Hi there! I'm Helene, and I'm learning what it means to be frugal & fabulous in my health-centered, Paleo lifestyle. To me, being frugal goes beyond saving money; everyday frugality isn't all about penny-pinching and making tons of sacrifices. It’s about balancing your resources, adjusting your needs, and finding simpler and less wasteful ways to do things.
I don’t go to Big Lots for too many things, but I always make it in for their 20% off Friends & Family sale. It’s exactly what it sounds like… 20% off everything at Big Lots on top of their already-discounted prices! You can print the coupon here, but when I went into the store, they had plenty of coupons sitting at the register. Hurry! It ends today 7/10! There were some great cheap Paleo food items that I wanted to share with you. Here are a few things that I found during my Big Lots trip:
Let me just start by saying… I love these things! They’re crunchy and has a great texture. It satisfies your craving for potato chips and makes a great Paleo snack. No bad oils here: the only oil listed is coconut oil (not soybean or canola oil). Also, it has very plain and clear ingredients with the most questionable being “bacon flavor” listed towards the end of the ingredient list. Whether or not you follow the Paleo diet, you should try it! I ended up paying $1 per bag with the additional 20% discount. If this isn’t cheap Paleo, I don’t know what is! Quantities were extremely limited but I snagged eight bags of these. I’ll be sad when I run out because I’ll have to pay $4 per bag again so I’ll definitely savor it! Continue reading →
I made a coupon section on my blog since it’s all about being fab & frugal! But that section has all coupons and it’s hard to find the good ones! And by “good”, I’m talking about specialty coupons for gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo, non-GMO, organic and other specialty diet foods. So I’ve created a Healthy Coupons section so you can weed through the junk and find healthy grocery coupons!
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned stepping outside of the box and finding healthy and awesome deals somewhere other than a supermarket. Paleo living is not cheap so getting the best prices on good quality stuff is pretty important. Yesterday’s trip to my local HomeGoods store is proof that I need to do it more often. Look at the cache of healthful, organic treasures found!
I usually shop at Thrive Market or Amazon for spices and cooking oils and such. But I was in desperate need of coconut oil and sea salt. Can’t cook without those two things! With no time to factor in for shipping, I decided to go the old school route and actually go to the store. Since today was a Monday holiday (yay!) I decided to go on a leisurely trip to HomeGoods. Continue reading →
I don’t eat too many Korean dishes these days but sometimes, I need something spicy and familiar. Occasionally, I’ll get a jar of kimchi from the Asian grocery store in Fort Walton, but it’s an hour away so I’m SOL if I’m not heading out that way. Now, I’m a fan of trying to replicate dishes at home, but kimchi is incredibly time consuming and difficult to make. So what’s a girl to do when she gets a hankering for kimchi? I say, improvise and make Paleo-friendly cucumber kimchi salad!
Since soy is a big no-no on the Paleo diet, I used approved ingredients like coconut aminos and Red boat fish sauce to achieve the right taste. And I must say, I was pretty impressed with the results. Continue reading →
I used to coupon all the time, stocking up on things we use a lot like mustard, chicken stock, cans of beans, pasta sauce, and gluten free pasta. I would get them all while they were Buy One Get One at my Publix, then throw coupons right on top of the BOGO to get a super great deal. I’d research carefully, print coupons, go shopping, and come home feeling like a winner! But my life has drastically changed since my Hashimoto’s diagnosis so I’ve been putting things into perspective and trying to figure out what it means to save money while purchasing high quality foods. Continue reading →
Since this blog is about being fab and frugal, I think it’s time to post some of the best deals I found this week! Lots of organic fruits this week, which is perfect to eat fresh now and freeze some for smoothies in the near future. Continue reading →
This afternoon, I couldn’t stop thinking about rice. I was annoyed at dinner last night because I was forced to have my curry shrimp without any rice. It was good but it was missing something (rice, duh) so I didn’t thoroughly love it as I normally would. So it’s been bugging me all day today. When I want something, I must have it! Enter cauliflower: The fearless rice replacer.
When I was simply gluten free, I never missed pasta or bread because I was always eating rice. I ate rice quite often, especially since Brandon and I love all kinds of Asian foods: Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and even the occasional Indian dish. Rice is a huge part of Asian culture. I can attest to this, having grown up in a Korean household where we ate some form of Korean food (with rice) daily. And what’s not to like? It’s chewy, filling, and soaks up the flavor of whatever you’re eating with it. Continue reading →
I added a new section today: Paleo Lifestyle! Lately, living Paleo has become incredibly important to me. If you read my last post about redefining my fab & frugal journey, you already know that I was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. So after years of being a gluten-free weekday vegetarian, I made the switch to Paleo so I could begin my healing journey. Continue reading →
This loose definition of fab frugal (see below) was what I wrote on my About page as well as my sideline bio back in 2014. It’s a personal mantra that I strongly believe in to this day. That’s what motivated me to start a blog, so I can share my journey with others.
It’s been a little while since my last post. Lucky for me, at the time of this writing, I’m still pretty new to the blogosphere so I’m hopeful that no one noticed my absence. So much has happened this past year that required major life adjustments, which made me question my fab & frugal journey. Continue reading →
If you know me at all, you know that I travel a lot for a living. Some months, I’m on the road more than I am at home! It’s not always easy being away from home, especially when it comes to dining. I love my kitchen, and I miss my kitchen and all the awesome veggies and fruits hanging out in the refrigerator!
No matter where you are in your food life, I think we all look for ways to eat healthier and save money when we can, which isn’t an easy task when you’re traveling. Last week, I made a last-minute trip to Pennsylvania and there were horrible delays due to rain. Major bummer! I ended up having several meals at the airport.
But not to worry — as a seasoned traveler who travels through the same airports, I have an arsenal of health weapons at my beck and call. Among the many eateries at the Atlanta Airport (ATL – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport), there are several places I like to go to, and they aren’t expensive. As I sipped on my green juice at the airport last Monday morning, I was inspired to share some of my favorite places at ATL where you can grab some healthy & cheap meals. Continue reading →
Let me just start by saying… I love these things! They’re crunchy and has a great texture. It satisfies your craving for potato chips and makes a great Paleo snack. No bad oils here: the only oil listed is coconut oil (not soybean or canola oil). Also, it has very plain and clear ingredients with the most questionable being “bacon flavor” listed towards the end of the ingredient list. Whether or not you follow the Paleo diet, you should try it! I ended up paying $1 per bag with the additional 20% discount. If this isn’t cheap Paleo, I don’t know what is! Quantities were extremely limited but I snagged eight bags of these. I’ll be sad when I run out because I’ll have to pay $4 per bag again so I’ll definitely savor it! Continue reading 
