Fruits and Veggies

Discussion in Food & Drink started by tulosai • Sep 28, 2012.

  1. tulosai

    tulosaiActive Member

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    This is slightly related to the Vegan thread a few posts down, but I thought it merited its own discussion. How do you save on fruits and veggies? Is it even possible? I'd prefer to buy organic but I often find the price of 'regular' fruits and veggies are outrageous enough all on their own. I've been trying hard to eat healthy lately but if I buy how many fruits and veggies I'd like to in a week the bill tends to approach $40 for them ALONE... and that's too much for me.

    Any suggestions?
     
  2. andrew320

    andrew320Active Member

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    I completely agree that it's expensive, but if you take the unhealthy items out of your cart or basket then you're grocery bill won't be a whole lot in the end. Every year I go on a cleanse and don't eat junk, but now it's the time to eat cookies and doughnuts so I do both of fruits and veggies and junk.

    Anyway, when it comes to vegetables, your best option is to buy frozen. When it comes to fruit, buy bags, such as a three pound bag of apples.
     
  3. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    Are you buying a lot to have on hand for whatever you may want during the week? If so you may want to do some meal planning in advance for the week so you're only buying the items you know you're going to use that week, and nothing extra that you may not use. I don't buy organic at the chain grocery stores, the markup on it is ridiculous and it's often starting to rot from having been shipped all over the place from who knows where. At the end of the day if you're eating fresh veggies and fruit that's still healthier than none at all. Stress isn't healthy if you're broke from spending too much money on organic stuff.
     
  4. Sandra Piddock

    Sandra PiddockExpert

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    One way to get plenty of vegetables without spending too much is to make a vegetable soup and have it for a main meal once a week. Maybe you could make a big pan to use up the week's leftovers, then freeze the rest for later. That also saves on cooking time. Another way to make good use of vegetables and save money is to make your own pizzas and pasta sauces. Look at ways to get more from what you buy, and make more stuff at home.
     
  5. Bloomatic

    BloomaticActive Member

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    In all the cooking shows dedicated to vegetarian food, they always give a tip: we have to consume and buy foods that are in season. There are fruits and vegetables that are harvested throughout the year, and maintain a stable price. However, there are other products that are harvested only during specific times of the year and their quality and price for the rest of the year isn't the best. For that reason, every time we make purchases, we must keep in mind this advice and choose wisely. In this way, we can prepare tasty recipes with affordable products, and without requiring an overproduction or ecological imbalance.
     
  6. Parker

    ParkerWell-Known Member

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    I shop at the local Farmers' Market to say on the cost of fruits and vegetables. Plus I get to directly support the local farmers. Also, we have some of the pickers sell the fruit that they pick for great prices.

    I used to live near Chinatown. I loved shopping there. Fresh fruits and vegetables for great prices.
     
  7. tulosai

    tulosaiActive Member

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    Thank you guys, these are actually extremely helpful suggestions! I usually am not wild about frozen vegetables but I will give that a try!

    I do go to farmers markets but I find that is actually sometimes more expensive- it just depends.

    Does anyone have more tips on meal planning? I have tried it in the past but never been really able to make it work for me as well as I'd like.
     
  8. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    I load up on fresh vegetables when they are in season. When I see the vegetables are going bad before I have used them I make soup and freeze it for later. That saves the food and time when I don't want to cook, I just go to the freezer and pull something out. Sometimes I may not cook for a week because I have enough food frozen.
     
  9. classicnyer

    classicnyerActive Member

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    I find that vegetables are actually not expensive at all, if you only buy what you need. I find that I spend and waste the most on vegetables when I get shop happy and buy everything that looks good, completely forgetting that there's only so many vegetables my husband and I can eat before the rest of them go bad and have to be thrown away. Somebody mentioned preplanning and only buying what you need. If you do that, you'll find that the cost of what you need versus what you are inevitably going to throw away really isn't very high.
     
