Save Money on a Whole Foods or GF Diet

If you're trying to keep grocery costs down while living on a whole foods or gluten free diet, you already know that traditional cost-cutting measures don't always work.  Sure, you can cut a couple hundred dollars from your budget using coupon techniques if you're able to live off of granola bars, cereal, chicken nuggets, and food-like substances that more closely resemble vitamin-fortified cardboard than real food. But if you choose to steer clear of most convenience foods - either because of gluten intolerance or the choice to eat natural, whole foods - you have to be a little more creative in how you stretch your grocery dollars.

In my post, The Healthy, Thrifty, Gluten Free Pantry, I gave an overview of typical foods you'll find in our pantry.  Even though I cook most meals from scratch, I keep some healthy convenience foods on hand because a) I have two kids who would rather have me read to them than whip up the perfect risotto, b) life happens, so sometimes I don't have an hour to fix dinner because the dog ran away (again) and I have to chase him through my neighbors' backyards, in my slippers, while trying not to make eye contact with anyone, and c) sometimes I just need a break, so a box of Annie's Organic Gluten Free Mac n' Cheese provides an alternative to throwing a full-blown tantrum in front of my children. You can eat well without having to give up every convenience, and you don't have to choose between eating quality food and sending your kids to college.  The key is to shop wisely.

Here is how we get the best deal on "real food" and expensive organic or gluten free products:

• Learn sale cycles at local stores, then stock up on 3-4 months worth (freeze, if needed).  Many products go on sale regularly (i.e. canned tomatoes and beans, cheese, tuna, crackers, milk).  Even gluten free products have sale cycles.  (Fred Meyer is currently offering Bob's Red Mill products 40% off.)  Other items go on sale seasonally (i.e. canned pumpkin and apple juice in the fall, baking products at Christmas, ketchup and chips around summer holidays).  If you keep track of how often you see sale prices on pantry staples, you'll be able to predict how long it will be until that item goes down in price again.  This knowledge will help you know how much of an item to buy once it goes on sale (enough to meet your family's demands until the next cycle), and helps you determine whether or not to use a coupon or save it until the item goes on sale again.  Which leads to...
• Combine coupons with store ads.  Even if you don't buy many prepackaged products, chances are you can still use coupons on paper products, cleaning supplies, beauty products, and condiments (unless you enjoy making your own ketchup).  We mostly buy generic items, but I do clip coupons for items we use because a coupon combined with a sale will usually cost considerably less than the generic version.  We also have a store in our area that honors double coupons, which means I can save double the coupon's value.  However, I don't clip coupons for items we don't regularly buy (like junk food), because I don't want to be tempted to buy something just because I have a coupon for it. (For instance, it's not a good deal to get fruit snacks for $1 if the dollar I'm wasting on fruit-flavored corn syrup nuggets could have been spent on real fruit.)
• Learn the rock bottom price for frequently purchased items and which stores regularly carry them at the lowest price.  When we first began eating gluten free, I carried a notebook in my purse and jotted down which stores carried gluten free items, and the price of each item so I could compare them.  I only pay the rock bottom price, which means I shop at several stores (although I don't go to every store each week).  I check ads at the beginning of the week and plan to visit stores offering several items at or close to the rock bottom price.
• Try lots of different brands - don't chose favorites.  This is a hard one, because most of us develop loyalty to certain brands.  Be willing to try a different brand if it's on sale or you find a coupon for it.  You might be pleasantly surprised!
• Look for meat that's close to its expiration date.  I defy traditional advice and do not go to the store with a specific menu in mind.  Instead, I stock up on pantry staples when they are on sale, so I always have lots of options, then plan my meals AFTER buying whatever meat and produce is on sale.  (Check here to see how I determine the best meat price.)  Sometimes the best price isn't advertised, but is found by perusing the meat section in search of clearance stickers.  If pork chops are marked down below rock bottom price because the "sell by" date is tomorrow, I either plan to have them for dinner that night or freeze them once I get home.
• Make your own convenience food by doubling recipes or setting aside half (instead of having leftovers) and freeze the extra amount.  When I assemble a 9"x13" recipe, like lasagna or egg casserole, I make half in an 8"x8" dish for that day's meal, and put the other half in a disposable square pan for one of those nights when the dog runs away.
• Use Amazon's subscription service.  I discovered this amazing service a few years ago, and we save a ton of money on the gluten free products we buy this way.  For instance, a 4 lb. bag of Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix costs $16 at Fred Meyer.  I order a box of 3 bags (delivered every 3 months) for $33 from Amazon, and save $5/bag!  Plus, it's just fun to get stuff in the mail.  Here's how it works: 

