• Join the Club!
  • About
    • Media
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • BLOG
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    • Login
    • Club Homepage
    • GCE Meal Plans
    • Digital Meal Planner
    • Club Resource Library
    • Downloads
    • Live Club Events
  • Purchases
    • My Courses
  • SHOP
    • The Good Cheap Eats Club
    • Cookbooks
    • Planner
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Good Cheap Eats

eat well on a budget with easy recipes from Jessica Fisher

Find a Recipe
  • Budget Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baked Goods
      • Yeast Breads and Rolls
      • Muffins and Quick Breads
      • Scones and Biscuits
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Lunches
    • Main Dishes +
      • Beef
      • Bowl Meals
      • Meatless
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Poultry +
        • Chicken
        • Ground Turkey
        • Turkey
      • Sausage
      • Seafood
    • Salads
    • Slow Cooker
  • Money-Saving Tips
    • Take the Pantry Challenge
  • Affordable Meal Planning
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Build a Frugal Pantry with Fruit

Jessica Fisher · April 26, 2010 · 2 Comments

yogurt berry parfait in a glass with spoon

Yogurt Berry Parfait

Whether it’s canned, fresh, or frozen, fruit is a wonderful asset to any pantry. In fact, few of us eat as much fruits and veggies as we should, so it’s a good thing we’re talking about it this week. Frugal pantry staples can be high on the carbohydrates which is not a bad thing, necessarily. But, I for one, like to have a good portion of fresh produce with each meal and try to encourage it for our family’s snacks as well.

Build a Frugal Pantry with Fruit

There are three ways that you can make fresh produce a frugal addition to your pantry:

1. Buy in season.

You’ve heard it before. In-season produce not only tastes better, but it’s usually less expensive than the imported choices. My rule of thumb is not to pay more than $1/pound for produce, no matter its form. This usually means that I’m buying our produce fresh as canned and frozen are generally more expensive than that.

In fall we enjoy apples and pears. In spring and summer we indulge in cherries and fresh berries. And I’ve just learned to adapt to the idea, “If it’s not on sale, we don’t buy it.” May seem weird but, it works for me!

apples on a tea towel with apple turnovers

2. Buy a lot.

If you see a great deal, stock up! This past six months, apples have been as low as $0.29/pound in my area — for organic, even! Several times I bought a whole box.

We enjoyed pies, applesauce, and fresh apples to munch on.

If you find a great deal on a certain fruit, buy as much as you can reasonably store and eat.

3. Buy enough to preserve.

Last summer the prices were so low on cherries and berries (about $0.69/pound) that I pulled my canner and canning jars from storage and made several batches of jam (more on that later this wee) as well as prepared bags and bags of it for the freezer. We have had all we could eat fruit jam and syrup all year long. With many jars left to go!

These are just a few ways that you can build your frugal pantry with fruit. I’d love to hear what you do and what works for you. 

Are you fresh fruit eaters or have you found great deals on frozen or canned? See you in the comments.

Filed Under: Frugal Pantry

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elka Minor says

    August 3, 2010 at

    I am always astounded when you, and other bloggers for that matter, mention the price breakdown. I would end up never buying any fruits other than bananas if I stuck to the under $1/lb. Even with apple orchards nearby and pick your own we pay way more for produce here in the midwest.

    Anyway last year I made peach butter which ended up a bit thin~~ okay I got impatient with the simmering down~~ and we have been using it as a syrup. Very yummy.

    BTW I use your blog a lot~~ I love it and thank you so much for being here 😀

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 4, 2010 at

      Where do you live? Even in the Midwest I could find produce under a buck. I’m a little spoiled now. 😉

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

HI! I’M JESSICA.

Jessica preparing food in a kitchen

I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter their budget. Click here to learn more.

SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES

2021 Grocery Savings Challenges

printed card of GCE system on refrigerator with magnets

Get a Free Printed Card of the Good Cheap Eats System

bowl of dry onion soup mix

Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix to Replace the Packets

Ralphs receipt with groceries in a flatlay

How to Audit Your Grocery Spending

flatlay of groceries cookbook and money with coins and bills

Save Money on Groceries Right Now with These Simple Tricks

LET’S CONNECT

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

grocery cart with peets coffee

Footer

Disclaimer/Disclosure

Please note that the advertisements posted here do not necessarily represent Jessica Fisher’s views and opinions.

Also be advised that some of these advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site (when you click through). You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices.

To better serve my readers, I have implemented Google Analytics cookies in order to better know visitor demographics. For opt outs, go here.

For more specific details on my disclaimers/disclosures, go here.

Head here to view our complete privacy policy.

Tags

30-minute meals appliances baking basics buttermilk Cakes casserole cheddar chocolate christmas cooked chicken cooking for one or two dairy-free DIY Convenience easy meals efficient kitchen enchiladas Food processor GCE basics gluten-free grains granola grilled grocery savings challenges holiday Holiday Food instant pot leftovers meal planning 101 meal prep mother's day no cook packable pantry pantry staples pressure cooker quick dinner ideas real food products save money on groceries shop thanksgiving time-saving tips updated Veggies Most whole 30

Copyright © 2021 · Daily Dish Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in