Friday, March 11, 2011

Frugal Fridays - Meats, Fruits, and Veggies

A couple of weeks ago I posted about couponing as a way to save money on your grocery bill (I save an average of 33%, sometimes saving as much as 56%).  But one thing you can almost never find coupons for is produce - those delicious fruits and veggies.  We try to eat "real food" - fruits, veggies, meats - and buy organic whenever possible.  These foods, as you know, are not cheap!  But you can still be frugal in when and how you buy them. Here are my top 3 tips for saving on Meats, Fruits, and Veggies:

1.  Always scan for Manager's Specials - great way to buy meat!  These are items that are approaching their "sell by" date, but just bring them home and freeze them!

2.  Stock up on fruits and veggies when they are on sale, and use a variety of means to preserve what you won't use right away.  This week bananas were on sale for 30 cents a pound - almost half-price!  So I bought 5 bunches and dehydrated 2 bunches, froze 2 bunches, and saved 1 bunch for the week.  Dehydrated bananas are a super yummy addition to pancakes, breads, muffins, and other baked goods.  Frozen bananas are excellent in smoothies!


3.  Shop your local farmer's market or co-op.

Or better yet, start a garden of your own!  More on that next week...

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