This morning I stopped by my local farmers market for my bi-weekly fruit and veggie shopping spree.
I started shopping at the farmers market more often a few weeks back and I thought I might share the amount of money that can be saved by ditching the supermarket. When you eat local, you get a better selection, as well as better prices on most foods.
First off, here is what I spent on the items in the photo above:
1 seedless watermelon: $ 3
2 kiwi: $ .25 each, $ .50 total
12 banana peppers: $ 1
2 large avocados: $ 1
3 yellow squash: $ 1
1 lb. bag of spinach: $ 2
1 lb. strawberries: $ 1.75
1 lb. purple potatoes: $ 2
1 lb. green beans: $ 1.80
3 bunches kale: $ .50 each, $ 1.50 total
Total amount saved by deciding to eat local: $ 15.55
This is all from shopping on a Thursday, where I would estimate that 1/4 of the farms have their stands open. When you go on a Saturday morning, there are people everywhere yelling all kinds of deals and you actually get better prices. Last Saturday morning I got a cantaloupe the size of a medium pumpkin for $ 2, as well as 2 large pineapples for $ 1 total. As I was leaving last week, one man working a stand yelled "Hey man! Cherries! $ 1.50 a lb." I would have bitten on that sales pitch if it weren't for the fact that I had so many bags in my hands that I couldn't hold anymore.
When I got home today, I decided to go to the supermarket and see just how much money I actually saved by deciding to eat local.
Here are the prices at the supermarket chain for the same items I purchased, along with my total savings:
Seedless watermelon: $ 3.99 each, similar size: Savings = $ .99
Kiwi: $ .50 each: Savings = $ .50
Banana peppers: Not sold at the supermarket except for in jars cut up. Savings = N / A
Avocados (smaller than the ones I purchased) 4 for $ 5 = $ 1.25 each: Savings = $ 1.50
Yellow squash: $ 1.49 per lb. (Three weighed 1.4 lbs) = $ 2.22 for 3: Savings = $ 1.22
Spinach: $ 1.99 per lb. (This spinach looked much less fresh, but was cheaper): Loss = $ .01
Strawberries: $ 2.99 per lb .: Savings = $ 1.24
Purple Potatoes: Not sold at the supermarket: Savings = N / A
Green beans: $ 1.99 per lb .: Savings = $ .19
Kale: $ .99 per bunch: Savings = $ 1.47
My total savings today was $ 7.10.
To put these savings in other words, that is almost 50% of the amount that I spent on all of my fruits and veggies. That's $ 738.40 saved a year!
Remember above when I mentioned getting 2 pineapples for $ 1 last Saturday? Well, as I was leaving the produce area at the large supermarket, I noticed this: $ 3.99 pineapples!
Now that is an 800% increase in price over what I paid. I am not sure why the cost is so high, but it is clearly a total ripoff. I hope I have convinced you to at least go check out your local farmers market and see what kind of prices and selection they have. If I were paying the exact same price and not saving any money, I would still rather eat local from the farmers market. You are supporting small business by shopping there, and if you are a people watcher like me, there may be no place better to go.
If you are not sure where you nearest farmers market is, I found a great resource over at http://www.localharvest.org/ which shows where to go in your area, along with reviews so that you know what you are getting when you make the trip.
Happy shopping!
