< Back

Wednesday Welcome: Coupon Mom

This week, we asked Stephanie Nelson, founder of the free website, CouponMom.com, to share her best tips on buying produce and how to get the best nutritional value while saving money.  Take it away, Stephanie!

cnm1First, it’s important to be smart about how you shop for produce by buying what is in season.  When you buy in-season fruits and vegetables, you’ll usually pay half of what it costs out of season.

Another way to save is to compare prices between stores, look at “no-frills” discount stores and local farmers’ markets for deals on produce.

But you likely do the bulk of your shopping in the grocery store. Here are my favorite ways to save there:

1. Get the most nutrition for your dollar – Pound for pound, iceberg and romaine at my supermarket are comparable in price but not in terms of nutrition. Romaine has much more Vitamin A and C than iceberg lettuce.   Do some research and spend your money on the most nutrition for your buck.

2. An apple a day may cost you dearly – Don’t fall into the trap of buying the same fruits week after week. Apples can soar to $1 or more apiece while bananas cost about 25 cents each year-round. Rotate your fruit selection and choose smaller pieces to save on per-serving costs.

 3. Substitute – An orange will provide all the Vitamin C you need in a day, and so will 2 cups of chopped green cabbage which costs about 2/3 less.  You may not want to substitute cabbage for orange slices at breakfast, but consider tossing finely sliced cabbage into soups, salads, coleslaw or stir-fry for more nutrition.

4. Waste not. – The USDA estimates that households waste between 10-40% of their grocery dollar. Clean out your produce drawers when you make your shopping list. If you don’t plan to use ripe vegetables immediately, cut them up and put them in a freezer container. When the container is full, make soup out of it. When bananas are too ripe, peel, slice, and keep them in the freezer to add to smoothies. (Editors note: More on this in a previous Wednesday Welcome, here.

5. Grow your own savings. Nothing beats the price – and the taste – of a tomato you harvest from your own backyard or even your deck. Short on space? Purchase cheap plant containers at garage sales or flea markets. Or, make your own container out of old buckets, jars, plastic trash containers, ceramic pots, or other cleaned containers you have around the home. Growing staples like lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and herbs can provide the most bang for your buck.

 6. Do it yourself. Save on produce by not buying the pre-cut salads and veggies.  If it takes you less than five minutes to prepare produce, you can skip the cost of convenience and save money.  For example, it takes less than five minutes to wash a bunch of romaine lettuce that costs 75% less per pound than bagged romaine.

7. Learn the “Clean 15” and the “Dirty Dozen.” The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit public health advocacy group, provides a free Pesticides in Produce Shopping Guide. Download the list or the app to see which items contain the least and the most pesticide residue. You can stretch your dollar by purchasing conventional versions of the “Clean 15” such as onions, avocados, sweet corn, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, watermelon which have virtually no pesticide residue.  Invest in the organic versions of the “Dirty Dozen” items to avoid pesticides, such as apples and grapes.

About Stephanie: With more than 6.5 million members, Coupon Mom gives members access to thousands of printable coupons for groceries, restaurants and more. As the nation’s top expert in couponing, Stephanie has taught millions how to save money for the past 12 years. She has been called ‘”the rock star of the recession” by the Washington Post and her book, The Coupon Mom’s Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half, is a New York Times best seller.