Thrifty Grocery Shopping at Henry's Farmers Market

There are few things in life that make me happier than getting a good deal. What can I say? Being thrifty is incredibly satisfying.

So, I went grocery shopping at Henry's Farmers Market on Sunday afternoon following the Young Dems board retreat. Now, generally, I don't shop at Henry's because most of my food is obtained from either my CSA, Be Wise Ranch, or my beloved Ocean Beach People's Organic Foods Market (which I refer to simply as the "Co-Op"). However, I had received a coupon from the previous weekend's Healing Arts Festival for $5 off a $20 purchase at Henry's, and I couldn't resist the temptation of a bargain. I brought along my Go Green Book of coupons and also picked up an additional coupon book at the entrance of the store. For the next 40 minutes, I amused myself by finding all of the items that were on sale AND that I had a coupon for. At the check-out, the cashier said, "Damn, girl!" when I handed him my fistful of coupons. "Damn, girl" is right because I cut 1/3 off of my total bill by using coupons. I packed up all my deals in my re-usable bag and headed out. What a fantastic Sunday afternoon! So here's my tip for this thrifty trip: Save your coupons until the store puts your items on sale, and that is when you can get the optimum savings.

Also, I stumbled upon a stellar offer from Organic Heros : If you buy an Organic Valley Family Farms item and a Nature's Path Organic item, you can send in the bar codes and receive a free year subscription to Organic Gardening magazine. Additionally, Organic Valley and Nature's Path will make a donation to Rodale Institute's Farmers Can Be Heros program.