Comments on: Saving Money on Produce

By: Sherry

Sherry — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:09:42 +0000

I have been trying to make use of the list of produce to buy organically. I do get sucked in some times by the prices though on non-organic ones. LOL!

By: Shirley Dunn

Shirley Dunn — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:43:54 +0000

I have the hardest time finding decent fruit at the store. I do not like buying the bagged fruit because every time I do, the fruit ends up tasting terrible. We end up wasting the bagged fruit because of this so I’ve quit buying bagged fruit. And I’ve noticed that the apples and oranges that are bagged do not look as good as the loose ones. Maybe this is just a problem I have, but I’d rather spend a little more and have my family actually eat it. I’ve got a bag of grapefruit in the fridge right now that I bought 3 weeks ago because it was on sale. I started not to buy it because it was bagged but decided too. Now I wish I hadn’t. It would be nice if I could have my own fruit trees and grow my own veggies. Maybe one of these days I can…..

By: The Prudent Homemaker

The Prudent Homemaker — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:43:55 +0000

When the fruit is on sale in season, and it’s a loss leader, I stock up. This means buying several hundred pounds of fruit at one time. I go the first day of the sale and order as many pounds as I want. Then on Friday (when most stores get another delivery) I go in and pick up boxes of fruit, and take them home to can and for fresh eating.

For example, peaches went on sale for .49 a pound here. This was 60% less than the peaches from the farmer I have ordered from in the past. I bought 324 pounds of peaches–3 times as many as I usually can in a year, since peaches were so much less this year.

I did this with pears and apples (twice with apples) this year as well. I made applesauce with the apples. I’ve bought 560 pounds of apples this year. Normally these go on sale for $1.49 apound here. I bought all of them for .49 and .50 a pound.

In the winter, we can eat the fruit that I canned, which saves us a lot of money. It also saves metrips to the store.

I also have 31 semi-dwarf and dwarf fruit trees in my yard, and I don’t have a big yard. My trees are still small, but in a few years they’ll be producing more.

Right now I’m harvesting pomegranates, and lemons will be ripe soon.

I also grow other vegetables in my garden, all year-round. Right now I have swiss chard and butternut squash ripe in my garden.

I have a friend in North Dakota who has a short growing season, and a small garden, but still manages to grow 90% of her family’s produce in her garden. She cans, dries, and freezes what she grows to last her family all winter. Last year she only spent $20 on produce, and that was during the winter.

She has 4 full-sized apple trees, and they give her more juice, cider, and sauce than her family needs. She has enough to give away apples every year.

A garden can really help!

By: Mary A.

Mary A. — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:53:08 +0000

These are great tips! We have a local produce stand that always end up having the best price on veggies when in season.

I have an award waiting for you at http://mommysmoneycents.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-first-blog-awards.html

By: niki

niki — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:48:43 +0000

Great post! I love these tips, especially the one about eating seasonally.

Thanks for sharing your money saving ideas!

And by the way, stop on over to Free 2 Be Frugal some time soon.

By: Helena

Helena — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:22:20 +0000

If you have any local farmers, ask if they give a discount for buying in bulk. We have a local (organic and hydroponic) strawberry and vegetable farm. Prices are on a sliding scale (the more you buy, the cheaper your price per pound), so if you buy 10 pounds it’s $30, if you buy 30 pounds it’s $30. Once a week some ladies from my moms’ group go together–the farmer lets us pay separately for our purchases, but he counts it all as one big order so we get the discount. It’s great food, and you can’t beat the price.

By: Bree

Bree — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:12:48 +0000

I never knew that the bagged stuff could weigh more than stated. I usually buy potatos and onions this way but will have to start looking at the bagged apples again.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:42:55 +0000

I do what Cheryl’s friend does… I always buy whatever’s $0.99/lb or less and plan my menu around that.

My only issue with buying fruits in bags is that the quality can be less (at least at my grocery stores). I have to carefully check the fruit in the bag, and sometimes it’s not even worth it. :/

Thanks for a great post!

By: Southern Gal

Southern Gal — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:09:32 +0000

Our homeschool group started a Farmer’s Market Produce Co-op quite a few years ago. It’s evolved to include more than homeschoolers. Plus we now have two co-ops with some getting produce twice a month instead of once. I take advantage of both. We usually have around 25 baskets (laundry baskets) to buy for. Shopper’s choice. YOu get the chance to buy exactly what you want when you shop. Each person pays $21 per basket and must shop once or twice per year.

I can’t list everything we’ve gotten here because it would take up too much room. We always have overflowing baskets for just $21! I would suggest starting one if there’s not one already organized in your area. It’s so worth the money!

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:55:59 +0000

If you are fortunate to live in an area with multiple grocery stores, you can take all those wonderful ads with their loss leaders and price match them in one place–saving time and gas. I know Wal-Mart’s price matching policy includes produce, and there are probably others who do the same.