Guest post from Jacqueline Smith
In a perfect world, eating lots of produce would be easy, economical, and fun for the whole family. But let’s face it: we all struggle with eating fresh fruits and vegetables for one reason or another.
The good news is, the more organized we are, the more we save on produce. Here are five tips to help you save money on produce:
1. Start your meal plan before you shop…but don’t limit yourself to it.
Meal planning is an essential part of making sure that you use up all of your produce, but you don’t want to handcuff yourself to buying just what’s on your meal plan as you shop.
The solution? Complete about 50% of your week’s meal plan before you head out the door. Once you have a chance to see what’s on sale and what looks freshest at your supermarket, buy those items, too, and finish up your meal plan when you get home.
2. Buy in-season produce. Skip the (expensive) rest.
We all know not to buy watermelon in February, but what about the fruits that are available year-round like apples (or vegetables made available year-round like sweet potatoes)? You may not notice because it inches up slowly, but the price of apples can go up as much as 50 cents per pound when they’re out of season.
The solution? Skip apples in the spring and summer. Buy berries and melons and other spring/summer fruits instead. Before you know it, fall will swing around again, and apples will come back down in price. This interactive map from Epicurious can help you know what’s in season in your region.
3. Involve the whole family.
Make sure you keep your grocery list and meal-planning sheets somewhere in the house where the whole family can see them. Encourage everyone to add to the lists whenever they have a request or meal idea. This ensures that you’ll buy produce your family will be excited to eat.
4. Have a worst-case scenario soup and smoothie plan.
Some weeks, we all just get so busy that much of the produce we buy doesn’t get eaten by the end of the week.
The solution? Simply keep some soup stock on hand and make a soup with all of the leftover veggies from the week. Likewise, throw overripe fruit in your blender and make smoothies either with ice or frozen bananas. No wasted produce = no wasted money!
5. Celebrate your team work.
In order to keep your family eating lots of produce over the long run, take time at the the dinner table to celebrate how you all worked together to eat the most perishable food before it spoiled. A little praise goes a long way!
How do you save money on produce?
Jacqueline Smith loves to help families save big on produce using simple tools that simply work. You can read more about her at JacquelineSmith.com.
Check out Hungry Harvest! https://www.hungryharvest.net/
We love their produce, their mission, and the savings. To save $5 on your first order, feel free to use this link: http://hharvest.net/m5cKt2M.
You can add on pantry items as well. We love it!
Getting vegetables in my meals at home has always been a problem for me. If I can’t get to the farmer’s market, or a local grocer, I feel like I can spend a fortune on produce very easily. It really adds up. And if I don’t eat what I bought, it feels completely wasted – like a little ticking time clock in my fridge! I like the idea of getting only the in-season stuff and making soups/smoothies out of the produce I’m afraid will go bad if I don’t eat it. Thanks for the tips!
Elizabeth,
Another way to sneak vegetables in is through doing “kitchen sink” stir-frys, using whatever’s on hand with a good sauce. Also, with pasta dishes you can sneak in greens, peppers, onion, garlic. Sometimes I look on the sauce jar ingredients and add more of what is already in there from my fresh produce options. Feel free to email me if you want more tips over time: js@jacquelinesmith.com.
Thanks, Jacqueline. I’ll do that!
At the end of the week, I take all the “extra” and toss it in the dehydrator–in this way, I regularly build up my food storage, make my own instant soup and dip mixes, produce fruit leathers and chips for snacking and can also take advantage of great sales. It’s really simple–a leftover ear of corn, for example–just cut off the kernels and toss onto a tray–it will be ready for soup, cornbread, etc. in a short time. A bowl of leftover salad dehydrated and powdered is a great addition to veggie soup anytime. Those wimpy carrots left at the end of the week? Chop or shred and toss in the dehydrator and add to the “leftover” jar for soups and casseroles. There is no waste!
Another thought– When visiting the farmer’s market, I ask for the “B” grade of tomatoes and have been able to buy a case for $8, bring it home and turn it into roasted tomato sauce (into the freezer) for the entire winter–and it really is not all that much work–wash ’em, cut ’em in half and put facedown on a jelly roll pan (or something with sides), throw some garlic cloves in there, pour a little olive oil over it and bake until the skins slide off. You can skin them or leave the skins on–toss in a good blender (Vitamix, Blendtech, even a Magic Bullet but that takes longer ’cause it’s smaller) and there you go! 3 cups fit into a quart size zip lock back (when cooled)–mark bag with a sharpie and freeze flat on a cookie sheet so you can easily store them in a box in the freezer or lined up like books on the shelf for ease of use. You can also dehydrate these and turn into leather or powder and store in a jar. You can also get “seconds” from local farmers and freeze or dehydrate for use later just as part of your normal meal prep (chop twice the veggies or fruits you need–eat half, freeze or dehydrate half) without having to live in the kitchen.
