Here is the West Coast’s Sunday Newspaper Coupon Insert Preview.  Unfortunately, there won’t be a Smart Source insert this week but there will be a Red Plum one.  Enjoy!

• Allegra $10/1 70ct or 2 30ct excludes D (2/23/13)
• Allegra $2/1 Children’s (3/16/13)
• Allegra $3/1 24hr 5 or 15ct, 12hr 12ct or any D Allergy & Congestion excludes 2ct (3/16/13)
• Cheer $2/1 detergent ets (3/31/13)
• Covergirl $2/1 lip product excluding Outlast and trial (3/31/13)
• DermaSilk $5/1 full size product (3/9/13)
• Dial $1/1 12oz+ lotion product (3/10/13)
• Ester-C $2/1 To go (4/2/13)
• Ester-C $3/1 tablet (4/2/13)
• Gain/Era $.40/1 Gain detergent or fabric enhancer or Era detergent ets (3/31/13)
• Gain/Era $2/2 Gain detergent or fabric enhancer or Era detergent ets (3/31/13)
• Gillette $.75/1 shave prep ets (3/31/13)
• Gillette $2/1 disposable razor ets (3/31/13)
• Gillette $3/1 Fusion ProGlide razor ets (3/31/13)
• Gillette $4/1 8ct+ cartridge ets (3/31/13)
• Head & Shoulders $1/2 products excluding 1.7oz and trial (3/31/13)
• Iams $1/1 biscuit or shakeable treat ets (3/31/13)
• Iams $1/1 dry dog or cat food (3/31/13)
• Iams $1/3 canned dog or cat food (3/31/13)
• L’Oreal $.75/1 Kids product (4/13/13)
• L’Oreal $.75/1 Studio Line styling product (4/13/13)
• L’Oreal $1/1 Advanced Haircare shampoo or conditioner (4/13/13)
• L’Oreal $1/1 Paris skincare item ets (4/13/13)
• L’Oreal $2/1 Advanced Haircare treatment (4/13/13)
• L’Oreal $2/1 Age Perfect product ets (4/13/13)
• L’Oreal $2/1 Paris cosmetic face product excludes Magic Perfecting Base .17oz (4/13/13)
• L’Oreal $2/1 Paris haircolor product (4/13/13)
• L’Oreal $3/1 Revitalift CR10, Triple Power or Miracle Blur ets (4/13/13)
• L’Oreal $3/1 Visible Lift Repair Absolute Foundation (4/13/13)
• L’Oreal $5/2 Paris haircolor products (4/13/13)
• Mars $1/2 Easter products; M&M’s 2oz+, M&M’s Minis 2oz+, Minis Mix variety bags 10.5oz+, 3 Musketeers Minis, Twix Minis, Snickers Minis, Snickers Peanut Butter Squared Minis, Milky Way Minis, Snickers Bunny, Snickers Peanut Butter Bunny, Dove Chocolate Silky Smooth Eggs & Bunnies 4.5oz+, Snickers Eggs 6pk, Twix Eggs 6pk or Milky Way Simply Caramel Bunnies 6pk dnd (3/31/13)
• Neilmed $5/1 Nasaflo Neti Pot (3/31/13)
• Neilmed/ClearCanal $5/1 item (3/31/13)
• Nestle $.50/1 Nesquick powder or syrup (4/14/13)
• Old Spice Buy anti-perspirant/deodorant, get $2 off body spray ets (3/31/13)
• Renuzit $.50/1 Tempting Indulgences adjustable air freshener (3/3/13)
• Renuzit $.55/3 adjustable air fresheners (3/3/13)
• Secret Buy 2 Clinical, get 1 body spray free excludes .5oz and trial up to $5.99 (3/31/13)
• Smuckers $.55/1 sugar free jam, jelly, preserves or fruit spread (3/10/13)
• Sunlight $1/1 dish detergent (3/31/13)
• Superpretzel $1/2 products (3/24/13)
• Venus $3/1 razor excludes disposables and trial (3/31/13)
• Venus/Satin Care Buy Venus refill, get Satin Care shave gel free ets up to $4.99 (3/31/13)
• Windex $1/1 touch-up cleaner product (3/30/13)

Thanks, Yes We Coupon for this list!

Here is a look at the east coast Sunday Coupon Preview.

