Vegetables are expensive

Agutka

There, I've said it.:o
Three parsnips for 77p. Four bananas for 94p. Mango for £1. Everything over 50p, except carrots. 3 cox apples 54p.
And I do not have anywhere cheaper to go except supermarkets. I have tried the local market - more expensive and you don't get to pick, I've tried vans at carboots - again more expensive, unless they're throwing it out - then you get the sludge out of left over boxes.
Unless I make something filling like soup or casseroles, to make these veggies last I can't see how eating healthily/from scratch is cheaper than me eating chocolate all day every day :j .
I am having roast veggies today. For two. It will not cost pennies. It will not come to £34/week or month or whatever.
What am I doing wrong?

inspiremetosave

I agree! Hopefully someone out there can share the secret of eating healthily cheaply!

lynzpower

Which supermarkets are you using? Would you get better value from an organic box?

annie-c

I think that it's important to think in terms of both value for money AND nutritional value here. An apple may cost the same as a bar of chocolate but only one of them contains dietary fibre and vitamins - so for me the apple wins hands down

Personally, I won't compromise on healthy eating - I don't care if mars bars get reduced to 5p a go, I want to be healthy and I need my fruit and veg. I do manage to do this quite cheaply though. My local supermarket tends to reduce fruit and veg after 6pm and so I often get herbs for 5p, exotic fruit for 15p etc which balances out the cost of the shopping list. They have to sell things off before the 'sell-by' date but these bargains rarely need using up quickly. Remember you can use a portion of pulses aand/or a glass of economy fruit juice to help towards your 5-a-day - both can be bought cheaply in any supermarket.

lynzpower

dont knock end of the day veg either.

Many a time, Ive been fortunate enough to get some slighlty past best veg ( a huge box of cherry tomatoes for a quid eg) and Ive turned them into something for the freezer. I turned a tray of cherry toms into a pasta sauce by roasting them with loads of garlic and strawbs I turned into a coulis for pancakes.

Dont forget frozen veg- it IS nutritionally viable, in fact much of it is better than whats been shipped cross continent. Peas, sweetcorn etc are all cheap as, and last AGES.

Buy value veg too if you are not already- its the shape that means lower classification, thats all.

Joolzr68

Do you have anywhere you could grow your own veg? If you don't have a garden to make a veggie patch in maybe you could grow a few veg in a window box or in old containers somewhere. It all helps to get those vital veg into you diet and its much cheaper than buying them. If you have a garden you can even make your own free compost. Its not hard to grow basic veg.
Just a little planning needed.

loren83

I'm not sure if Lidl's veg is good quality but in my local one it was all half price yesterday. I got a giant bag of parsnips for less than 50p and avacado for 30p which was yummy and some cherry vine tomatoes for 59p. There was plenty more but i didn't have the strength to carry it on the bus home!

tiff

For fruit and veg I buy everything "value" or near enough or in bulk. Value bag of bananas, value apples 33p, value onions big bag for 60 or 70p, sack of potatoes from the farm shop £5, value garlic bulbs etc. I buy any fruit or veg that is reduced and base my meals on that. Veg that is in season will be the cheapest, you can get swede really cheap now. Yesterday I made a liver and bacon casserole, pack of liver was 78p, pack of bacon on bogof, onion, tin of tomatoes, mashed potato with carrot and parsnip mashed into it using carrots from a 2lb bag I got for 10p (and that was in the morning after dropping kids off at school). The whole meal must have cost less than £2.50 for a family of 4.

Paige

Hello
I get all my fruit and veg delivered fortnightly from our local farm. If I am careful and use all of the produce in order it lasts 2 weeks for 2 adults and 2 kids - 10 and 12. In my fruit box today , I got 2 grapefruits, 1 lemon, 4 oranges, 12 apples, 8 pears, 12 clementines, 8 bans and a huge bunch of grapes for - £8.50.In my veg box I got pots,onions,carrots, leeks,swede,parsnips,artichokes,2 peppers, mushrooms, red and white cabbage,garlic, chillis, parsley and a salad bag - £12.50. Its worth looking on the internet to see whats available in your area. Also You need to be quite organised and plan your meal around what you get delivered. Because its all fresh I find I do not waste anything now. Paige X

LizD_2

Do you have a greengrocer you can visit? They are usually cheaper than supermarkets. It's more seasonal, but that helps the price, as it hasn't usually been shipped half way around the world.

Agutka

I'll think about the box idea - never went for it before as didn't want to be stuck with veg I've never seen before. I'm more adventerous now.
My nearest Lidl or Aldi, can't remember which is a half hour drive away! And I am very sure there are no greengrocers in this town.
And I do buy end-of-day produce when I find it - it never comes out at the same time of day, and there are so many people that can get the bargains before they sell out.
And I must stress :rolleyes: that I do not ONLY eat chocolate. I get plenty of that good for you stuff in. It's just scary that an apple is the same price!

Thank you, I'll go off and have a think. In the meantime I'll enjoy my delicious if expensive dinner!