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How Do You Save Money On Fresh Produce?

6K views 37 replies 21 participants last post by  peanut 
#1 ·
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For those of you that don't have the time, space, or energy to plant a garden, share tips on ways you have found to save money on fresh produce.

Many of the farmers markets around here are really quite expensive even though the quality is fabulous.

I was really lucky to find a shop that opened right down the street a few years back. It is similar to a farmers market but it's open 6 days a week and the prices are wonderful.
 
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#2 ·
if you really can't/won't plant even a few items for yourself

~ barter with friends/neighbors who grow gardens
~ shop seasonally, and freeze , can or dehydrate items for use in off season
~ don't waste it. . . the most expensive food is the food you tossed out due to not using it. I dehydrate celery leaves, turnip greens, etc. and powder them for use in soups, breads, etc. I use odds and ends of veggies in soups, casseroles, pizza, quesadillas, etc.
 
#3 ·
no one here gardens in this neighborhood and its frowned upon.
We have a farm market that meet in town but is expensive
So we go to another farther away but lately people were given vouchers to shop there as a state program so the environment is stressful due to demand.

I have resorted to shopping at roadside stands sporadically. A lot of stuff is just from Aldis.
 
#5 ·
We moved here 1-1/2 years ago. There wasn't a veggie garden in the whole of this neighbourhood. We planted a raised garden and have started a trend. Our neighbour beside us planted a few veggies this year - they keep coming for advice :) Our neighbour behind is now thinking of a raised garden bed. It just takes a small step to get others noticing. Suddenly, instead of frowning, they are excited about growing their own veggies. Even growing some veggies in pots on the deck works well.
 
#6 ·
momoffive-Nooooo. I had a garden 4 yrs ago and it attracted a deer according to our neighbors. First he accused my Ds and his friend. We he found out a deer had broken his fence, it was my fault. The people behind are the same way. They are very entitled and feel they can do anything but.. not the opposite way. Mind you were are talking a 12 x 12 fenced garden w/ composted manure,so no odor.
 
#9 ·
Here there are a LOT of roadside set ups. What they have depends on the season of course. They pull off the road and park and either set up a stand or back of the truck.
Oranges, tomatoes, watermelons, melons, strawberries, onions, zucchini, squash, corn, cucumbers, peppers etc.

Right now one place is selling watermelons 4 for $5. Unfortunately I have no place to PUT 4 watermelons. Tomatoes are normally $3 a basket. Strawberries vary. Half a flat runs about $7 and a whole flat... FULL... about $14 to $17.

Hardly ever see grapefruit, lemons or limes though. I think that's strange.
 
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#10 ·
Hey,
This year I added 3 raised beds to my square foot gardens along with more containers. So, I am hoping a lot of ours comes from the garden. We have a farm stand up the road but since it is about 20 minutes up the road, I usually go there minimally. I hate to say it but up until now, the grocery store was my place. I cant believe how gardening makes me feel, I cant contain myself woot woot
have a great day
 
#13 ·
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For those of you that don't have the time, space, or energy to plant a garden, share tips on ways you have found to save money on fresh produce.

Many of the farmers markets around here are really quite expensive even though the quality is fabulous.

I was really lucky to find a shop that opened right down the street a few years back. It is similar to a farmers market but it's open 6 days a week and the prices are wonderful.
One way I save on fresh produce is by scouring the ads that come in the mailbox each Tuesday. For example, this week I bought 4 small avocados for a dollar at Vallarta, 4 lbs. of watermelon for a dollar, and 2 lbs. of limes for a dollar. Last week they had 10 lbs. of onions for a dollar, and 3 lbs. of cantaloupe for a dollar. Sometimes these are just one day sales, so I plan my shopping for that day. I try to just buy produce that is on sale. I bring my shopping cart with me to my knitting group. There is a produce market on that side of town that has great specials, too. For example, next week I'll pick up 2 heads if romaine lettuce for a dollar there. I also buy certain things at Costco. Last week I got a huge container of blueberries for $6.00. I also by bananas there for .69 a lb. It makes such a difference, because I eat a lot of produce. I also have a backyard orchard and a small vegetable and herb garden. My neighbor and I trade. I give her lemons and persimmons. She gives me peaches and figs.
 
#15 ·
I grow a lot of produce in my backyard and I also work in an organic vegetable garden in a Horticulture center, so between the two I don't need to buy much. I have blueberries, raspberries and strawberries growing at home and lemons and mandarins too.

I get some fruit and berries from the Horticulture center orchard in the summer and buy the rest from Costco mostly. I eat as much organic as possible, so am always looking for the best prices. In the winter I grow a variety of greens, carrots and beets. Early spring I grow garlic and potatoes. I've been working on my rotation for years and finally have it where I can grow most of my vegetables. I do buy onions, some potatoes and lettuce, and tomatoes in the winter. I eat a lot of salads and prefer to buy lettuce. I will grow chard, kale and bok choi though.

If I wanted to tear out some of my landscape, I could add fruit trees....but I have enough work to do with my vegetable beds so will leave that alone for now.
 
#20 ·
I joined a community garden a few years back. It's right down the road from where I live so I can get to it easily. It's on my way to/from work so it's easy to stop for fresh veggies on my way home.

I also know where a couple of local farms are so I can stop by for what I don't grow in my own garden when the farmer's market is closed.