11/11 SmartSource 

• Alouette .50/1 crumbled cheese (2/1/13)
• Alouette $1.00/1 brie cheese (2/1/13)
• Alouette $1.00/1 portions cheese (2/1/13)
• Alouette $1.00/1 soft spreadable cheese (2/1/13)
• Beneful brand dog food $1.50/1 bag (12/11/12)
• Beneful prepared meals dog food $1.00/6 tubs or one 6ct variety pack (12/11/12)
• Blink $1.00/1 Tears or GelTears lubricating eye drops (12/17/12)
• Blistex $1.00/2 lip care product (12/9/12)
• Carapelli olive oil 17oz or larger $1.00/1 (2/11/13)
• Carvel $3.00/1 48oz+ ice cream cake (1/31/13)
• Chloraseptic product $1.00/1 (2/28/13)
• Clairol $1.00/1 Nice ‘n Easy or Natural Instincts product ets (12/31/12)
• Clairol $2.00/1 Natural Instincts product ets (12/31/12)
• Colgate .35/1 kids toothbrush (12/1/12)
• Colgate .35/1 kids toothpaste (12/1/12)
• Colgate .35/1 4oz+ Optic White, Total Advanced or Sensitive Pro-Relief toothpaste (11/24/12)
• Colgate $1.00/1 Optic White mouthwash 8oz+ (12/1/12)
• Command .50/1 product (12/16/12)
• Complete $1.00/1 12oz+ multi-purpose solution (12/17/12)
• Complete $1.00/1 Blink-N-Clean lens drops or Blink Contacts lubricant eye drops (12/17/12)
• Edge $1.50/2 7oz+ shave gels (12/23/12)
• El Monterey $1.00/1 snacks bag (2/5/13)
• Fancy Feast $1.00/24 3oz cans (12/31/12)
• Freshpet $3.00/2 Dog Joy treats for dogs dnd (2/28/13)
• Gold Bond $2.00/1 7oz+ body lotion (2/7/13)
• Gold Bond Ultimate $1.00/1 6.5oz or smaller cream ets (2/7/13)
• Gold Bond Ultimate $1.00/1 body wash (2/7/13)
• Gold Bond Ultimate $1.00/1 healing hand cream (2/7/13)
• Golden Grain $1/3 pasta packages (12/8/12)
• Halo $2.00/1 product (12/31/12)
• Head & Shoulders $1.00/2 products ets (12/31/12)
• Hershey’s $1.00/2 8oz+ Baking Melts, Heath or Reese’s baking chips (12/31/12)
• Hershey’s $1.00/2 9.4oz+ Kisses bags (12/31/12)
• Land O Lakes half & half products $1.00/2 (12/31/12)
• Martinson Coffee 2 small cans or ONE larger can $1.00 (6/30/12)
• Olay $1.00/1 facial moisturizer or facial cleanser ets (12/31/12)
• Olay $2.00/1 Age Defying series ets (12/31/12)
• OxiClean Dishwashing booster $1.00/1 (1/31/13)
• Palmolive .25/1 dish liquid (12/1/12)
• Pennsylvania Dutch products $1.00/2 (12/8/12)
• Pinypon Caravan $2.00/1 (12/31/12)
• Pinypon Hotel $5.00/1 (12/31/12)
• Poise $1.00/1 product (12/22/12)
• POM .50/1 pomegranate dnd (1/31/13)
• Pur Luv sizzlin strips or mini sizzlin dog treats bag $1.00/1 (1/31/13)
• Pur Luv brand dog treats $1.00/1 (1/31/13)
• Reynolds .50/1 2ct turkey size oven bags or 5ct large size oven bags (12/31/12)
• Reynolds .75/1 35sqft+ foil excluding Wrappers (12/31/12)
• Skintimate $1.50/2 shave gels or shave cremes excluding 2.75oz cans (12/23/12)
• Smithfield Ham ($8.00 minimum purchase) $2.00/1 (12/31/12)
• Softcup one box 14 or 24 ct $1.50/1 (7/1/13)
• Tabasco .50/1 product (12/31/12)
• Toblerone $1.00/2 3.52oz+ chocolate bar or bag (1/26/13)
• Wholly Guacamole $1.00/1 product (12/16/12)
• Wholly Guacamole $2.00 off fresh beef with purchase of Wholly Guac product (12/16/12)
• Zantac $5.00/1 24ct+ product (11/30/12)
• Ziploc $1.00/2 bags (12/22/12)
• Ziploc $1.00/2 containers (12/22/12)
• Ziploc $1.00/2 slider bags (12/22/12)

11/11 RedPlum Preview

• ADK Seltzer bottles $1.00/4 (3/30/13)
• Advil $1/1 Congestion Relief, Allergy & Congestion Relief, Cold & Sinus or Allergy Sinus (2/3/12)
• all $1.00/1 liquid, powder or mighty pacs laundry detergent ets (12/23/12)
• Angel Soft $1.00/2 4pk double roll or larger bathroom tissue (12/31/12)
• Axe $1.00/1 16floz shower gel or detailer ets (12/9/12)
• Breeze 2 Meter $10.00/1 2/13/13)
• Breeze 2test Strips $20.00/1 (2/12/12)
• Caress .75/1 12oz+ body wash or 6 bar pk+ ets (12/9/12)
• Centrum $3.00/1 60ct+ Flavor Burst chews (12/1/12)
• Centrum $3.00/1 60ct+ regular or Silver multivitamin (12/1/12)
• Centrum $3.00/1 Specialist multivitamin (12/1/12)
• Degree $1.00/1 for men Adrenaline Series product ets (12/9/12)
• Degree $1.00/1 Women Expert Protection product ets (12/9/12)
• DermaSilk $5.00/1 full size product (12/11/12)
• Dimetapp $1.00/1 Children’s product (12/30/12)
• Fleischmann’s .75/1 Simply Homemade package (2/10/13)
• Garnier $1.50/2 Fructis shampoos, conditioners or treatments ets (12/22/12)
• Garnier $2.00/1 Nutrisse nourishing color creme (12/23/12)
• Hefty Slider Bags 13 ct or larger $1.50/2 (2/28/13)
• Hellmann’s product 22oz or larger $1.00/1 (12/9/12)
• I Can’t Believe/Country Crock $1.00/1 ICBINB product or Country Crock spread excluding Country Crock pumpkin spice, cinnamon and honey flavored spreads (12/9/12)
• IHOP At Home $1.00/1 syrup variety dnd (2/28/13)
• Jimmy Dean delights product $2.00/1 (12/9/12)
• Jimmy Dean sandwich product $1.00/1 (12/9/12)
• Keebler Crackers 8oz or larger $1.00/2 (1/6/13)
• Kellogg’s Cereals 10oz or larger (12/23/12)
• Kibbles ‘n Bits $1.00/1 dry dog food bag (1/12/13)
• King’s Hawaiian dinner rolls or One 24-pack dinner rolls $1.00/2 (12/11/12)
• Knorr .50/2 recipe/sauce/gravy mix products (12/9/12)
• Knorr $1.00/1 homestyle stock package (12/9/12)
• Libby’s Fruits cans $1.00/4 (1/5/13)
• Libby’s vegetables cans $1.00/4 (1/5/13)
• Lipton Cup-a-Soup or soup secrets product .75/2 (12/9/12)
• Lipton recipe secrets product .60/2 (12/9/12)
• Lipton .60/21 tea bags, Tea & Honey To-Go or pitcher size, or iced tea mix ets (12/9/12)
• L’Oreal $1.00/1 Paris lip product (1/6/13)
• L’Oreal $1.00/1 Paris nail product including new Diamond Collection shades (1/6/13)
• L’Oreal $1.00/1 Paris skincare item ets (1/6/13)
• Mars $1.00/2 holiday products dnd (12/25/12)
• Morton’s .55/1 kosher salt, sea salt grinder or Mediterranean fine or coasre sea salt canister excludes 4.4oz fine sea salt (2/28/13)
• 9Lives dry cat food 3.15 lb or larger $1.00/1 (1/5/13)
• Nestle $1.25/2 15pk+ Pure Life 8oz multi-packs (12/23/12)
• Nestle $1.00/2 Pure Life 15pk+ .5-liter multi-packs (12/23/12)
• Newman’s Own $2.00/2 12t box Organics K-Cup packs (12/11/12)
• Newman’s Own $2.00/1 10oz bag Organics coffee variety (12/11/12)
• People Magazine $1.00/1 Sexiest Man Alive issue or 1 of the next 3 issues (12/10/12)
• Pringles $1.00/1 Snack Stacks ets (12/31/12)
• Pringles $1.00/4 180g+ Super Stack cans (12/31/12)
• Real Simple magazine .50/1 (2/8/13)
• Renuzit $1.00/2 Tempting Indulgences adjustable air fresheners (11/25/12)
• Renuzit Fresh Accents Air Freshener $1.00/1 (11/25/12)
• Renuzit $1.00/6 adjustable air fresheners (11/25/12)
• Ricola .75/1 Dual Action (12/11/12)
• Rimmel London $1.00/1 accelerator (1/31/13)
• Rimmel London $1.00/1 eye product (1/31/13)
• Scotties facial tissues one multipack or 4 boxes $1.00 (12/8/12)
• Skippy $1.00/2 15oz+ peanut butter (12/9/12)
• Snuggle .50/1 fabric softener or dryer sheets ets (12/23/12)
• Sparkle $1.00/ 2 giant roll+ package (12/22/12)
• Sunlight .50/1 liquid dish, gel or powder cleaning product (12/23/12)
• Sunlight single dose dish cleaning product 20ct or larger $1.00/1 (12/23/12)
• Tums $1.00/1 50ct freshers (1/11/13)
• Tums $1.00/2 24ct+ (1/11/13)
• Uncle Ben’s $1.00/2 long grain & wild rice products (1/5/13)
• Vaseline .50/1 10floz+ lotion ets (12/9/12)
• Weight Watchers 2-liter bottles $1.00/2 (3/30/13)
• Welch’s sparkling juice cocktails $1.00/2 (1/31/13)

