Whole Foods Coupon Match-Ups (9/9)

It's been awhile since I put coupons to work for me because my summer jobs kept me out of the kitchen! However this week I found some awesome deals at Whole Foods and wanted to share them. Please remember that prices may differ from store to store.

All of the coupons I used were from the Whole Deal which are the in-store coupons you can pick up at Whole Foods or print online.

If you check out Mambo Sprouts before you go, it is possible to pick up some extra savings. My printer wasn't working but there are some great deals to be had because Whole Foods will let you stack a manufacturer coupon with their store coupon. I will mention the manufacturer coupons below if they are available on Mambo Sprouts.

Clif Kid ZFruit: These fruit twist snacks were on sale at my local Whole Foods for only $2.50 a piece! Combine that with the in-store $1.00 off coupon and you are only paying $1.50 a box (which makes each snack only 25 cents!)

Clif Kit's Organic Bar: These bars remind me of Larabars in some ways and are pretty tasty. I have stopped buying bars but couldn't pass up the BOGO coupon. The bars were 1.49 each which made each bar about 75 cents each.

Almond Breeze Original Almond Coconut Drink: These are a new find and in front of the display there were manufacturer coupons for $1.00 off each box. The drinks were priced at 2.69 a box - so two boxes were originally $5.38. The Whole Deal has a $1.00 off two Blue Diamond products. Combine this with one manufacturer coupon per box and the grand total for two boxes was only $2.38 or $1.19 each. If you like the Blue Diamond Baked Nut Chips, you can combine the WD coupon with a 75 cents off coupon from Mambo Sprouts to pick up some snacks.

Westsoy Shelf Stable Soymilk: These boxes are always a great deal at $1.99 each but Whole Foods sweetened the price by offering a store coupon for $1 off a box which makes these beverages only 99 cents each!

Nasoya Tofu: I like to keep tofu on hand for a quick meal and when I saw that Nasoya tofu was on sale for $2.00 a package, I picked up two packages and used the Whole Deal coupon for $1.25 off two to bring the price down to $2.75 for the duo. This made each package only $1.38.

Some additional coupon combinations:

Nature's Path Waffles: Mambo Sprouts has a coupon for $1.00 off one box and Whole Deal has a coupon for $1.00 off two boxes. Combine two manufacturer coupons with one store coupon for a total of $3.00 off or $1.50 off each box.

Arrowhead Mills Breakfast Items: Mambo Sprouts has a coupon for $1.00 off and Whole Deal has a coupon for $1.00 off which will give you $2.00 off one item including their cold and hot cereals and their pancake mix.

Organic Valley American Cheese: You can score $2.00 off one 8-oz package between Mambo's $1 and WD's $1 off.

Zevia 6-pack Soda: Another $2.00 off deal between the $1.00 off you will score from WD and the $1.00 you can print from Mambo Sprouts.

Whole Foods Coupon Match-ups (2/7) & Sweet Probiotic Coupons!

Just a few deals I picked up at Whole Foods this week. With all of the travel for work this past month, I haven't done much shopping however I have been clipping and saving coupons! Please keep in mind the prices are based on my local WF in Northern California and may differ in your neighborhood store.

Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Breeze: Normal Price was $1.99 however the Whole Deal (WF in-store coupon book) has a $1 off 2 containers. Mambosprouts also has a printable coupon for $1 off 2 containers. Stack them together and you get two containers of almond milk for $0.99 each! 50% off!

Celestial Seasonings Tea: I found a coupon in a box of tea! Combining the $1 manufacturer coupon with the Whole Deal $1 off coupon and the $3.99 box of tea became $1.99! 50% off!

Nasoya Extra Firm Tofu: I am still surprised when I find a coupon for tofu in the newspaper but sure enough I found a $0.75 off one product in a paper in this last month. Combining this with the $1.25 Whole Deal coupon and my $2.99 organic tofu became $0.99 - a 66% savings! Even if you don't have a manufacturer coupon, the in-store coupon is a great deal by itself.

Fig Foods Co. Soups: These soups are delicious and made with real food. I found a $1 off coupon for three containers on MamboSprouts and combined it with a $1 off three from the Whole Deal. These soups are a bit pricier but I think the ingredients and taste make them worth it so when I find a deal, I stock up! The soups normally retail for $3.49 and after discount were only $2.82 each.

