WOW, what a deal. Fresh produce.....

If you are on a fixed income it is often challenging to make ends meet and to eat healthy, fresh produce at today's prices.
Our complex's management company has found a way to help us in this. This past Tuesday they started a Farmer's Market.
The week before they passed out sheets with lists of produce and suggested we mark what we like and might purchase. They purchased it at wholesale prices and sold it to us at the price they paid for it.
What a great idea to help Seniors buy fresh food at a reasonable price. There is even a way to help out with this wonderful idea and that is to show up early and help bag up the things that need bagging ahead of time.
There were even eggs at $1.69 a dozen and they also sold them by the half dozen.

After hearing someone complain about the price of an apple (Fuji .40 each) I decided to do a comparison shop with Safeway.

I had purchased:
1 bunch green onions
1 pint grape tomatoes
7 fat asparagus in a small bunch
1 pound red grapes
1 large banana
2 avocados
2 yams
1 pound green beans (the really dark green small sized ones)
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 huge red pepper
1 # baby carrots
1 large head cabbage
and 2 Fuji apples

My total bill came to $12.10* and filled up a Trader Joe's paper shopping bag to the top.
When I compared my list, item for item, the total came to $27.53. And the apples were .75 each at Safeway.
I know I have purchased apples cheaper than that at Grocery Outlet but I had to buy a whole bag and they were a little wrinkled as a lot of their produce is what is called seconds. The apples from our Farmer's Market were large and very fresh and juicy and crisp.
So here's to the people in the management office that did all of this for us and let's make sure we show up each week to shop.
Oh, and what happened to the produce that didn't sell......it went to a charitable organization that feeds people. What a win, win situation.
*I may become a vegetarian at this rate.