Thanks to NEPReviews.com for this preview!

Starting August 25, 2012 you should be able to find a Walgreens September coupon booklet at your local store!  It’s filled with over $230 worth of Walgreens store coupons and rebates.  Don’t forget that these store coupons can be combined with manufacturer’s coupons for maximum savings!  These coupons are valid 8/25/12- 9/29/12.

GROCERY

$1/2 Flatout Healthy Grain Flatbread 6pk (5457)
$0.50/1 Florida’s Natural Orange Juice 33.8oz (5280)
$1/2 Gatorade 64oz (5454)
$0.50/1 Hillshire Farm Grilled Essentials 7oz (5451)
$0.25/1 Klondike Bar 5.5oz or Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Bar 4oz (5277)
$1/2 Kraft Mac & Cheese Deluxe 14oz, Velveeta Shells & Cheese, 12oz or Homestyle Dinner 3.5 to 12.6oz (5284)
$1/2 Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing, 16oz, Mayo or Miracle whip 30oz (5282)
$0.25/1 Nestle Drumstick 7oz, Toll House Cookie Sandwich 6oz or Haagen-Dazs Bar 3oz (5278)
$1/2 Nabiso Crackerfuls 6 to 16oz (5283)
$1/1 Nestle Skinny Cow Chocolate Fudge Cones 4pk, or Drumstick Lil’ Drums 12pk (5276)
$1/1 Odwalla Drink 12oz (5464)
$1/2 Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked Bacon 2.520z (5474)
$1/2 Planters Nut-rition 9.75oz, Whole Cashews 8.5oz, Deluxe Mixed Nuts 8.75oz (5450)
$1/2 Simply Juice Apple, Lemonade, Cranberry, Limeade or Orange 13.5oz (5448)
$1/2 White Castle Cheeseburger 6pk, 1.83oz ea. (5459)

CANDY & GUM

$1/2 Altoids Mints 1.7 or 1.76oz (5275)
$1/2 Hershey’s Bliss 8.6 or 9.6oz (5390)
$1/4 Hershey’s Halloween Chocolate or Cadbury Creme Egg with Green Yolk, 1.2 or 1.55oz (5272)
$0.50/2 Hershey’s King Size Candy 2.1 to 5oz (5391)
$1/2 Hershey’s Miniatures, Nuggets or Kisses 9.4 to 12oz (5267)
$1/1 Hershey’s Miniatures or Kisses 19.75oz (5270)
$3/2 Mars, Nestle or Hershey’s Candy, 24.6 to 56.07oz (5268)
$1/2 Mars Minis, 11.5oz (5273)
$1/1 Mars Minis or Fun Size 17.5 to 22.55oz (5274)
$0.60/4 Mentos Candy 1.32oz (5445)
$1/2 Mentos Gum 14 to 50 piece, Squeeze Big Bottle 4oz or Pure 1.06 or 4.5oz (5447)
$1/1 Nestle or Hershey’s Candy, 15.92 to 24.44oz (5269)
$1/2 Ritter Sport Chocolates 3.5oz (5446)
$1/2 Wrigley’s 5 or Orbit Gum, 50 or 55pc Bottle (5279)

PERSONAL CARE

$1/1 Aquafresh Advanced Whitening or Extreme Clean Toothpaste 5.6 or 6oz (5301)
$2/1 Aveeno Shave Gel 7oz or Neutrogena Shave Cream, Lotion, Wash or Gel 1.7 to 7oz (5303)
$.50/1 Basis Bar Soap 4oz, Facial Wash 6oz or 20pk, Facial Cleansing Singles (5396)
$2/1 Colgate Orabase Oral Pain Reliever .42oz (5302)
$1.50/1 Pert Plus 2 in 1, 13.5oz (5475)
$1/3 Purell Jelly Wrap 1 oz (5483)
$2/1 Rid For Lice Complete Lice Elimination Kit (5308)
$1/1 Sensodyne Toothpaste 4oz (5299)
$1/1 Tresemme Hair Care (5479)

BEAUTY & SKIN CARE

$0.50/1 Aqua Net Hair Spray 11oz (5476)
$2/1 Clairol Nice ‘N Easy Foam Hair Care (5478)
$5/1 Conair Ceramic Slim Straightener or Ionic dryer 1875 Watts (5802)
$1/1 Fx Hair Stylers 2 to 6oz (5482)
$1/1 Goody Simple Styles Hair Accessories (5477)

BABY CARE

$2/1 Children’s Mucinex 12ct Mini Melts or Liquid 4oz (5320)
$2/1 Gripe Water for Colic 4oz (5294)
$2/1 GoodNites Disposable Bed Mats 9pk (5298)
$2/1 GoodNites Underwear (5297)
$0.50/1 Hot Kid Baby Mum-Mum Rice Rusks 24pk (5285)
$2/1 Huggies Little Movers Slip-On (5296)
$2/1 Lice Shield Shampoo & Conditioner 10oz, or Leave-in Spray 5oz (5306)
$8/1 Pedia-Lax Probiotic Yums, 30ct (5327)
$1/1 Philips Avent 2pk Pacifiers, Nipples or Baby Bottles or Single Bottle 9oz (5295)
$5/1 Wild Child Quit Nits Complete Head Lice Kit (5307)

