A stockpile defense for couponers: What to say when people criticize the unhealthy food you’re getting for free or cheap.

A Stockpile Defense: Couponers Aren’t Just Eating Crap Food

If you’ve ever tried couponing, you realize that much of the stuff you buy with coupons (or get FREE or REALLY CHEAP with coupons) is unhealthy.  It’s hard to try to balance meals if that’s all you buy – the junk.

But, couponing doesn’t mean always eating unhealthy foods.  And stockpiling isn’t selfish or hoarding.  It’s actually budget-friendly, and even generous!

We buy healthy food too.

Have you ever thought that we may be using the money we save to buy healthier options for our families? We spread out the “junk” over months into a nutritious “moderation” meal plan.

Don’t always assume that we crazy coupon people (Learn couponing basics here) are gorging ourselves on toaster pastries with icing and pasta with meatballs EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

UGH – gross! We’re certainly not!

We often use our savings to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, or healthier options for our family, which we can’t normally buy with coupons. And we spread out the unhealthy options sparingly between our more balanced meals.

Last week, I got the 8 items you see in the image above for only $1.80! I did that by combining sale prices and doubling manufacturer coupons at Lowes Foods (including a $3.00 coupon I also used).  But don’t worry, my children will NOT be having Toaster Strudels for breakfast every morning.  Those will be a special treat every once in a while (spaced out very far in between with our regular breakfasts of cereal, oatmeal, grits, or eggs).  And, the meatballs will probably go with spaghetti (and salad), about every other week or so.  They will last us for quite some time.

Stockpiling is often criticized by those who don’t coupon.  Some folks may say, “Why buy four boxes of Toaster Strudels and four bags of meatballs? What selfishness or hoarding behavior!”  But we do eat this stuff.  I make sure that the things I buy won’t expire before our family eats them.  Or we share it with friends or the food pantry.

Most couponers are conscientious about making smart buying decisions, not wasting or hoarding.

So please don’t look at a couponer’s cart in the grocery store and judge us harshly.  We are feeding our families the best way we can, and it’s not always how you may think.  Our families tend to eat VERY well, and for much less than most other families do!  We’re probably looking at your carts and thinking, “Wow, she just paid $11 for toilet paper.  If only she’d learn how to coupon she could have gotten her toilet paper for $2-3 instead, plus been able to splurge on a couple of pounds of 97% extra lean ground beef that’s not on sale today…”

When was the last time you could say that you fed your family of five a balanced dinner for less than $5, every night that week? Cause we can, and it feels good.