Grocery Savings: Saving Money while Eating Well

I spend a lot of money on fresh fruits and vegetables. My kids are finally to the point where they are eating all kinds of healthy, raw goodies – straight from the crisper and full of goodness: raspberries, cherries, bananas, peaches, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, and the list goes on. And that's fantastic. But it gets so expensive. Here are a few tips we've picked up that help us to spend (a little) less: Take advantage of savings cards and online coupons. You can even find free printable grocery coupons online so you can simply print the coupons you'll use. Buy in bulk. Amazon Grocery has some great deals on healthy foods, so if there are specific favorites that your family can't get enough of, compare the price per unit online as well as at your local warehouse superstores. Join a CSA. Sponsor a community agriculture initiative and get farm-fresh items delivered each week. Make sure to do a cost analysis before signing up, though. While CSAs have a number of important benefits (such as supporting local community agriculture) they can sometimes be more expensive than purchasing organic foods in your store. Shop at farmer's markets and fruit stands. Even if the food isn't certified organic, you will be supporting local farmers, which does have additional benefits over purchasing produce that has been shipped across the country to you. Never shop without a list, and never shop when you're hungry. Prepare most of your meals at home. If you need to, take a cooking class or subscribe to a healthy cooking magazine, such as Cooking Light, to keep yourself inspired. By cutting down on the number of meals you eat out, you can really reduce your overall food expenditures, which can make it more realistic to spend a whole bunch on produce. Don't buy stuff that you know you won't really eat. If you are shelling out money for fresh herbs, make sure they don't go bad in your fridge before you use them. If the packages are too large for you to use all by yourself during the product's shelf life, consider splitting the product (and the cost) with a friend or neighbor. At the end, sometimes you just have to consider that you are feeding your family healthy food and setting up healthy habits that will last them lifetime. And that's priceless, right?