PET PRODUCTS

$1/1 Arm & Hammer Super Scoop Cat Litter 14lbs (5453)
$1/1 Milo’s Kitchen Dog Treats 12.5oz (5452)
$1/2 Purina One Cat or Dog Food 3.5 or 4 lbs (5291)
$1/1 Tidy Cats Cat Litter 10 lbs (5292)

HEALTH CARE

$4/1 Aleve Pain Relief 270ct (5337)
$2/1 Allegra 24 Hour Allergy Relief 15ct (5321)
$15/1 Alli Weight Loss Aid 120ct (5449)
$1/1 Aquaphor or Eucerin Lotions and Skin Care (exc. baby and lip) (5426)
$5/1 At Home Drug Test (5339)
$1/1 Bactine Pain Relieving Cleansing Spray 5oz (5335)
$2/1 Blossom Organics .75 or 4oz (5340)
$1/1 Campho-Phenique Antiseptic Liquid 1.5oz or Gel .5oz (5334)
$3/1 Colon Cleanse Max Probiotic Fiber 60ct (5322)
$1/1 Curad Silver Solution First Aid Antimicrobial Gel .5oz (5341)
$2/1 Dramamine Motion Sickness Relief 8 or 12ct (5336)
$1/1 Dulcolax Tablets or Liquid Gels, 25ct (5324)
$2/1 Feosol Iron Supplement 30 to 120ct (5348)
$2/1 Hyland’s Restful Legs or Calms Forte 50ct (5338)
$1/1 Miralax 8.3 or 10ct Sachet (5393)
$2/1 NasoGel Drip-Free Gel Spray 1oz (5484)
$3/1 NeilMed NasaFlo Neti Pot 50pk (5309)
$2/1 OneTouch Delcia Lancets 100pk (5353)
$40/1 OneTouch Ultra2 Blood Glucose Monitor (5354)
$10/1 OneTouch UltraMini Blood Glucose Monitor (5377)
$3/1 Orajel Cold Sore Cream .21oz (5333)
$2/1 Oscillococcinum Natural Flu Relief 6 or 12ct (5331)
$3/1 Safecare AsthmaCare Spray 2oz (5319)
$1/1 Simply Saline Nasal Mist or Spray 4.25oz (5311)
$20/1 Smart Health Heart Rate Monitor, Step Counter & Watch (5473)
$2/1 Super Colon Cleanse 120ct (5323)
$2/1 Tucks Fast Relief Spray .5oz, Suppositories 24pk, Pads 40 or 100pk or Ointment 1oz (5329)

HOUSEHOLD

$1/1 Cottonelle Bathroom Tissue 12 rolls (5287)
$1/1 Energizer Batteries Ultimate or Advanced Lithium AA or AAA 2pk (5293)
$5/1 Energizer Hearing Aid Batteries 10, 13 or 312, 24pk (5342)
$1/2 Fantastik, Pledge, Windex, Shout or Drano (5290)
$1/1 Kleenex Facial Tissues 4pk, Upright Bundle 60 sheets ea. (5289)
$1/1 Scott Naturals 6 rolls (5286)
$1/2 Scrubbing bubbles cleaners 16 to 34oz or 6pk Toilet Gels (5456)
$1/1 Viva Paper Towels 6 rolls (5288)

MISCELLANEOUS

25% Collage Prints and Posters (6190)
$1/1 Lens CPR Lens Scratch Repair Kit (5305)
$1/1 Mums, 6 in potted (5383)
$5/1 Virgin Mobile Pre-paid phone LG 101 (5392)

Thanks for this long list, Wild for Wags!  We know it was a lot of work!

For years I have battled with allergies.  Some places I’ve lived have made it easier to deal with than others but unfortunately living in this part of North Carolina has me continually struggling.  I try my best to keep the floors vacuumed, surfaces dusted, sheets changed, windows shut, and air filters up to date.  I’m a huge fan of Filtrete air filters for a little allergy relief but now they have a new Odor Reduction Filter!  A filter that blocks dust, and pollen, and ickiness is great on it’s own but now it helps minimize obnoxious odors!  I’m in love!

Healthy living expert and author Lisa Beres has shared tips with us on how to naturally remove odors from the home and I hope you find them helpful.  I know I have!

Lisa’s tips include:

• Clean the fridge drawers and shelves by adding a few drops of natural dish soap to a bowl of baking soda and stir until it creates a thick paste.  This will remove odors as well as stains left behind from food.
• To rid towels of the mildew smell, first wash them once in hot water with a cup or two of white vinegar. Then wash them again with a natural or eco-friendly laundry detergent. Finally, dry the towels in the dryer on high heat.
• Reduce the unpleasant smell of pet dander by bathing and grooming your pet weekly.
• Pesky ants and other insects can make their way into your kitchen but instead of using harsh toxins, set a line of coffee
  grinds, lemon juice, cinnamon or cayenne pepper around doors and windows to create an effective barrier they won’t cross.  {I need to try this!}

Filter Benefits:

• 65 times more effective than other carbon filters at removing odors, such as those from cooking, tobacco smoke, pets, mildew and cleaning chemicals. {65% is HUGE!}
• Starts to remove even the strongest odors in minutes, after the furnace fan is turned on.
• Captures large airborne allergens such as household dust, pollen, mold spores and dust mite debris.
• Captures microscopic particles such as smoke, pet dander and smog.
• Last up to three months for odor removal and particle capture for air passing through the filter.

These Odor Reduction Filters have a suggested retail price of $15.99 which isn’t much more than a regular filter!  They can be found at your local hardware, home center, grocery store, or they can be purchased online.

I LOVE this!  Filtrete has an eNewsletter that will email you when it’s time to change your filter!  I’m actually going to sign up for that right now because we’re always a month late.  They’ll also email you clever tips and money-saving coupons.  You can also follow @Filtrete on Twitter and like Filtrete on Facebook to stay up to date on their latest products and promotions.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Filtrete and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

This is the last week for my guest posting stump for Embracing Beauty.  I am so grateful to Ashley for this opportunity to share my experiences with food allergies and frugality.  I hope that it has been helpful to you as well.  Many blessings to you, Ashley, and your sweet family.

If you want to know more about food allergies and how to live frugally with them, you can find me everyday at The Willing Cook.  If you ever have any questions or requests, don’t hesitate to let me know.

