Earlier in the week, I blogged about how my husband and I recently
adopted a Paleo diet.
A common and completely legitimate complaint about any healthy eating plan is that there are so few coupons available that aren't for boxed, processed foods. Obviously, I knew this going in, so I've been able to make a few slight adjustments.
As far as produce goes, aside from the occasional Cuties coupon, there are not many coupons out there. I do know that
Earthbound Farm has a different coupon each week that is printable via their website. If I discover any others, I will be sure to post. As I've blogged about previously, I have a vegetable garden which saves us money in the summer. I have found that vegetable gardening
is not a case of 'Go Big, Or Go Home'. When we lived in Milwaukee and had a postage stamp sized yard, I was able to successfully grow a tomato plant in a whiskey barrel. It was a piece of cake.
Another component of a Paleo diet is consumption of high quality meat. If you have the means and the freezer space, I highly recommend purchasing a quarter or half of a cow. We recently placed our second order from
Miller Brothers Grass Farms. If you're worried about the cost, many farms, including Miller Brothers, are already taking orders for 2014, giving you time to save. When we ordered our first side of beef, I was really apprehensive about getting cuts of meat that were new (strange!) to me. Fortunately, Mr. RR is pretty adventurous and was able to make use of everything. If you're worried that you will end up with too much meat, ask around to your friends or family. You may be able to find someone willing to go in on it with you.
For shelf stable Paleo items such as coconut milk, almond flour, almond milk, etc, I have found Amazon.com to be a great source. I typically save up Amazon gift cards that I earn from Swagbucks, online survey payments, blogger payments, etc and use the gift cards to pay for my order. Not to mention, I don't have to leave my house!
Now that I'm not really doing much in the way of couponing for food, I've really started concentrating my couponing efforts on saving money on household goods - toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc. The additional effort in this area is starting to free up money to go toward my increased food budget.
On a positive note, I've been finding that we've been saving money because we seldom eat out anymore. Grocery shopping also takes far less time. All of my time is spent in the produce and meat departments, which an occasional stop in dairy to pick up eggs or milk for my daughters.
I've really tried to take the mentality that eating healthier is an investment in myself, thus worth the increased amount I'm spending on groceries.
