near future. For the time being, we are selective vegetarians trying to eat right on a very small budget.

Even if you are not following a special diet, who doesn't want to save money? We've cut back in every area of our lives but food was one thing I did not want to compromise on. My hubby always says "You pay now or you pay later". It's true-- we will either eat well now or suffer the consequences later. But sometimes we just couldn't afford to eat well. That's where couponing came in. I have cut my grocery bill by at least 70% and still managed to eat healthy food.

So, what can you expect to see here?
Deals from national stores like Whole Foods, Target, Walgreens, and CVS. Local deals from Publix, for those of us in the southeast. Ways to use competitor coupons to get the best deal. How to find coupons for organic and natural products. Recipes for ways to use all those yummy healthy things you have stockpiled. A special section on sales/deals for Feingold acceptable items. Deals on environmentally friendly household products. And hopefully a lot more.

So, let me know if you are out there and what it is you need to start living a healthier life.
-meli