Wash It Yourself & Other Ways to Save Money on Organic Fruits, Veggies

My children appreciate the added flavor in organic fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Unfortunately, organic products, which are grown and packaged without pesticides, artificial coloring or preservatives, are expensive. The following strategies have helped us to purchase organic products while staying on a tight budget.

• Follow the loss leaders. Grocery stores and specialty chains typically offer several heavily discounted items each week. These promotional items are called loss leaders because stores are willing to take a financial hit on them in order to bring consumers into the store. Stock up on sale items in the organic section and build menus around them.

• Stay local. In-season and locally produced fruits and vegetables are usually cheaper than out-of-season items that have been imported.

• Wash it yourself. We pay a premium for veggies that are already washed, peeled or cut. When time allows, I save money with do-it-yourself washing, peeling and chopping of fruits and veggies. The savings are significant.

• Hit the freezer. I love organic blueberries, but when the out-of-season price spikes to $6.99 for six ounces, I go to the freezer aisle. That's where I pick up a 10-ounce package of organic berries for about $4. The freezer section offers a variety of frozen organic fruits at reasonable prices. Frozen fruits are great for snacking or baking.

• Join an organic co-op. Before we let our membership lag, we were part of an organic food co-op in our neighborhood for over a year. We have since joined another group and are pleased with the savings. Our produce bill has dropped by 30 percent due to the co-op, which purchases fruits and vegetables in bulk from local, organic farmers.
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Sharon is the author of the Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save Money -- a coming of age memoir about money -- and a contributing writer in Wise Bread's 10,0001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget.

Coupon Secrets from Founder of Couponmom.com

There's a method to finding grocery and drugstore bargains online. That's the subject of a profile about Stephanie Nelson, founder of couponmom.com in the latest issue of ALL YOU magazine.



Here are her secrets for finding grocery and drugstore bargains online:



* "Use paperless coupons. Check out shortcuts.com to see if your grocery store offers e-coupons, which are downloadable to the store’s discount card. Once your card is registered card, you can electronically transfer coupons to it.



* Follow a coupon schedule. Get the best deals on Website coupons when advertisers release them at the beginning of the month.



* Avoid rejection. Call ahead to find out if the store you’re headed to accepts coupons printed from the Web."

Stashing a Can of Coke in the Company Frig Saves $140

A friend of mine skips past the vending machine where a can or bottle of Diet Coke is $1.25 per container. Instead, from home she brings a can of soda to work every day for a lot less. She purchases a case of soda from the grocery store for a fraction of the unit price charged by the vending machine. Every morning, she chills the can in the office frig until mid-afternoon when she needs a shot of caffeine.

Consider the numbers: Office Depot sells a case of Diet Coke for $12.99. For that price, you get 24 cans of 12-ounce soda for $12.99 or 54 cents a can. In five days, she saves: $3.55. For a one-month period, she saves: $14.20, which equals: $170.40 over a 12-month period.

Here are other Diet Coke prices:

• 32-pack for $15.99 or 49 cents a can at San Francisco Wine Trading Company
• 24-pack for $8.63 or 36 cents a can at Bright Shine

Of course, instead of soda, juice or sports drinks, we could all drink free filtered water from the fountain or kitchen sink. Water is a healthier, no-calorie drink without preservatives, artificial flavors, sugar or sugar-substitutes.

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