Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Anyone Else A Major Bargain Hunter?

GlutenFreeManna

Recommended Posts

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

Just wondering if anyone else likes to search out deals and save money as much as I do. I'm always scouring the clearance racks, on the lookout for closeout deals. I think I love the hunt more than the actual purchasing. I go to thrift stores for clothes and yard sales for used furniture or other items. If I'm looking to buy something new I will price it out at several stores before making the purchase. One reason it's so easy for me to not eat a lot of gluten-free goodies is that they are SO EXPENSIVE. I can buy tons of veggies, fruit and meat for the price of a loaf of gluten-free bread, cookies or crackers. I just about jumped up and down with glee when I found Trader Joe's rice pasta for only $1.99. I used to use coupons big time when I grocery shopped, and I still do on a lot of non-food items and anything that is gluten free/soy free/dairy free, but to a much lesser extent. I make a list each week of the sale/seasonal veggies in the stores as well as any fresh meats on sale and plan my meals around that list. I'm always on the lookout for marked down meat, I buy it whenever I find it and freeze it. We just had a delicious leg of lamb that I found this way, marked down 75% off the regular price because it had a sell by date of that day. Just wondering if anyone else here shares my love of saving money.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


summerteeth Enthusiast
summerteeth
Posted

I am all about bargains. I coupon clip, but most of those items I can't have. So I buy all of his foods with coupons - he is so not picky. I figure if we save $20/week on his groceries that is pretty good.

Kroger/Hilander always has a "bargain bin" - I found Pamela's cookies in there for $.99 and Snikiddy snacks for $1.29. Sam's Club has Crunchmaster chips for like $6 but you get three bags! A big batch of chili in my slow cooker saves us a lot of money (not right now, though, because it is so warm in the Midwest).

Fruits and veggies seem to be really cheap for me (although some disagree). I don't really buy gluten-free bread or specialty items too often... that seems to get the cost down.

Oh! And Aldi's is pretty great- there is a customer service email floating around somewhere (I may be able to find it in my outbox). A lot of their foods are gluten-free. Plus, I recently saw EnviroKidz cereal there for less than $2.

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

The main ways I've found to save money is to make everything from scratch. It is also healthier, and not prone to CC or hidden ingredients. You can save a lot by making your own jellies/jams, condiments, spreads, crackers, cookies, breads and other baked items, milks, drinks, yogurt (non-dairy for me), pudding and other desserts, etc.

  • 3 weeks later...
Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

I'm frugal with some things but not others. Clothing? I almost always buy on clearance. I'm always on the lookout for bargain socks because daughter does...well...I don't know what with them. All I know is that they disappear. Luckily she likes the look of mismatched socks. Because despite having literally hundreds of socks, it's rare to find a mate.

I like Victoria's Secret undies. I buy them mostly when they are on clearance. Once in a while I will need new ones and have to pay regular price.

I am on the mailing list for a New Balance closeouts site. They notify us when our size is on a blowout sale. That's when I buy.

I also get good buys at Camp Mor (especially winter clothes), Lands End and LL Bean.

About the only time I might pay full price for something is if I need something specific in a hurry (like when daughter outgrew her winter coat last year) or it's a special occasion. But even then I might not. I paid $20 for my wedding dress, some 15 years ago. Granted it wasn't a real wedding dress. It wasn't even white. It was cream colored. But that's the color I wanted. I just kept searching until I found something I liked that was cheap.

Food is a mixed bag. My cat is elderly with a thyroid problem. So underweight. I will spend pretty much any amount on her to make sure she has something she will eat. She is finicky too.

I try to make a lot of beans, rice, potatoes and popcorn for us to eat because they are cheap. But I also spend a small fortune on special gluten free things for daughter.

JDB Newbie
JDB
Posted

The clientel is a bit sketchy in our area, but I love to go to Grocery Outlet Bargin market for groceries. They have gluten free, organic, and good household stuff. And when I am there I buy all that they have, because I know I won't see it again. Good thing for storage!

Otherwise I am a major thrift store and yard sale junkie. Love the rush!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable. The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body. So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days. Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte...
    2. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine?
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine. Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine. Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats. Meat, especially organ...
    4. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc. Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food....
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Russ H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,870
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    KABoston
    Newest Member
    KABoston
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
    • Scott Adams
      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.