I tried...

So a while back, I was going to come up with a great source of coupons and make some meal plans for as cheaply as possible. And I wanted to stay organic as much as possible.

Well, I tried. I really did! I checked out several on-line coupon sources and even joined a "coupon train". And while I accumulated lots of coupons, I discovered that I don't really use the products that have coupons attached.

For example, I don't buy any cleaning products anymore, so that removes about 1/3 of the available coupons. I try not to buy prepackaged food, so most of the Kraft and Cash for Kids coupons go unused.

I did find some organic coupons..Stonyfield Organic has a downloadable coupon (but it's only good for one use) and Earthbound Organic sends weekly email coupons and some by mail. Unfortunately, they are both American companies, so I'm a bit torn about that.

But now that summer is approaching, I have a share at my cousin's CSA and am very excited to get fresh, local, organic produce. I also discovered that we have a local organic grain place, Oak Manor Farms. I am also planning on attending a workshop on the 100-mile diet in our area, so I hope to find a good source of organic meat, milk and eggs.

So back to the drawing board...I'll try to post recipes and costs once I get my sources figured out!

In the meantime, if anyone needs some coupons, let me know!

Budgets and Meal Planning

I've been reading a lot about meal planning and budget meals..and although I'm impressed with people who can make $5 meals for their family of 4, I wonder if that would be realistic for me.

I am trying to eat as organically as possible, so I don't think $5 would be reasonable. And I choose not to buy all store-brand items as often times they are higher in sugar, sodium or contain MSG. So in an attempt to eat healthier, it is more expensive.

My goal over the next month is to figure out a reasonable weekly budget for groceries..then I hope to prepare weekly meal plans with costs associated.

If anyone has a great Canadian source for coupons, I'd love to hear about it!!