Another suggestion for people who can't garden - check to see if there's a CSA in your area. They may be a bit expensive up front but it probably works out over the course of the growing season. I've heard from a couple people that they get a ~lot~ of produce. Not sure if it was from a full share or a half share. I think most CSA's allow for a half share. The downside of joining a CSA is you get what the farm grows, rather than being able to pick and choose like from the grocery store. Although if the CSA allows for a pick-your-own day each week, that might offset this downside.
 
#21 ·
I try to grow produce, but the squirrels and birds usually get a lot. I also scavenge wild fruits like blackberries, blueberries and elderberries, which are in season right now. We have a strawberry patch of about 2000 plants which did pretty well this year even though we couldn't prepare the beds because of too much rain.
 
#22 ·
Here we have affordable farmers markets, I usually dont spend more than $15 on fresh fruit and vegetables that last us about 2 weeks.

I do agree with the poster above who said to buy off season and freeze. I usually buy my fruits and cut them into pieces and freeze them. The discount food store I go to has bags of idaho potatoes for $1 for a 5lb bag but I usually use them up pretty fast, dont know if I want to freeze them, never tried. I recently bought 10lbs of bananas there as well for $1 and cut them up and froze them. 6 pears for $1, bags of apples for $1, grapes $1 a bag, cherries were only $1.50 a bag and the bags were full.

I would also see if neighbors will barter with you, might be worth a try.
 
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#24 ·
Wow!!! That's some fantastic prices there. Here... 5 lb bag of potatoes usually $3.99. Cherries reg $5.99 lb. No I don't buy at that price. Pears $2.49 lb. Apples run $3.99 to $4.99 for a 3 lb bag. Grapes on sale $1.99
 
#23 ·
I do plant a garden but the last couple years hasn't been much of a success. It produces some but not alot. So I take what I can from that, then I shop sales, or go to Aldi's. Coupons, and I use the Ibotta app. It will sometimes have money back on produce.
 
#25 ·
I usually buy my produce at Aldi's....If it doesn't look good, I just go across the street to Walmart and price match. I also shop at 99 Only....they have the same produce that Trader Joes sells...exactly same product!!! I like Sprouts but don't go there very often....it's much too hot here to garden, I think......I've tried....I failed......some people do but they have some shade....I have NONE in my back yard...I lived on a farm back east and had a huge garden.....I loved going out in the afternoon and picking what we were having for dinner....
 
#26 ·
Shop the sale advertisements.
Eat in season.
Check out marked down fresh produce at your supermarket. Freeze, can or dry it.
Frozen stuff is frequently fresher than produce department.
Try growing your own salad stuffs.
Use spinach in place of lettuce for best value and best nutrition.. You can microwave what you do not use, freeze it in a baggy and add to anything later...quickee, soup, casseroles...
Check your local farmers markets for food cooperatives where you pay a flat fee for a box of produce a week. The contents of the box always vary by time of year. But if you have basic cooking skills and some seasonings, you will be eating most healthful meals possible.
See who has fruit trees in your neighborhood but doesn't use the fruits. Ask to collect what it grows, share a little to show appreciate.
 
#27 ·
What miss_cas said...and, when we have company visit from the countryside they often bring in produce, meat, baked goods, etc. to "pay" for their night's stay at our place. :) So if you are able to do that, ask the receiver if they'd like some "fresh..." and if they agree, start the exchange. We get rhubarb, saskatoons, raspberries, and cherries that way. Also goose meat, duck meat, venison... We are not picky. We say "yes" to everything, refrigerate, freeze or can it, and then menu plan around it. :)

Aside from that we do have a patio garden for tomatoes, salad greens, zucchini, beans, and herbs. DH is my fruit connoiseur (sp?), so I let him pick it out at the grocery store. He does not go by price. He goes by quality. Our fruit bill is high. But I do use miss_cas's methods for making my grocery lists and keeping costs down.
 
#28 ·
The green seedless grapes for about a month now have been between $1.99 and the last two weeks $1.49. I haven't seen $1.49 for a long long time. As in a couple years at least. The red sweet cherries have been $1.99 for a couple weeks.
Haven't figured out the reason for more than a week sale at those prices but enjoying it.
 
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#30 ·
Went shopping tonight and honestly, it was difficult to find affordable fruit. I specifically turned down anything over $2/lb. Hubby thought I was nuts. But I just won't.buy.at.that.price. I found green seedless grapes for $1.50/lb. Found 3 lbs. of strawberries discounted 30% to $3.50. Bananas were their usual 77 cents a pound. That's it. There were 10 lb. boxes of unripe mangoes for $7, but DH would not let me buy them. He didn't want them all coming ripe at the same time. And he claimed it was difficult to tell if they were ripe. I was thinking of freezing them, but he looked at me strangely, like "why would you do that?" I just shrugged and went on. He doesn't eat smoothies or frozen mangoes, so it would have been a waste to freeze them. They'd just sit in the freezer for years till I used them. :( That's the problem with buying in bulk when there's only two of you.
 
#31 ·
I got a box of mangoes on sale last week for $3.99. I left them out to ripen, which took about a week or so. I was able to eat through them, and they were delicious! Once they were ripe, I just put them in the fridge.

We have a store here called Vallarta. They send out a flyer each week and they have excellent specials. Last week I got bananas for .33 a lb., 4 kiwis for a dollar, and nectarines at .50 a lb. Today I found red grapes for .77 a lb. and cherries for $1.49 a lb. at Stater Bros. It sounds like produce is more expensive in Canada. I'm surprised that we have such good prices in CA with the drought. I only buy what's on sale, though. The stores here compete that way...
 
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