Coupons for organic and natural foods are out there

If the More Hip than Hippie podcast wasn't already on your radar before last week when I told you that I was interviewed for the show, I hope it is now. Each week Dori & Val bring relevant information about being green along with a high entertainment factor that makes a podcast worth listening to. 

I went for a walk yesterday and was catching up on some back episodes of the show that I hadn't gotten a chance to listen to yet. In one of the episodes, Val was talking about saving money through coupons in this rough economy and how someone had gotten something like $70 of groceries for $11 (my numbers might be off) after using coupons. My first thought was, "Ya, but what kind of groceries?" If it was all Hot Pockets and potato chips, it's not worth it.

If you're trying to eat a more organic and natural diet, the majority of coupons from the Sunday paper aren't going to help you save money. There are a few coupons for organics in those circulars, but you're going to have to look elsewhere for the majority of your coupons. 

• Mambo Sprouts. One fabulous source that I've mentioned here before is Mambo Sprouts. Their website has downloadable coupons and you can sign up to be sent a seasonal coupon book a couple of times a year.
• Ecobunga. Another online source is Ecobunga. Not only does Ecobunga list food coupons, it also has coupons for other organic products like clothing and cleaning products.

The rest of this list comes from a previous post I did on Mother Nature Network last year.

• Grocery store. Many stores will have coupons for organic/natural products somewhere in the section where those products are. My store has a monthly free magazine that has short articles on food/health and a few advertisements with coupons. Take a look up and down the isles of your store – either the entire store if it sells only natural/organic or just in the specific section.
  
• Magazines. Magazines that are of interest to people who are into organics, healthy lifestyles, yoga or even just food often have coupons along with advertisements. With a quick flip through a recent issue of Body and Soul magazine, I found a coupon for Frontier Natural Products and one for Old Orchard Healthy Balance Juice.
  
• Favorite brand’s website. If there is a specific brand of natural or organic food that you like, you can often find coupons for their products on their website or sign up to be sent coupons via e-mail. Some companies, like Kashi, make it easy to get their coupons by sending them to you. Other sites, like Organic Valley, have coupons to download on their site.
  
• Coupon websites. There are several websites that are dedicated to all kinds of coupons. Many of them have coupons for natural and organic products. Type “natural and organic coupons” into your search engine and you’ll come up with several dozen of them. It may take some time searching through them, but you’re likely to find some money saving coupons. Some of the websites require you to download software to get the coupons. Make sure you trust the site before you download software.
  

Remember that coupons are usually for processed foods. Even natural and organic foods can be processed. It’s best to try to eat mostly whole foods – those that haven’t been processed. Sometimes, though, our hectic lives have us reaching into the cabinet or freezer for something packaged. I know mine does.