Guest Post: 5 Tips to Save Money When Buying Produce

The following is a guest post by Yolanda.  Yolanda blogs at Cuponeando, a blog dedicated to highlighting coupons and deals in the Spanish language. Enjoy!

One of the true and proven track records when saving money on groceries is to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season! Why? Because this is the best time to get them at great prices from your local grocery store or farmer’s market.

Here is some of the produce that you can peaks in Fall: Acorn Squash, Apples, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Butter Lettuce, Butternut Squash, Cauliflower, Chayote Squash, Cranberries, Garlic, Ginger, Grapes, Guava, Huckleberries, Jalapeno Peppers, Mushrooms, Passion Fruit, Pear, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Pumpkin, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Turnips and Winter Squash.

My top 5 tips to save money when buying fruits and vegetables in season are:

  • Check the tags at the grocery stores. Most grocery stores will display where the produce comes from. Have you seen those “Imported from Chile” signs? Buy locally grown produce and save $$.
  • Check with the produce manager at your local grocery store to find out when they start their markdowns. Most of the time you can get perfectly good produce at much lower prices!
  • If you can spare a few additional minutes in the kitchen, wash your own lettuce, peel carrots and dice your veggies. This can save you 30% – 60% for just 5 minutes of work.
  • When buying prepackaged bags of produce, weigh them! Not all bags weigh the same. Also check that there are no bruised or spoiled spots in the bag.
  • To get maximum savings, take advantage when your local grocery store has these on sale and stock up, yes stock up! You can freeze the produce or prepare a dish in advanced and freeze it for those busy nights when you don’t feel like cooking.

As with coupons, keep in mind though, buy what you’ll use or freeze because otherwise you are literally throwing away money.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please stop over by Yolanda’s blog Cuponeando. If you have been looking for a blog that covers deals in Spanish please consider subscribing to her blog.