I recently attended a budgeting and couponing class. It motivated me to be wiser with our money.
My grocery shopping is done almost entirely at Publix. Publix is based in Florida, but spreads throughout the southeastern states. The customer service is excellent. They are quick to help, walking me to the items I cannot find. They are always able to answer my questions, and in general, are very courteous. They employ a number of less-abled {I know that's not a word, but I think it fits better than disabled} people. Their employees are not only helpful, but seem happy to help. My kids enjoy their trips to Publix -- always a balloon in hand when we leave.
However, I'd like to cut back on our monthly food allowance. But Publix is not Walmart. And I have this vendetta against Walmart. I really try to not shop there. I won't go into my reasons, unless you'd like to hear them... :)
So, how can I continue to shop at Publix and spend less? For one, Publix has weekly BOGO's and plenty of them-- buy one get one free. Second, IheartPublix is a great website where someone else has already done the work in locating coupons that apply to Publix's weekly deals. Publix accepts store coupons and manufacturing coupons. Sweet! It's so easy. You simply go down the list of BOGO items, sale items, and printable coupons. I am not one to pour hours into couponing. I never will be. It does not give me a high. But, I will do some work to save. And at IheartPublix someone has done all the research already! I just have to put my list together for the week and print the coupons.
I was really excited when I learned about this website and decided that I was going to use it diligently to save. But here is my problem. So much of it is processed junk -- something in a neat package that has a shelf life of forever. Much of it comes from the frozen foods section. Don't get me wrong, we are not perfectly healthy and organic eaters here. However, I do strongly believe our bodies are meant to eat meat sparingly, which to me, cannot be on a daily basis. Whole grains are the way to go. And things like high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners are to be avoided as much as possible! I did see deals on pasta, rice, yogurt, household products, and diapers too. So, there are some things I can buy, but not many coupons for me to plan my meals around. I want whole grain items. I want fresh produce. Any suggestions as to where I can find coupons for those things? Does such a thing even exist?
We are part of a produce co-op here and it is AWESOME! Less than 1/2 the price in the store and you get a TON, so we are forced to eat it, can it or freeze it. It is wonderful! Don't know if there is a farmer's market in Jax where they have wholesale produce. We have a group of 22 and we rotate the responsibilities and there's no cost to be a part of it.
ReplyDeleteAs far as couponing, I do do some. Like you, I get as much non-processed foods with the coupons. Occasionally, we'll get chips/crackers, but mostly we can find some great deals on nuts, healthy cereal, baby supplies, household supplies, yogurt, raisins, eggs, peanut butter, almond milk along with other stuff.
You should keep an eye out for Bountiful Basket (sounds like the co-op that the previous comment mentioned). They don't have any in FL now (but you could start one). Same deal - pretty inexpensive, lots of variety (things that you might not normally buy, but fun to try something new with), and often locally grown produce. We did it in Utah and I really liked it. And I also agree that most coupons are junk. But from time to time I would get really great deals on Kashi cereal, or feta cheese or other random things when combining Publix sales with coupons. Certainly not enough to plan a menu around, however. And they usually had some great deals on diapers that could combine with a coupon. It's a challenge for sure. Good luck! I'm still mourning the loss of Publix :) And I'd love to hear a good Walmart rant when you feel like venting :) I agree with you that I hate them, I'm just not principled enough to avoid them all together. I shop there as little as possible, but still a monthly trip or so. When you find the answer to eating totally healthy for cheap, be sure to share! :)
ReplyDeleteSara - Are you part of the Jax Stake FB page? It looks like there are some sisters putting together a produce co-op.
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