Save When Shopping at the Farmers' Market -- Savings Experiment

A lot of people think that shopping at a farmers' market will cost you more than going to a supermarket, but that's simply not true. In fact, if you have a good game plan you can find great local produce without overpaying. Here are a few ways to save.

First, if you want to get more for your money, buy fruits and vegetables in bundles. You'll be much more likely to score a deal if you're buying in bulk. So, if there's a particular type of produce you eat often, like tomatoes, buy a bunch and save them for later. You can use them to make sauce and freeze it, so you won't have to buy more when they're no longer in season.

Speaking of in-season, you can take your savings a step further and buy produce during its peak season. For instance, by shopping a few weeks into summer, that cantaloupe or eggplant will be in heavy supply, which means you'll pay even less than you would have at the start of the season.

Another great way to save at the farmers' market is by knowing when to pay for organic produce. While some items like strawberries, peaches and celery are known to have lots of pesticide residue, others like avocados and onions don't. Only pay extra for organic fruits and vegetables when you need to, and if you're unsure if certain foods have pesticides or fertilizers, ask your farmer what they use so you can be confident about what you're buying.

Lastly, don't judge a piece of produce by its cover. Most of the time, farmers will mark down the prices of bruised or overripe fruit, even though there's nothing wrong with it. Look past the blemishes and save a ton of money on a perfectly good piece of produce.

The next time you head out to buy fruits and vegetables, remember these tips and give the farmers' market a try. You'll see that with a solid game plan, you can get fresh local produce without spoiling your budget.

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