So, here it is folks – a whole table of groceries for $51.78. (Since my sister called and asked me to pick up the $2 cantalope to add to her fruit salad, I’m actually under budget. I spent $49.22 on my groceries.)

The thing is, I didn’t just buy groceries for my house. I also bought three types of cheese and two bags of organic chips for Easter brunch. The blueberry Wenslydale cheese alone was $7. (But if you’ve ever tried it, you’ll understand why I bought it for Easter brunch. Oh, is it good!) Without the Easter food, I would have been about $15 more under budget.

So, how did I manage to buy organic products, fresh produce and meat and some special things for Easter brunch without blowing the budget? Well, I used coupons. That’s right. Coupons for organic products. They do exist! I emailed a few companies that had products I like and got some very nice coupons in return. I also kept an eye out for the rare organic product coupons in the paper.

Then, to really make the most of my trip, I looked for reduced items. That Nature’s Promise bread? 99 cents a loaf. And the produce? Almost all reduced to $1 a pack. I tossed the fresh sweet potato fries in the freezer and will have the salad for dinner, so I’m not worried about anything going bad. The meat was on sale instead of reduced, but if you go shopping on the days when meat is typically reduced in your grocery store, you can really save there, too. (Don’t know when markdowns are typically made? Ask your butcher.)

I hope hearing about this trip encourages some of you who haven’t been couponing to start looking for coupons for healthy products.

How did your shopping trip turn out this week?