  10. SEA81

    SEA81Active Member

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    Try shopping at locally owned markets and stores vs. big chain grocery stores. Also, roadside stands are usually cheaper. That's how I save. That and growing my own. Hope that helps!
     
  11. Jessi

    Jessi<a href="http://www.quirkycookery.com">QuirkyCooke

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    I buy in season veggies and fruits from Aldis. When they're in season, they get a huge surplus and drop prices like crazy to move it all fast. So I can get strawberries for $.99 a quart and avocados for as low as $.29. Then I prepare and freeze a whole bunch and will have them on hand for the next several months. If I do this every season, then I have a variety for a low price invested.
     
  12. mountainside

    mountainsideActive Member

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    Try the farmer's market as others have suggested. If you could get a group of neighbirs together and buy in bulk, that might help. Good luck.
     
  13. jovan107

    jovan107Active Member

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    I buy most of my fruits and vegetables from my local farmers market, because its more affordable compared to the price I would pay at my supermarket.
     
  14. kate23

    kate23Active Member

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    If you find the Farmer's Market you go to expensive, try searching online for more in your area. They might vary a lot in prices. There's also stores like Save A Lot that are supposed to be cheap (I'm not entirely sure since I've never been to one). You could also search for a U Pick in your area and another tip is to write down the prices of fruits/veggies in different stores when you go shopping, that way you can remember which stores have the best prices for what. For instance, in my area Costco has the best price for heads of lettuce.

    There might also be hobby gardeners in your area that have excess fruit/veg, you could post a want ad on Craigslist or something. My neighbors never eat any of their fruit. They throw out loads of grapefruits, some tangerines and never eat their loquats, figs, pindo fruit and oranges, so I do.

    Plus, you could try growing some produce yourself. I'm not sure what state you're in, but I'm in Florida so I have a year round growing season and can save a lot of money on fruit/veg that way.
     
  15. vjykmr89

    vjykmr89Member

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    You can cook them and freeze them. But when they thaw they may end up kinda soggy.

    You could also buy some fresh ones for immediate use and frozen ones for use in 2 weeks, next best thing to fresh.

    As far as milk goes, there's nothing you can do to make it stay fresh except buy powdered milk.
     
  16. FirstBaby2011

    FirstBaby2011Active Member

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    You have been given some great suggestions! Also, check to see if your local stores price match. We do not have much variety in our area, so Wal-Mart is where I shop most. I look up the HEB ads online before making my shopping list. I head out to Wal-Mart and have them match the price for any fruits and vegetables that HEB has a sale on. I won't get rich doing it, but it does save some money.
     
  17. YorkshireLass

    YorkshireLassMember

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    I find that sticking to seasonal veggies saves a lot more money if you use farmers markets/box schemes/markets etc than the supermarket, as they need to get rid of excess whereas the supermarkets tend to leave the problem of excess with the farmers. I'm lucky in that locally I have an excellent organic box scheme which saves me a fortune, but my local market is pretty good too. It's worth looking around to see if you can find anything else.

    I also make sure I use everything to make the most of my money. I either don't peel veg like carrots, or I keep the peelings and turn them into stock etc. I also check what's in the fridge everyday to make sure nothing is going off, then I use things before it's too late. If you have any outdoor space at all you could grow a few of your own. Salads and herbs are super easy and can be expensive in the shops.
     
  18. classicnyer

    classicnyerActive Member

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    I find the opposite to be true. Where I live, farmers markets are way more expensive than supermarkets. This might be because I live in a big city, though, and things don't really grow super locally.
     
  19. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    The trick is to buy them when they are in their peak season, so that the price will be lower as compared to when you buy them when they are not in their peak season, because the supply is not as plenty, so the prices will naturally increase.
     
  20. Linky

    LinkyExpert

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    We buy our fruit and vegetables directly from the farmer's market....we save a lot of money that way and also get a really good product. We never buy our fruit and vegetables from the supermarket, it works out expensive and not half as delicious as what you get from the farmers market.