10 Tips to Save Money on Fresh Fruit and Veggies

How to Save Money on Your Fresh Groceries!

I know it feels as if we’ve been talking about the rising cost of living for a long time, but the latest surveys would tell a different story. As research shows, in January 2021, only 56% of us were actually concerned about the cost of food.

Ever since then, that figure has been rising slowly but steadily. However, in the latest survey, the score it an all-time high, with 88% of those who were surveyed stating that they were increasingly worried about their grocery bills. The good news is that with a bit of planning and some lateral thinking, you can potentially cut thousands from your yearly fresh produce bills.

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Reduce waste

It’s a staggering truth that only a third of all food produced in Australia actually goes to waste. In fact, according to the organization Fight Food Waste, that waste costs us a lot. The most recent research revealed that by eating leftovers one night a week, learning how to store food, and getting creative with food they already have in the fridge, households might be able to save up to $2500 a year.

Make friends with frozen food

Don’t try to limit your options at the supermarket. Sometimes, in order to save money, you need to step outside the fruit and veggies aisles and make your way to the freezer section. Believe it or not, we’ve seen savings as high as $10 to $30 per kilogram on foods like blueberries, raspberries, and corn cobs, but only when you choose to go with the frozen option.

Buy the ugly fruit

In the most recent years, plenty of supermarkets and grocery stores have started to offer imperfect fruits and veggies, which can also save you lots of money. When we compare the regular and “ugly” fruit and veggie ranges, it turns out that on average you might be able to save up to 37% per kilo by choosing the less-than-ideal option.

Shop at multiple stores

We recently asked some savvy shoppers to tell us how they manage to save by buying their weekly shop from multiple stores. As far as they explained, we calculated that you might be able to save as much as 40% on your weekly grocery bill by shopping across Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi, for instance, rather than just getting everything from only one supermarket.

Other tip tips also include buying cheap, in-season produce from farmers markets, or signing up to a regular produce box, or simply joining a community fruit and veg co-op. Also, it would help if you didn’t forget to check out what’s on offer at your local Asian and independent grocers, which can sometimes present the best deals.

Mix packaged with loose

When we started digging into whether or not it’s worth buying packaged or loose fruit and veggies, the answer was a resounding “It really depends.” In the latest review of loose versus packaged fruit and veggies, we discovered that loose produce was cheaper 48% of the time, even if pre-packed produce came in at a lower cost 33% of the time.

The rest were either the same price or unit pricing didn’t really allow any room for comparison. And since it really is all about the unit price, you should make a habit out of checking the price per 100g or even 1 kg. It can turn out to be a vital tool to help you hunt down the cheapest option when you shop.

Avoid the pre-cut fruit and veggies

Even if we found packaged fruit and veggies cheaper than loose produce, enough times to actually make it worth investigating, the same doesn’t necessarily apply to pre-cut produce. Being time-poor can also make those pre-cut trays and bags of veggies look a bit too attractive, even if our research shows they might cost you a lot.

When we looked at things such as carrot sticks and broccoli florets, we discovered you could actually pay around nine times as much just for the convenience. Pre-cut produce could be quite a game changer for the elderly or even for people with disability. Sadly, you might pay a premium for it.

Have a flexible plan

One of the most efficient ways to save money is to know how to plan ahead. Before you even visit the shops to stock up for the week, you need to decide what you will be cooking for each and every meal.

When you make your week’s menu, make sure you pay attention to what’s actually cheap right now, which generally means buying what’s in season. Some non-profit organizations, like Sustainable Table, can provide a downloadable seasonal guide to fruit and veggies.

You might also need to get flexible enough to adjust the menu as you go. For instance, if you notice that zucchini and capsicum cost way less than usual, it might mean that you need to swap out your Wednesday stir-fry ingredients for cheaper vegetables.

Buying the produce that’s also abundant right now can truly help you make significant savings. In fact, you can save as much as $50 a week according to non-profit organisation Nutrition Australia.

Get more from your gadgets

Kitchen equipment you might already own can be quite an important tool in helping you save some bucks. If you have a food processor, you might use it to make a pesto from any leftover soft-leaf herb. Veggies like carrots, potatoes, and onions can be easily sliced, blanched then frozen. You can also try to make pickles by slicing and shredding things such as cabbage, eggplant, or even zucchini.

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Get creative with root-to-stem cooking

With root-to-stem recipes, you don’t need to throw away the leftover bits from your fruits and vegetables. The entire concept, also known as scrappy cooking, inspired dozens of videos on platforms like YouTube, so if you are short of ideas, you can spend some time browsing the wealth of content available there. Some of the best options include:

  • saving the broccoli stalks to slice finely in a stir fry or even blend into a pesto sauce
  • keeping the coriander roots and stems right after you’ve used the leaves – they are wonderful ground up and added to curry pastes
  • turning well-washed potato skins into a delicious salad topper- just throw in there some olive oil and seasonings and bake the entire thing until crisp

Stop shopping on auto-pilot

It’s quite natural to form habits in the way we prefer shopping. However, in order to get the best value, we have to pay attention. Whether that’s by making sure you use the unit pricing information, checking the catalogs to see what’s on special, or simply swapping the fresh for the frozen option, taking your wits with you as you plan and shop might make all the difference and help ensure you make even more savings.

Now, we would like to know what are your tips and tricks in terms of shopping for fruits and vegetables. Do you have a preferred farmer who you’re in contact with? Do you grow your own fruits and veggies? Make sure you let us know what’s your tactic in the comment section below.

If you found this article useful, we also recommend checking: 12 Easy Ways To Receive Gift Cards for Free

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