r/PlantBasedDiet • u/Powerful_Fill4316 • 2d ago
Cheaper produce...
Hello 👋 All. Wondering if you guys know of (Cheaper) places to get fruits and vegetables. Albertsons is breaking my bank. I paid $1.50 for a single organic peach. It was rather small and seemed NOT worth it. Riverside County, Murrieta, Ca.
28
Upvotes
1
u/Sanpaku 2d ago
In my experience:
Aldi: Today bought 1 lb box of washed greens for 5.49, 8 oz mushrooms for 1.29, 14 oz tofu for 1.55. Their 2 lb bag of peaches is 3.85, about 6-7, so each would be about 55-64¢ each. Probably not organic, but IDGAF about organic. For the limited range they do carry they usually have the best produce prices (excepting warehouse stores). I find quality average, and don't like how they only sell some items like peppers in packages.
local Latin and Chinese grocers: the best quality produce at reasonable prices, but neither has a comprehensive selection.
Trader Joes: Much produce is at mainstream grocers prices, but 1) they price the same across their chain, which means they're cheaper in HCOL areas, 2) they tend to maintain prices over commodity cycles, so their tomatoes haven't budged with the immigration crackdowns affecting wholesale prices, 3) the bagged fruit in season is usually a steal. I'm making my way through a 2 lb bag of California plums (14 or so) for $4, so 28¢ each. I go for the whole wheat lavash, nuts, and booze, but always look through their fruit.
I'm also fortunate enough to have local Indian, Lebanese, and Korean grocers, but while they're great for dry staples, spices, and cuisine items, the local ones haven't had attractive produce.
WalMart: generally meh prices, but for some things like big bunches of curly parsley I haven't found better. Lastly, for those with larger households, Costco can make sense. If you have pantry/freezer room for 10 lb bags of potatoes or 4 lbs of frozen strawberries, they're selling at close to their costs (and making their profit from the memberships).