365 Everyday Value Dried Organic Garbanzo Beans: If you really like to save money, buying dried beans is probably already something you do. It saves a lot of money over buying canned, and while I keep a couple cans around for busy nights, I try to buy dried when possible. Using the Whole Deal coupon for $1 off a 1-lb (16oz) bag of dried garbanzos, I paid only $1.79.

Finally, if you are a probiotics fan and haven't checked out the GoodBelly 12-day Challenge, you need to sign up now! You get two coupons when you sign up that are really valuable and another one at the end of the challenge. Trust me on this one!

Whole Foods Coupon Match-ups (12/29)

I spent some time this morning sorting through my coupon folder to figure out which of my coupons would be expiring soon (a lot of manufacturer coupons expire on the 31st!). Since I have some downtime during my holiday break, I decided I would hit up Whole Foods for some things I needed and play coupon fairy... leaving coupons by products I wasn't buying in case someone out there was!

While many of the coupons I used today could potentially be found online, most were older coupons. I haven't printed any in the last couple weeks and some of these came from the Healthy Clippings flyer that was at a natural products shop near me (it's a nationally distributed coupon magazine so keep your eyes peeled!). I preface this post with this note, in case you can't find these coupons today, you will know why.

Before heading in, I grabbed two Whole Deal coupon books at the front of the store. Remember the month is almost over but the coupons are good through the end of January! Finally, I want to include the reminder that sales vary by store and you should bring a copy of the coupon policy for your store with you when shopping.

Arrowhead Baking Mixes were on sale for $3.19 (the GF mixes were also on sale but were just a little more). Using the Whole Deal $1 store coupon PLUS a manufacturer coupon for $1 found inside of Delicious Living (a free Penton Publication also available at the front of the store!) -- I spent $1.19 for Arrowhead Mills Kamut Pancake & Waffle Mix.

There have been a lot of coupons online and in magazines for Crunchmaster crackers (including on their Web site). I don't often buy crackers but I like to keep a package or two around for gatherings (make your own hummus!) or days when I want something crunchy with my soup. Whole Foods had them on sale for $2.79. Using my $1 coupon, I paid only $1.79 for Crunchmaster Sea Salt Crackers.

I had some manufacturer coupons for Seventh Generation products from previous purchases. It pays to file away coupons. Whole Foods has Seventh Generation dish soap on sale for $2.29. Using my $1 off manufacturer coupons, I got two large bottles of Seventh Generation dish soap for only $1.29 each.

Walking through the soup aisle, I spotted Imagine broths with peel-off coupons! $1.50 off two containers! The Whole Deal also had $1.00 off one Imagine product. I picked up two vegetable broth containers for $4.38 total. Subtract $3.50 in coupons and I got two Imagine Vegetable Broth containers for only $0.88 or $0.44 each!

If you like to use cooking sprays, Spectrum cooking sprays are all on sale. And the Whole Deal has a $1.00 off coupon to boot! I picked up a canister of Grapeseed Oil Spray which is normally $6.99 and was on sale for $4.99. Using the Whole Deal coupon, I picked up the canister of Spectrum Grapeseed Oil Spray for $3.99!

Rounding out the sales today, Traditional Medicinals teas are on sale for $4.49. I had a coupon from the Healthy Clippings book for $1.00 off which meant I could pick up a box of Traditional Medicinals Breathe Easy tea for only $3.49.

Whole Foods Coupon Finds (12/21)

The Whole Deal for November/December has coupons that don't expire until January 31, however word on the street is that they will replace these books come the beginning of January. So you might want to grab a couple books if there are things you use often.

Speaking of the Whole Deal, WF also has a monthly publication filled with articles and recipes. This month, there is also a manufacturer coupon in it for $1.00 off Sunspire baking chips. Whole Deal has a store coupon for $1.00 off Sunspire baking chips. My local WF had grain-sweetened dark chocolate baking chips on sale for $3.79. After applying the manufacturer and store coupons, it brought the price down to $1.79!

MamboSprouts still has some great coupons that you should print if you haven't checked them out yet. For example, the $1.00 off 3 Cliff bars is a great coupon to use at WF where the bars are normally $0.99 each (and they still have all of the holiday flavors!) so the bars ends up being about $0.66 each. A great price for an on-the-go breakfast.

Whole Foods also has Fig Food soups for sale for $3.00 each. MamboSprouts has a $1.00 off 3 Fig Food soups. They are still relatively expensive compared to making your own, however these organic ready-made soups are great to keep around in the office or pantry for a healthy quick meal. After the coupon, they end up being about $2.67 each.

