Shortly after my son was diagnosed with Autism I began researching about diet and nutrition. I was startled to learn what progress families see when they switch Autism children's diet to Gluten and Casein Free. I decided to hop on the boat myself and try it out. I am just about willing to try anything to improve my sons condition.
Over the last couple years I had been able to cut our weekly shopping budget to $50 a week, but that included some frozen and boxed dinners. With new diet restrictions my way of shopping changed dramatically. I knew I still wanted to spend $50 a week, but my shopping habits would need to change too. Here are some tricks I have learned when shopping for a healthier lifestyle and diet.
- 90% off the coupons I use are for cosmetics, diapers, cleaning supplies and paper products. Most coupons for food items are processed and boxed foods. Many of which are unhealthy and contain gluten and casein.
- The majority of my budget each week goes to fresh produce and meat. Since fresh foods are GFCF okay that is what we eat a lot of.
- I no longer buy convenience or prepackaged foods. I was actually surprised that by eliminating these items from my shopping list it saved me some money each week.
- If I see a coupon for a food product that is GFCF I will literally jump up and down since they are very rare.
By sticking to these tricks I am able to stay close to my $200 a month grocery budget. You will start to see my new shopping habits reflect our meal planning and shop and tell stories.
No matter what your families dietary needs are you can do it for less by making coupons work for you. I selectively chose what coupons I will use. I am sure to make a meal plan each and every week so I know exactly how much money I am spending and what coupons I will be using.
Do any of you have special dietary needs? If so, how do you make coupons work for you?
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