Choose Seasonal Produce and Save

The Problem.
Your twin New Year’s resolutions were to eat healthily and save money.

The Solution.
Simple: When grocery shopping, buy in-season produce. Because they’re more plentiful, seasonal fruits and vegetables are much cheaper than off-season produce shipped from other parts of the globe. For example, we normally buy strawberries for about $2.50 when they’re in season, but they’d set us back $5 if we bought them right now (according to Fresh Direct).

The Action.
Check out this tool from the National Resources Defense Council to find out what produce is in season in your state throughout the year. The site even provides recipes for select produce. (Butternut squash puree, anyone?)

So, what’s in season now? Items like heirloom potatoes, which are packed with vitamin C, fiber, and potassium. Other inexpensive, nutritious, seasonal produce? Cabbage, carrots and other root vegetables, like leeks and sweet potatoes. We also recommend visiting farmers’ markets to find out what vegetables are really in season. (This supports local farmers, too!)

If you love extra detail, check out the Affordable Nutrition Index to learn how to get the best nutritional bang for your buck. It was created by Professor Adam Drewnowski of the University of Washington to measure how much nutrition different foods pack per dollar.