{"id":7149,"date":"2015-06-29T05:23:11","date_gmt":"2015-06-29T12:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/add-vodka.com\/?p=7149"},"modified":"2015-06-23T16:24:36","modified_gmt":"2015-06-23T23:24:36","slug":"8-ways-to-be-a-cheapskate-at-farmers-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/add-vodka.com\/8-ways-to-be-a-cheapskate-at-farmers-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Ways to Be a Cheapskate at Farmer’s Markets"},"content":{"rendered":"
Being a cheapskate at a farmer’s market may sound like a bad idea \u2014 who wants to rip off farmers? \u2014 but it can still be done while keeping your conscience clear. I’ve tried some of these methods or have watched others do them successfully for years.<\/p>\n
I haven’t done a cost comparison to see if shopping for produce at a farmer’s market is any cheaper than at a grocery store, but as a regular shopper at both I’ve seen mostly higher prices at grocery stores. Not always, but often.<\/p>\n
Even if you do find deals at the store, the quality isn’t often as good as it is from a farmer’s market where the produce was picked that morning or maybe a day or so earlier. I’m not trying to be a farmer’s market snob. Some things I’ve found at farmer’s markets during my weekly trips to them in the past seven years have not always been so great. But overall, I’ve found most of the produce to be top-notch.<\/p>\n
Being a cheapskate at a farmer’s market requires some changing of your standards. And don’t think that these methods will put your local farmer out of business. They want to unload their fruits and vegetables every week, and will sometimes take a small loss if it means moving more items.<\/p>\n
Here are some ways to be a cheapskate at a farmer’s market, and they don’t include having it delivered<\/a> to your home:<\/p>\n Without getting into an argument over the overuse of the term organic and which foods should be grown organically for health reasons, if you want to save money as a cheapskate, skip buying organic at your farmer’s market. You’ll save at least 25 percent<\/p>\n If you absolutely don’t want fertilizers on the food you buy and are willing to pay extra for organic, then buy it. But know that it’s basically a technical term that requires adhering to certain practices and standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n I’m not an expert in organic regulations for produce, but I can tell you from my conversations with farmers at my local farmer’s market that it’s a label that county regulators monitor closely for compliance. Some farmers basically grow their food organically but don’t go through all of the paperwork to get it certified.<\/p>\n There’s an organic stand at my local market that I always skip because I’m a cheapskate. I’m in drought-stricken California, where produce prices are high already, but I’ve seen the organic stand sell cherries for 50 cents more per pound than other stands.<\/p>\n I only buy apples in the fall and watermelon in the summer. Plums and apricots are plentiful during the summer, and are $2 per pound now versus $3 or more a month or so ago.<\/p>\n The farmer’s market I go to is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Arriving late can save you 50 percent or more.<\/p>\n I rarely do this, mainly because the fruit is so picked over by close to 2 p.m. that what’s left is often bruised and must be eaten within a day or so before it goes bad.<\/p>\n That may be OK if you plan on eating a lot of apricots fast, or will can them or turn them into jam. But if you want good fruit to eat for the next week, go early in the morning and pay the regular price.<\/p>\nSkip organic<\/h2>\n
Buy in season<\/h2>\n
This is the easiest way to save. Too many things are sold out of season in California, and the prices are a few dollars higher than they would be if they were in season. They also taste a lot better when they’re bought in the season they normally grow in.<\/p>\n
Be a late cheapskate<\/h2>\n
Haggle as a cheapskate<\/h2>\n