9 Tips to Score Healthy Grocery Shopping Deals! It Really Can Be Affordable!

I know a lot of us are trying to eat healthier this time of year.  So I knew I needed to repost this for all of you who haven’t seen it… or just need a little reminder. ;) 

First of all, I wanted to let you guys know that purchasing healthy foods and produce can be affordable.  But you have to know what you are looking for.

1- Start Shopping “IN-SEASON”.  What does that mean?  It means that you will want to purchase produce items when they are in abundance. The more of an item, the lower the price.  And when an item is harder to find, what happens??  The price will go up. To go along with that, you should be cooking and making recipes with “IN-SEASON” produce.  So create any meal plan around those foods.

Another idea?  If you have favorite fruits and vegetables that you just have to have later on in the year, when they aren’t in season, you can buy extra and freeze it!  Just cut it up before you freeze it.  Then you can enjoy Strawberries all year round without breaking the bank, instead of only when they are in-season.

2- When in doubt, shop the first page of your grocery store’s weekly ad.  Most of the deals on the front page of the ad are called “Loss- Leaders”. Grocery stores will mark down these items as eye catchers to get you into their store.  Although they lose money on the items featured on the front page of the ad, they hope that while you are there you will purchase other items (that may be marked up or not on sale) to make up the difference.

3- It’s almost time for Gardening Season.  This is obviously the most cost-effective way to eat produce.  However, I know it’s not for everyone.  If you do want to try putting together a garden this year, you can check the Dollar Store in February/March.  Last year, I saw packets of different vegetable and specialty seeds for only $.25!  You can also find seeds and heirloom seeds on Amazon, from Burpee, Home Depot, Lowe’s or any other home improvement store.

4- Also be on the lookout for any stores that might be having a Grand Opening.  Where I live, a brand new Sprouts Market opened and the deals on produce have unbelievable!  Apples $.88 a pound, Avocados $.48 each, Grape Tomatoes $1.50 each,  Strawberries $1.50……

5- Don’t count on Costco or other Warehouse Clubs to get you the best prices. When you are buying a lot of produce, $.50 difference here and there adds up fast.  From experience, I know that Costco can suck you in and before you know it you have 3 carts headed to check out! AHHH!  So what I recommend you do is actually take the weekly ads from other grocery stores with you when you shop at Warehouse stores. (That’s exactly what I did in the picture above!)  You can quickly see who has a better deal on different items–and by how much.  There were some items at Costco that were a much better deal.  And on the flip side, there were a lot of items at Costco that were actually cheaper on the grocery store’s front page of the ad.

6- Use cashback or rebate apps to help you save on healthy foods and produce!  These are the new thing that has started to replace couponing a bit. Basically you download these apps to your phone:  Ibotta, Checkout 51, Snap by Groupon and BerryCart.  Then check to see which “offers” they have for that week, head to the store,  purchase those items and upload a picture of your receipt to their app.  They will then give you cash back by check, gift cards or Paypal. If you can add a “Loss-Leader” and one of these rebate apps, you will get an awesome deal!

7- Shop online. I use this tactic a lot for things like Protein Bars and other healthy food items because they just end up being cheaper than what a grocery store will charge you.  And coupons for these types of food are almost non-existent. My favorite is Vitacost.  They have organic, gluten free and more on their website.  Plus they have coupon codes to help you save more all of the time.  Quest Bars are usually the cheapest on this website.  And once you hit $49, your order ships free and usually gets to you within 2 days.

Plus, if you create a new account with Vitacost you will receive a $10.00 off $30 promo! In order to receive the $10.00 promo you will need to create your new account under the link above. That link is my referral link and without a referral link you will not be eligible to receive the credit. After going through the link above you will need to click on “Click here now” to create your new account. Once your account is created you will receive the following message:

• “Thank you for creating your account a $10 coupon will be emailed to the address provided. Click here to get started shopping at Vitacost.com.”

When you receive your coupon you will simply need to copy and paste the promo code included in the email in the “Promo Code” box at checkout to receive your $10.00 off $30 discount.

8- Watch prices on Amazon.  I can’t tell you how many times I find healthy food items marked down on Amazon and/or they have a coupon to click to save even more. I never know when they will be marked down or how long they last.  So when I am looking at items on Vitacost, other healthy websites or comparing grocery store prices, I will double check Amazon just to see if they have a better deal.

9- If you shop at Target, make sure you combine the Cartwheel App Digital Coupons/Offers with in-ad deals and with any Target Printable Coupons. By paying with your Target RED Debit Card, you will get an extra 5% off.  And EVERYONE should have one of those… it doesn’t pull credit and is amazing.  (Read more details about that here.)  I see Fruit and Vegetables an extra 5%-10% off each time I use the Cartwheel App.  It isn’t a huge savings.  But if you combine it with the other things I listed above, or if it is the only place you really shop, it’s a great option to help save money.

Ok there you have it!  Lots of ways to always save on healthy foods. I really hope this helped and helps you guys keep on track with any New Year’s Resolutions or Goals with eating healthy, clean or losing weight!