Food on the Table

When trying to save money at the grocery store, it’s easy to spend little time in the produce section looking for deals elsewhere. But searching the aisles lined with pre-packed goods is not the trick to keeping the grocery bill in check. Because you’re usually buying them at their peak from nearby farms, eating produce in season doesn’t just hold more flavor and nutrients, it holds more savings.  Skipping out or going light on fresh fruits and veggies can end up costing you more and satisfying you less. Here are three tips on buying seasonal produce.

1. Look up the season
While buying seasonal fruit and vegetables can help your savings, buying produce that doesn’t grow year-round at the wrong time can end up hurting your total bill. Though off-season produce is often easily available, it requires more effort and distance to get to the store. This ends up costing you more while giving you less of the fresh taste found in fruits and vegetables at their prime. Before you make your next trip to the store, look up what currently grows best in your area, like eggplant and peaches in the summer and grapes and sweet potatoes in the fall, and plan your meals and grocery list around those items.

2. Check out the circulars
Seasonal produce is naturally less expensive, but you’ll get a better deal if you’re aware of which deals are available at your local stores. Before writing out your weekly meals, preparing your grocery list and filling your grocery cart, pick up the circulars and figure out what fruits and vegetables are on sale.  Deals on seasonal produce shouldn’t be difficult to find, as they’re often marked down due to surplus. If you shop and eat around these discounted seasonal prices, you’ll end up seeing even more savings at the register.

3. Freeze for the offseason
Buying fruits and vegetables in season to freeze for later is a great way to keep your grocery bill down while still enjoying your favorites in the offseason. Figure out which methods work best for various fruits and vegetables, like which produce to cut and trim, freeze raw or cook first, and make sure you wash, dry and freeze as soon as you can for the best flavor later on. Don’t forget to label and date each container so you know exactly what you’re eating when the time comes to defrost and enjoy.

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

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