Grocery Report | Clippin' coupons, buying groceries on a budget, and the best frugal recipes on the web

Trying to Eat Healthy? Good Luck at the Supermarket

Now, I’m not trying to point fingers, and we all know that grocery stores carry what sells, but for those of us who are not in the majority and would prefer to eat less processed foods and questionable ingredients, it can be very difficult to find something to eat at the grocery store.

After we went through our home and removed every food that contained sugar last week, the shelves are almost bare and we are having to get creative with the whole ingredients we do have. Going shopping, it seems as though even things that should be pure and whole are adultered in some way to contain something I don’t want my family eating.

For instance, since I had to give up my coffee creamer, I have switched to plain old heavy cream. It tastes just as great and is healthy for me, or at least better than the processed stuff. I find that I have to very carefully check the labels though, because many of them contain multiple chemicals, and not just cream.

If you want any processed food at all, you have to be very, very careful about reading the labels. It is becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the technical terms that can be found on just about every food that has been even minimally processed.

Arm yourself with knowledge, take your time at the store, and be careful with processed food. It may be a struggle, but it is worth it to know that you are buying only foods with whole, healthy ingredients.

How Long Could You Live Off of What's In Your Pantry?

When you hear people talking about survival preparedness or emergency food storage, it is often accompanied by snorts of derision and passed off as something hippies and conspiracy theorists would do. Emergencies don’t always have to come from things like global warming, peak oil or a global financial crisis, however. Often, the emergencies that require a food storage supply have more to do with our local circumstances than any large-scale event.

Having an extra supply of food is helpful for common situations too, such as a job loss, natural disaster or illness. A couple of years ago, when my husband was laid off, we found ourselves surviving on just a few hundred dollars in unemployment. The food that I had stored ahead was priceless for keeping us going when we didn’t have money to spare.

Food and water can mean all the difference for survival if your town is hit with an earthquake, flood or other natural disaster, and what if you or one of your family is sick and goes to the hospital? Having food saved ahead can be a big relief for those left at home.

It’s a good idea to have a least a few weeks of food saved up in your pantry to help get through any emergencies. Ideally, a supply of three to six months should make its way to your shelves, because that is enough to pad against a lengthy unemployment or other unforeseen event.

So take a look around your food pantry. How long do you think your family could eat if you were unable to buy food for whatever reason?

Help! We're Being Invaded by Corn Syrup Solids!

I am not very good at checking labels. I do try to eat healthy and avoid processed foods, but I’m not consistent about looking at the fine details. Imagine my surprise, then, when I decided to look at what my container of peanuts had for ingredients. You would expect peanuts and salt, of course, but what blew me away was the fact that my peanuts contained corn syrup solids! Shame on you, nut company whose name starts with a “P” and ends with “lanters,” for introducing this horrific impurity into one of nature’s most perfect foods!

I knew our food system is being slowly and completely overtaken by corn products, but I had no idea it would be used where it wasn’t needed. I mean, peanuts and salt have coexisted for eons without the help of corn, so why do they suddenly need this additive? I am completely baffled.

So I started looking at other things, and it turns out that darned coffee creamer I suddenly can’t live without is chalk full of the same thing – corn syrup solids. What on earth for?!

I imagine that if I were to start really looking at the foods in my house, I would see corn in more unexpected places, and I like to pride myself on avoiding processed foods. In fact, that’s kind of what I thought peanuts were, but I was sorely mistaken. Fortunately, the store brand where I shop had the right idea – peanuts and salt, just the facts, man.

What are we to do about this gross overreach by food manufacturers? Our food is becoming less safe with every day, it seems, and I am getting downright scared to shop at the store for fear of what other chemical or unnatural food is going to creep into my cart.

Cash Back Shopping with Ebates

It's not really helpful for grocery stores - but you can save pretty much everywhere else.

