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Shopping Gluten-Free: Amazon
This week, I'm sharing ways to shop and save on gluten-free products. So far, I've written about Target and Local Grocery Stores.
I knew that Amazon*sold groceries, but I had never realized quite the extent of their selection until I started searching for unusual brands and varieties online. Turns out they have a great selection of specialty foods and brands for people who need frugal strategies for special diets. I had never bought anything other than maple syrup from Amazon, but with the high prices and limited selection of gluten-free products at my local stores, I was willing to give it a try.
The good news is that Amazon has the best selection of gluten-free products, in my opinion. You can find almost anything there--all the specialty brands and every flavor/variety that you may not even find at your local health food store. For me, the better news was that I could use my Swagbucks and not even feel an increase in my grocery budget (see more on that below). The only down side so far is that I have to purchase a "case," usually 3-4 packages of an item at once, though you end up spending less per unit than you would at a local store. If you're planning to purchase Gluten Free Products1) Get 15% off and FREE shipping with Amazon's Subscribe & Save
2) Use Swagbucks to earn Amazon Gift Cards for FREE. Swagbucks is a program I post about often; you can earn "Swagbucks" for doing searches with their search engine, then redeem them for $5 Amazon Gift Cards. I've been using it to purchase all kinds of household goods and free up money from my family budget to pay down debt. By purchasing my gluten-free groceries at Amazon using FREE gift cards, I'm not impacting my regular grocery bill while I try out new products to see what works for me.
3) Share your savings with others. If a case of 3-4 gluten-free flours or baking mixes is too much for you to store or pay for at once, consider sharing the order with friends or family who are also gluten-free. You'll each get what you need at the reduced price. Ask around in your MOMS Club or church group to find other moms or kids who are on a specialty diet.
I so appreciate all the support you've given me as I've adapted to a gluten-free diet over the past few months. I hope these suggestions help you save some money on your own journey to good health!
*Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate, which means that if you purchase through my link I get a teeny percentage. Thank you for supporting MoneywiseMoms!
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3 Free Photo Greeting Cards from Shutterfly
Get 3 FREE 5x7 Photo Greeting Cards from Shutterfly with code SUMMERCARDS through September 1st. You'll pay $1.00 to have them shipped back to you, and you can do three separate cards (they don't need to be the same). What's happening between now and the end of summer that needs a card? Birthdays, Thank Yous, or just a Thinking of You are a great way to personalize these types of freebies.
Thanks to MrsMoneysaver for the heads up on this deal.
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Shopping Gluten-Free: Local Grocery Stores
This week, I'm sharing ways to shop and save on gluten-free products. Yesterday, I wrote about Target.
Locally, I have a lot of options for "regular" grocery shopping, and I often hit two stores each week to take advantage of the loss leaders and other sales. Once I went gluten-free, I didn't want to have to add more errands to my week, so I started looking for GF products in the stores I was already visiting instead of heading to Whole Foods (though I ended up there, after all!).
The selection in the big chains Giant and Safeway were iffy--most stores didn't even carry the Betty Crocker GF mixes, let alone the specialty brands. The Shoppers store near me surprised me with this big endcap of Bob's Red Mill products, including gluten-free baking mixes and flours.
Trader Joe's was a little more helpful, in that they provided me with a printout of all their gluten-free products, though I found that not all the items were carried in my store (it varies in different parts of the country). I like the GF English Muffins in the fresh bread section, but they're pricey!
Whole Foods had very spotty shelf tags, so while the baking aisle had lots of green Gluten-Free tags to draw your eye, it was harder to find the GF products elsewhere in the store. I asked at Customer Service for the guide they mention on their website, but they didn't have it.
It helps when stores provide lists of specialty products, because it's awfully hard to take the time to read labels with three kids in tow! This resource may be helpful: About.com's links to GF product lists for grocery stores nationwide.