Hope this is helpful! LOVE your blog!
Blessings,
Donna G Spann
Gosh your tomato sauce sounds fantastic!
I buy a lot of my produce at Aldis, but that’s on the other side of town. However, now a local store called Bottom Dollar Foods will price match the Aldis ad and actually makes it a cent less. That saves on Gas.
Another option that has saved is going to the Farmers Market.
I love the worst-case-scenario soup plan – great tip!
Another idea is freezing produce. Certain items like tomatoes can be frozen to save for soups, sauces, etc. If I ever buy too much of something and I know it will go bad, I try to come up with a way to freeze it, if possible.
I freeze whatever I can, too. I wish I could stock up more, but I don’t have a garage or a basement or a separate freezer (only the one on the refrigerator). It’s good to know that you can freeze tomatoes; I’ve never tried that.
For those who have kids, it’s worth asking the Customer Service desk at your local grocery store if they have any kind of “Kid’s Club” perks. My local Tom Thumb (Safeway) lets each child pick a free piece of fruit, cookie, or soda each trip. Since we get a free cookie at Target, I haven’t even told them it’s an option at Tom Thumb. They just know they each get to pick a piece of fruit.
Think outside the grocery store! Some produce is more expensive at our local farmers’ market (and worth every penny in my opinion) BUT there’s a lot of great deals too. And you can feel great about your dollar supporting local farmers.
Absolutely.
Our Aldi’s has 3lbs onions for 59 cents this week. I purchased 6 bags (yes, 18 lbs!) & am chopping/freezing in 1/2 c & 1 c packages for soups, casseroles, & hummus. I froze 12 lbs last year & ran out!! I also purchased inexpensive carrots, shredded, & froze for soups. Thank you Jesus for my food processor!!
I have been buying more produce lately, and at the same time I STOPPED buying crackers and pretzels. It’s been a few months now, and the kids haven’t died yet! In fact, they have not complained like I thought they would. For snacks I offer one or two of the following: fruit, carrots, cukes, hummus, cheese, nuts, yogurt, or homemade baked item. One of my kids has always been a cracker-lover/produce hater. But she’s coming around, now that the crackers are gone. Sometimes she just doesn’t eat snack if it’s a fruit she doesn’t like, and then she eats better at supper, which I prefer anyway. All of the kids are eating better at meal time now, including the veggies. I should have done this years ago.
I don’t think my grocery budget has changed as a result, although it’s hard to tell for sure so there’s been so much inflation lately. Cutting out the junk leaves more room for produce.
We do grow a garden – so much tastier! In the fall, I buy apples by the bushel or half-bushel, which is so much cheaper than in the store. The price varies year to year, but I just got some the other day for about 40 cents/lb.
When I calculate the cost of produce versus the misery and cost of chronic health problems later in life, for me, it’s a good reminder of how I want to eat.
Great last point.
My husband and I keep an eye on the reduced rack. I’ll buy produce like potatoes and peppers at a very cheap price – I’ve purchased a 1 lb bag of fingerling potatoes for .35cents. It was right after St. Patrick’d Day, so I made corned beef hash for dinner that night. I’ve found a package of 5 red peppers for $2 (which is usually the cost per pound when on sale). My husband and I chopped and sliced them, and put them in freezer for later use. We didn’t have to buy peppers for quite some time.
You can also find some produce like lemons, fresh ginger root, shell-on nuts, oranges, bananas, and apples that might have a slight bruise. You probably shouldn’t buy produce from the reduced rack if you’re not going to use them within the next 1 or 2 days. But if you come across a bunch of over-ripe bananas for .25cents, why not make banana bread? If you find a package or oranges for $1, bring a few to work, and stick a few in children’s lunch bags.
For those who shop at stores or garden for produce if you get a good deal you can consider:
investing in a dehydrator
lay out all your produce on a cookie sheet, then freeze and bag
learn how to can
Overripe bananas freeze very well peeled in a zip bag. Can be used later for banana bread. I do buy the discounted bananas at various stores. I look for the most unripe ones in the bag and try to eat those. Whatever is left that is not eaten is then frozen.
Berries are so expensive here (except for Aldi sales) that it’s almost always cheaper to buy apples, even when they are out of season.. but the freshness factor definitely apples to in-season, local produce!!
applies, not apples. ha!
Berries never got cheap this season for us either. I still ended up buying frozen berries even during the summer.
This was becoming a problem in our home too. We have a local store that has great deals on local organic produce. And we live near a u-pick farm. So we started juicing our extra fruits and veggies (the best method so far). I also started canning small batches of stuff that was a great deal. AND I just incorporated more veggies into the menu. Skip a starch and add a veggie instead. I used to not like zucchini that much but it’s pretty yummy and I might grow some next year.