If you see an item that says, "Subscribe & Save" underneath, you can save an additional 15% off the "best price" and get FREE shipping by simply signing up to have it sent to you on a regular basis.  You decide how often you want it (every month, 3 months, 6 months) and may cancel at any time.  You can change the frequency it's delivered, cancel a shipment, or request an additional shipment whenever you want - and it's always at the discounted price with free shipping.  You can see some of the items we subscribe to in my store on the tab above.

Shop like a pro and you can eat healthy, whole foods while still saving for Junior to go to college.

Subscribe to this blog if you'd like to receive emails with more tips for healthy eating on a budget, gluten free recipes, and travel tips.  For more information on the gluten free diet, visit my Gluten Free Survival Guide (on my original Joyful Choices blog) or leave a comment below.  Thanks for visiting!

The Healthy, Thrifty, Gluten Free Pantry

Feeling the pinch of higher grocery prices?  According to a recent article in the Idaho Press Tribune, the cost of groceries has gone up 30% in the last 5 years.  As of the end of April, the cost of gas and food in the U.S. has gone up 4% this year, and the price of chicken, milk, and bread is not expected to go down for another 6 months.  What that means is that if we want to maintain our already-tight grocery budget of about $100/week for our gluten free family of 4, we need to be even more careful how we shop for food.  (Those of you on the gluten free diet know how much more expensive GF foods, like breads and pastas, can be.)

I outlined my grocery shopping strategies and menu planning philosophy on my original Joyful Choices blog.  In this post, I'd like to go into detail a little more about what kinds of items you'll find in my pantry, as well as items you will not find (that last part is the key).  Not surprisingly, we consume very few convenience or pre-packaged foods.  We don't buy fruit snacks, individually packaged snacks, or frozen dinners.  Yes, it takes longer to cook from scratch, and does require a little planning, but home cooked meals taste better, are better for the environment because of reduced packaging waste, and they're better for you  - just ask my husband who effortlessly lost over 40 lbs. in 2 years by cutting back on sugar and processed foods.  

So what is in our healthy, thrifty, gluten free pantry and freezer?

• Lots of potatoes - russets (we ARE from Idaho), red potatoes, yams, hashbrowns
• Plain rice, brown rice, wild rice, and quinoa (a GF grain with protein)  
• Corn products - corn tortillas, frozen corn on the cob, polenta
• Multigrain Chips and Mission Tortilla Chips from Costco, Nut Thins crackers
• GF oats for homemade oatmeal, granola, and desserts (through Amazon)
• GF flours (kept in fridge), baking products, spices, oils
• GF pasta - Ancient Harvest quinoa spaghetti/linguine, Tinkyada rice penne/lasagna
• Pamela's bread mix (through Amazon), homemade bread mix (I save end pieces in the freezer to make bread crumbs and homemade stuffing cubes for Thanksgiving)
• Canned tomatoes, beans, spaghetti sauce, salsa (stock up when on sale)
• Snacks - lightly salted mixed nuts or natural almonds, Trio bars and Nut Clusters from Costco, raisins and dried cranberries, popcorn kernels for homemade popcorn
• GF cereals bought with coupons, like Rice Chex and Corn Chex (for homemade Chex Mix), and Kix or Berry Kix (for snack mixes with dried fruit and nuts)
• Frozen convenience foods - Kinnickinnick GF hamburger buns, GF taquitos, Udi's and Kinnickinnick's GF pizza crusts, Alexia Sweet Potato Fries, hamburger patties and Costco Salmon Burger patties (all bought on sale & used sparingly)
• Frozen veggies (plain, no sauce) and frozen berries

