How to Save Money on Fruits and Vegetablesby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 23 Apr 2009 04:42 PM Most people don't get the required five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Think about it. It is hard to get all of the nutritious food into our bodies, especially when produce can be so expensive. But we owe it to ourselves and or families to provide good, healthy fruits and vegetables without going into bankruptcy. Here are some tips you can use to help you save money on fruits and vegetables. Buy your produce in season. While cherries can be yummy and festive in winter, you will pay a premium for them. Take advantage of nature's bounty to select produce that goes with the season, as much as possible. Choose fruits and vegetables that have longer shelf live. Obviously, for a lot of produce, the fresher the better, but root vegetables and many fruits will last a few weeks when stored well. This will cut down on produce waste and allow you to get bulk discounts. Varieties of the same fruit can store differently. We like to buy gala apples instead of red delicious, because the gala apples never get mealy and can outlast the delicious varieties. Purchase bagged fruit instead of single fruit. You will save quite a bit, especially when bagged fruit goes on sale. Stick to one variety, such as apples or oranges. With mixed fruit bags, you usually wind up paying by the pound with the most expensive fruit used as the price per pound. Find the nearest produce center in your region. These stores buy and sell nothing but produce. The also don't generally advertise, so the savings can be passed on to you. At our local produce center, you can get 4 pounds of bananas for only $1.50. (But I still miss the days when it was 5 pounds for $1.) Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right. Favorite Deal Websites: Related Articles: Things to Do with Expired Coupons A Guide to Salvage Grocery Shopping A Guide to Salvage Grocery Shopping 2 Five Little Grocery Shopping Tricks: Shelf Placement Coping with the Grocery Shrink Ray Adjusting Your Price Book with Escalating Grocery Costs Coping with No More Coupon Inserts New Grocery Shopping Techniques Five Little Grocery Shopping Tricks: Hide and Seek Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments StBridgit (322) 23 Apr 2009 06:36 PMOr grow your own! Can or freeze your garden's largesse and you can eat it for many months after the garden is dormant. We still have corn on the cob in the freezer from last year's garden, plus roasted pumpkin & squash, and canned jams. By the time we've used it all up, we'll be canning and freezing more. FrugalFanatic (20) 24 Apr 2009 05:54 AMAnother tip I learned years ago about bagged fruit - weigh the bags! Bags are sold for a flat price, not by the pound, but the weight can vary significantly. Get the most for your $$ by choosing the one that weighs the most! Discuss this article
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