Cheapskate's Handbook

Getting fresh veggies can be a cheapskate’s heaven. Not only will your food taste better when it’s fresher, it almost always is cheaper. You may be wondering why that is, but frequently things are picked way before they’re ripened to get sent out to the grocery store where they charge you full price. Fresher foods need to be sold fast, so they are usually priced to move.

Earlier we discussed why growing your own garden may not be a great idea financially. Now you can get the same flavorful food you would have gotten from a home garden without the time, stress and money it takes to grow your own.

• Pick your own -It may seem silly to pick your own when you aren’t growing your own, but these farms are frequently one of the cheapest places to get food. It makes sense –they didn’t have to pay for a laborer. Picking your own food can be fun and you are certain to get food just the way you like it. Here’s a link to help you find a field near you that offers this opportunity.
• Get them outside the field –This is second to picking your own. Many small farms sell their foods from wooden shacks on the edge of their property. They make more money without a supplier taking a huge chunk of the money and the savings are passed onto you. I do not know of a website to tell you where these places are located -and, even when you find them, they’re frequently closed anyway. If you know where there’s a booth selling this stuff, go there -otherwise, shine it.
• Hit the farmer’s market -The logical extension of buying directly from the farm. The farmers gather together and sell fresh food and flowers. I love how farmer’s markets tend to fell like the olden days where you had to go to a market and buy fresh goods everyday. Be savvy here, sometimes the food is even more expensive than a grocery store. To find a farmer’s market neat you, click here.
• Shop the 99 cent stores -The thought of eating anything from a 99 cent store really bothers some people. But, some of them have great produce for only 99 cents. My favorite stop is 99 Cents Only Stores, where they frequently have whole bags of peaches, loads of peppers, huge bunches of green onions and more all for 99 cents.
• Watch the sales –Sometimes you have no choice but to go to your local supermarket for produce, so keep an eye on the circulars. Not only will you know when someone has a great deal, you can also tell when there’s an abundance of something. -For example, a few months ago, everyone had mangos between 25 and 33 cents each. These fruits are usually expensive, so it was easy to tell there was a good growing season -which also meant they were waaaay more flavorful than usual.

Two really helpful things to know before you buy your produce are what’s in season and how to pick the right veggies. These links should help you get the best goodies possible.

So go out and save!

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