I’m not a big retail shopper. While there is a time and a place to buy things new, I prefer to buy secondhand when I can because of the incredible savings. With that being said, when I do choose to buy new, I always try to find the best deal or a way to really stretch my investment. Ebates.com is one of those ways, because you get cash back when you make qualifying purchases.

Ebates is founded on a very simple, yet effective concept: sharing the affiliate commissions it receives when you shop through its partners. What this means is, when you shop with one of the companies Ebates is affiliated with, Ebates will get a sales commission. While they keep some of the commission, they are also able to share some with you, the customer. It’s a win-win situation because you save money and they make money.

Ebates offers more than just cash back, however. You can also get access to unique coupons to save money on purchases, and their product search feature makes it easier to find what you need from participating stores. Ebates is partnered more than 1,500 stores, including big names such as Amazon.com, Apple Store, Microsoft and Under Armour, to name just a few. That means you can shop at your favorite stores and save money doing it.

Ebates is free to use, so next time you need to buy something new, buy it through Ebates and score a little cash back. I saw cash back rates of as high as 20 percent – now that’s a big savings!

Leave the Kids at Home

If you are looking to really save money while shopping for groceries, one of the simples ways to do it is to leave the kids at home. I love my kids, but it is so nice to go through the store with a list and actually be able to read it AND check things off. I can’t count how many times I’ve forgotten something that was right there on the list because my kids distracted me. Leaving them at home makes the job of shopping much simpler.

Where I really notice the savings when I leave the kids at home is in being able to compare prices for items. When I’m frustrated by the kids, I just grab and go in order to get the list done. Not only do I miss good deals, but I frequently forget to use coupons or check for sale items.

I also find that I don’t get as many impulse items. It is much easier to say no when they aren’t right there asking, and I don’t cave to my own impulses as often because I am more focused and determined.

Grocery shopping without the kids has become a sort of mini getaway. I love being able to complete a coherent thought, and even the occasional sentence! I can take my time and look over what I intend to buy, because I am not trying to avert a meltdown or keep hands off of items.

So if you are trying to save money on groceries, try leaving the kids at home and see how well you can focus on the task at hand. Even if you don’t save much, you’ll get a nice break.

Preserve Food with a Vacuum Sealer

Vacuum sealing is a great way to help preserve food, from dried foods such as jerky to frozen items like vegetables and fish filets. The number one culprit of frozen food is the air that gets trapped inside the containers, so by removing the air, you will help food stay fresh longer and prevent freezer burn.

For dried foods, vacuum sealing helps retain the fresh flavor longer, and also helps the packaging stay minimal because you aren’t trying to hold in air. You can fit more food in the pantry if it is vacuum sealed, and food sealed this way is perfect to take on hiking and camping trips.Vacuum sealers range in price from about $40, on up to several hundred dollars. Fortunately, you can get a good quality, entry-level sealer at the bottom end of that range, and your only additional expense will be buying more bags later.

Using a vacuum sealer is very easy as well. You simply place the food to store inside a special bag, close it and then use the vacuum sealer to suck all the air out. When it is finished, it will seal off the hole it used and you are left with a perfect package, very similar to the packaging on items you buy at the store.

If you are storing large amounts of food or are just tired of the wasted food from freezer burn and lost flavor, try a vacuum sealer to help keep both dried and frozen foods fresher longer.

Graham Cracker Crust on the Cheap

Graham cracker crust is one of those great inventions that has made the world a better place. Pour it to about one inch deep in a cup, top it with pudding and add a dollop of whipped cream for a delicious parfait treat. Line the bottom of a pie pan with it to make a delicious banana cream pie that will leave your mouth watering for more. Although it is relatively inexpensive at the store, you can quickly and easily make your own crust for pennies, and eliminate the packaging that comes from buying a premade crust.

First, take about nine whole graham crackers and crush them to a fine powder with a rolling pin. In your pie pan or other dish, melt four tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle the graham cracker powder with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, mix in the melted butter, and then pour it into your pie pan. Mash it down into a crust with the bottom of a cup, and then either bake it at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or use it as it is.

