Hi everyone! I have a special post for you this afternoon. Last week, when I posted about my healthy grocery staples a lot of you showed interest in shopping healthy on a budget. I’m still learning the ropes myself, so I was all over my friend Cindy’s idea for her to write up a post and share her tips and tricks with you all. She has fabulous ideas and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did. And while Cindy takes over for me here, you can check me out on Cynthia’s blog sharing why faith matters in my health. Now, take it away Cindy!

If you have ever watched Extreme Couponing, you probably notice the lack of produce and the overabundance of processed foods in their cart. You then probably resign yourself to spending more money at the grocery store. I want to teach you that you CAN save 50% or more at the store and still eat healthy! Your cupboards don’t have to look like this…

When my second baby was born in August, my husband and I decided he would quit his job to stay home with the kiddos. We quickly realized we would have to do a major overhaul on our budget. We were spending an average of $800 a month (!) at the grocery and drugstores. Our “budget” only allowed for $400. Besides food, I must fit cleaning supplies, paper products and personal care items (shampoo, soap, contact solution, etc.) for my family of four into that $400. Here are my tips for eating healthy on a budget, without sacrificing your time, your health and your favorite brands!

To most effectively utilize this method, you will need to shop every week to take advantage of the weekly specials. Grab your weekly store circular (most ads run from Wednesday to Tuesday or Thursday to Wednesday) and create your list from the sale items.

Sales Cycles: The easiest place to start (and also where you will save the bulk of your money) is by learning the sales cycles, and it doesn’t involve coupons. Most brands will go on sale at your favorite store every 2-3 months (even the natural and organic stuff!). In order to fully take advantage of these sales, you need to buy enough to get your family through these sales cycles. Stock up, but remember, if it is on sale now, it will probably go on sale again. I still have some VitaTops in my freezer from last October…it’s all a learning process!

Since I eat healthy all most of the time, I don’t spend a ton of time and money in the center aisles, but that’s where oatmeal lies (which only goes on sale 3 times a year)
as well as peanut butter (which goes on sale all the time). You may find that you are spending a bit more money initially as you stock up, but once you have created a stockpile, you will never have to buy these items at full price again! Side note…my stockpile looks NOTHING like those on TV…is it really necessary to store barbeque sauce under your daughter’s bed? We simply have a small pantry in the garage where we keep cereal, crackers, canned foods, and popcorn.

Produce: Plan your weekly menu around the produce on sale. Spinach is on sale? Think salads, steamed spinach, and condiments on your sandwiches. Tomatoes? Homemade pasta sauce (then think spaghetti, chicken parmesan, and homemade pizza). You get the idea. Buy the sale fruit. Often, when it is on sale is when it is at its freshest and tastes best anyways! Only buy what you will use that week…remember, you will be headed back to the store next week! Don’t neglect the frozen and canned (without added salt) fruits and veggies too. Most are frozen or canned immediately upon harvesting, when nutrients are at their peak.

Meat Department: Buy the sale meat, and freeze what you won’t immediately eat. (As a side note - the more full your freezer, the more efficiently it runs. Bonus! Stock up, knowing that most things go on sale about every 6 weeks. Even organic meats go on sale (but a bit less frequently).

Rain Checks: These gems are all too often under-utilized in my opinion! Here’s the scenario…Larabars finally go on sale, but by the time you make it to the store, they are out. Before you give up, head to the customer service desk and ask for a rain check! Ask for as many bars as you need to get through the sales cycle, or as many as they will let you. When they restock the shelves the following week, you simply present the rain check to the cashier when you are checking out to receive the sale price. Voila, problem solved!

Using these tips can save you up to 50% at your next grocery store trip…and you haven’t even picked up a pair of scissors to clip!

• Do you use any of these tips? Any of them new to you? I know I am SO doing the rain check thing in the future!!!