Introduction to Couponing and Healthy, Frugal Grocery Shopping

I hear it all the time.. "Eating healthy is just so expensive!" Well I beg to differ! And not just in the "eating healthy is cheaper than medical bills" kind of way. By combining coupons and sales you can get so many items at a fraction of the full retail cost and not only afford the healthy stuff but also slash your grocery bill from what it was pre-weight watchers/diet/New Year's resolution.

For an introduction to couponing, I highly recommend these websites/blogs:

www.iheartpublix.com

www.southernsavers.com

www.couponmom.com

Each one of the above sites will do all the work for you. They match sale items with available coupons so you get them at dirt cheap prices. On top of that, they all have features that let you check the items you're interested in, provide links to coupons for these items, then print a grocery list right then and there. You can even customize the grocery lists by adding other items you need and changing coupons/coupon values.

If you can't tell, I am biased towards Publix. It just so happens to be the closest and most common grocery store in my city. My only other options are Winn-Dixie (too far) and Walmart (hate it with a passion). Publix also has a wonderful coupon doubling and coupon stacking policy that can help you score items for super super cheap. Don't have a Publix near you or don't like it? Just go to Google and type in "Couponing" and the name of your preferred grocery chain. There are thousands and thousands of money-saving blogs out there that regularly post sale and coupon matchups for stores I've never even heard of. Just add them to your RSS feed reader, look for recipes, and start making your grocery list.

So why bother with this sale and coupon business when you could just walk into a grocery store, buy what you need with no preparation and leave? Yes I admit it does take some time to keep track of sales, hunt down coupons, and keep your coupons organized. But I do it for several reasons. First, why should I give away any more of my hard earned money than I have to? Sure, I have to pay my mortgage, I have to put gas in my car, and I have to buy food and household necessities. But what about the things I want to spend my money on? If I can save money on the things I have to buy then I get more money in my pocket to save for my financial well-being, or better yet, blow on the things I want to get (and I can think of plenty of those.. iPads, iPhones, vacations & weekend trips, concerts, a nice restaurant meal...). My second reason? Because I love it. It's like a game to play or a puzzle to solve. In the same time you take to do a sudoku or crossword puzzle, I can search through coupon/sale matchups, print or clip coupons, sort coupons, and print my grocery list. Trust me, it's just as exciting :-)

But just as each person has their own reasons for joining WW or adopting a healthy lifestyle, there are plenty of other reasons to become a crazy coupon lady (or guy). For another (probably better) story of a WW chick that slashed her grocery budget while losing weight, click here.

Now for the reality check: don't forget the goal is to be healthy and lose weight. Just in case you're like me and end up obsessing over getting stuff for super cheap, never forget that an unhealthy "bargain" is not really a bargain. When it comes to things like TP, windex, or band aids - go for it. But when you see the Valentine's Day candy on sale for $0.50 a bag don't buy it unless you have a good reason that involves giving it away to other people or you have the willpower to not devour the whole bag in one day and eat just one piece a day [and if you do buy some, get the dark chocolate because an ounce a day helps prevent heart disease!]