If you prefer to add more or less sugar, making your own crust allows you the freedom to do so. You could add spices too, to make it go well with a pumpkin filling or other spiced treat. Making your own allows you to make as little or as much as you need at once, and is also a great way to use up those broken crackers.

So next time you’re craving a parfait, make this crust for the base layer. It is absolutely divine!

Reconsider Portion Sizes

We all look for ways to save money on what we buy, but sometimes the most effective cost savings is to change what we do with the food we buy. In our supersize world, we seem to be growing more accustomed to larger portion sizes. Have you seen the size of a regular meal at McDonald’s now? They just keep getting bigger! Reducing portion sizes when you eat at home can have a significant impact on your grocery bill, and your waistline.

I have always eaten without much thought to how much or even what I was eating. When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and had to eat a low carb diet, part of controlling my intake was following guidelines for portion sizes. I was surprised at how satisfied I could feel on such small portions.

We have been told through advertising and packaging that we need more and more to become satisfied, but the truth is, we can get by on a lot less than most of us are probably eating now. In fact, one of my biggest surprises was a bowl of soup. I was eating almost twice what I needed to feel satisfied. By reducing my dinner portion of soup to one full cup, I was able to get another full meal out of it for the following day. That adds up to savings pretty fast.

So if you are trying to reduce your grocery bill, try first reducing your portion sizes. You might be surprised at how much less you need.

Make Your Own Bread

We have made our own bread off and on for a few years now. I prefer to let the bread machine mix the dough and then place it in pans to bake in the oven. That gives a uniform loaf, similar to what you might buy at the store, with only half the work of making homemade bread. The one and one half pound loaf seems to work better, and will just fill a standard loaf pan.

You can get a used bread machine from just about any thrift store or Goodwill – they are very common and very inexpensive. I think I paid $3 for our last bread machine from Goodwill.

Making your own bread won’t save you much money, but in terms of taste and nutrition, it is hard to beat. If you compare the cost of homemade bread with a bread that is equal in taste, you will probably find a big savings.

I totaled up the cost of the ingredients for making our own bread, in order to see how it compared to store bread. We buy our yeast, flour and salt in bulk from Costco, and we buy real butter instead of margarine. The total cost for a basic loaf of wheat bread that includes flour, yeast, honey, butter, salt and milk was $2.05 for a one and a half pound loaf, and $2.80 for a two-pound loaf. Compared to the Orowheat we normally buy, it is slightly more expensive than the sale prices, but cheaper than the standard price.

Even though it doesn’t save much in terms of monetary cost, it is so much healthier than most store bought breads, and there is nothing quite so lovely as the smell of fresh baked bread throughout the house.

Stretch Your Snacks with Kashi

I am a big fan of getting the most for my money. One of the areas we waste a lot of it is with snacks from the grocery store. Empty calories and high carbs are pretty common elements of the typical snack foods you can get these days. Not only are these foods bad for your waistline, but also for your wallet. One of the snack food brands I approve of for my kids and I is the Kashi line.

There is no getting around the fact that Kashi foods are still processed, but they have a lot more of the good stuff than typical crackers, granola bars and other snacks. Their cereals provide as much protein as an egg, and have healthy nuts and grains.

Kashi granola bars are so delicious, filling and wholesome that I have a hard time restraining myself from eating them more often. With flavors such as dark chocolate coconut, dark mocha almond and cherry dark chocolate, it is no surprise that they seem like dessert but pack a wallop of nutrition as well.

When you need a sweet treat, Kashi makes filling, satisfying cookies that taste healthy but decadent. I particularly like the oatmeal dark chocolate variety – can you tell I like chocolate? Other varieties include oatmeal raisin flax and happy trail mix.

The thing about Kashi foods is that they will fill you up while satisfying a sweet tooth, two things that are hard to accomplish together. You can get the sweet you crave with less fear of over eating because they are filled with good stuff like protein and fiber. Kashi foods are foods you can feel good about eating.

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