Overlooking Frozen Produce At The Grocery Store Is Really Costing You

With grocery prices rising by roughly 117% in the last three years, many folks are searching for ways to save as much dough as they can on their trips to the supermarket. Sure, there are some things that maybe we don't need to be tossing into our shopping carts on the regular (looking at you, Hostess snacks), but enjoying those little pleasures is what life's about, right? Okay, maybe shopping while I'm hungry is one of those costly grocery habits I should break. Still, rather than forgoing the items that bring you a bit of joy throughout the week, consider whether all that fresh produce on your shopping list truly needs to be fresh.

Frozen fruits and vegetables tend to be far cheaper than their fresh counterparts. A quick price comparison at Safeway lists fresh spinach at $0.25 an ounce, but in the frozen aisle, you can get the greens for $0.16 per ounce, and they are pre-chopped, which means less work for you when you want to make your famous spinach artichoke dip. Frozen fruits are similarly discounted, with raspberries costing $0.50 an ounce from the freezer versus $0.67 per ounce for fresh berries. You will find comparable price breaks for frozen produce at other major grocery stores like Walmart.

Some people have bought into the idea that fresh produce is always more nutritious than frozen, but that simply isn't true in most cases. You get just roughly the same amount of nutrients from either form. On top of frozen varieties costing less, they also last much longer.

The great thing about fruits and veggies from the frozen aisle of the grocery store is you don't need to feel rushed to use them up before they spoil because they won't go bad. Eventually, the quality might deteriorate, but you won't need to worry about reaching into your produce drawer and discovering that your fruits have become furry. Luckily, food spoilage bacteria can't thrive in your freezer. You might not be able to incorporate them into every recipe, but they offer folks a convenient option to make a quick smoothie or a 2-ingredient sorbet whenever the mood strikes.

Frozen veggies are perhaps even better than fresh. Not only do they share frozen fruit's indefinite shelf life and cheaper price tag, but they are typically pre-cut. When frozen vegetables are cooked properly, they can generally be prepared faster than the more expensive alternatives when you don't have much time to whip together a dinner because they don't require much, or any, prep work. You can also get your hands on more variety if you like, as they are often packaged as medleys with several types of veggies in the bag. Who says saving some scratch in the grocery store needs to involve sacrifice?