I came across a post recently that mentions the cost savings of having a well-stocked pantry/freezerand I thought that it would be a great “extra” post for the Frugal Food Allergy Living series.

Living a frugal lifestyle can be a daunting task.  Throw in food allergies and you have a real challenge on your hands.  But challenges are good, right?  Personally, I get a sense of satisfaction out of saving a few dollars at the grocery store, especially allergy-friendly foods, and creating healthy, safe and delicious foods for my family.

It is easier to accomplish frugal food allergy living when most of your ducks are in a row.  On top of the list is having a well-stocked pantry.  While it is an inconvenience to not have enough eggs for the cookies you are making to take to your son’s birthday party at school, you can always borrow an egg from a neighbor.  What if your son has an egg allergy and you are completely out of egg replacer? You can’t simply borrow egg replacer.

Having a well-stocked pantry is…

• Convenient
• Saves money
• Essential for food allergies

A well-stocked pantry is convenient.  There is no arguing with this point.  It’s a pain to be in the middle of cooking and realize that you are missing a key ingredient.  It can change an entire dish.

A well-stocked pantry saves money.

1. You can stock up on the pantry essentials when they are on sale, instead of being forced to pay full price.  If you find that you have to make a quick trip up to the over-priced corner store to pick up that missing item, you are going to pay more.
2. You save on gas and time when you don’t have to make that spur-of-the-moment trip to the grocery store for that one missing item.
3. If you have to make a quick run to the store, you are more prone to put other items into your basket that may not be on your grocery budget.

A well-stocked pantry is essential for food allergies.

1. There are not always easy substitutions for missing allergy foods.  Substituting for the “real” thing is simply not an option; in fact, it is dangerous.
2. You cannot easily borrow an ingredient from a neighbor.
3. The small corner grocery store is less likely to carry a good selection of allergy-friendly foods causing you to make a trip to the larger grocery store.
4. Specialty allergy foods are not always the cheapest products on the grocery shelves.  It is good to save a little money by stocking up when they go on sale, not in a last minute state of desperation.

Here is my list for a well-stocked food allergy pantry that I posted a while back.

What can you add to this list? What are your reasons for having a well-stocked pantry?  What do you include in your well-stocked pantry that I don’t have on my list?

Walgreens September Coupon Book will be available in stores this Sunday!  These coupons are valid from 8/28/11 through 9/24/11.  Don’t forget that these Walgreens store coupons can be stacked with manufacturer’s coupons!

If you are new to couponing be sure to check out my Extreme Couponing 101 series that teaches you step by step how to save the most money!

Grocery:

• $1/1 Hershey’s Halloween Bagged Candy (16.3-24.44 oz.)
• $1/1 Nestle Bagged Candy (19.75-32 oz.)
• $1/1 Wonka MixUps or Chewy Favorites (25 or 32 oz.)
• $1/1 Mars Halloween Bagged Candy (17.5-22.55 oz.)
• $3/2 Mars Variety Bagged Candy (17.5-22.5 oz.)
• $1/2 Mars Mini (10.5 or 11.5 oz.) or Dove Minis (7.94-9.5 oz.)
• $1/1 Hershey’s Miniatures (19.75 oz.)
• $1/2 Hershey’s Chocolate (11 or 12 oz.)
• $1/2 Life Savers Candy (6.25-7 oz.)
• $0.50/2 Trident Gum (18 ct.)
• $1/2 Wrigley’s 5 Gum (3 ct., 15 pc.)
• $0.25/1 Hostess Cupcake or Twinkies (2 ct.) or Donettes, or Crumb Gems (3-4 oz.)
• $1/2 Nestle Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches or Truffle Bars (6 ct.)
• $1/2 Nestle Lil Drums (10 ct.)
• $0.25/1 Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake 4 oz.) Klondike Ice Cream Bars (5.5 oz.)
• $0.50/1 Florida’s Natural OJ (33.8 oz.)
• $0.50/1 Odwalla Drinks (12 oz.)
• $1/2 Welch’s Grape Juice (64 oz.)
• $0.50/2 Knorr Noodles & Sauce (4.3 oz.) or Rice & Sides (5.7 oz.)
• $1/1 Hellmann’s Mayonnaise (22 or 30 oz.)
• $0.50/2 Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix (2 oz.)
• $1/2 Nabisco Crackers (6-16 oz.) or Newtons Fruit Thins (10.5 oz.)

Household:

• $1/1 Scott Natural Paper Towels (6 ct.)
• $1/1 Hefty Trash Bags (18-45 ct.)
• $1/1 Purina Hairball Control (3.5 lbs.) or Purina One Dog Food (4 lbs.)
• $1/2 Tidy Cats Litter (10 lb.)
• $1/1 Kleenex Facial Tissue Upright (4 pk.)
• $1/2 Glade Scented Oil Candles Refills or Sprays
• $1/1 Stoner Invisible Glass (19 oz.) or Simple Green Cleaner (22 oz.)
• $1/1 Armor All Protectant (10 oz.), Tire Foam (20 oz.), Leather Wipes (20 ct.), or Cleaning Wipes (25 ct.)
• $1/1 Fiskars Scissors (8 in., 2 ct.)
• $5/1 Energizer 4x Advanced Lithium or 8x Lithium AA Batteries (8 ct.)
• $1/1 Energizer or Eveready Flashlights
• $2/1 HP Ink Cartridge Black

Personal Care:

• $1/1 Veripur Hand Sanitizer (3 oz.)
• $1/1 Kleenex Facial Tissue Upright Bundle (4 pk.)
• $1/1 Aquafresh Advanced, Extreme Clean or Ultimate White Toothpaste (5.6-6 oz.)
• $1/1 Sensodyne Toothpaste (4 oz.) or Iso-Active (4.3 oz.)
• $20/1 Oral-B 1000 Professioanl Care Rechargeable Toothbrush
• $1/1 OraJel Cold Sore Relief & Concealer (.05 oz.) or Mouth Sore Relief (.42 oz.) (includes .09 oz. FREE)
• $1/1 Aquaphor Lip Repair (.35 oz.)
• $1/1 Hyland’s Teething Gel (.5 oz.) (includes 50% more free)
• $1/1 NUK Trendline Dots Learner Cup (5 oz.), Bottle (10 oz.), or Pacifier (2 ct.)
• $2/1 Avent Bottle (9 oz.) or Nipple or Pacifiers (2 ct.), or Bottles (9 oz.)

