Since some of us are attempting to live healthier lives, lose a few pounds, and live on a budget, I thought it would be a good idea to dsicuss ways to save moneyon fresh produce.

Here are some of my tips. Feel free to add your own below.

Every store I frequent has something on "special" each week. These are usually pretty cheap, designed to draw you into the store (usually called "loss leaders" There is nothing wrong with going into the store and purcashing just these items! Most of the time I can find things that are about $1. Like 3 pound bags of apples, oranges, lemons. Often items like lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage are featured.

I go to Aldi's a lot. They have bananas for 25 cents a pound every day. They have grapes for 99 cents a pound, also cucumbers for anywhere from 19 cents to 30 cents and the same for grapefruit. They have tomatoes for 99 cents for a pound package. Now I realize that in the summer we can grow and preserve these things, but sometimes it is nice to have fresh.

We have a market in Wheeling called Jebbias. They sell every kind of produce I can think of. In the front of their store they have baskets they sell for $1. They are pretty big and have produce that may be slightly damaged,like a bruised apple, or potatoes that have a small cut in them. Or cucumbers that are a little wrinkly looking. I got a huge basket of onions once with nothing discernable wrong with them. Anything they are trying to move out will be in these baskets, and usually there is nothing wrong with it. I bought a big basket of squash and zucchini once that looked very fresh, maybe it just wasn't selling!

Also if you don't have an Aldi's I notice that Phar-Mor seems to have good prices in their adds. You may have to look around for places where you can get good deals. I usually spend about $10 a week and we always have fresh fruits and vegetables. Right now in my house I have: oranges, grapefruit, lemons, apples, grapes, bananas, cabbage, Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, carrots, green, red and yellow peppers. So you can find a nice variety of items and not have to spend a fortune.

If you can't find fresh items, you might also try the frozen food section. Many stores like Krogers have 1/2 price sales and I have found frozen fruits and vegetables at very good prices by watching for these sales and stocking up.

Sometimes with myself I find it is a matter of attitude. We don't hesitate to spend a dollar or two for our favorite snack, but won't spoend $1.99 for a nice quart of strawberries, When really we would be better off to leave the bag of chips and get the strawberries!

-- Melissa (me@home.net), January 08, 2002

Answers

I like the produce and the low prices at Sam's Club, the Aldi's produce sometimes is in not so nice condition or they are out of what I want, and they never carry the type of apples we like, gala or fuji or pink ladys, and Sam's does at less than a dollar a pound! Sam's also carries something called Deluxe Mixed Fruit, a frozen 5 pound bag of ready to thaw and eat sliced freestone peaches, red grapes, pineapple chunks, whole strawberries and honeydew melon balls for 6.47, a real bargain, and it has no sugar of any kind added, great for us dieter's!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 08, 2002.

Annie, I agree about Aldi's, sometimes they are out of various items, but since I shop every Friday, if they happen to not have something I can get it the next week. I do not have a Sam's membership, but my Mom does and she will often pick up things we need. I have never bought the frozen fruit I will have to look for it.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), January 08, 2002.

I will have to try the frozed fruit. When I went the other day grapes where over 6.00 for a small meat try full. I will never buy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did get most of the veggies but could only afford oranges and grapefruit.

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), January 08, 2002.

You are lucky! We don't have Aldi's, Kroger's, or Phar-More here! We have Homeland and Albertson's (too expensive!), IGA/Superthrift, Wal-Mart, and a Pratt's (local chain). That's pretty much it! We do have Sam's but I don't visit very often, it seems I always end up spending too much! Especially if Lance goes with me! I'll have to visit them on a day when I don't have any husband and kids with me, and check them out a little more closely.

-- Chistine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), January 08, 2002.

Micheale, Sunday when I was at Sam's Club they had red and white seedless grapes for 99 cents a pound, they looked wonderful, big and juicy looking. far cheaper than our grocery stores.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 08, 2002.

Hi Christine,

I'm not sure which part of Oklahoma you live in but if you are near Tulsa, they are putting in an Aldi's on the side of town where Sam's and the big Mall is (sorry I don't remember the street or Mall name, we haven't lived in Oklahoma for a long time). I found the Aldi stores in PA when we lived in Maryland and love them. The one we shop at in Indiana has great produce, which the one in PA never had.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), January 08, 2002.

Terry, I live in OKC, unfortunately, because Tulsa seems to get all the neat stuff first! I think you are thinking of Woodland Hills Mall probably, at 71st and Memorial -- Lance's Grandmother lives about 1/2 mile from there, so we are VERY familiar with that area. The traffic is horrible! Maybe if Aldi's is getting a foothold in Tulsa, OKC or Edmond will be next! It would surely be worth the trip!

I forgot to mention, we have a Crest (another local chain) here in Edmond, which is great for canned stuff, but quite frankly their fresh foods stink for the most part. Once in awhile I can get a good buy on lettuce, etc., but I go over anything fresh with a sharp eye before I buy from them!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), January 08, 2002.

I used Aldi's back in PA but there's none here in so. cal. I go to a no frills store called Food4less. I think they may have something to do with Krogers because I see Kroger labled products there, although no Krogers stores out here. Their prices are very cheap but the meat selection usually isn't good. You also have to check expiration dates. I think alot of their stock is rotation from other stores where they keep fresher expiration dates. I go to a chain called Vons(owned by Safeway) for meat. The rest of their groceries are expensive, so is Albertsons. Produce prices here are about as cheap as they get in the US. There's a very wide selection because of all the different cultures here.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), January 08, 2002.

I try not to buy fruits and vegetables out of season or from Mexico or Chile (like grapes). They can use pesticides, etc. that are outlawed here and I'm not sure how they are handled.

-- connie in nm (karrelandconnie@msn.com), January 08, 2002.