Guest post from Alex of Good Steward Club
Two goals my husband and I are always working on are saving money and eating healthier At a glance, it appears these two goals are at odds. But our use of coupons has actually enabled us to meet both of those goals in an unexpected way.
Here’s what we do:
1. Clip coupons for all toiletries and household expenses.
I watch for deals at CVS and Target on paper products and stock up when I can get them below my price points. CVS will often send me coupons that I can add to my card for dollars off my entire purchase, such as $5 off $15 or $10 off $30. This sweetens the deal when I already needed toilet paper! Using Target’s Cartwheel app often results in further savings on cleaning products as well (and just about anything else you can think of).
I’ve found that while there is sticker shock when you look at the price tags for cosmetics and personal care items at drugstores, they are the absolute best place to shop for toiletries. Between the cashback programs (ExtraBucks at CVS, +Up Rewards at Rite Aid, etc.) and the store coupons that can be added to your card or printed to stack with manufacturer coupons, I have walked out of the store with countless free and moneymaker shampoos, body washes, and facial care products. Yes, please!
2. Use discounted gift cards.
This is one of my favorite savings methods because it doesn’t require much work at all. Gift Card Granny is a great search engine for available gift cards at discounted prices. Because grocery store gift card discounts are on the lower end (1-2% off), I like to purchase drugstore gift cards to further save on toiletries and household expenses.
At the time of this writing, CVS cards are selling at more than a 17% discount!
3. Shop the manager’s special section.
Meats are some of the most expensive products you can buy. Even as we have removed grains from our diet and begun purchasing more meats, our grocery budget is lower than it has ever been because I load up on the manager’s special meat cuts and plan our meals accordingly.
I’ve gotten grass-fed beef, steak, seafood and more for 30-50% off the lowest price marked. Since meat coupons are few and far between, this is the best way for me to use coupons on your actual food purchases.
We have cut out all processed foods (with the exception of an occasional carton of ice cream when we have company), and I’ve been amazed to see that our grocery expenses have actually gone down.
Even though I’m no longer using coupons on most of our food purchases, I’m saving so much money by using coupons and discounted gift cards, that I’ve been able to allocate more of our budget toward eating whole, healthy foods. Our wallets and our waistlines thank us!
How have you been able to save on healthier food choices?
Alex is a full-time homemaker and blogger at Good Steward Club. She is passionate about educating others on the many ways to save money as an act of good stewardship out of love for God.
Rebekah @ Surviving Toddlerrhood says
I try to use coupons for the few household and toiletry items we use but I find that at least for me I don’t save anything by going to a pharmacy. It is usually because of gas costs. Why go to two store that are a ways away from each other when I can get everything at my local Meijer, use the store coupons and then get more store coupons for being a loyal customer?
Alex Guglielmo says
I imagine that is more challenging if you live in a more rural area, Rebekah. I wrote from the perspective of being able to choose any of the drugstores because they are so conveniently located. I try to shop at centers that have a group of stores that I like to shop at and I plan accordingly for the week. We don’t have Meijer here, but it sounds like a great place to shop!
Rachel G says
Oh yeah, the manager’s special section is great! Where we live now, we buy our produce and meat at an outdoor wet market, which means there are no longer such things as coupons and sales–my strategy is to maximize veggies in every dish which minimizing meat, because veggies are very, very cheap here while meat isn’t. 🙂
Alex Guglielmo says
Thanks for the tip for readers living in foreign countries, Rachel! I imagine that’s another beast entirely. It’s great that you’re still focused on being frugal, even though it’s a bit more difficult 🙂
Natalie says
These are great tips! Can’t wait to apply a few of them to my grocery shopping routine.
Alex Guglielmo says
Thanks, Natalie! They’ll definitely help your budget and keep you eating well!
Wendy@Your Dream Realized says
Thanks Alex! I also am on a healthy diet, which is challenging when trying to cut costs, especially when buying meat. I’m trying to do more paleo foods. What stores do you shop at to get the discounted meat?
Chella says
Eating healthy need not to be expensive as long as you’re wise enough to look for options. “Time” is also our best friend. If we allot time for preparing our food, then we can have the best option at the least price.
Thanks for this share. ‘Worth clipping.
Alex Guglielmo says
I’m totally with you on preparing our food, Chella. I love knowing exactly what goes into every bite we eat. And it helps to have a slow cooker, too! If you cook for a small family like I do, then you can freeze half for another meal, which ultimately saves time, too!
Alex Guglielmo says
I’m totally with you on making homemade food, Chella. That way we know exactly what we’re eating and we don’t have to worry about what the food companies have snuck in there!
Crockpot cooking is useful for saving time if you’re cooking for a small family like I do. I just freeze half and we eat the rest on a busy day. Cook once, eat twice!
Alex Guglielmo says
I’m with you on making homemade food, Chella. That way we know exactly what we’re eating and we don’t have to worry about what the food companies have snuck in there!
Crockpot cooking is useful for saving time if you’re cooking for a small family like I do. I just freeze half and we eat the rest on a busy day. Cook once, eat twice!
Amie says
I have been a huge CVS shopper for years because of their great deals. This summer, I became a big Kmart shopper with their Shop Your Way Rewards program. Almost every week this summer, I was sent $7-10 in surprise points, which I used for groceries. They also sent me $10/30 in surprise points and coupons for spend $30 and get $15-20 back in points. I have used these offers for groceries, dog food, and diapers. I found the program tricky to begin with, but now, I’m hooked. I’ve actually bought more diapers at Kmart than at CVS.
