Healthier on a Budget: Beyond the Average Grocery Store

For the entire Healthier on a Budget series, see here.

Other Stores
Lots of great deals can be found at places besides just typical grocery stores. Look at stores like Aldi’s for cheap produce or Big Lots for organic or natural packaged foods. Neither accepts coupons, but 2 to 3 times each year, Big Lots has coupons for 20% off your entire purchase.

Local Farms
Check out farmer’s markets, but go armed with a price sheet so you know when you’re getting a good deal. Try going towards the end of the day when farmers may have reduced prices so they don’t have to take as much home. Also, ask farmers if they have any less desirable produce they can offer at a discount. The scratched, bruised, or really ripe produce often has to be thrown out because customers skip over them. Sometimes, farmer’s markets outside of cities offer cheaper produce than those closer to the center of town. Those in urban areas are counting on people being willing to pay a little extra for locally grown.

Some farms also have their own small stores, and their prices are typically cheaper than what their goods sell for in other grocery stores. For example, there’s a dairy farm near my home. Whole Foods carries their milk, but it’s cheaper buying straight from the store on the farm. Some farms also offer CSAs – Community Supported Agriculture. You pay quite a bit up front, but you are supplied with fresh produce for the entire growing season. Personally, I don’t find CSAs cost-effective since you normally can’t choose what goes in each box. To find farmer’s markets or CSAs near you, check out LocalHarvest.org.

Other Local
If you have friends or neighbors who grow or raise their own food, ask if you can pick your own for a price. For an even cheaper alternative, offer to make a trade. Do you have a service or item to barter with? Babysitting for peaches, lawn mowing for apples, portrait painting for pecans, etc. If it’s a very busy family, you could offer to help preserve the bounty in exchange for some for yourself.