You must have noticed that the prices of groceries have rapidly increased over the last couple of years, faster than they ever did before. If you’re anything like me, then you’re probably wondering what you should do in order to save more money on groceries.

Firsthand, I can think of a couple of things, such as: buying produce during sales or from the frozen section; focusing on buying fresh products from the Farmer’s Markets; getting products that you consume on a daily basis in bulk; using some food delivery services; and even buying seeds and planting your own garden.

Naturally, there are many other things you should consider, such as making the product last longer, so you won’t end up with a lot of waste. Well, in this article, we’re going to think of ways in which we can save more money on fruits and vegetables. You can find products that you can use in various nutritious meals, and they won’t cost an arm and a leg. So let’s see what we’ve got!

Buy during sales

If you’re looking for organic strawberries, a fresh watermelon for that well-planned afternoon barbecue with your family, and a couple of your favorite veggies to put on the grill, you would save way more by shopping at your local grocery store during sales.

Whether you knew this or not, plenty of grocery store chains are known to put their products on sale when it’s “their” season, so to speak. Also, they might run a special for the week, given the overabundance of whatever fruits and veggies they might have. You probably remember that during summertime, you might find cherries on sale.

Shop more on Wednesday

Pay more attention to when the store receives new deliveries, and try to profit and use the time to get the best deals. As far as I’m concerned, I noticed that this happens on Wednesdays. Every time I head to the local store on a Wednesday, I find all kinds of discounts on plenty of older fruits and vegetables.

You could ask the manager of the store what’s the best day to shop for a better price, as they might have a sales floor with cheaper things. Also, you could ask for a discount, too, as oftentimes grocery stores have all kinds of discounts and vouchers that you can use on top of the reduced price.

Buy produce in the frozen section

Salads and toppings used for burgers and tacos must be made with fresh vegetables. But what about all the other dishes that you can make at home? Most of them work pretty well with frozen fruit and vegetables, too! I mean, let’s be honest: fresh produce doesn’t even last as long as frozen products do.

So if you know how to organize and use that crisper drawer in your refrigerator, it might extend the life of fresh fruit and vegetables. Compared to that, fresh products don’t stand a chance: they won’t even make it a week, let alone two. Next time you’re shopping for products, make sure you visit the frozen section.

Buy fresh products from the farmer’s market

Farmer’s markets aren’t exactly known for having the best prices. Even so, if you take your time and compare those prices, who knows what you might find? I mean, there is a myriad of tasty fresh produce at extremely affordable prices.

In fact, some local farmer’s markets might have everything you wish for and need for a healthy, balanced diet, and that’s definitely something to take into consideration. After all, they do have everything: from potatoes to tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and any other veggie or fruit you could think of.

Buy seconds

Most people haven’t heard of seconds, but they could save you a lot of money. Seconds are fruits and vegetables that don’t look great. They might have bruises or their color might not be that crisp, but they’re still good.

Farmers might want to sell them, but grocery stores don’t want to buy them because they can’t afford to sell them. So why not buy them? So next time you go to the market, see if they have any seconds left, and get them.

For instance, this is how I buy apples: I get a box of seconds for only $10 and freeze homemade applesauce. If I’d bought regular apples, the cost would have been higher.

Buy in bulk

So many of us buy food products in bulk, but not enough, in my opinion. That’s mainly because we are aware that too many fruits and vegetables bought in bulk might lead to food waste. And to some extent, we end up throwing out way too much of what we buy, and it shouldn’t be this way.

When you buy something in bulk, you could save more money on a per-unit basis. If you buy less, you’ll pay more. That’s the rule. Of course, you need to make sure you won’t end up with trash full of wasted food, so the best thing to do is to freeze the products! Luckily, you can freeze almost anything.

Shop with others

And since we’re buying in bulk, I would also recommend that you shop with friends. For instance, if you shop at Costco, you know that you’re buying a 3-pound bushel of bananas, and even if you might freeze what you can’t eat, there’s no point in keeping so many bananas.

But what if you split them with your shopping buddies? You might get the benefit of paying less and not risking waste. For me, it’s a win-win situation.

Try using food delivery services

I know what you’re thinking: This is exactly the opposite of saving money. Well, not really, as a lot of food deliveries have better prices than you might expect. Out of all the food delivery services available now, I want to talk about those that also deliver produce.

They’re extremely convenient, and they offer amazing, fresh, and tasty food. Of course, it’s worth trying this hack if you really want to save a buck but genuinely don’t have time for grocery shopping.

Shop at discount grocery stores

There are more discount grocery chains now than ever, as they are literally popping up all over the country. Whether it’s Lidl, Aldi, Save-a-Lot, or any other, you have access to great products at discounted prices. On top of that, it’s a known fact that these chains have a better and larger selection of organic produce, too, and that’s mainly how we manage to survive on a $500 monthly grocery budget as a family of 4. Amazing, right?

Look for ethnic food markets

This is my guilty pleasure: shopping at an ethnic market. It’s way better than shopping from retailers, as you’ll save more money, and you also have access to traditional products that are hard to find.

Besides, if you want to host an Indian or Asian dinner and you need a specific ingredient that you’ve never heard of, you have a bigger chance of finding it at an ethnic market than at any other big box grocery store.

I hope you found plenty of helpful advice here, and I’m looking forward to hearing about your experience saving more money while shopping! Also, I recommend you read this: How to Pay for Pricey Home Repairs and Still SAVE Money (7 Tips)