Beauty:

• $1/1 L’Oreal Cosmetics
• $2/1 L’Oreal Revitalift Clinical Repair SPF 20 (1 oz.)
• $2/1 Neutrogena Lip or Eye Cosmetics (excludes makeup removers)

Health Care:

• $1/1 Mucinex Cough, Cold, Flu, Sinus or Sore Throat Relief (6 oz.)
• $1/1 Vicks Nature Fusion (20 ct.), Liquid (8 oz.), or Combo Pack
• $1/1 Robitussin (8 or 12 oz.)
• $2/1 Mucinex Child Liquid (4 oz.) or Mini Melts (12 ct.)
• $1/1 Theraflu Warming Liquid (2 ct., 8.3 oz.) or Hot Liquid Combo (12 pk.), or Triaminic Day/Night or Non Aspirin Fever Reducer (2 pk., 4 oz.)
• $1/1 Airborne (10 ct.)
• $2/1 Waterpik Sinusense Neti Pot Kit
• $1/1 Simply Saline Allergy Relief (4.255 oz.)
• $3/1 Allergy Buster or Sinus Buster Nasal Spray (.68 oz.)
• $0.50/1 Ricola (19-24 ct.)
• $2/1 Breath Right Strips (10-12 ct.)
• $3/1 Lamisil AT or AF Products
• $2/1 Hibistat (15 ct.) Antiseptic Wipes or Hibiclens Skin Cleanser (8 oz.)
• $1/1 Campho-Phenique Liquid (1.5 oz.) or Gel (.5 oz.), or Actine Pump Spray (5 oz.)
• $1/1 Band Aid Bandages (8-80 ct.)
• $1.50/1 SalonPas Pain or Arthritis Rel. Patch (5 ct.)
• $5/1 Osteo Bi Flex
• $5/1 Advil Tablets (300 ct.)
• $7.50/1 Culturelle for Kids (30 ct.)
• $3.50/1 Culturelle Digestive (30 ct.)
• $2/1 Florastor (20 ct.)
• $2/1 Benefiber Powder (6.4-16.7 oz.), Chewables (100 ct.), Caplets (114 ct.), or Sticks (24-28 ct.)
• $2/1 Gas-X (18-72 ct.) or Thin Strips (18 ct.)
• $3/1 Prevacid 24 HR (42 ct.)
• $2/1 Maalox (90 ct.) or Liquid (12-26 oz.)
• $2/1 Ex Lax Digestive Relief (24 ct.)
• $4/1 Senokot S or Colace (30 ct.)
• $2/1 Super Colon Cleanser (120 ct.)
• $1/1 Tums (60-150 ct.)
• $2/1 Biggest Loser Meal Bars (5 ct.) or Shakes (4 pk.)
• $10/1 Alli Weight Loss Aid Refill (120 ct.)
• $3/1 SloNiacin (100 ct.)
• $5/1 FlexAMin Joint Supplement (60-180 ct.)
• $2/1 Nature’s Bounty Twin Pack (excludes Flex-a-min )
• $5/1 AT Home 6 Panel Drug Test
• $10/1 BrainStrong (90 ct.)
• $5/1 BrainStrong Kids, Toodler or Prenatal (30 ct.)
• $1/1 Visine Hydroblend Drops (.5-1 oz.) or Wipes (30 ct.)
• $5/1 Nicoderm CQ (14 ct.) or Nicorette Gum (100-110 ct.) or Lozenges (72-81 ct.)
• $2/1 OneTouch Delica Lancets (100 ct.) or OneTouch Ultramini Blood Glucose Monitor
• $3/1 OneTouch Ultra Test Strips (25 ct.)
• $1/1 Murine Wax Removal Drops or Kit (.56 oz.)

Walgreens:

• Photo Books, 25% off (in store coupon only)
• “W” Products, Buy 1, Get 1 50% off
• (thousands of items throughout the store, see booklet for exclusions)

Mail-in Rebates:

• $5/1 Zyrtec (12 or 14 ct.), Visine-A (.5 oz.), or Benadryl (24-100 ct.) Spray (2 oz.), Cream (1 oz.), Gel ( 4 oz.), or Readymist (.2 oz.) (Limit 1)
• $5/1 Centrum, ProNutients or Caltrate Supplements (Limit 1)
• $3/1 Luster Now! Instant Whitening Toothpaste (8 oz.) (Limit 1)
• $7 wyb $30 or more of TheraBreath 7 Day Probiotic Home Treatment System, Lozenges (100 ct.), Oral Rinse (16 oz.), or Toothpaste (4 oz.) (Limit 1)
• $3/1 Blue Rhino (with or without exchange of empty tank) (Limit 1)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you stay up to date on the latest freebies, coupons, & giveaways by subscribing for Free via my RSS feed or get emailed updates once a day.

From the original post on Food Allergies and Budgets:

Prepare Food from Scratch
Avoid pre-packaged or processed foods, even allergy-friendly foods.  They are pricey and generally not the healthiest for you, especially when avoiding multiple allergens.  Stick with fresh meat and produce, dry beans, bulk rice, and oats, for example.

Eating “whole foods” seems to be all the rave these days in healthy circles.  There are many websites dedicated to “whole food,” as well as grocery stores and restaurants.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines whole food as “a natural food and especially an unprocessed one (as a vegetable or fruit).” It is simply preparing food from scratch or homemade, although there are many variations of this (avoiding buying processed foods versus milling own flour, making homemade yogurt, raising chickens, etc.).

Preparing food from scratch becomes a necessity when living with food allergies, rather than a simple exception.

• Most prepackaged food has one allergen or another in it.  Just read the labels and you will see all the “contains.”
• The most common allergens found in prepackaged food is dairy, wheat, soy and corn.  Not to mention the preservatives and artificial colors and flavors added to prepackaged foods.
• Even so-called “allergy-friendly” pre-packaged foods that are becoming more common on the grocery shelves are not necessarily good for you.  Furthermore, they are really expensive.  You can make a homemade version for a lot less.
• Try making a similar version as the pre-packaged allergy-friendly foods at home.  For example, instead of buying allergy-friendly pre-packaged cookies or cake mixes, I make them homemade.  I make a couple dozen cupcakes at a time and individually freeze them.  When my son goes to a birthday party, I take a cupcake out of the freezer, spread on some icing that I keep in the refrigerator and he’s off to a birthday party.  You can do the same thing with cookie dough.  Make a batch or two ahead of time, freeze them, and bake as needed.
• There are exceptions to this rule.  If you want some prepackaged foods for convenience sake, just make sure you read the labels carefully.

