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You already spend time gathering coupons to save on grocery purchases, so why not spend a few seconds and do some homework to save on produce too? I’ve mentioned checking out the federal market reports for produce prices in the past, but today I want to show you exactly what I mean.
Everyday you can see exactly what prices were at the federal farmers markets around the country. While we do not tend to shop at those markets unless you are buying in bulk for a produce co-op, this does show you exactly what your grocery store is paying for their produce. You can then make an educated decision on grocery store sales, do you want to grab them or do you want to make a trip out to your local farmers market.
There are 18 federal markets in the US and each has daily reports. Head over and find the report for the market closest to you.
To give you some examples of how awesome this data is, today in the Columbia, SC market you can get these prices:
I know you don’t want quite that many grapes, but this tells you price per lb what a good price is right now.
Grapes –
8 kg = 17.6 lbs
that comes to $1.42 lb
Nectarines –
9 kg = 19.8 lbs
that comes to $1.11 lb
Onions 3 lb bag = $1.12
Strawberries, 1 lb container = $1.62 ea.
To give you an idea of the grocery store mark up, here’s a screen shot of the current Publix ad:
In the end hopefully this teaches you a few things, the largest being that I am serious when I say not everything in a weekly ad is a good price!
If you are wanting to check out local markets near you, or want to find a produce co-op to buy with check out LocalHarvest.org to find what is near you.
