I had to make an emergency stop at the grocery store this evening because we were all out of fruit after being gone all weekend. Being out of fruit is a bit of a travesty around here as my kids eat TONS of it.
As I was picking up what probably was the tenth pint of blueberries to inspect before putting it in the cart, another woman approached the table. She then grabbed a container of blueberries, glanced at it for probably a second and put it in her cart. She then walked away not without probably rolling her eyes at the site of me picking another pint of blueberries to inspect. This same scene repeated itself as I chose the right strawberries, the perfect watermelon, the sweetest smelling cantaloupe and the almost yellow bananas.
It is not that I am obsessive-compulsive regarding the fruit that I buy. It’s that I think that if I am spending all this money on fruit I better make sure I get the best for the money I pay.
I was never a picker myself. In truth it was my husband who made me one and I am glad he did. I can’t tell you the many times fruit or other food items ended in the garbage because I did not carefully inspect them before adding them to the cart: moldy blueberries or strawberries at the bottom of the container, broken eggs inside the carton I did not care to open and more.
I am often asked: but how do you save money on fruits and vegetables? Well, here is one way: Spend just a few minutes inspecting the food you buy to make sure you get the best you money can buy.
So, are you a picker or a grabber? Do you take the time to inspect or just grab the first item available?
Hi! I am Mercedes and this is my blog Common Sense with Money! Helping other people live better, spend less, and save more is something I am very passionate about. I combine simple frugal living tips and smart shopping techniques to help moms across the U.S. become better home economists. Thank you for visiting my blog.
I do the exact same thing! I dont understand why anyone wouldn’t make sure the fruit is the best it can be! Glad to know i’m not the only one who spends time doing this
I’m a picker too. I recently shared a post on tips to picking the best produce. I’m loving this for watermelons because that was always a shot in the dark before, and I agree it’s definitely a money saver.
http://www.thecouponhigh.net/2011/05/thursday-tutorial-save-money-by-choosing-the-best-produce/
Thanks for sharing the produce tips. Every time I buy a watermelon it’s a total guess for me. I look at the pile of melons for like 5 minutes before deciding. When I end up with one that’s not so great, I always swear that I’m going to go look up how to pick the best watermelon, but I always forget. I have the same problem with a few of the other fruits in your list. Thanks!
I dont buy much fresh produce (shame on me, I know!) but I always check the quality of strawberries, onions, bagged salad and sliced apples to make sure they are fresh and check eggs to make sure they arent broken.
I am definitely a picker…as a gardener myself, I am very particular about what produce I pay for.
What a waste to buy already spoiled fruit or veggies!
I’m with you Mercedes. I always inspect my fruit and veggies. I only shop at Aldi for produce and I love that all their packaging is clear. You can see everything!
I inspect my fruits, veggies AND packages of lunch meat! My husband rolls his eyes, but he likes getting yummy food!
I always do inspections. I even pick stringbeans two or three at a time until I have enough for our meal – I hate getting stuck with limp ones or some with big gashes. The things I can’t pick are melons! My husband (who can’t smell much) can, however, pick great cantalopes. If I need a good watermelon, I ask the produce guy.
I am definitely a picker! go pickers!
I’m a picker!
Totally a picker. I see others just grab n go, but they are obviously NOT worried about the most bang for their buck. I find it annoying going home and seeing that I can’t eat 3 of the strawberries in the container because they are already mushy or fuzzy. Could be my OCD though, lol.
It occurs to me that the eyeball rolling lady is probably the same type of person who figures couponing and ad matching isn’t worth her time. That suits me fine because I’m happy to find the choice fruit she leaves behind! For Memorial Day, I made a cake that used pineapple, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. It took several minutes of looking to find two packs of strawberries that didn’t have bruises, and several of the blueberry packs had mold on the bottom layers. No thank you! Mold and wasted time/resources are not ingredients in my recipes!
Oh no. I am in the minority…I am a grabber. I look at what I am getting but only for like a second. I don’t give anyone a dirty look though…except maybe the people standing there shucking their corn– that is my pet peeve.
OMG I feel you on shucking the corn. Now, I will open up the top of it to make sure it’s not mushy and worm filled, but this one lady was blocked the whole display so she could pull the pieces of corn husk off one….piece…at…a….time. EURGH.
I’m a picker! I inspect like crazy! I even weigh prepackaged items to try to get the most for my money. Take a bag of apples. The package says 3 pounds, but some are close to 4. Yes I realize its a little ocd, but oh well!
I weigh bags of potatoes and apples too – for the same reasons as you!
I’m a picker. I smell the cantaloupe for sweetness. I look for a watermelon with the largest yellow spot (supposedly because it’s spent more time ripening on the vine). I inspect berries for mold and bruises. I inspect all the apples in the bag before putting it on my cart. I look for bananas that have no soft spots, no cracks in the peel and are slightly green. Last week I was at Walmart – they’re notorious for having disgusting produce – and ALL of their strawberries were moldy. It was so nasty. The only produce I buy at Walmart are bananas and occasionally bags of potatoes. I always sniff potatoes. I don’t care how ridiculous it looks when I pick up a bag and sniff it. I’ve been burned one too many times with rotten potatoes in a bag I just bought. Nothing smells worse.
