Combining various affordable breakfast items makes for a delicious start to your day.
Doesn’t breakfast always seems to be the busiest time of the day? Some people skip breakfast altogether, but it’s the most important meal of the day and doesn’t have to be a hassle to fit it into even the busiest of lifestyles and tightest of budgets. In order to help you break that habit, check out these savings tips to help slim down the costs and enhance your convenience of grabbing healthy and affordable breakfast items next time you’re at the grocery store.
Breakfast Bars
- Nature Valley – Pair a coupon for the 5-pack of granola bars with monthly sales to get them for about $0.28 per bar.
- Slim Fast – Look for $1.00 off coupons to use on the single-serving bars (often on sale for only $1.00).
Hot and Cold Cereals
- Cheerios – Get the smaller boxes for $0.25-$0.75 ea. with coupons.
- Fiber One – Get Fiber One cereals for $0.47 a box after coupon and using a gift card when Target runs a Buy 5, get $5.00 on a Target gift card deal.
- General Mills, Post – Stock up on smaller boxes for $0.25-0.75 ea. using a manufacturer coupon for $1.00 to $2.00 off.
- Glucerna – Manufacturer coupons run $3.00 to $5.00 off; apply these to Glucerna cereal (reg. $4.50) when it’s on sale to make it free or almost free—that’s a stock up price!
- Kellogg’s, Rice Krispies – Get these cereals for $1.00 a box by matching up the quarterly $4.00 off four coupon with store sales. Get smaller boxes for $0.25-$0.75 ea.
- Malt O Meal – Shop at Walmart to snag a box for just $0.25 using a manufacturer coupon for $0.75 off.
- Quaker Oats – The quick-minute breakfast oatmeal containers often go on sale (for as low as $1.50); pair that price with a manufacturer coupon for $1.00 off to get them for $.02 an ounce!
- Special K – Look for manufacturer Buy One, Get One coupons, especially when they’re promoting new products.
- Wheaties – Best to buy when it’s on sale for $1.00. “Like” Wheaties on Facebook to get a $1.00 off coupon, or check for a monthly $0.75 off coupon in newspaper inserts.
Instant and Frozen Breakfasts
Save on the most important meal of the day. Image courtesy of Callee MacAuley.
- Aunt Jemima – The Aunt Jemima breakfast entrees often go on sale (as low as $1.00 each); pair that price with theregularly available manufacturer coupon for $1.00 off two to pay $0.50 per serving.
- Ensure – Try to pair the Buy Two, Get One Free coupon with two $3.00 off coupons, both of which are available in SmartSource inserts.
- Jimmy Dean Sausage – Look for as much as $2.50 off the diet-friendly breakfast sandwich packs (reg. $3.50 at Walmart for the 4-pack) making the sandwiches just $0.25 each.
Milk and Lactose-free Substitutes
- 8th Continent Soy Milk – Use the high-value manufacturer coupon for up to $2.00 off at Walmart to get a half-gallon for just $0.73 (reg. $2.73).
- Horizon Organic - Single milks are often on sale for $1.00, so use the $1.00 off coupons on the smaller sizes to get them free, or pay $2.59 for the gallon-size after coupon.
- Lactaid – Pair sale prices on milk (as low as $2.99) with manufacturer coupons for $1.00 off; or get 6 oz. yogurt for free using the $1.00 off coupon.
- Silk Soy Milk – Look for the manufacturer coupon for $2.00 off and, if no size restrictions are specified, use it on the smaller sizes to get the best value. Many stores release coupons for these products, especially when they offer a new flavor.
- Smart Balance – Get a half-gallon of this milk for $0.59 (reg. $3.50) about every three months at Meijer using a manufacturer coupon for $1.50 off, paired with a store sale and store coupon.
Tea, Coffee and Creamers
Find great deals on coffee and creamer. Image by Yuri Ivanov.
- Celestial Seasonings Tea – Look for a $1.00 off printable coupon and/or other monthly insert offers to get tea boxes for $0.10-0.88 a box.
- Coffee Mate –Pair the $1.85 off three 16 oz. containers with a store sale to get them for free or almost free. The best time to buy these is at Christmas time because stores run super deals on holiday-themed creamers.
- Eight O’Clock Coffee – Publix often runs Buy One, Get One offers on these coffee bags (reg. $6.81); pair this sale with two $1.00 off printables, making the bags $2.40 each.
- Folgers – Wait for a sale price (around $2.79) and pair that with a regularly available coupon for $2.00 off.
- International Delight – Get free or almost free creamer using the $2.00 off coupons.
- Nescafe Taster’s Choice – Get an 8-count box for free at Target or Walgreens by pairing the manufacturer $0.75 off coupon with a store coupon for $0.50 or more off.
- Snapple – Get Snapple products for at least 50 percent off using the array of regularly available manufacturer coupons including Buy One, Get One offers, rebates for 6-packs, peelies on products, and $0.55 off one bottle.
Yogurt
Never pay full price for yogurt again. Image by Ann Larie Valentine.
- Dannon Activia – Meijer, Target and Kroger often release quarterly store coupons for $1.00 off; stack with the manufacturer occasional $1.00 off 4-pack coupon to get this product for free.
- Fiber One – Get the yogurt 4-packs for as low as $0.04 each using the regular coupon for $1.00 off and pairing that with Target’s Buy 5, Get $5.00 in gift cards deal.
- Prairie Farms – Use the manufacturer Buy Two, Get One Free coupon on single-serve yogurt cups (reg. $0.50 or less) and pair with a sale for the best value.
- Stonyfield – Use high-value manufacturer coupons (such as $2.00 off three) on single-serving sizes.
- Voskos Greek Yogurt – Look to pair manufacturer coupons, such as $0.75 off, with promotions like Buy Two, Get One Free to get these products for free or close to free.
- YoCrunch – Use the manufacturer $0.29 off coupon on single servings; some stores will even double.
In addition to tips to save on specific brands, we thought these general savings strategies might be helpful to make the most out of your breakfast budget.
- When you find a great deal on frozen foods and cereals, stock up! Fill your freezer – most of these items will keep for several months.
- Scout your local bakery outlet for bread, english muffins and bagels at a discount. Or head to the day old section of your grocery store’s bakery and stock up. Bread freezes really well.
- Making your own pancakes, waffles and muffins saves a ton of money. You can freeze these and reheat them for a quick, homemade breakfast on the go.
- Large cartons of yogurt are usually much cheaper than single serving sizes.
- Buy the old fashioned oats in a barrel carton instead of single serving packets and save big. Just add some cinnamon, brown sugar or fruit to spice it up.
Still think breakfast costs too much? We didn’t think so!
