9 Ways to Save on Fresh Food

Chef Bernal shared tricks with CR for getting the best of several fresh fruits beyond watermelon. “If you bring a cantaloupe close to your nose and it smells sweet and floral, normally you’re in good shape,” he says.

“Some varieties of mango stay green even when they’re perfect,” he continues. “The best thing is to press gently; if it gives slightly, it’s usually ready. Small dark spots on the skin often mean absolutely nothing.” 

With avocados, it can help to remove the small stem cap to check the color underneath, the chef advises. If it’s green, it usually means it has more time, while dark brown can point to oxidation inside. “If it has very soft sunken areas or liquid around the stem, it’s usually past its best point,” he says.

With shelved dairy products, items packed in the back are the freshest, says Jessica Randhawa, founder and head chef at The Forked Spoon, a recipe website. And get to know the butcher and fishmonger, if your market has them.

“I always ask the butcher which day the items I am interested in will come in, and ask point-blank how fresh specific items are,” Randhawa says. “I always make sure that when buying meat, the packaging is tightly wrapped, the meat is cold, and the meat is not sitting in excess liquid.”

To reduce your and your family’s exposure to pesticides in food—which have been connected to increased risk of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hormonal imbalances, among other issues—focus on organic produce. 

Organic produce can be pricey, but you can save and still minimize your pesticide risk by being selective about the organic items you buy. Focus on organic blackberries, blueberries, bell peppers, potatoes, green beans, kale, and mustard greens to avoid the dangerous pesticides used on their non-organic counterparts.

As with all groceries, watch for sales of organics. When produce is sold by the package rather than by weight, choose the heaviest package. And keep in mind that frozen organic produce may be less pricey than fresh, but it is just as nutritious. 

Count on farmers markets to sell fresh food that’s been locally grown, raised, farmed, or caught—including organics. Asking for a discount at the end of the day can save you money. “Many vendors would rather sell than pack everything back up and take it home,” Bernal notes. 

Community-supported agriculture enterprises (CSAs) let you buy a “share” in a nearby farm, entitling you to a portion of its harvest. Weekly hauls vary in size and variety. Check the directories at Local Harvest for CSAs and other fresh-food resources near you. The Department of Agriculture also maintains a CSA directory.

Randhawa says she looks for deals from local farms at brick-and-mortar grocers. Sprouts Farmers Market, for instance, has such connections in most of the 25 states in which it operates. For example, on its “Colorado Grown” web page, it mentions 11 local farms that supply the state’s stores with apples, beets, corn, herbs, leafy greens, mushrooms, onions, and more. New York-based Wegman’s partners with 400 family farms along the East Coast. “During the peak summer growing season, the majority of our vegetables are supplied from partner farms near our stores,” its website says.

Maximize savings and minimize waste by buying fresh items in bulk and splitting them with others. When CR investigated grocery prices in six large metro areas, bulk sellers BJ’s Wholesale Club, Costco Wholesale, and Lidl were tops for prices.

Or join a food co-op, which can buy items in bulk and sell them at prices close to wholesale. In early June, for instance, the River Valley Coop in Northampton, Mass., was selling organic red and green seedless grapes for $4.99 per pound, compared with Stop & Shop’s $7.99.

Monitor social media such as Facebook or Nextdoor for neighbors’ posts about low-priced fresh food. During the growing season, you may stumble upon free garden giveaways.

The same sources may be able to point you to a community fridge, which local residents, restaurants, grocers, and others fill with free, fresh food for other residents to take. You’ll typically find them in urban settings, at sponsor organizations such as churches, social service agencies, and libraries. Of course, you can contribute to these fridges, too. “The community fridge is for anyone who needs it, no questions asked,” says the community fridge page on the Millbrook, N.Y., public library’s website.

Flashfood points you to discounts of up to half off on fresh and packaged items at major grocers in 28 states and all 10 Canadian provinces. Stores post items near the end of their “best by” dates; consumers shop the app for what’s available. Flashfood’s signature offering is a 10-pound box of fresh produce for $5. On a recent July day, for instance, a Giant Eagle store in Titusville, Pa., was selling several $5 boxes, including one with a large lemon, a yellow pepper, two tomatoes, and a long English cucumber, plus the makings of a fruit salad: several apples of different varieties, a bunch of red grapes, a peach, and a mango. 

When are fresh foods and beverages no longer safe? Don’t count on the dates you see on their packaging to tell you. Those dates refer to quality, not safety, the USDA says.

While manufacturers and packagers can use whatever terms they prefer, some common ones stand out. “Best if used by” or “best if used before” is the date at which the food will have the best quality or flavor. “Use by," a related term, is the last date the product is recommended to be used, while still at peak quality. “It is not a safety date except when used on infant formula,” the USDA says. 

And “sell by” isn’t about safety, flavor, or quality. It’s used to help retailers manage their inventory. 

In fact, you don’t need to heed any of those dates if you’re keeping items properly in your refrigerator and freezer. “During home storage, a product should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until the time spoilage is evident,” the USDA says. “Spoiled foods will develop an off odor, flavor, or texture due to naturally occurring spoilage bacteria. If a food has developed such spoilage characteristics, it should not be eaten.”

For items with no packaging or dates, use the USDA’s online FoodKeeper tool or app. It will tell you how long properly stored items will maintain their quality and freshness.

Check your supermarket for discount bins of fresh but imperfect items. “Small scars, strange shapes, and surface marks are often signs of natural growth, not defects,” Bernal says. “In professional kitchens, some of the best-tasting produce would never be chosen for an advertisement.” 

If you use food delivery services, consider one that sells discounted but perfectly good food outcasts. Misfits Market’s delivery of organic and conventionally grown produce and other foods is available throughout the continental U.S. and is free in select areas. Imperfect Foods picks up your used packaging for reuse or recycling

Maintaining a vegetable garden, berry patch, or fruit trees can yield you the freshest food, often at a very low cost. For example, with supermarket greenhouse tomatoes currently costing about $2 per pound in June, according to the USDA, you’ll start to save money once a single $9 tomato plant yields more than five pounds of fruit. (In Maryland, for instance, tomato yields range from 10 to 15 pounds of fruit per plant per season, the state university’s agricultural extension service says.) 

To grow your own regardless of the climate or whether you even have a garden, try an indoor, windowsill garden. Growing fresh herbs is a good way to save money, since supermarket herbs can be costly and easily go to waste.

The USDA estimates that the average American family wastes $1,500 a year on food that goes uneaten. So as your grandmother would say, waste not, want not. 

At the market, buy only what you need. Don’t be afraid to remove some of those cherries from a three-pound bag if all you’ll eat is two pounds.

And have a shopping plan. Jenn Lueke, cookbook author and creator of the JennEatsGood website, checks her pantry to plan her weekly meals, writes a grocery list and sticks to it, and mainly shops at Trader Joe’s to save time. She says she spends $55 to $60 to make five dinners for four, and with no leftovers.

“If you’re shopping efficiently and you have nothing left at the end of the week, by default you’ll save money because you’re not wasting,” Lueke says. “You haven’t let anything go bad.” 

If you do have leftovers, check CR’s tips for making the most of them. And read CR’s other ideas for maximizing your grocery budget.