In addition to meat, another big budget buster is fresh produce. Here are some of my best tips on how to save on produce:
Start a price book
Get a notebook and write down the various types of produce. Each week when the sale paper comes out, write down their sale price per pound. Continue to check the prices each week to see if the price you wrote down drops. After about 3 months, you will know the best prices.
*Also carry your book with you and check the prices in store.
Check other stores prices
Produce is featured in every grocery store’s circular. Make sure you compare prices for all the store’s sales in your area to make sure you get the best price. You can also price match these prices at Walmart!
Shop in season
Certain produce items are cheaper at various times of the year. Check this list to see when your favorite fruits and veggies are in season.
Watch for coupons
Sometimes stores will have coupons for your produce purchase (I know Publix and Food Lion do). Make sure you have signed for their clubs and magazines. Manufacturers also sometimes release coupons. It’s not common, but they do exist.
Beer rebates
Learn more about beer rebates and how they can help you save on produce.
Wine Tags
Wine tags are kind of like beer rebates, but they hang around the neck of bottles of wine. Check your store for them. Some say no wine purchase necessary.
Don’t overbuy
You can’t freeze all produce like you can meat, so make sure you only buy what you know you will use.
Buy quality produce
While it might not be cheapest per pound, it is better quality and will last longer in your fridge
Menu Plan
Plan your menu around what is on sale. If potatoes aren’t on sale that week, don’t make 4 dishes that call for potatoes.
Substitute with canned and frozen
The rule of thumb is that the healthiest for your is fresh, followed by frozen and finally canned. If your favorite produce is not on sale, check for it in frozen and canned.
Watch for markdowns
Some stores mark down their old produce. If your store does, ask the produce manager when they usually mark it down.
Farmers Market and roadside stands
Check your area to see if they have a Farmer’s Market. It’s a great way to get your produce for cheap! Also watch for roadside stands. It’s great to be able to buy produce directly from the farmer.
Produce Co-Ops
Google to see if there is a Co-Op in your area. This is a great way to save on produce.
Start your own garden
We just planted a garden with some of your favorite veggies. If you don’t have space for a large garden, you could always try container gardening.
Barter
If one of your friends or family member have a garden or even fruit trees, see if they have surplus they can give/sell/trade with you.
Visit a Farm
There are some farms that let you come and pick your own fruits and veggies for cheap. Be sure to check around your area to see if you have one.
Learn how to properly store produce
You can’t just throw all produce together in the same drawer in the fridge and expect it to last a while. Each item has it’s own unique way it needs to be stored. Be sure to Google each variety of produce you buy to make sure you are storing it correctly.
Learn how to shop for produce
It’s important to know how to choose the best piece of produce. If it’s fruit, sniff it and see if it smells terrific. If it’s vegetables, give it a slight squeeze to see if they are firm. Be sure to Google each variety of produce you buy to see how to correctly choose the best piece.
Don’t always buy organic
Organic fruits and veggies are more expensive. The top 12 fruits and veggies to buy organic are Nectarines, Celery, Pears, Peaches, Apples, Cherries, Strawberries, Imported Grapes, Spinach, Potatoes, Bell Peppers and Red Raspberries. The least contaminated fruits and veggies are Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Corn, Kiwi, Mangoes, Onions, Papaya, Pineapples and Sweet Peas. Be sure to do your research and decide what is the best for your family.
Shop at Aldi’s
Aldi’s has a variety of produce at substantial discounts. If you have never shopped at Aldi’s, I suggest you check it out just for the produce prices!
Share your tips
If you have tips on how to stretch your produce budget, please share!
If you are new to Couponing, you might want to take a moment to read more in my Getting Started Couponing series.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
When buying pre-weighed bags of fruit (such as 3 lb bags of apples). Take a few bags to the scale. You will be surprised how much the bags vary in weight. It is not uncommon to get 4 lbs of apples for the price of 3.
I didn’t even think of that! One thing to watch for, though, is the size of the fruit. I once thought I was getting a great deal per pound on a bag of apples, compared to the loose ones, but then I realized that the bagged apples were about half the size of the loose ones … so a greater percentage of that weight came from the core than in the loose ones!
I just want to add that you really must pay attention to where the fruit (fresh, canned or otherwise) is grown! When it is December and you see peaches, necterines, etc. in the fresh produce of your grocery store keep in mind that it all comes from South America where it is grown in deplorable conditions, often times using untreated sewage water for irrigation and pesticides that are illegal in the US. Also keep in mind that canned food is often times imported from Asia for use as store house brands and their canning processes and cooking temperatures can deplete the nutrient content immensely! We are cling peach farmers in Northern California and we sell all of our peaches for canning to Del Monte and Seneca Foods, both who have strict quality standards. The studies show that canning when done right has little or no impact on the nutrient content of the fruit. The only difference between peaches canned in light syrup and frozen peaches is that they add Vitamin C to the frozen peaches before freezing to maintain the color. So PLEASE read the labels and make sure that what you are buying is grown in the USA and if you really need a peach in the middle of winter buy canned! :)
I buy vegetables when they are on sale and chop, bag, and freeze them for cooking later. I like the Ziploc snack size bags for such things as onions, scallions, green, yellow, and red peppers, etc. Not only does it save money, but it saves time. Who wants to chop an onion every time you want to cook with one?
I love it when I do this (chop up lots of veggies all at once for later use). I tend to eat a lot more salads when veggies are pre-chopped, and I love having diced onions handy to add to all kinds of dishes at the table.
I invested in Debbie Meyer Green Boxes. After some trial and error I can get most of my produce to last at LEAST 2 weeks if not longer. I bought a 4 lb. box of strawberries at Costco about 2.5 weeks ago and they kept fresh long enough for us to eat them. I’ve had granny smith apples in a box for over 3 weeks now and they’re still crisp and tasty. The boxes are an investment, but I’ve more than paid for them in produce I haven’t thrown out.
If you have a problem with produce spoiling before you eat it: keep your ready-to-eat produce where you will see it. I can’t tell you how many times we buy some veggies for a salad or a sauce, then find it a few weeks later in the crisper drawer in the fridge spoiled because we never got around to using the veggies. If I put them in the cheese drawer or, for some veggies, out on the counter, I’ll be a lot more likely to just USE them.