Frugal Living and Preparing Food from Scratch

• It is true that there often better deals in the grocery ads or more coupons available for processed foods.  But is their a potential cost to your health?
• If your family is stuck on convenient, pre-packaged foods, I encourage you to sit down with a calculator, pen and paper and do a line-item price comparison for each meal for a week.  Here is a spreadsheet example below.

• If you stick to buying the fresh foods that are on sale, manager-specials and in-season produce, you may be surprised at the cost savings.  You will get much better quality as well as more healthy choices.
• Remember to buy extra fruit and vegetables when it is in-season and freeze it for those winter months.
• We are looking into having fresh, quality meat by buying a cow or pig straight from a farmer.  Find family or friends who would like to split up the cost and quantity of buying a whole animal.  Keep in mind that you will need extra freezer space for this option.

Now, I am by no means a purist.  I don’t make everything homemade all the time, but I try to as often as possible.  It is cheaper, healthier and safer for food allergies.  On Friday, I will give a short run-down on “safe” prepackaged foods that I usually have in our home.  Be sure to check in.

Are there any foods that you only buy pre-made? Are there foods that you choose to make from scratch? I’d love to hear your comments on this topic.

Next week: How Frugal Food Allergy Living is easier with a well-stocked pantry.

Wow! I can’t believe there is only one week left in this series and in my guest posting.  It has been fun for me to write and share this information with the Embracing Beauty readers.  I hope that you have benefited from it.  If you have any further questions or suggestions on the topic, don’t hesitate to let me know.  I’m happy to continue with this series as long as needed in order to cover all the basis.

If you are just now tuning into the series on Frugal Food Allergy Living, you can read more on food allergies and living frugally at The Willing Cook.

From the original post Food Allergies and Budgets:

Avoid Restaurants
In our home, the possibility of cross-contamination carries too much of a risk just for the convenience.  Plus, I can fix dinner for my family of 5 for about the same price as 1 Happy Meal.

We have two main reasons for avoiding restaurants: food allergies and money.  If we didn’t have food allergies with which to contend and an abundance of money, we might frequent restaurants much more often.  But that is not our situation, and we are fine with it.

Restaurants and Food Allergies:

• You truly never know what you’re going to get.  I have heard numerous stories, including our own experience, when you think a meal is safe and ends up tragic.
• A new chef/cook at a restaurant that has always been “safe,” can change up the ingredients in a familiar dish.  I was told a story of this happening to a man with a peanut allergy that ended in his tragic death (The pharmacist told me this story after my son was in the ER for his anaphylactic reaction at a restaurant.  Maybe not the best story to tell an already anxious mother.)
• You can tell a server of your food allergies, but they either don’t care or don’t understand the acute danger of it.  There was a recent news story of a woman dying in Israel from a nut allergy at a restaurant after informing her server of her allergy, but was served it anyway.
• All your ducks could be in a row, yet there is still a risk of cross-contamination.  Cross-contamination can be in the form of sharing serving utensils with allergy food, allergy food on the same grill as your “safe” food or many other possibilities.
• Unknown ingredients.  If you are not able to read the packaging from which the food comes, you cannot be certain of it’s safety.  Bread/buns with a milk ingredient is a good example of this.

Restaurants and Budgets

• I have heard news reports that low-income families cannot afford healthy food, so that is why they tend to be overweight and/or make poor food choices.  I do not completely buy this.  While it might be the case that food stamps do not cover healthier food options (the specifics of this, I do not know), there are still inexpensive options with fresh produce and manager special meat.  I could get on a soapbox about this, but I will refrain from that here.
• I have figured out that I can easily feed my family of 5 a nutritious and tasty dinner for less than the price of a value meal at McDonald’s.  You can read this post on a recent weekly menu where we only spent $30 for 5 meals for our family.  It is so easy to do.
• Eating out is expensive! Period.  You can try to mimic a favorite restaurant dish at home by simply googling the recipe.

The Exceptions

• Sometimes it’s just nice to be able to get away from home and enjoy someone else serving you.  You have to budget for it though and you have to be practical about what you can afford.

1. Don’t buy the lobster tail when you should settle for salmon.
2. Skip the appetizer, dessert and drinks, and have them at home instead before/after you go.
3. Be selective about your restaurant.  If you don’t go out to eat very often, save this special treat for a place that you know will end in an enjoyable meal.
4. If you know you should cut this expense out of your budget, try it slowly.  If you go out to eat once or twice per week, slowly knock it down to once or twice a month.
5. Look for coupons.  Groupon, Living Social and Restaurant.com are great websites for finding restaurant coupons.  Some large cities have city-specific deals websites too.

• As far as food allergies go, I have read that chain restaurants typically have specific protocols in place for food preparation, ingredients, etc., making them a possibly “safer” choice.  Note that I said “typically.”  Many restaurants have their menus online with ingredient information that you can check before going.
• Allergy Eats is an online guide to allergy friendly restaurants.  You can read personal reviews of many restaurants and leave your own.
• When in doubt, bring your own food (or your child’s food) to a restaurant.  Let your server know of your food allergies and ask if they mind that you brought your own food.  This is especially the case if you have to go to a restaurant for a special occasion/gathering.  Most of the time, restaurants are relieved.

Finally, always carry your allergy rescue medication with you!  It can save a life!

Do you have any experience or suggestions to add about avoiding restaurants in order to live a frugal food allergy life?

Our final post in the Frugal Food Allergy Living series next week: Prepare Food from Scratch.

“Shop Around” is part five of our series from the original Food Allergies and Budgets post:

Do not be product or store loyal, if possible.  Shop at many stores in order to get the best deals (Asian grocers, Aldi, Costco, etc).

While shopping around to get the best deal is not a new concept to anyone who sticks closely to a grocery budget, I find this to be particularly true when shopping with food allergies.  Most new food allergy shoppers (or non-food allergy shoppers) believe you are stuck to shopping only at one very expensive specialty shop.  This is not the case.  (You can read the series on where I shop and where I purchase particular allergy-friendly foods at The Willing Cook.  You can find this series in the category “budget tips” on the sidebar.)