Yes! Skip the starch and eat more veggies! So much better for you.
Another way to get free or nearly free produce is to grow your own!
I agree with this, but only *after* you recoup start-up costs. If you have to buy tools, buy dirt, build raised beds or put up a fence, it takes a lot of money to get going.
Stock up in season. You can can, dry, and freeze produce. You can also eat more of what’s in season.
Last week I bought 100 pounds of potatoes for $8.80. That will be a lot of inexpensive meals.
We also grow as much of our own produce as possible. This week I’m planting cool season vegetables for my fall garden, including lettuce, radishes, spinach, and more.
Where did you get an incredible deal like that?
Right now the Food $ Less nearest to us has a 10 pound bag of russets for $0.88. They are the Kroger brand potatoes, and they appear to be the new fal crop. They look REALLY nice.
You can see a similar price in November (usually $1 for a 10lb. bag, or sometimes $2 a bag). Then I buy 300-400 pounds and keep them in the garage, where it’s 55º (if you have a basement that would be better; best is around 42º). They store until the end of January for us; if you can go colder they will go longer.
Likewise, I buy lots of oranges and apples in season. Both will last for several months in the refrigerator, or even in a cool spot.
Thanks for the heads up on potatoes. I never noticed that. I will definetly be on the lookout now for that.
Food 4 Less, sorry! I hit the shift key on the 4!
How do you keep your garage so cool in Las Vegas? I’m in SoCal and our garage is waaaay hotter than the rest of our house (even with no a/c!)
Our problem, now that I think of it, is partially because the dryer runs out there. But even when I’m line drying things it’s still way hot!
In the winter it is that cool.
last one is a really great reminder!!!
Works so much better than criticism!
Sign up for Bountiful Baskets!! BountifulBaskets.org
It’s a co-op, so you get a huge laundry basket of produce for $15, or of organic produce for $25. You aren’t paying store overhead costs for employee paychecks, electric bills, etc., and it’s completely volunteer run, so that’s why you’re able to get it for so cheap.
As a bonus, volunteers get to take home all of the extras that don’t divide easily into the baskets!
I estimated last week that I’d gotten $53 in produce in my $15 basket. I absolutely love BB and recommend it to everyone!
The basket is different each week, but here is a blog post I did recently, to give you an idea of just how much you can get for the $15!
http://travelingphoblogwripher.blogspot.com/2012/08/bountiful-baskets.html
I checked it out. Looks like this is only going on in a few states and not NC 🙁
none in PA either : /
Not in CA 🙁
They are not in our site either but here is the link to the states they are in. There was more then I thought there would be. 🙂
http://www5.bountifulbaskets.org/?page_id=6
I should have shared the list of states, sorry about that!
Don’t be sorry Sarabell it’s totally okay. 🙂 I just happened to be on that link so I added it. Thanks for sharing about this company though because I will let some of my friends know about it who do live in one of those states. 🙂 Very helpful!
I have been getting Bountiful Baskets for a while now, and can’t say enough how much I love it! We have cut our produce costs at least by 50%. We do not get a bunch of weird things we would never eat. Just great quality produce.
They also have bulk options available each week. I was able to get tomatoes and strawberries to can at a huge savings!
I’ve been wondering about the bulk items! I don’t know anyone who has tried it so I haven’t been able to ask anyone about it until now. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for mentioning Bountiful Baskets, Sarabell. Huge savings!
Don’t buy too much at once.
Look for manager’s specials on overripe items.
Don’t overlook frozen and canned produce.
Or if you do buy alot, in order to shop less frequently, eat the bananas first, then the berries, then the apples/oranges–you get the idea. Eat the stuff that spoils fastest first and the things that keep longer later.
Exactly.
At my grocery store (Kroger), they recently created a little stand in the middle of the produce section where they place marked-down fruits and veggies. The best part is, they’re not necessarily marked down because they are bad, but because they are undersized, misshapen, or close to their “expiration”. I have gotten so many good fruits and veggies that I’m able to chop up and freeze for pennies on the dollar. Check and see if your store has something similar!
Great tips, Emily. And sometimes you can even ask the produce manager if there’s produce about to be tossed and they’ll bring some out for you. I’ve gotten free greens that way.
I love the red bagged produce at Kroger. Last week I was able to get $18 worth of organic apples & citrus for $3.97 and none of it was bruised or spoiled.
Gleaners used to be a big thing out here, check to see if they are in your area, a great way to get free produce.
Also, if you have a group of you, you can all go to the u-pick farms, and pick either enough for a few meals or to put up.
I’d never heard of Gleaners…thanks Patricia!