Fruits and veggies

**NoDebtMom** · 04-13-2007, 12:00 PM

I try very hard every month to reduce my grocery bill. Shopping at Aldi, coupons & sales, etc... but this is one expensive area that I will not skimp on. I like to have lots of fruits and veggies at all times. Now, I do rotate and buy them according to the sales. For example, if asparagus is on sale, that's what we'll have. I do try to always have apples, bananas, and carrots stocked up and watch the ads. Right now I have (fresh) in my house: apples,oranges,bananas,carrots,grapes,cucumbers,asparagus,strawberries, and blueberries. Nothing gets wasted, if the apples start to go bad, I'll cook them.. Sometimes my kids won't eat the veggies, but I keep serving them. dh and I eat all of it. My 4 year old is munching on sliced cucumbers right now!

**julieb** · 04-13-2007, 12:07 PM

We keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen table. It's handy and simpler than hunting in the cupboards for a snack. I also keep my chocolate there but that is another story.....lol.

**annymoll** · 04-13-2007, 02:56 PM

This is an area I refuse to skimp on because I believe diet and exercise are essential in maintaining good health!( Don't complain about healthcare if you don't at least attempt to do these two things!)Pat yourself on the back for starting your kids young.Obesity is on the rise, childhood obesity as well. To look away is negligent.

**Grayce** · 04-13-2007, 05:20 PM

I keep lots of fruits and vegetables in the house. I try and shop the sales but I often buy things that aren't on sale because the kids like certain fruits and it's no use buying fruits they won't eat. For example I buy grapes all year, even when they are $3.99 a pound. I buy english cucumbers all the time even when they are $1.99 each. We always have oranges, apples, grapes, carrots, canned peaches, canned fruit cocktail, frozen green beans, frozen brocolli, frozen corn and frozen cauliflower on hand. There are certain brands that I buy that I like better so I will pay more for them. We always have celery and spring mix for making salads.

**acidcookie** · 04-13-2007, 05:48 PM

I know what you mean! Couponing hardly helps me, and I can only reduce my grocery bill so much because I buy a lot of produce! And I will never give that up for the sake of some extra dollars.

**dcompton** · 04-13-2007, 07:14 PM

I buy lots of fresh fruit (Kroger's has mangos 2/$1.00 this week!), but I'm not buying as many fresh veggies -- the salad stuff (bell peppers, celery, tomatoes), and carrots, potatoes, onions. Anything else only for a good sale. I'm going more to frozen. It may not be quite as tasty, but it's running about half the cost per pound right now on things I routinely use like green beans and yellow squash.

**auntie2many** · 04-13-2007, 08:57 PM

I agree that fruits and veggies are important. I have limited my variety. For instance I only have apples and pears on hand right now for fruits, where as is the prices were more reasonable, I would have a much larger variety.

I have carrots, tomatoes and broccoli on hand right now, but we have been eating mostly frozen veggies as they are more reasonably priced right now. We also have been buying more of our fruits and veggies at our once a month warehouse club stock-up.

auntie

**nwmissourigal** · 04-13-2007, 10:21 PM

We also have lots of fruits and veggies in the house. We just can't go without them and I don't scrimp in this area either. It is just my dh and I and since the kids have been gone and not eating us outta house and home, we can afford the fruits and veggies all the time. I had them when the kids were home but it got really expensive...Blessings..kathy

**kabin63** · 04-13-2007, 11:03 PM

I try to keep as many fresh fruits as I can afford in the house, but often the berries are frozen and we have canned fruit. I buy lots of frozen veggies and have those at every meal. Frozen is running cheaper for the moment, but hopefully when the weather is better my garden will help.

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 04-14-2007, 01:39 AM

We do almost entirely frozen veggies. Produce up here is CRAZY expensive. When my aunt came to visit (from OK.) I walked her thru the produce section of the store just for my own entertainment. hehehe She'd go from item to item GASPING at the cost!!!

We occasionally get bananas and apples...maybe an orange here or there... And carrots aren't too terribly expensive (you can find 99/lb). That's pretty much the extent of it. If I see a great deal we'll get it as a "treat"... Like there's a sale for grapes for 1.25/lb (loss leader) this week...might get a pound of those...

**Ceashels** · 04-14-2007, 07:48 AM

Fresh produce is always available here but as others pointed out...only the ones i know will be eaten. I don't tend to splurge on berries and melons when not in season though. I find myself more disappointed than not when it comes to the flavor.

**acidcookie** · 04-14-2007, 08:44 AM

Yeah I buy a fair amount of frozen veggies for soups, stir fry, etc. Frozen fruit is never the same, but I do also buy it to make smoothies.

**i.m.cheap** · 04-14-2007, 09:42 AM

We buy mostly frozen veggies, except for salad, cole slaw mix, and baby carrots and onions.

Fresh fruit is always available, but I buy what is on season and/or on sale. This week we had some very good strawberries, and I always have bananas on hand, because they are cheap. We eat a lot of melon in the summer. Sometimes I will splurge on fresh blueberries, but usually we have a bag of frozen ones in the house to use in pancakes or stirred into oatmeal.

I agree that the price of produce is getting out of sight. I don't like most of the produce I have purchased at Aldi. I will buy baby carrots there, but that is about it.

**annymoll** · 04-14-2007, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by acidcookie

Yeah I buy a fair amount of frozen veggies for soups, stir fry, etc. Frozen fruit is never the same, but I do also buy it to make smoothies.

I do this too, especially when fresh is limited.Cannot wait for the garden goodies.( Sorta discouraging with snow on the ground here this am!)

**Libby** · 04-14-2007, 10:27 AM

We only buy one or two of 2-3 fruits per week. Between my dad and I, we dont eat that much fruit and its always the same - bananas, apples, oranges and the rotating ones are: grapes, kiwis, pears. We buy our salad in the mixes b/c its cheaper then assembling it ourselves if we bought each veggie separately. We always have red peppers, tomoatoes, onions and cucumbers onhand for snacks/samiches.

I buy frozen for making casseroles, stir fry's, side dishes etc when its convenient. I just taught the bf about veggies last nite actually - how funny is that. If they were to come 'fresh' from the produce section he'd be at a loss and wouldnt buy/eat them. Since they come frozen, he can handle scooping out a portion that he will eat and nuking them - go figure!