Benefits to Shopping at Multiple Stores:

• You are able to shop the grocery ads to get the best prices.
• You can take advantage of the cheaper store brands that are allergy friendly.  For example, Costco carries a lot of allergy-friendly foods that are Kirkland brand.  Of course, the same goes for Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods that carry their own brand of food and are often allergy-friendly.
• Don’t stop with the “specialty” stores.  The big supermarket brands can often have store brand allergy-friendly food as well.  You just have to read the labels.  For example, Meijer carries a great selection of Meijer Organics and Meijer Naturals food that are sometimes allergy-friendly.
• Asian supermarkets often carry gluten-free flours or whole grains that you can make into homemade gluten-free flour that cost much less than the pre-packaged gluten-free flours at the big chain stores.
• There are also local health food stores or fresh produce markets that can offer good deals on allergy-friendly products as well.  I have found some of these stores to be particularly good at offering “manager special” deals.

All of the above points lead me to say that you cannot be brand loyal, unless you have to be.  Now, as far as allergies go, sometimes you have to be brand loyal.  In that case, that is fine.  But if you don’t have to be loyal to any particular brand, this is an area where you can save a lot of money.  Personally, there is rarely a difference between the name brand and store brand products.  In some cases, I prefer the store brand over the name brand.

Some of you might say, “I cannot go to multiple stores a week, especially with kids in tow or I work a full-time job.”  However, shopping at multiple stores does not have to become a 2nd job as long as there is a little planning involved.

1. Try to review the store ads for the upcoming week before planning your grocery shopping for the week.  You can then map out if you want to hit a couple of stores based on those ads.  If possible, avoid weekend grocery shopping because it is so busy.  Night time is a great time to have some peace and quiet in the store.
2. Make out a grocery list to save you time (especially if you have kids in tow).  This list will also help you stay focused on your budget with what is “needed” and not what can end up in your cart from “wandering.”
3. Be practical about shopping at multiple stores.  You have to take gas into consideration when driving from store to store.  If you only save a small amount on one product at one store but are purchasing multiple products from another store, it might be worth your time and gas to just buy everything at one store.  This is where planning ahead comes in handy.  Be smart about it.
4. Don’t hit every store, every week.  Costco/Sam’s Club, Trader Joe’s and Asian Grocers do not rotate sales, so you can plan a trip to those stores every 6 weeks or so (less for Asian stores if only buying flour/grains).  Try to stock up on their products to last you until your next trip.

What if you live in an area with only one store option?

• There is always online shopping.  Again, compare the prices.
• If there is a warehouse store or other specialty shop (Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s) in a city close by, figure out the gas-time-cost savings of making a trip there a couple of times a year to stock up.
• Don’t limit yourself to just grocery stores.  You can often find a small selection of allergy-friendly foods at Dollar Tree, Big Lots and Drug Stores.

So, I think that covers all my points for Shopping Around.  Is there anything that you would like to add?

Up next week in the Frugal Food Allergy Living Series: Avoid Restaurants

Money Saving Mom featured my “Reader Tip” back in April.  I encourage you to read that post Make Gluten-free Flour Using Your Coffee Grinder.  Today, I will elaborate on those points a little further.

From the original post on Food Allergies and Budgets:

Pre-packaged gluten-free flours are pricey.  A coffee bean grinder and whole grains/nuts can be a wonderful way to save money and enjoy various “flour” dishes.  I have mentioned this on The Willing Cook website when I discussed my essential kitchen tools and more is to follow on the specifics of homemade flour in an upcoming post.

My husband has a wheat allergy, but no other glutens.  His allergy is not so severe that I have to only buy certified gluten-free oats.  Many oats on the market have a chance of being cross-contaminated with wheat (they interchange growing wheat and oats on the same field and use the same processing equipment), so most Celiac sufferers and severe wheat allergies have to use certified gluten-free oats.  (I can tell you that they are not cheap.)

Since oats are a staple in his diet, especially for breakfast, this was the first place we started making our own flour.  I could never come to terms with the high price of the pre-packaged wheat-free flours on the grocery shelf.   So I decided that we should try to make our own flour and thought our small coffee bean grinder would be a great place to start.  The money savings: oats already in the pantry and coffee bean grinder given to me as a birthday gift years ago — win-win budget savings.

Our first attempt was the wonderful recipe for date bars.  I thought oat flour would work great for the crumbly crust and top.  We were not disappointed (and we served them successfully to company too).  We followed this with ground rice flour for our gluten-free fish breading.  Again, we had a winner.

Over the years, we have successfully ground oats, white and brown rice, chickpeas, tapioca pearls, almonds, and even Rice Chex once when I was out of oats.  This experiment has helped us keep a trimmed budget because we don’t buy the pre-packaged gluten-free flours.

Braun Coffee Grinder is the brand that we own and it has worked nicely for us.  The one drawback is that the size is just over a half cup, so it doesn’t make large batches of flour.  (Not that you would want to make large batches for fear of it going rancid.)  There are larger coffee bean grinders on the market, such as Cuisinart DBM-8 and Bodum Bistro, but I do not have experience with them.

The other option, of course, is a grain mill.  I have heard wonderful reports from people who grind their own wheat flour in a grain mill.  They say there is nothing better than fresh baked bread made with freshly ground wheat.   Upon researching the options, I found a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer Grain Mill attachment and the Electric Wondermill Whisper Mill.  These options are much pricier, but would grind larger quantities of flour.

How does it work?

• You put the grain in your coffee grinder and grind it to the desired consistency.  Repeat as necessary until you reach the required amount.  That is it!

What are the actual savings of grinding your own gluten-free flour versus buying the pre-packaged flours?

I noted a few of the comparisons that I researched for the Money Saving Mom guest post.  Here is a little more detail on where I find the best prices:

• Old-Fashioned Oats: The cheapest I have found is $1.99 for a 48oz can at Aldi.  Compared to Amazon’s price on oat flour, there is about a 50-80% savings.
• Almonds: Best price for whole almonds is at Costco or Sam’s Club.  If you can get them for $3.99/lb., that is a good price.  Recently, I have been buying my almond flour at Trader Joe’s as it is less than buying whole almonds and grinding them.  If you don’t have TJs, try grinding them yourself.
• Rice: I buy the large 25lb. bag of Basmati Rice at Costco.  Aldi used to carry brown rice for the best price, but they no longer do.  I now buy it at Costco.  We eat a lot of rice, so buying the large quantity is a good deal for us.  Over pre-packaged rice flour on Amazon, I save about 50%.
• I buy whole chickpeas and tapioca pearls at a local Asian grocer.  This saves me about 90% over the pre-packaged ground flours.

So, have I convinced you to grind your own gluten-free flour?  It truly is easy and economical.  If you already grind your own flour (gluten-free or not), do you have any tips to share?

Up next week in the Frugal Food Allergy Living series: Shop Around