Jen says
Wow! Good for you. I also got surprise points but they specifically excluded groceries. 🙁
Alex Guglielmo says
I wish we had a Kmart nearby, Amie! It sounds like you really mastered the system. That sounds too good to be true, but that’s kind of how it is when you properly coupon, right? 🙂
Andrea says
I do all the things list plus price match. I used to be a part of a Moms’ produce coop group where I got produce at a great price. Due to circumstance I had to stop and price matching produce from Aldi’s and other stores really helps in saving. Every week I make a list of all the best deals and shop all my produce at Walmart. You don’t have to have a flyer (this is policy on website–my associates do not know this), and I just take my list and tell them the price I am matching. The produce at my Neighborhood Walmart is a lot better than my Aldi’s. One thing if you get a great deal on something–buy lots freeze or can it.
Also, I always make chicken broth from bones leftover–this causes me to make soup at least once a week–very healthy and definitely a low cost meal. I don’t do much just throw bones in water and cook–lots of time I leave them on the stove cooking for 24 hours and then I just put them in jars in the frig until I use.
Lastly my husband grows lots of veggies. Great but I am kind of sick of cucumbers and green beans right now! 🙂
Alex Guglielmo says
Price matching sounds like a great way to save time, Andrea! It’s something I haven’t really tried because I’ve gotten in the habit of traveling to multiple stores each week, but that sounds great if your Walmart produce is so good!
I’m with you on the stock, too! And if you’re stick of eating the cucumbers, maybe you can use them to infuse your water? I love the taste of combining cucumbers and berries. Yum!
Kelly Cox says
Yes, please is right! Free toiletries is the way to go. I love to shop for deals on those and found that we can buy more produce and healthy foods because we get other items so cheaply or FREE!
Alex, I love that your blog focuses on stewardship. How awesome to use your resources from God so wisely. 🙂
Alex Guglielmo says
Doesn’t it help the budget, Kelly? It’s amazing how much things can add up. Whenever you can get freebies, I say go for it…especially when there original cost is somewhat shocking, like many toiletries!
And we do our best to use God’s resources wisely. We are so thankful for His provision in our lives, and we know the least we can do is honor Him in how we use HIS money!
Susan says
Thanks so much for sharing about discounted gift cards. I just saved $8 on a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card that I will gift for Christmas and will be on the look out for more great deals in the coming months!
Alex Guglielmo says
I’m glad that helped, Susan! Be aware that when you order physical gift cards, it is more than likely that it will have the balance written on it. Obviously that doesn’t matter when buying groceries, but when it comes to gifts, I like to either buy an electronic card and gift that, or buy a discounted gift card and then purchase the gift with the gift card. I know this trick will come in handy come Christmas!
Lea Stormhammer says
We have a CSA for fresh, local, organic vegetables and a few fruits. The price is a one time fee of $400, which we take out of our grocery budget each week so it costs us $7.70 each week. We round up to $10 and put the other $2.30 toward buying things at the farmer’s market (we have some great ones here in the Twin Cities). I blanch and freeze the extras and make pickles and salsa and sometimes tomato sauce (depending on how many tomatoes I end up with).
We also grow a few tomatoes (2-3 plants) and usually some squash (Zucchini and acorn) and a pepper plant or two.
Between these things we have almost all our vegetables for the year. we do buy spinach almost all the year around and then tomatoes in the winter for my tomato-loving son.
Great ideas! thanks for sharing,
Lea
Alex Guglielmo says
Wow, Lisa, I wish our local CSA was so inexpensive! That sounds like a great way to save money!
Alex Guglielmo says
Wow, Lea, I wish our local CSA was so inexpensive! That sounds like a great way to save money!
Angie Nelson says
I recently started buying fresh produce through Bountiful Baskets. They come to my area every two weeks and it’s far cheaper than the local grocery store. The baskets are pre-packed, so you can’t be afraid to try new things.
Alex Guglielmo says
That sounds like a fun way to make some new, healthy recipes, Angie!
Wendy@Your Dream Realized says
I’ll have to look into this. Thanks!
Jennifer@TheIntentionalMom says
I look forward to checking out Gift Card Granny for some cards. 17% is huge! Thanks for the tip. One of my favorite tips on saving is to head to shop near the closing time at the Deli counter or bakery type counters…they are often deeply discounting things they have left. Like rotisserie chickens 😉
Alex Guglielmo says
Great tip, Jennifer! I’ve never tried shopping near closing time, but any savings you can get at the deli counter is great! I’ll have to try it, too!
Jennifer says
Wow, I had heard of Gift Card Granny but I didn’t realize drugstore gift cards were selling at such a reduced rate. That’s a super tip. Are these electronic gift cards or do they send you the actual card?
Alex Guglielmo says
Jennifer, you’ll be able to search Gift Card Granny for both electronic and physical gift cards. I usually prefer the electronic ones for everything but groceries because you get them faster and you know what condition they’ll be in (because you’re printing it out versus receiving someone else’s used card). All that said, some electronic cards can ONLY be used online, so be sure to check the fine print before purchasing!
Sarah@TheOrthodoxMama says
I love the idea of putting the money that you’ve saved on toiletries toward healthy food. I have gotten out of practice playing the drugstore game, but I may have to get back into it!
Jennifer says
I had gotten out of the drugstore game too, Sarah, but it pains me so to pay for toothpaste and razors so I’m making it a priority for now. Until I get my reserves built back up 🙂
Alex Guglielmo says
Sarah, the drugstore game is so worth it if you just stick to one store (so you don’t go crazy like I did trying to get all of the deals every week!) and allow your stockpile to carry you through weeks (and sometimes even months!) when you don’t have time to coupon. It works for us!