Kids with Food Allergies, ways to save a little on groceries.

I have two boys both with food allergies and sensitivities. Both are allergic to cow's milk. One is allergic to eggs on top of the milk. Both are sensitive to corn, cane sugar. My oldest has other sensitivities besides corn and cane sugar. Both follow a gluten free/casein free diet, which is not easy to do.

It is not easy to save money on groceries when you have to shop for speciality food items. I would say that my monthly grocery bill increased by about $200. That is a huge increase, especially being a one income family. I have found ways to save a little on the special foods. Many of the speciality food items have websites, I have logged on and joined their clubs and newsletters. Some even offer coupons on the website for you to print out. Shop around, if you live in a large metro area you most likely have several grocery stores and health/natural food stores. Take the time to visit them all, take along a small note pad and compare the prices on the items you use most often. I discovered that my local health food store chain has the lowest prices on the specialty items I buy every two weeks and they accept manufacturers coupon and Internet coupons. The local health food store has very knowledgeable staffers, too!

I am very lucky to have 2 Whole Foods Markets with 10 miles of my home. Did you know that Whole Foods has a monthly free newsletter "The Whole Deal" and in it there is section of manufacturers coupons that you can use at Whole Foods or any other store that sell and accepts coupons. Whole Foods even takes Internets coupons. They also offer a 10% discount if you purchase food items by the case. Sign up for their emails and from time to time you will receive special offers. I recently received a $5 off coupon a purchase of $25 or more.

There are many online sources for allergy free food items. You can find speciality flours in bulk which in the long run are cost affective, but the product can go bad. Many of the ancient grain flours need to be stored in the freezer or refrigerator to keep them fresh. That is one thing to keep in mind when shopping for alternative flours. Some of my favorite websites for allergy free foods are:
http://www.food4celiacs.com/
http://www.allergygrocer.com/
http://www.nuworldfamily.com/default.asp
http://allerneeds.com/
http://www.vancesfoods.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Organic-Grocery/b/ref=sa_menu_nto6?ie=UTF8&node=51537011&pf_rd_p=328655101&pf_rd_s=left-nav-1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=507846&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1FQJT24W0G9FW79MW38W

For me it is really important for me to have some of our family favorites on hand for the holidays that are allergy free for my boys, even cand that they can have! Happy Thanksgiving!