Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

We have been talking about how one of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. I also told you we were featured in the New York Times Magazine and many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating junk foods. All of this brought me to the conclusion that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money on food and still eat healthy. This week I am going to talk about how you can eat healthy and still save money! You do not have to spend a lot of money to enjoy fresh produce.

Eating Healthy and Saving Money

Money may not grow on trees, but healthy food does!

Plant a Tree: When we moved into our first home we planted 3 fruit trees in the back yard. Two varieties of cherry trees so that they could cross pollinate with each other and a peach tree. We only paid about $10 each for them at Costco. We no longer live in that house, we rent it out. Lucky for us we can go back and pick cherries from it still. The second house we bought had two existing apricot trees. So we have fresh free apricots we can eat each summer.

Grow a Garden: We have been talking a lot about gardening on Fabulessly Frugal. Gardens are a wonderful way to get produce for less. Here are just a few of the gardening tips we have to offer…

• Planting Seeds Early
• Frugal Gardening Tips
• Preparing Garden Soil
• Re-grow Green Onions
• Gardening in Small Places
• Building a Tepee Trellis 
• Building a Greenhouse
• Building a Compost Bin
• Homemade Pesticide 
• Homemade Aphid Spray
• Organic Weed Killer
• Homemade Vegetable Preserver
• Idaho Garden Tour
• Oregon Garden Tour

Produce Sales: When we can get a good price on something we stock up on it. If we find a good price for diapers we buy 3-4 boxes instead of one. When we can get a good price on Deodorant we buy more than one. We buy our produce when it is in season. When you can get good prices on produce it is time to stock up! See our price point guide it has guidelines for good prices for produce. Typically the produce I buy each week is the produce that is on sale. I check my stores add and buy the produce that is on sale.

Local Growers: Some of you may have access to orchards or gardens where you can pick or glean your own produce for hugely discounted prices and sometimes even for free.

Bonus Coupon Tip

When couponing if you are earning catalinas it is a great idea to use your catalina’s to help you buy produce. Be sure you are still getting a good price though.

Learn more about eating healthy and still saving money!

Look forward to the following topics…

• • Eating Healthy and Saving Money Introduction
  • Coupons for Organic Foods <<—- Read about it now
  • Eating Healthy and Saving Money  {This Post}
  • 5 Easy Ways to Prepare and Preserve Produce {Coming}
  • More Ideas for Preserving Produce {Coming}
  • Saving Money on Meat {Coming}
  • Don’t Be Brand Specific {Coming}
  • Focus on Personal Care Products {Coming}
  • I Admit, Sometimes I Eat Junk Food {Coming}

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD!