Getting enough fruits/veggies on the cheap.

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maryadavies4667
maryadavies4667 Posts: 58 Member
in Food and Nutrition
After tracking for over a week, I noticed something. I really don't get enough fruits/veggies. I was thinking of adding a orange to my breakfast (since we have that) and seeing what kinda other fruit we have to add to my lunch. (Good thing that we get some fruit and veg from my church, but not enough and it tends to go bad quick when it's not canned) Since my gut isn't used to it, better to start slow. Do not want a case of diarrhea.

Mind, I don't get a lot of money. I'm thinking about starting a garden but that will be next year. But do any of you guys have good ways for a gal to get more fruits/veggies on the cheap?
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited July 2018
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    bulk buy tinned or frozen stuff when its on offer?
  • maryadavies4667
    maryadavies4667 Posts: 58 Member
    edited July 2018
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    We have tinned but only green beans and corn from the Church.

    I was thinking maybe check local stores to see if I can get some deals on baby-cut carrots when I think I'm ready for that. One step at a time since this has been going on a good while. But I'd like other ideas...

    Tho yeah, if I can I might eventually act like the Japanese and have veggies with all my meals, including breakfast. But have to work up to that since my gut is really not used to it.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Cooked is easier to digest. Latest studies show that we get more vitamins from our carrots when they are cooked. Roasted with a little oil and salt they are very tasty.

    Part of the economics of vegetables is to buy ones that don't go bad quickly, or get the frozen. Try frozen peas.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Around my neck of the woods, soft fruits grow in abundance. This includes raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and Saskatoons. It can be as easy as planting a stick in the ground and a year later, picking the fruit. But I suspect you live in a warmer part of the continent. I found this interactive map.

    http://fresheverydayproduce.com/in-season/

    When you plant what grows naturally in your area, growing fruit can be very easy.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    edited July 2018
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    I get my frozen fruits from Walmart, best prices that I've found. Great for smoothies and desserts.

    Do you have a discount market in your area? We have a small chain of discount fruit/veggie stores in my area called Produce Junction. The produce doesn't look pretty, but who cares, it tastes the same and the price is much more reasonable than at my grocery store. Maybe look for something like that in your area? Also, my grocery store does have a "clearance" rack for fruits and veggies that are nearing the end of the shelf life, that can be had for super cheap and are perfect if you are going to eat/prepare them within the next day or two.

    As for veggies, canned and frozen are also great options. Do you have an Aldi or similar nearby? I get a lot of my canned and frozen veggies there. My family really only likes a few veggies (corn, green beans come to mind) so I stock up on them for like $1/bag or $.50/can.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    What about cabbages and greens like turnip or collards (or, if you're into the pretending to be Japanese- bok choy, tat soy, napa, etc.)? Theyre usually very cheap, and can be cooked or eaten raw as salads and slaws.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    maryadavies4667 wrote: »
    We have tinned but only green beans and corn from the Church.

    I was thinking maybe check local stores to see if I can get some deals on baby-cut carrots when I think I'm ready for that. One step at a time since this has been going on a good while. But I'd like other ideas...

    Tho yeah, if I can I might eventually act like the Japanese and have veggies with all my meals, including breakfast. But have to work up to that since my gut is really not used to it.

    I pick up the big bags of stuff. I had picked up 30 lbs of beets, carrots, and potatoes for about $15. It took a while to cook and freeze them, but they lasted a while. Squash when in season can be inexpensive. You can get several servings out of each one and they last for quite some time. Store brand frozen veggies are good. Stuff that is getting close to expiry is often marked down 30% for short sale. There are also apps with flyers so you can comparison shop. I use flipp, but I hear there are others.
  • madwells1
    madwells1 Posts: 510 Member
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    If you have an Asian store near you (think HMart) the veggies and fruit are much cheaper than regular groceries and usually of better quality.
  • maryadavies4667
    maryadavies4667 Posts: 58 Member
    edited July 2018
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    I think first thing I should do is take stock of what we get from the Church. I was just checking in the fridge just now and we have plums for instance. (They do give us SOME fresh veggies/fruit but you have to use them quick(unless it's oranges or bananas, of course. Oranges keep a long time, and we get bananas too but they're usually green, so it's a good while before we can eat them); I think whomever gets their fresh veggie/fruit supplies around here for the church food bank tends to get stuff that is not in the best condition/close to being expired (unless it's those two; their apples are also okay but I do NOT like the red ones; I never liked Delicious apples, it's the texture), so it goes bad fairly fast) We can also get cabbage from the Church; collards are one of the few veggies I don't really like, to be honest. (The other's artichokes. Ugh, you don't get much out of that and bleh.)

    I also asked sis if she minded if I got in the carrots, she was fine with that. ^^ That saves me some trouble tho I prolly won't right away; want my system to get used to me eating fruit two times a day first. THEN I'll add in a couple carrots. (I estimate at worst I get 2 servings of veggies a day b/c we use a lot of onions in cooking and we always have some kinda vegetable at dinner.)

    I'll look into apps like Flipp. If I'm buying stuff for just me (mind, sis has the food stamps, so I don't dare apply since one of the rules is if you share food and someone in the house gets food stamps, you won't be able to get food stamps too. Not unless I want to reduce the minuscule amount we get) I do want good deals so I can get stuff for $5-$10 and save the rest since I'm proly going to have to get new clothes sometime. I'll prolly use goodwill as well as wal-mart for that but that does get pricy. And either way, that kinda thing could help when I go shopping for all of us with the food stamp card. You can't use coupons with that, but you can troll deals. ^^

    We do have a Food Depot in the area. I'll give their sale paper a good checkout; just so you know, the grocery stores in the area are Kroger, Publix, Walmart, Food Depot and Aldi's. (We're lucky with the Aldi's to have one near us!)

    As for the garden; been talking to a friend of mine about starting up a auto mister (to start plants with; seeds are cheaper than already grown plants), and I'm going to set myself a reminder to go pull weeds/water when needed. One of my faults is i'm really absentminded, so with that kinda stuff; I think it's better to get nerdy with it.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    For clothing, do you have some good clothes (as in still usable, not as in fancy) you don't wear anymore? Could you arrange a clothing swap at the church? If a bunch of people bring stuff in you could find some new for you clothes in exchange for the ones you don't wear.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,981 Member
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    Chase sales on fruits and veggies. Buy in bulk and freeze what you can't eat b4 it spoils.


    5 supermarkets in my area publush weekly flyers. I scan them every week for sales on fruit, veggies, meat and,anything else that I use/need. I get some great deals that way.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I think the problem often is in the other end, in this case, feeling that you should get enough fruit and veggies. Do you like it, can you use it? Or, can you get used to it, find uses for it? And how much is really enough?
  • maryadavies4667
    maryadavies4667 Posts: 58 Member
    edited July 2018
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    Nut; I have some pants someone got me from goodwill that didn't fit, maybe I'll use those first. I don't think I can depend on that though; I wore out/got rid of a lot of things a while back b/c I had to declutter. (When you got a small room..)

    Komm: As I hinted, there's few veggies I don't like. I just need to find ways to fit them in and find some that don't cost me a fortune. Hence why I thought about gardening; we tried this year but I didn't get the spray bottle out on the starts enough, and my brother didn't get the tiller out in time either. That's why I thought of having a computer do the misting, at least! I'm looking at the recommendations; I'm thinking I ought to eventually eat about 2 more servings of veggies, and at least 2 fruits a day. Just have to intro them gradually so I'm not sorry on the toilet.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    But is diarrhea a real threat? Has fruit and vegs caused it before? Did you by any chance overeat/eat too ripe/unripe fruit and got diarrhea?
  • maryadavies4667
    maryadavies4667 Posts: 58 Member
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    It is for any sudden diet changes, it took me a while to realize that eating too many fresh veggies/fruits causes me to be sorry on the toilet for a day at least. Mainly b/c I haven't been eating a lot of'em, so my gut needs to adjust, so I thought take it slow to give my system time to do that.

    I also had a problem for a bit when I increased my water intake (doctor told me to do that). Used to drink hardly any at all, now I drink about 8 cups a day. Things are pretty much normalized now though, even tho erm, I have to go do a #2 more often than I used to.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,180 Member
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    I rarely bother with fresh produce. It's a pain to clean, prep, and cook and it spoils quickly, especially since I cook for one. I use mainly frozen fruit - a scoop every morning in my smoothie - and frozen vegetables that I stock up on when they're on sale. About once a month or every six weeks, my Kroger has most of their frozen vegetables on sale 10 for $10, so there's plenty of variety. Plus I can use as luck as I need to and put the rest back in the freezer. Cheap and easy!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    Canned or frozen generic brand vegetables and fruits can be pretty cheap and may be a good way to start. With the frozen you can take out just what you think you will eat and reduce waste.
    Buying whole vegetables or fruit vs ones that have been peeled/cut can be cheaper.
    Buying fruits and vegetables grown locally or in season can be cheaper. https://www.thebalanceeveryday.com/the-cheapest-fruits-and-vegetables-month-by-month-1388345
  • River314
    River314 Posts: 66 Member
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    I agree with the frozen veg. I use them all the time. I use canned fruit a lot, but watch for those packed in syrup. I tend to get individual cups of oranges, peaches, pineapple, or applesauce.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,325 Member
    edited July 2018
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    I buy whatever fruit is on sale...at aldi's or walmart/ cheap cheap cheap

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