You may have noticed that I didn't list canned fruits and veggies, a typical staple in most homes.  In one of my posts containing a weekly menu of favorite GF recipes, I outlined how we buy fresh fruit year round.  The price of a bag of spinach or frozen veggies for roasting is also the same year round, so we add variety to our diet by eating ONLY whatever fruits and veggies are in season and, therefore, the least expensive.  This means that I make most of my menu decisions after going shopping, rather than before, so I don't feel locked into buying something that is expensive that week.  Instead, I shop 2 or 3 stores on 2 different days, and only buy what's on sale.  So when cucumbers and grape tomatoes doubled in price last month, we went without those veggies on our salad for a while. 

This same strategy also guides my meat choices, because I limit myself to ONLY fresh meat that costs $2/lb. or less for boneless meat (chicken breasts, pork ribs/chops/roasts, beef roast), $1/lb. or less for bone-in chicken (whole or cut up fryers), and $2.50/lb. or less for ground beef and bratwurst-style sausages.  Don't overlook dark meat, bone-in chicken.  It's higher in protein than white meat, tastes better than boneless chicken breasts when grilled because it stays moist, and a whole leg quarter often costs half the price of a large breast.  (If you don't like eating meat on the bone, use tongs and a fork to carefully remove the meat from the bone after it's cooked and while still warm, since it will be easier to remove than when it's raw or refrigerated.)  Since we eat only nitrate-free bacon and lunch meat (like Hormel Natural), those items are bought with coupons and used sparingly.  When I find a good price on meat, I buy extra to freeze for later.  We also eat a lot of eggs, which are still the cheapest way to get protein, and are very nutritious.  


Other ways we have increased nutrition and cut out sugar or artificial ingredients, without breaking the budget, include:

• Replacing juice with orange wedges - I can get 4 oranges (16 wedges) for less than the price of a half gallon of juice (8 8-oz. servings).  Each wedge provides some vitamin C, and the kids have adjusted to drinking water or milk with breakfast.  The orange also provides some fiber along with the natural sugars, to help keep insulin levels in check (since a spike in insulin at breakfast can cause sugar cravings and hunger later in the day).  Plus, there's no container to toss in a landfill.
• Replacing syrup with fruit-sweetened pancakes topped with butter and a light dusting of powdered sugar.  We used to use real maple syrup, since everything else on the syrup shelf primarily contains corn syrup and artificial ingredients, but real syrup is expensive and still full of sugar.  So I either make pumpkin pancakes, apple cinnamon pancakes (by simply substituting applesauce for the pumpkin in my pumpkin pancake recipe), or blueberry pancakes made with fresh or frozen berries.  I've even tried strawberry pancakes made with unsweetened, strawberry flavored applesauce, and topped with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.  (The key to my moist, delicious pancakes is cooking them in bacon grease.  Why drain the grease when it makes your pancakes taste like doughnuts?  I'll share more later about why fat is NOT our enemy.)
• Replacing sandwiches with quesadillas a few days a week.  Gluten free bread is expensive, often low in fiber and high in sugar (which is necessary to feed the yeast).  Corn tortillas are cheap (I stocked up when they were $1/30 tortillas, and froze several packages in freezer storage bags).  They have some fiber (roughly the same amount of fiber and carbs as 1 slice of wheat bread), and don't contain sugar (read labels, since Mission brand tortillas have added sugar).  With some shredded cheese, a little leftover chicken and black beans, quesadillas are high in protein without the nitrates found in most lunch meats or artificial ingredients found in sandwich spreads.  Served with salsa, quesadillas also provide a serving of veggies and antioxidants. 

These are just a few small, healthy changes that also save us money.  You can have a healthy, thrifty, gluten free pantry.  It takes a little work and discipline, but it's worth it to eat delicious food and keep your grocery expenses from taking over your monthly budget.  Besides, keeping food costs low is one way we maintain our vacation budget despite the lackluster economy and our current unemployed status.  Check back for upcoming posts on theme park vacations with kids, including how to vacation on a budget and find gluten free options at popular destinations like Disneyland!