Are you looking to build your health with more fruits and vegetables, but worry about what that will do to your grocery bills?

Summer was great with farmers markets and supermarket bins full of harvested produce sold at lower prices.

But now it's Fall and winter is fast approaching.

That means fresh produce prices will be starting to rise more in the coming weeks.

So what can you do?

Well, I want you to know that there are some incredibly easy ways you can save money when grocery shopping, especially in the fresh produce section.

In this episode, let me share two simple strategies I use to keep more money in my pocket, and I want this to be the case for you too.

So grab your notebook and pen and listen in.

Welcome to the Plant Based Eating Made Easy Podcast.

I'm your host, Anna Tseng, plant-based Registered Dietitian and Transition Coach.

Hi Friend, do you want to regain your health with plant-based eating but feel overwhelmed and lost about how to do it?

Do you feel it'll be hard to change your meat-heavy diet and impossible with working, running the home, or chasing after the grandkids?

If so, you're in the right place.

Here you'll find simple strategies, clear nutrition guidance and practical tips to help you thrive plant-powered with more energy.

So, if you're ready to ditch the guesswork and transform your health the stress-free way, cozy up now with a hot cup of tea or listen while you walk and let me show you how doable plant-based eating can be.

Let's do this!

Eating plant-based shouldn't break the bank.

It really shouldn't.

It should be doable, enjoyable, and affordable.

But for that to happen, you need to know what smart strategies to use and skills to have inside and outside the kitchen.

That's why I created the Plant-Powered Life Transformation Course, so you can learn how to make this lifestyle change and save time and energy while doing it.

I want you to be able to spend more time and energy where it counts, with your loved ones.

This six-module online Course will give you the tips and tricks you need to enjoy plant-based eating on a budget and affordable, tasty recipes to try.

Get more details about this Course at plantnourished.com/ppltcourse or see the link in the show notes.

I can't wait to support you more through this Course.

Now over the years, I've accrued numerous strategies to help our family and others save money on groceries.

That's because I know this is an important part of staying plant-based, especially in the current climate of all food prices rising.

But in this episode, I want to give you two of the simplest strategies first.

These are so simple that it can be easy to miss, and I am sure many do.

Yet it can make a big difference to money saved in terms of less food wastage and more grocery spending money.

Let's look at each one in turn now.

Here's the first: check for your fruit or vegetable elsewhere.

Let me explain.

In case you didn't know, stores have a 'First In and First Out' policy, which is a good one.

It means that goods that will be expiring sooner will be given priority to be sold and rotated off the shelves first, compared to products with a longer shelf life.

Well, this applies to fresh produce items too.

Fresh fruits and vegetables that have been hanging out for a while on the display shelves might be sold at a reduced price, or given more prominence in display.

This may be putting them in a display bin right near the front of the store to spotlight them, so that customers will notice them and hopefully buy more.

You may have noticed this happening in some of the larger supermarkets where there is a more extensive, fresh produce department.

Right when you enter the fresh produce section, you may see some promotional offer bins with fruits and vegetables displayed, beckoning you to buy them.

The deals may be good and you can surely go for those if you want, but take a moment first to scan the rest of the fresh produce section to see if that same item is being displayed elsewhere for sale.

There was once I came across bags of avocados being sold near the front of the produce section and it was on offer.

But when I went to have a little feel, most of the avocados felt soft, meaning they were already pretty ripe and would have needed to be eaten right away once brought home.

I wanted to get avocados but didn't want those.

So I left those for the moment and continued shopping for other fresh produce items.

That's when I saw another display section, a little farther away with more bags of avocados and still with the same promotional offer.

And these avocados were much firmer to the touch.

I was delighted to see this, and of course, put a bag of the firmer avocados into my cart right away.

So with this bag of avocados, I know I'll be able to use and enjoy them for at least a week or two at home.

I hope you see from this experience just how important it is to make sure you check quickly for the same fruit or vegetable at other places within the same produce department, so you can pick the best products to bring home to enjoy.

