"I can't coupon because I don't eat those foods"!

"I can't coupon because I don't eat those foods"! Ever hear these words before? I hear it all the time from friends that see my Weekly Savings@Publix Posts. Excuses excuses, this is all I ever hear from people when I recommend that they start couponing. Although you don't normally see coupons for such products and it is more difficult to save on these special items, it is not impossible.

It is true that many people have diets or "ways of life" that require them to eat certain foods and that it is not beneficial for these manufacturers to advertise with coupons in the newspapers. However, it is possible to find coupons for such items elsewhere. The best advice I can give people like this is:

1. Write or email the manufacturers to request coupons and check website/facebook

2. Coupon and save on Non-Food items

3. Coupon and find deals on "Money-Makers

Many manufacturing companies that specialize in diet foods have a specific consumer niche to which they cater. This means that advertising with coupons to the general public in the Sunday newspaper is not cost effective for them. This however does not mean that they don't produce coupons at all. In-fact most companies now-a-days have printable coupons online at the product webpage or at the associated Facebook Promotions Page. A tried and true method of obtaining such elusive coupons is to write or email a request directly to the company. For example: My daughter can not drink cow's milk nor soy so we tried goat milk and it was a success. I have never seen coupons for Mayenberg Goat Milk so I ventured to the website and sent a request for coupons via the webpage. In a couple weeks I had a nice little surprise in the mail.

I also let my friends know of a common misconception about coupons. The majority of grocery savings comes not from food coupons but rather from non-food coupons such as toiletries and cleaning supplies. Toiletries and cleaning supplies can get very expensive. You can rapidly increase the balance of your savings account by not being "brand specific" on non-food items.

Finally I love to let them in on a little couponing trick about items known as "money makers". Every Extreme Couponer's goal is to find money makers! These are items that are priced very low and when matched with coupons, the balance due drops into the negative range. Most grocery stores will take this negative balance and apply it towards the rest of your grocery bill! Basically the store is paying you to take those items home. This is the most sought after savings deal by extreme couponers because it allows you to put "FREE" money towards the purchase of other groceries that don't have coupons such as those "diet specific" items.

It is possible to coupon and save even when you are on restricting diets. It just takes a little extra work and focus! Good luck!