About a week ago, I mentioned the non-dairy "Dream" beverage coupon in Whole Deal for $1.00 off a product. Well this week, my local WF had unsweetened vanilla Almond Dream on sale 2 for $2.67 which made the two containers only $0.67 total or less than $0.34 each!!!!

If you are a gluten-free oats fan, WF has Arrowhead Mills GF Steel Cut Oats on sale for $3.99 which if you use the manufacturer coupon for $1.00 makes them only $2.99. I didn't try to use the store coupon because it said Arrowhead baking only and I don't think this qualified, but you could ask!

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If you are a fan of supporting local businesses and also scoring some killer organic food coupons, I encourage you to look around your local healthy living store for Chinook Books. Heck, even if there isn't a book for your area, you may still want to pick one up. The entire back portion of the book includes organic and healthy food manufacturer coupons. I have already saved the cost of the book in food products and may be mentioning these coupons in upcoming posts.

Healthy Eating on a Budget -- Couponing: An Introduction

Have you ever seen the show Extreme Couponing? It's a TLC production that followers Americans as they grab way too many items they may never use into dozens of shopping carts and rack up hundreds of dollars in grocery bills. However through the magic of coupons, they pay less than one percent of the cost of the bill. Their homes and garages stocked with walls of these free or nearly free products.

Insane right? 

I agree. Additionally, I notice that many of these couponers rarely purchase healthy items, contributing to the common myth that it costs too much to eat healthy.

A dear friend of mine in Colorado turned me on to coupons and sales shopping when she sent me a link for a well-known company that makes organic soymilk. She thought I might like it. She was right. My goal since the first coupon has been to see how low I can bring my grocery bills. Shopping store sales, combining store coupons with manufacturer coupons (known as "stacking"), and seeking out the right time to use the coupons has almost become a game.

I have had a number of conversations over the last few weeks about my new hobby. My students laugh as I clip coupons at tournaments but then enjoy the coupons I share with them. My friends email each other with great deals they find or a coupon they have spotted. And a number of folks are intrigued by the savings you could rack up using coupons.

There are a lot of myths out there about coupons. For example, there are only coupons for processed foods with little nutritional value. While those coupons are exist, there are also a lot of coupons for healthy food items, including fresh produce!

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Here are some of the deals I found this week at Whole Foods:

365 Everyday Value Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (WF store brand): $2.69

After using a coupon from WF in-store "Whole Deal" coupon book for $2

I paid $0.69

Arrowhead Mills Whole Wheat Flour: On Sale for $2.19

"Whole Deal" in-store coupon for $1 PLUS

Arrowhead Mills printable coupon from their Web site for $1 OR

Pull-off product coupon for $1

I paid $0.19

Almond Dream Non-Dairy Unsweetened Vanilla "milk": On Sale for $2.00

"Whole Deal" in-store coupon for $1

I paid $1.00

Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread: On Sale for $3.99

"Whole Deal" in-store coupon for $1 PLUS

Manufacturer coupon found on Mambo Sprouts for $1

I paid $1.99

*****

I recommend printing coupons that you know you will use. Then try to hold on to them until you find a sale to increase the value of your coupon. I keep an accordion file folder with an index taped to the front that has different product categories to keep the coupons sorted. This will make the coupons easier to find. Finally, make sure you read the coupon policy for your favorite store and the fine print of the coupons.

A few friends have asked me to blog my deals when I find them, but there are a lot of sites out there that post match-ups. The secret is having the coupons they blog about.

Places to find coupons:

* Subscribe to the Sunday edition of your local paper. There are a lot of great coupons that get sent out in this paper. For example, I got a $1 off any POM product which I combined with a sale at SaveMart this week to score a fresh pomegranate for only $0.50!!! You can also sometimes catch an online preview of what will be in the paper. Seriously, I save enough from the paper (plus I enjoy reading it) to make it worth the cost.

* Mambo Sprouts has a Web site full of healthy manufacturer coupons plus they sometimes have coupon books at your local health food store.

* Coupons.com has pages of manufacturer coupons, although you have to scout for the healthier products.

* Check your favorite companies out! Many companies offer coupons on their Web sites and Facebook pages!

Do you have any places you like to find coupons? Cool Web sites you want to share? Deals you have found? Please share them!