Hi All! One of our fellow couponers, Sarah B. found a great way to save on fresh produce! It is a program called Bountiful Baskets and it sounds really simple! I asked her to write a review for all of you so that you can get in on this great deal too! I plan on trying it next time! Let me know if you try it too!! Thanks Sarah!
One of my greatest challenges in sticking to my grocery budget is making sure we still eat healthy--not just cheap. It's awesome when you can use coupons to get free gum and K-Y Jelly, but since I can't feed those to my family I'm always on the lookout for the best prices on real food, mainly fresh fruits and vegetables. Last year I researched joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)--basically buying a share from a local farm and receiving produce for the season. The main downsides to these are that you typically have to pay for the entire season up-front (can be around $500 depending on which one you join), they fill up quickly, and some of them require a long drive to get to the farm for pick up. I still may try one some day in an effort to buy locally, but in the mean time, I am pleasantly surprised to have discovered Bountiful Baskets, a produce Co-op with sites all over the country.
There are two locations in the Omaha area--one in Papillion at Shadow Lake and one near 114th & Dodge. These sites run every other week (the next pick up will be April 14th) and the cost is $15 for a variety of fruits and vegetables (or $25 for an organic basket). You can visit the website www.bountifulbaskets.org for all of the details about how to order and pick up time, but here's a summary of my experience:
I was warned that some locations sell out so I went online on Monday at noon when you can begin making your "contribution." In addition to the $15 charge there is a first time contributor fee of $3, plus a handling charge of $1.50. So this time my basket cost me close to $20, but next time it will only be $16.50. I ordered my basket, printed my confirmation and put a reminder in my phone to pick up my basket at 8am on Saturday morning (I chose the Papillion location--the Dodge St. location is earlier so make sure to check.). They give you a 20 minute window to pick up your food--this could be one of the downsides of participating, although if something comes up you can have someone else pick up your basket for you (a really, really good friend who is willing to get up by 8:00 on a Saturday!!).
You need to bring something to carry home your food. I brought a laundry basket and it worked great. Here's what I got:
2 bunches of Kale
1 head of leaf lettuce
3 cucumbers
3 summer squash
2 tomatoes
1 head of cauliflower
2 mangoes
4 pears
6 apples
5 bananas
2 grapefruit
Here's the great thing about it--you can choose when and how often to participate. There's no contract for the season and you never have to do it again if you don't like it. They do need volunteers (because it is a co-op) so they recommend helping every 5th or 6th time you use the co-op. I didn't ask about how that works if you just show up or if you sign up or what. Baby steps. Showing up at a random place on a Saturday morning with an empty laundry basket was enough of a stretch for me. I was very relieved when I saw other people with empty bags/baskets/boxes walking in. I don't know if I thought I would show up everyone would be wondering why I brought my hamper to the gym, but it was all good.
This may not be for you if…
...Your family does not like a variety of fruits and vegetables. You do not get to choose and I'm assuming that the selection changes seasonally. So it might not be a good deal for you if, for example, you will let that kale go to waste. On the other hand, one of the other contributors said that if she doesn't know what to do with something she just goes to Pinterest and finds a recipe that her family might like. It's a great, cheap way to expand your horizons.
...You are not available at the pick up time. If you don't show up, they will not wait for you and there are no refunds. It's definitely the opposite of convenience shopping, but I also don't think it's convenient to have to pay an arm and a leg to feed my family healthy food.
…You are afraid of being called "granola." If you live in Nebraska and you recycle or are vegetarian you already are being labeled so you might as well live up to it!
All in all, I thought it was easy and worthwhile. I will definitely do it again and recommend it to my frugal-granola friends!
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