When shopping the local stores for gluten-free products, keep this in mind: we're talking about specialty foods--items with replacement ingredients or processed in certified-GF plants. There are plenty of foods in grocery stores that are naturally gluten-free: produce, dairy, and basics like brown rice. I've found that cooking some of my family's favorite meals required no adjustment at all; they were already healthful and gluten-free.
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WFMW: Take a Break from Blogging
I've been devoting my WFMW posts to blogging tips that work for me. If you missed the rest, just click here and scroll down to see them.
I'm sure you're having a busy a summer as we are, filled with lazy mornings and easy dinners, less-bathed kids and more-chlorined hair. Last week when I returned from a half-work, half-play trip to the West Coast, I found it very hard to get back onto the computer. I had been out of routine, happily, for a week, and it was hard to get the momentum back. This leads me to
Tip #7: Take a Break from Blogging.
While away, I didn't miss trying to keep up with my Google Reader, looking for shopping deals or any of my usual computer-related tasks. I tried to catch up on sleep, read books and magazines, spent lots of time talking with a good friend and I missed my kids. Then, when it was time to come back online, I had renewed energy and about a zillion new things to blog about (funny how that happens!).
If you read a bunch of blogs, you'll see lots of people posting that they're on break during the beginning of August. The reason is two-fold: most families are traveling or enjoying each others company for the summer, and readership tends to go down during this time of the year. Make a point to meet demand--I see this happen during the holidays, too--if fewer readers are online, don't stress yourself out trying to post daily. Take it easy. Scale back a bit until everyone gets back into the fall/school starting routine, which usually involves reading blogs and checking email subscriptions. Traffic will pick up then.
Hope you're having a great summer, both on- and off-line! For more Works for Me Wednesday posts, head over to We Are That Family.
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Free Theme Park Admission for Military Families
As you're planning out the rest of your summer or thinking ahead to three-day weekends during the school year, remember Anheuser-Busch’s Here’s to the Heroes program, which runs through December 31, 2010.
Active duty military from all five service branches, active members of a Reserve or National Guard Unit, and up to 3 direct dependents receive one-day complimentary admission to all of the following parks, once each park each year:
- SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego, or San Antonio
- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay or Williamsburg
- Sesame Place (Langhorne, PA)
- Adventure Island (Tampa)
- Water Country USA (Williamsburg)
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Shopping Gluten-Free: Target
In the past few months, I've made the transition to a gluten-free diet for health reasons. Now that I'm a little more used to it, I wanted to share what I've learned about how to shop and save on gluten-free products. Each day this week, I'll share some tips about finding and saving on GF products.
Our local Target just added a grocery section--it was quite the community happening--as we're in the suburbs but don't have a SuperTarget, Super Walmart, or Sam's Club for many miles. While I have yet to check the dairy, meat, and frozen food prices against the grocery stores, I have been very happy with what I see on the pantry shelves, which includes a large selection of organic and specialty foods, including gluten-free products.
I started in the baking aisle and was pleased to find everything from the Betty Crocker GF cake and cookie mixes to Pamela's Baking Mix and other brands that were new to me (Namaste Foods and Cherrybrook Farms). In the cracker aisle, I found several GF options, plenty of Glutino cookies and pretzels, as well as KinniKritter Cookies. Target also carried the Annie's Mac & Cheese with rice pasta and many options of brown rice pasta in the pasta aisle.
While the prices at Target seemed similar to those at the grocery store, they still seem high to me. As I mentioned in Frugal Strategies for Special Diets, making your own is key to saving money no matter how you're eating. Rather than pay a lot for a gluten-free cake mix, it costs less to buy specialty flour and use your own ingredients. I've also learned to stretch those expensive GF treats--by saving them for myself and feeding the rest of the family the "regular" version, it doesn't cost as much. I wasn't one to buy cookies before I went GF, and I'm not starting now. When I stick to simple sweets like fresh summer fruits, popsicles, etc. I get my dessert fix and spend even less.
I'll be sharing some more stores over the next few days, but tell me--where do you buy your gluten-free or other specialty foods?