That all being said, you can imagine how disappointed I was when I bought two whole watermelons at Big Y last week. They were on sale for $3.49 each. Since my family loves watermelon I grabbed two. I’ve only cut up one so far and it’s a lousy one. I hope the second one is better.
i’m glad your walmart is just as good as ours!!!! they ALWAYS have the WORST produce. i’ve gotten tomatoes that never would rot or ripen. they were beautiful looking. got home to eat a sandwich and they were not ripe (even though they looked like it). i left the other 2 in the kitchen window and they never would ripen any more. i ended up throwing them out over 2 wks later. a month or 2 after that i was walking through the wooded area where i had thrown them and they were still there. just as perfect looking as the day i threw them there. i kind of kicked at them with my foot and they weren’t even mushy and rotten. and this was sitting outside in warm georgia weather!!!!!
I have always been a picker- my mom taught me. And I’m passing it on to my children. My 4 year old has the best sniffer in the world for melons and pineapple now!
I am definately a picker. Only thing that I am not too picky about is bananas because they go so fast around here! I too check the berries for soft spots, and such. I used to work in a deli where I learned to know what was good and not- since we had to make fruit platters and such.
Let’s hear it for the pickers!
The produce guys always glare at me because I take too long picking. I’m the one messing up all the bagged salad looking for the perfect bag. I’m surprised they don’t ban me.
And, I’m a shucker too. That’s why they put the giant trash can near the corn. So you can shuck away.
I’m a picker. My husband hates to go to the store with me bacause it takes to long. I also weigh items. I always check expiration dates.
Corn lasts longer if you keep it in the husks! Don’t shuck your corn till you’re ready to cook it!
I’m a picker! I stay in the produce section for a good 15 minutes!
I’m with the majority of you! I’m a picker. As someone who grew up on a farm with fresh fruits and veggies I can’t stand getting old, bruised, rotting fruit or veggies. If I’m spending any money at all I expect to get the best for my money!
(Hey, Judy! I sniff my potatoes too!)
I absolutely agree, especially with fruits! Why should I pay for, say, a package of strawberries if some of them turn out to be rotten? One thing I learned, too, is that prepackaged goods can vary by weight. For, instance, if you are buying a 3 lb package of potatoes, 3 lbs is actually the minimum weight. I always weigh a few and choose the one that weighs the most (assuming none of them are rotten!). Why not get a little more for your money?
I’m totally a picker (like just about everyone else). We get a lot of our produce from the market instead of a grocery store when the season is good for it and I find “picking” to be a lot more important there.
I am totally a picker! I also dislike getting home to find moldy strawberries in the bottom of the container! I have to laugh at the looks I get when I sniff melons and potatoes! That’s why I love our local Farmer’s Market where I can truly see the condition of the produce up close and personal!
Definitely a picker…I am shocked (and a little jealous) when someone takes 2 seconds to pick out a container of fruit. I look it over carefully and put it back if I see a blemish or bruise. I hate the waste!
I live in Idaho and I participate in a program called Bountiful Baskets. It is so great because I get 40 to 50 dollars worth of fruits and vegies for 15 bucks! You might have it in your area, the website is http://www.bountifulbaskets.org. They ask you to volunteer once out every four weeks and it’s actually a lot of fun to volunteer. Plus when you do, you get to pick the best fruits and vegies first before everyone else gets there. I am a picker too, but I have never been unsatisfied with what I’ve gotten. This week I got a bag of potatoes, 3 cucumbers, a broccoli head, cauliflower head, romaine lettuce, 8 apricots, 1 pineapple, 4 mangos, 5 tomatoes, 7 bananas, and 6 apples. All for 15 bucks!!!
i definitely spend lots of time looking at what i’m buying. the other day my 2 yr-old was pitching a fit for strawberries. After looking through every pack I seen we went home with none. Some were moldy, others were bruised all to heck. They were all GROSS looking. I couldn’t believe they were even on the shelves….
Another great tip I recently learned to get the best value in produce is to WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH!!!! That 5-lb bag of potatoes you’re going to get – weigh a couple of them. Their weight’s will be different and you can get a 1/4-1/2 lb more for the same price!!!! Same with all priced produce. Heads of lettuce, bags of apples, etc.
I am a picker. My son will throw away half a banana for a bad spot, same with apple. And when I buy bananas, they brown fast, so I have to get good ones. And I hate when I see strawberries with mold. I see it almost every week, no matter where I go. And one moldy strawberry seems to take the rest with them. And romaine lettuce lately just doesn’t look so good. Neither does the “fresh” green beans, they are like rubber and bend. How does one go into a store grab one take a quick look and just buy it? I swear, when I am picking out my strawberries, I take three times as long as anyone else and I feel a bit weird doing it. But refuse to stop.
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I am most definitely a picker. There is nothing worse than getting home and finding that the ears of corn that you picked up at the grocery store have worms or the tomatoes are not ripe.