How to Save Money on Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

This post is part of 5 Days of Tips to Save You Money, part of the 5 Days of… Series with the iHomeschool Network.

One of the most essential ingredients for a healthy diet can also be the most expensive. For our family, it is not uncommon for us to eat through $50 worth of produce in one week. So, what tips have we used when purchasing fruits and vegetables? What advice can save you money?

Best tips for spending less on produce

Price-match your produce

Our local Walmart will match the prices of produce from other local stores, including a produce stand if there is a published advertisement in the newspaper.

Buy in bulk

If you buy your produce in bulk, you can shave some added expense from your budget. (Always check the price per unit to be sure!) When you are buying pre-packaged bags, make sure you weigh the bag anyway. The weight listed on the bag is the minimum required and some bags will weigh more.

Purchase what you will eat

If you get caught up in a shopping momentum and buy a bunch of produce just because it looks good, you might find yourself tossing a bunch of stuff our with the trash. So, have a plan before you buy and stick with what you can eat within one week.

Avoid the added price of water

You can save money on produce priced per pound simply by shaking off excess water before bagging it. Those unexpected rain showers in the grocery store can weigh down your produce and make it cost more.

Stretch the life of produce with the freezer

Before your fruits and vegetable reach the point of un-edibility, freeze it. Frozen broccoli florets are easy to steam or add to frittatas, and so are many other vegetables. For fruit, you can use them in smoothies. Bananas (peeled, cut and frozen) can be thawed and mashed for banana nut bread. Just make sure you wash, dry and cut up the produce before you freeze it.

Rotate the fresh with the frozen

To avoid going to the store for produce each week, purchase produce for one week and canned or frozen varieties for the next week.

Save on organic produce

If you are wanting to switch to organics but the price is too much for your budget, switch to organic fruits and vegetables only on the produce items you use the most that are on the dirty dozen list.

Know what produce is in season

The biggest way to save money on fruits and vegetables is to stick to buying only what is in season. Chances are, the items you see on sale in your grocery store are the items in season, but just in case you are wondering, I have a handy guide available for you to print.

DOWNLOAD: Eat in Season Produce Guide

Spot a good price on fresh fruit and vegetables

Do you know a good price on produce when you see it? Even though prices can vary by region, you can use the printable produce price guide below to see what the lowest prices are that I have found and compare that to the prices you see in the store each week. If you see fruits and vegetables marked at these prices or cheaper, you can be confident that you are getting a great deal.

DOWNLOAD: Best prices produce listing