Yet many of us don't do this.

Your wallet will thank you, and you'll have to deal with less food wastage too.

Here's a second simple strategy: stop and look at all available options.

Often we're so busy that we just run in and out the store and grab whatever we see or are used to.

Is this what you find yourself doing?

I've done it myself at times.

But that's not the best way to go about things, especially if saving money is one of your big goals.

So don't just pick up that first bunch of grapes, container of mushrooms, or bag of romaine lettuce you see, and pop that into your grocery cart, even if they're sitting in a display bin under a big promotional offer sign.

Stop and look to see if other available options for that same food item are present, perhaps packaged a little differently so you can make a wiser and better choice with your food dollars.

Recently I walked to the store with my children to get some groceries at the nearby supermarket.

I specifically wanted to buy a bag of mandarin oranges to offer as fruit for a class my husband was teaching the next day.

Well, when we got to the produce section, I saw a big promotional sign in purple and yellow offering small mesh bags of clementine oranges coming from Morocco.

The offer was for a hundred grocery card points when you buy two bags of this product, and the cost was for $6.99 cents for each two-pound bag.

The hundred grocery points was tempting but I hesitated in buying it as it still seemed too expensive to me, especially since the two pounds or 907 grams in weight only translated to about eight little clementine oranges.

Then I noticed that there were some other bags of clementine oranges next to these original bags I saw, with a different label on them.

These oranges were a product of Israel, but also cost the same at $6.99 for a two-pound bag.

I was getting disheartened and about to look for another fruit option when I rounded the corner and came upon a different display bin with a different sign, this time in black with white lettering.

It said, " Pick your own $1.99 per pound, or $6.99 per bag, Ori Clementines, product of Israel." While these were loose clementine oranges packed into cute little paper bags with handles, I picked one up to see and noticed how much heavier the bag was.

Then I looked and saw a sign below that said Each paper bag of clementine oranges weighed 2.8 kilograms or more than six pounds.

Of course, I bought this paper bag of clementines instead of the other options.

Imagine, for the same price of $6.99, I could get three times more oranges in weight.

That translated to 26 clementine oranges instead of just eight.

And in the end, there were enough clementine oranges to offer as fruit for two of my husband's classes.

It's a win-win situation in my books.

I am so glad I took time to look at all the available offer options first, instead of just picking up the smaller bag of oranges.

Otherwise, I would have missed this great deal.

Actually, this deal was so good that I went back to the store two days later to pick up another paper bag's worth this time to give as a gift to a friend.

It definitely pays to explore the produce area more.

So today we looked at two ways you can start to save more money on fresh produce at the store.

These are to 1) check for your fruit or vegetable elsewhere, and 2) to stop and look at all available offer options.

These strategies are simple, yet easy to forget about doing, especially when you're in a rush.

But it can truly make a big difference to your wallet.

Now, here's an action step you can take.

On your next grocery trip, pick a fresh fruit or vegetable item on your shopping list to practice with.

First, take a moment to see if this product is being sold in more than one section in the produce department, then go and check and see what all the offer or package options are.

For example, for carrots, is it being sold in different pound bags, in different forms, or even as loose carrots?

Compare the options and pick the best valued option to suit your needs.

I hope today's episode helps you.

Remember, if you want more money-saving strategies and easy, affordable, plant-based recipes to help you enjoy eating plant-based on the budget, check out the Plant-Powered Life Transformation Course.

Get details of this Course at plantnourished.com/ppltcourse or see the link in the show notes.

Thank you so much for listening.

If this podcast has inspired, encouraged, or helped you in some way to transform your health, I would love to hear about it.

Please take 30 seconds to rate and leave a written review on Apple Podcasts to let me know.

It will encourage me so much to hear how this podcast has positively impacted and made a difference in your journey towards wellness.

And share about this podcast with a friend or loved one so we can all thrive in the best health.

Remember, plant-based eating can be easy and doable.

See you in the next episode, my Friend.