Buying fresh produce can easily drain your wallet. Food prices are rising exponentially, so we need to be crafty in finding ways to cut costs. Whether or not you have a food budget, these tips can help reduce the cost of fresh vegetables and fruit.

Here are 5 ways to come out of the veg aisle with a full bag without draining your produce budget:

1. Skip singles. Buy a whole bag of apples, oranges, onions or potatoes. Make sure to store them properly. Then plan to eat them during the week, or cook and freeze for future use.
2. Skip packaged salads. That head of lettuce unadorned with plastic will cost you less than a packaged salad. Buy a salad spinner and reap the continued financial rewards of washing your own salad greens.
3. Skip pre-cut fruit & veg. Dedicate a portion of your weekend to slicing up fruit and veg to feel super prepared for the week. Count your savings every time you crunch on your home-cut carrot sticks or munch on a bowl of fruit salad.
4. Skip some of the organics. I am a firm believer in buying organics when and if you can. But if money is tight and you still want the healthiest food you can buy, abide by the rules of the EWG’s ‘Clean 15’ list of produce with the least amount of pesticides if buying non-organic produce.
5. Skip perfection. Look for discounted and imperfect specimens. They might not look great, but often are just cosmetically-challenged for a big savings. Mushy bananas make fantastic banana muffins. Bruised apples make fantastic applesauce.

And of course if something is on sale, it can easily work within your produce budget. Apps like this one allow you to type in what you are looking for and find sales flyers for local grocers to compare prices.