This post was updated on October 21st, 2020.
The author of the Coupon Mom’s Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half recommends saving money by purchasing fruit and vegetables in larger quantities. For example, buying bagged apples rather than purchasing them individually and buying a 10-pound bag of potatoes rather than the 5-pound bag.
Up until this point I’ve always been a pick, inspect and bag my own produce kind-of-girl, but I decided to take the author’s advice to heart and picked up bagged produce for the first time this week.
My main concern is actually eating all of the produce before it can spoil each week. I certainly intend to freeze some of the excess food, but I don’t want to spend my life freezing and defrosting food just to save a few cents here and there.
I’m also concerned about the amount of produce in the bag that might be damaged. So far I’ve been pretty lucky with the packages of apples, oranges and potatoes I purchased. In each bag I’ve only encountered one or two bruises or other small defects. I was able to cut out small pieces of apples and potatoes and discarded a minimal amount of damaged produce. All three of my produce purchases were organic and the bagged version was comparatively cheaper than purchasing these items individually.
So what are your thoughts on buying produce in larger quantities? For the time being there are only two people in my household, (my husband and I), so I’m wondering… do you buy bagged produce and if so does it benefit your small family?
My husband and I love farmer's market for the prices at the "right quantity". I too find it hard to eat all the produce in an appropriate period of time if I buy in bulk. Unless it is something I LOVE like tomatoes. I think the bulk buy is more for families
i only bulk buy slow to go bad items like potatoes and onions. other produce tends to rot too fast for a singleton like me to consume. i also stock up on bulk canned items for my pantry. unless you find a great deal for in-season items (like berries) to freeze, buying a la carte still makes more sense to me.
It only makes sense if you plan to eat the bulk items or split it with someone else. I live alone so shopping for perishable stuff in bulk pretty much never works for me.
I agree with most everyone. I cook for myself and my boyfriend (on weekends only). I actually share a Costco membership with my mom and often we will shop together and split perishables like produce between us. If I go alone on bulk items, it's strictly non-perishables.
So you all seem to agree that it doesn't make sense for a family of two to buy in bulk. Onions seem to last for quite awhile, but I agree it's difficult to eat everything else before it spoils.
I buy onions, potatoes, and oranges in bags (and I'm a single person). I find that if you keep the potatoes in the fridge they last wayyyyy longer. I never have good luck with bagged apples, though, so I tend to steer away from them.
My solution to consuming more veggies and fruits is green smoothies. One or two apples a day, a bag lasts a week to a week and a half.