Frugal Forum March 3, 2013

Can you eat healthy on a budget? There are many ways that you can reduce your grocery bill and still lead a healthy lifestyle. Whole Foods offers a Value Tour on the last Tuesday of every month starting at  6pm just email kellyanne.beile@wholefoods.com to sign up. You will learn tips to make healthier choices without breaking the bank. Kroger and Whole Foods are trying to make it easier for you to determine what is good for you by offering two types of scoring systems. Whole Foods has a system called ANDI score that stands for “Aggregate Nutrient Density Index”. The ANDI score shows the nutrient density of a food on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on nutrient content. Kroger has the NuVal Nutritional Scoring System that scores food on a scale of 1 – 100. The higher the NuVal score the better the nutrition. Just having that information can start you on your way to choosing what products are better for you. Coupon users are wide spread now and that doesn’t stop in the organic or natural foods stores. Check out Whole Foods whole deal newsletter offered in front of store or online that is full of store coupon all of these coupons can be combined with a manufacturer coupon giving you an added savings. Irene Gamez from Lexington just got a new smart phone so she is excited that Whole Foods is going to start using mobile coupons in March. Now you don’t even have to print out coupons you can just have the cashier scan your phone. Here are some tips to start eating healthy on a budget.

1.       Buy in Bulk.

Buying in bulk can save a lot of money. You can purchase grains, nuts, rice, pasta, seasonings and flour in the quantity that you need. Bulk food sections give a lower price per quantity ratio while saving on packaging. Kelly Anne Beile, Marketing Team Leader at Whole Foods says what a  great way to have the kids make their own trail mix for their own healthy treat.

2.       Buy in season food and vegetables.

Foods grown in season tastes better and are cheaper. You can even think ahead by freezing them to enjoy during the off season. Search for the bargain produce shelf to get discounted ripe fruit. Whole Foods even has a value basket of cheese that contains smaller pieces left over from cuts for a discounted price in their cheese section.

Produce In Season This Month

• asparagus
• avocado
• artichokes
• broccoli
• brussels sprouts
• cabbages
• cauliflower
• chard
• celery
• collard/mustard greens
• spring garlic, onion, leeks
• lemon
• red grapefruit
• tangerines and navel oranges
• kiwi
• d’anjou pear
• strawberries

3.       Don’t buy precut vegetables or fruits.

Jessica Powell from Wilmore says that it is relaxing for her to cut and chop her own fruits and vegetables. She states that this way she knows actually where it came from and likes saving the expense of prepackaged products. Just by cooking your meals at home and not going out to eat not only saves you money but is healthier for you.

4.       Check out store brand of healthy products.

Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value offers you high quality product at value prices. Austin Powell, Jessica’s husband says that he ultimately will look for the cheaper deal but doesn’t want to compromise on quality.  If a box of Cheerios is $1.99 at Krogers and comparable Cheerio like natural product is $3.99 he is buying the $1.99 product. Kroger offers Simple Truth Organic and Naturla Food brand. All Simple Truth items are “Free From 101” artificial ingredients and preservatives.

5.       Create a meal plan around the store sales.

Subscribe to Whole Food store news and sale newsletter to find out their weekly Friday one day deal that offers meat or seafood savings to focus your dinner around. You also can attend the Healthy Eating Tour on March 21^st with Lindsay Bruner to learn how to cook healthy and take home some great recipes. Just call Whole Foods at 971-8600 to register. When you are checking out the meat and seafood department at Whole Food ask them for some seasonings or marinates to go with your purchase, you can even save $1 for every 3 pounds or more purchase. Meijer grocery store has a meal planning service online for healthy, delicious and on a budget meals. They will even match up their printable coupons with your recipes while you print out a grocery list for your trip.  Another option is Emeals which offers you a low cost way to save time and money while still preparing healthy meals. The site breaks down sample menus including type of diet, number of people dining and grocery stores. Emeals gives you a grocery list based on the meals you choose.  www.emeals.com

 

Meijer Deals:

Match $1 Sunday paper coupon for Prilosec OTC product with Meijer $1 off Prilosec sale.

 

Meijer has Olay Facial Skin products on sale for 20% off match Sunday paper $2 off two Olay Fresh Effects, Olay Facial Moisturizer or Facial Cleanser coupon and $3 off one Olay Regenerist Facial Moisturizer coupon.

Tide on sale for $4.99 use $3 off three Tide products Sunday paper coupon or $1.50 off two Tide   products Sunday coupon.

Dial 3-pack bar soap on sale for $1.79 use 35 cents Dial bar Sunday paper coupon (will double)

Kroger Deals:

Vidal Sassoon shampoo or conditioner on sale for $3.97 use Sunday paper coupon buy one Vidal Sassoon Shampoo or conditioner get one Vidal Sassoon Styling Aid free.

Kellogg’s cereals $2.99 for select varieties use $1 off any three Kellogg’s cereal Sunday paper coupon

Fiber One Bars on sale 4 for $10 use four 50 cents Sunday paper coupon (they will double)

CVS Deals:

Spend $50 on Venus, Secret, Olay, Pantene, Herbal Essence, Head and Shoulders, Clairol, CoverGirl, Crest 3D White products receive $15 mail in rebate www.CVS.com/PGBeautyRebate match up rebate with $2 Clairol Sunday paper coupon, $3 off three Pantene products Sunday paper coupon, $1 Covergirl Sunday paper coupon, $3 off one CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara product.

ZzzQuil $4.99 use $1 Sunday paper coupon and receive $1 extracare bucks

Oral-B power toothbrush $21.99 use $1 Sunday paper coupon receive $3 extracare bucks

NyQuil or DayQuil $6.99 use $1 Sunday paper coupon receive $1 extracare bucks

Kellogg select cereal two for $4 buy four boxes use $1 Sunday paper coupon and $1 CVS store coupon from red store kiosk.

Gold Emblem Jelly Beans 7oz 99 cents receive 99 cents extracare bucks

Prilosec $24.99 use $1 Sunday paper coupon receive $5 extracare bucks

Buy two Right Guard Defense for $6 use $2 Sunday paper coupon receive $1 extracare bucks

Rite Aid Deals:

Buy three Tide 100 oz Detergent for $35.82 use $3 Sunday paper coupon receive $10 +UPs rewards.

Buy $20 worth of select Gillette and Old Spice products receive $5 +UPs rewards match with $2 Old Spice Sunday paper coupon and $2 Gillette Body Wash Sunday paper coupon

Clairol Hair color $7.99 use in store flyer $2 coupon plus $2 Sunday paper coupon – this purchase can go towards the buy $15 worth of select P&G products get $5 +UPs rewards

Walgreen Deals:

Senior Savings Day and all AARP members get 20% off Walgreens, W Brand and Nice! Products plus 15% off almost everything else in store on Wednesday March 6.

Purex on sale $2.99 use $1 Sunday paper coupon

Crest 3D White Whitestrips $49.99 use $10 mail in rebate located in Sunday paper receive $10 +UPs rewards

Oral-B Toothbrush $2.99 use $1 Sunday paper coupon receive $1.50 register rewards

Baush and Lomb Ocuvite Eye Vitamin and Supplement on sale for $9.99 use $3 Sunday paper coupon

Soft Scrub on sale for $2.49 use $1 Sunday paper coupon