Couponing for Healthy Food - Saving Money on Self Care

Couponing for Healthy Food – Saving Money on Self Care

107 Quick & Easy Ways To Have More Money

• Quick and easy changes you can make today to have more money in your pocket.

• It is NOT about depriving yourself and making depressing cut backs.

• It IS about making sure you're not wasting money, enjoying what you have, and looking for ways to have more fun!

• Be sure to check your email for the bonus surprise freebie!

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If it's your first time here, be sure to read our Introduction To Couponing article!

Eating healthy food can be expensive. Whether you’re trying to load up on produce, eat Keto or Paleo, or just trying to have some decent quality snacks around so you don’t always grab candy, your options can cost a whole lot. I started out couponing in part to try to leverage my way into a healthier lifestyle, so here are some tricks for couponing for healthy food that I’ve learned along the way.


Protein and granola bars:

You can find a decent selection of protein bars at most grocery stores, Walmarts, CVS, Walgreens and organic style groceries. From my own experience, always try a single if you can before buying a box, even if the box seems like a deal. Some of them are great, lots of them are awful. Also, carefully read both the ingredients and the nutrition facts to be sure you’re actually getting a reasonably healthy product, the world “natural” has no legal meaning, so companies can print it on ANYTHING they want to. Lots of granola bars have as much sugar as a king size Snickers, and I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have the Snickers. sWhen you are ready to buy:

  • Check weekly ads for sales – there are almost alway 2 for $X deals on some kind of protein bar at Walgreens and CVS, and they often come with cash register coupons to use next time.
  • Check for digital coupons for them on the store’s website.
  • Check the website of each brand for printable coupons.
  • Use Ibotta to get cash back on lots of protein products.

Fresh Meat:

Couponing for Healthy Food - fresh meat and vegetables.

If you’re doing Keto you’re probably eating a lot of meat. If you’re not, more power to you, but I can’t imagine how you’re pulling it off. Fresh meat can get expensive fast, but unfortunately it’s not often easy to coupon.

  • Check your grocery store’s weekly ad. Hy-Vee puts meat on sale a lot, if you’re shopping there do your best to get gas points, too.
  • Check Ibotta – they’re the best place I’ve found for deals on meat, often giving cash back on a few meat products.

Produce:

Couponing for Healthy Food - colorful produce.

Like meat, produce is tough to reliably coupon. Places like Walgreens and CVS don’t usually carry much, and though Walmart does, at least my store’s quality is usually disappointing.

  • Check local grocery store ads.
  • Follow some brands on social media – I once dropped everything and ran to a Whole Foods because they posted about $1 per pound cherries.
  • Check Ibotta, sometimes they have cash back on specific branded fruit, and sometimes a little bit on generic things like apples or banana.

Vegan Alternative Foods:

Like a broken record here, but…

  • Ibotta usually has cash back for lots of vegan specific foods like non dairy milk based products. They’re the best I’ve found for this.

Nuts:

Couponing for Healthy Food -  seeds, nuts, and vegetables.

Nuts can be an excellent alternative to candy or chips when you’re feeling snacky, and since they are shelf stable they’re much easier to coupon than the perishables!

  • Check CVS and Walgreens ads – Walgreen’s Nice brand puts nuts on sale a lot, and frequently offers clippable coupons. 
  • Check brand websites for coupons – google “planter’s peanut coupons” for example.
  • Check Ibotta. Again, I’ve found cash back on a lot of stuff like this from them.

Gluten Free Foods:

Gluten free foods, especially those made to emulate gluten foods, can add up quickly. Luckily there are lots of brands competing in this market, so there are deals to be found.

  • Check those grocery store circulars, my locals put them on sale.
  • Check CVS and Walgreens for sales, especially on shelf stable prepared items.

Bulk Bins:

Couponing for Healthy Food - bulk bin foods.

Use caution at the bulk bins. They LOOK like a cheap option, because that’s what stores want you to believe. ALWAYS double check that a pound from the bulk is really cheaper than a pound in a package, unless you really only need a tiny amount. Stores love to manipulate you based on your assumptions – like how everyone knows bulk bins have cheaper prices – and will count on you being in the 99.9% of people who never actually double check. That said, I’ve never seen a coupon for a bulk food, so it would be an absolute stroke of luck if you do.


Salad Mixes and Prepped Produce:

Prepared salad and precut veggies can be huge time and effort savers, but you usually pay for the time you save. In this case, though, I’ve seen both grocery store paper coupons (Hy-Vee!) and Ibotta rewards for them. I don’t find them all the time, but when I do I like to take advantage. 

  • Check local newspaper ads, and any grocery store circulars you might get in the mail.
  • Check Walgreens ads – it’s rare, but they do have a bit of produce in some stores, and it does sometimes go on sale.
  • Check newspaper inserts for name brand options, those are most likely to offer coupons.

Protein Powder and Nutrition Supplements:

Protein powders and nutrition supplements are a very competitive market, and competitive markets are good for couponers. There are a lot of brands out there, and for many products margins are high. There are a few places I often find good deals.

  • Check Walgreens and CVS – they’re both health oriented and keep a lot of variety in stock. They also offer sales, coupons, and point options to help reduce cost.
  • Check the manufacturer website! Some of them have one time and subscription deals, which are especially good if you’re committed to a specific brand and use it consistently enough to be able to calculate how much you need.
  • Grocery stores, especially those with large ‘health food’ selections, often put these products on sale.
  • It’s a competitive market so you KNOW Ibotta is going to have kick backs, especially for up and coming brands and new products.

Coffee and Tea:

Couponing for Healthy Food - coffee and tea.

Many people make coffee and/or tea a daily ritual. The cost can add up, especially if you go out for it. If you’re making your daily at home, there are a couple ways to save. Discounts on major brands like Folgers and Twinings can be found through the usual channels – Ibotta, Sunday ads, store sales.

If you’re more experimental than that, there are SO MANY small coffee and tea companies. As much as I love the convenience of stopping at Starbucks, it can be a lot of fun to buy a selection from a tiny company to try out. If you’re shopping this way, be sure you have Honey installed – their coupon codes have saved me a fortune!

And if you’re trying to reduce/give up soda, consider swapping some of it for cold brewed tea. It’s tasty, typically sugar-free or nearly sugar-free with no fake sweeteners, and can be made in so many tasty flavors!

107 Quick & Easy Ways To Have More Money

• Quick and easy changes you can make today to have more money in your pocket.

• It is NOT about depriving yourself and making depressing cut backs.

• It IS about making sure you're not wasting money, enjoying what you have, and looking for ways to have more fun!

• Be sure to check your email for the bonus surprise freebie!

107 Quick & Easy Ways To Have More Money!Don't Miss This Free Ebook!

• Quick and easy changes you can make today to have more money in your pocket.

• It is NOT about depriving yourself and making depressing cut backs.

• It IS about making sure you're not wasting money, enjoying what you have, and looking for ways to have more fun!

• Be sure to check your email for the bonus surprise freebie!