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Free Amazon Prime Shipping for Students
College students can get a FREE year of Amazon Prime by providing their school, year and major. This is a $79 value, and it gives you FREE 2-day shipping when you order at Amazon, with no minimum order. This is a great way to catch those price drops that pop up without having to meet the $25 minimum.
Only students currently enrolled in a college or university who have a valid .edu e-mail address to confirm their status are eligible to participate in Amazon Student. See additional conditions at Amazon Student Terms & Conditions for more details.
With the regular Amazon Prime
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Sales Tax Holiday for School Supplies & Clothing
Next weekend, August 6-8th, is Virginia's Sales Tax Holiday for School Supplies and Clothing. Even if you do not have children attending school, it's a good time to stock up on office supplies or preschool art supplies at back-to-school sale prices with no sales tax. Qualifying school supplies selling for $20 or less per item and clothing/footwear selling for $100 or less per item are exempt from sales tax. Some retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy may extend the "no sales tax" offer to all electronics: computers, televisions, and wireless products (they have done so in the past, so check your newspaper ads next Sunday). Here's the state's list of qualifiying items.
Does your state offer a tax-free weekend? Check this list of participating states from the Federal Tax Administration.
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Meal Plan Monday: Eating from the Garden
We're finally enjoying the fruits of our bounty--mostly tomatoes, but there are more cucumbers growing and I've put in new seeds in the hopes that August will be cooler (ha ha!) and let things grow. It's too hot here, and it's been hard finding the creativity to cook easy meals without the oven. I'm trying to get back into regular weekly meal planning by using the crockpot and doing cold foods like wraps and salads:
Sunday--Lazy Crockpot Chicken (I put frozen chicken in with a jar of tomato sauce), spaghetti (I had gluten-free quinoa pasta), broccoli and cauliflower
Monday--We'll be at a swim meet from 4:30-8:00, so I'm definitely feeding the kids there. I'll pack something GF for me to eat.
Tuesday--I've been wanting to try this Spinach Rice Cakes recipe I saw in Woman's Day magazine, so I made extra rice on Saturday night. We have everything else ready to go, so hopefully this will prompt me to try it. Sounds yummy! I would love to have a new, non-egg vegetarian recipe in my repertoire.
Wednesday--Pesto Chicken Wraps (we wrap leftover grilled chicken in whole wheat tortillas spread with pesto, then added lettuce, tomatoes from the garden, and feta cheese), fruit
Thursday--Chicken, Peppers, and Potatoes, green beans or peas (whatever's in the freezer)
Friday--Italian Spinach Pie and corn muffins (gluten-free for me)
Saturday--We'll be at the end-of-season Swim Party that night, but I think I'll start us off with a veggie tray and some healthy foods before we head over, to balance out whatever we end up eating there.
For more meal plans and great recipe ideas, head over to Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.com.
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I'm Back!
Actually, I got back into town about 1:30am last Wednesday morning, after a series of shenanigans that caused me to miss my original flight, break my suitcase, and lose my cell phone. It's taken me this long to recover, get my head back on straight, and get my house in order. At least when I came in the door, exhausted and starving, I found this sign from my son. Awwwww...
I'm looking forward to this last week of swim team; with four meets last week, the kids and I are exhausted and we're looking forward to some lazy August days. The kids keep asking when we can do all the fun things listed in my Summer Fun Recap, and I've been saying "Wait until August, when there's nothing to do!" It will be here soon enough. I know some of you are already looking at going back to school; we got out so late in June that we have over a month to go.
By the way, Random.org chose the winner of the $60 CSN Stores Gift Card: #14 Christine, who said this:
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- Problem is, Christine doesn't have an email on her profile, and she didn't leave it in her comment. You guys are killing me with this--I guess I'm going to have to switch to entry forms that force you to leave your email. Christine--you have until midnight on Wednesday night to contact me, or I'll have to choose another winner. Update: Yay, I heard back from Christine!
- Hope everyone is ready for a great week!
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