If you eat commercially prepared foods, you can feed your family on pennies a day by taking advantage of coupons and refunds. By combining sales, manufacturer's and store coupons, you can get items for free, or even get paid to take them. Forget a savings of 25c off a tube of toothpaste. Stores have got awesome deals ripe for the taking, if you understand the concept. This even applies to most health and beauty products like shampoos, razors, and toothpaste.
On foods you cannot get free, like meats and produce, there are great organizations out there that serve the general public (not low income folks). By utilizing Angel Food Ministries, you can get a box of restaurant quality meats, produce, and other staples, worth $50-75, for only $25. Many areas across the country also have the SHARE program, which provides heavy discounts on meats and staples in exchange for your involvement in your choice of volunteer work in your community.
Healthy Foods
Unfortunately, those of us who choose to eat organic or health foods do not have the ability to acquire food quite so inexpensively. There are relatively few coupons on the market for organic foods, as they are not advertised as heavily.
But, there are other options!
1. Organic Co-Ops
Check out your local organic coops. This is where multiple families get together to share a wholesale organic purchase, usually produce.
2. Community Supported Agriculture, CSA
Check out the local CSA in your area. This is where you purchase, in advance, a share of a farmer's harvest. The food is healthy, fresh, and does not travel long distances so it can be ripened on the vine instead of picked early and artificially ripened.
3. Grow it Yourself
If you have the space, the most cost effective way to reduce your healthy food grocery bill is to grow/raise some food yourself. Victory gardens, herb gardens, fruit trees, chickens and even rabbits can be raised in a small location without a huge investment of money or time. You can even sell or barter excess foods.
No matter how you choose to eat, there are ways to cut down on your grocery bills.
A few more tips:
--Menu plan
--Make out a grocery list in advance, and stick to it!
--Shop alone (no hubby or kids)
--Do not grocery shop while hungry
--Take a certain amount of cash with you and leave your credit cards at home
