Tired Tuesday; and Tuesday's Tip

Good evening!! I'm not sure why but I have been incredibly tired all day! I actually dozed off for two minutes at work until someone wanting to use the gym nudged me awake, haha. I'm really hoping it's just the lack of sleep from the last 4 or so nights catching up with me; I don't think I slept more than a couple hours straight due to schoolwork and general tossing and turning. So, in the interest of keeping this short but interesting so that I can go to bed, I'm veering away from today's eats (practical and boring) to bring you: Tuesday's Tip! Now, I'm definitely not sure whether or not this will be a 'weekly feature' or anything, it just happened to be awesome alliteration for right now ;)

How to shop on the cheap (skate):

I'll admit it freely: I'm pretty cheap. Heck, I work for my money and don't work enough to make a lot of it, having other educational priorities. In these times of economic crisis, everyone is looking at the little things that they can do to help 'trim the fat'- and with the holidays coming up it'll be in more ways than one ;)  How do you shop healthily, on a budget, at different stores?

New Leaf is fantastic. It's very similar to Whole Foods (which we don't have anywhere near) but doesn't have as appropriate a nickname as 'Whole Paycheck,' though I'm trying to come up with one! (any ideas?) They specialize in local and organic products. Because of this, it tends to be a bit pricier; but you really can tell the quality!

Here are the goods!

Tip 1: I know a lot of people say that their healthy/cheap tricks involve going to the grocery store with a plan. I disagree. Sure, I write down things I know that I need (this trip I needed frozen veggies); however, I just make sure I don't go in hungry! I also write down generalities ("tea," "yogurt," "fresh vegetables," etc). This way, I can go into a store and shop based on not only what is on sale, but what looks fantastic. FYI- Everything but the Oikos was on sale; and All of the winter squashes were 89 cents a Pound! I knew I needed a vegetable so I decided spaghetti squash, being on sale and the right size/price, was absolutely the way to go. Also, I wanted tea and the seasonal teas were on sale- why not try something new?

Spice-Tastic! Seasonal things always get me into the spirit.

Tip 2: coupons, Coupons, Coupons! Seriously, sunday is one of my favorite days of the week just for the paper. Also, a lot of these more specialized stores will often send out their own newsletters or flyers and/or have them around the store. New Leaf, in particular, has a "Healthy Clippings Catalogue" free to pick up which includes coupons for popular items (I grabbed a 'winter' And a 'holiday' one-shh!). 

Nope, that's not a typo.

From a bill that began at $10.02, I managed to coupon and 'on sale' my way down nearly half! Part of that is great thanks to the amazing Jenn- thanks to her Oikos win the yogurt was free. 

Tip 3: The most lucrative tip? Combining 1 and 2! Look at what is on sale, and then look at what you have coupons for. I chose that particular brand of frozen vegetables because I had a coupon for them (plus they're amazing); the holiday teas were all on sale but I happened to have a coupon for the Celestial Seasonings brand; and I knew Oikos was in my future when I opened my amazing care package. In fact, the only thing that I did not have a coupon for was the Spaghetti squash which, I think, ended up being the most expensive thing I got. Still, it was a sale item as well.

So, sorry for the potentially boring post, I was just amazed at the store the other day and felt the need to share my tips. These may sound time consuming, but it honestly takes all of five minutes to look through the paper, another five to make a list, and once you're at the store looking around it's a snap to combine the two together. What are your healthy budget tips?

Happy cheap shopping!