Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
Saving more money and getting in shape are always near the top of the list for New Year resolution makers. Did you know that you can have both with some simple couponing know-how as you leverage the perks that food manufacturers and retailers are willing to give you?
In one of my first few weeks of using my own system at SavingsAngel.com, I went overboard and bought four pumpkin pies at 80% off – and I wasn't on my way to a party. The odd thing about buying food is that you tend eat the food you buy. As a consequence, my waistline suffered as I focused on getting whatever food I could get for pennies on the dollar.
After hitting 230 pounds, I recognized that my exterior was simply not matching the enthusiasm I had for my food shopping freedom. So my dear wife and I hit the reset button on our pantry, donated over $4000 worth of products, and started over. The difference was, this time, we would focus only on getting the healthiest foods that would still fit our budget.
Rather than buying the unhealthy food choices at 60% to 80% off, we focused on the best healthier deals at 40-60% off and became much pickier about what we ate. In addition to food deals, we grabbed all the greatest deals up and down the non-food aisles.
These savings gave us more room to spend extra dollars in the produce section where discounts are available – but not as common. Still, I can say that if you want to improve the quality of your shopping list, getting maximum savings wherever you can is going to be critical.
I tracked every single thing I ate using an app called LoseIt. There are other food tracker apps that work great – but I came to the conclusion that a restrictive diet didn't work for me. I found myself constantly fighting against what “I couldn't have.” Instead, I gave myself permission to eat anything I wanted – as long as I was willing to log it. There was something about the psychology of knowing I'd be accountable that caused me to not eat unconsciously. Most food tracker apps are good about encouraging activity that promotes healthy choices. I found it amazing how much food I could eat if I chose more nutrient dense options.
The coupons were what made it all possible to get the foods that fit my eating plan. Imagine that your favorite grocery store gave you a magic card that would automatically take 40% off almost anything you wanted in the store. Chances are you wouldn't buy a tub of “cheesy poofs.” You'd likely sample the higher quality products. Those higher quality product manufacturers want everyone to try their brand – so the coupons they publish are equally high. Similarly, when my local retailer would offer a great sale, I would load up on those products because I had matching coupons ready to go. This includes organic products which have never been more readily available for deal seekers.
I dropped more than fifteen pounds in my first month and didn't stop there. Over the next year, I continued to lose weight and found a love for running which helped me hit my final goal weight of 167. Carrying less mass allowed me to run my first marathon at about one year after I began my healthy eating commitment.
Today, I work hard to stay within ten pounds of that goal weight. I continue to stay very active, and above all, I give myself the biggest shopping choices for my budget because I arm myself with coupons.
