One of the first things people realize when they start following the gluten-free diet is that if they want to enjoy gluten-free replacement items like bread, pizza, doughnuts, etc., they are going to pay a lot of money for the privilege. Leaving those items out of your diet will save a lot of money, but that isn’t a reasonable thing for most people to do unless they didn’t eat those types of foods when they ate gluten.
Shopping on Amazon.com is one of the best ways to save on gluten-free food, but since you have to buy most things in bulk, it’s only feasible to purchase things you know you like. Keep in mind that you need to be careful when shopping on that site because they always have non-gluten-free items listed in the gluten-free section. The company isn’t trying to dupe anyone into buying products that will make them sick. Things just slip by like vegan or sugar-free items at times, by mistake.
To save money at your local grocery store, take advantage of specials like 2 for deals on items that are gluten-free but not replacement-type foods. Various pasta sauces and Progresso soups that are labeled gluten-free routinely go on sale for 50% off at Publix stores. Kroger, Ingles, Hy-Vee, Food Giant, Winn-Dixie, Safeway, and other chains all offer ways to save money in various ways. You can get frequent shoppers cards at many of them which give you lower prices on tons of items throughout the store. Some might be gluten-free so stocking up on them can save a lot of money over time.
Lately, there have been discounting coupons (the kind you cut out) in circulars for various gluten-free items like Food Should Taste Good chips, Chex cereals, and Swanson broths. As always, diligence is needed when shopping as many coupons are good for both gluten and gluten-free products from the lines. Some health food stores have their own coupon books – or industry coupon books which offer savings at those stores.
Vitacost presently offers over 500 gluten-free items and free shipping on orders over $49. They also sell many items by the unit there so case purchases are not required for all the items they offer.
Your local dollar store might be worth checking out for great deals too. Even though you’re not likely to find frozen gluten-free waffles in the freezer at such stores, they often have simple items like beans, olives, and other shelf-stable foods. Some are gluten-free even if not labeled that way. Please note that shopping for food at those stores requires one to be very proficient in deciphering food labels.
As I’ve said time and again, shopping with gluten-free friends for items you can only purchase only online can really cut down your shipping costs. In the past, I’ve done this for everything from bagels to doughnuts to buttermilk biscuit dough. The more people you can order with, the more money you’ll save. Just like learning the gluten-free diet takes a lot of time, so does saving money on gluten-free food. With the current economic situation, it definitely pays to spend a little time finding the best deals out there for both natural and specialty gluten-free foods.
I believe that I will be making a return trip to Kroger this week to pick up the other 2 varieties of cookies that Udi’s has in stock there. I am sure that my son will love the snickerdoodles and I know that he won’t touch the oatmeal raisin, which means they will be all mine! <insert evil laugh here>
Baking
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