99¢ produce store - cheap veggies!

My second stop yesterday was a local "farmer's market" store that I had driven by many times before, but had never stopped in. Before, I had seen signage saying it was a "99¢ produce store," so I expected good prices.

As it turns out, there were some good deals to be had, and some not-so-good ones. I found that prices on local Florida-grown produce, like peppers, were definitely below the prices of the grocery stores. Now, mind you, the produce wasn't as perfect-looking as you'd find in a grocery store, either.

Other items had higher prices than at ALDI - for instance, apples were 99¢/lb (a 3-lb. bag at ALDI costs $2.59 when not on sale) and bananas were 49¢/lb (at ALDI, 39¢/lb). So you need to know your prices!

I asked the cashier about the quality of the produce. He said that the store received shipments on Saturdays and Tuesdays, so those were the days when produce was the freshest. He also said that produce was 50% off on Fridays. So I may try the store again on a shipment day, and on a Friday.

Here's what I got (sorry, the receipt seems to have walked away):

2 red peppers @ 99¢/lb
3 green peppers @ 99¢/lb
3 Cubanelle peppers @ 49¢/lb
1 package blackberries @ 99¢
1 large bunch basil @ $1.49
1 celery @ 99¢

Total spent: $5.83

The basil was very wilted, but I brought it back to life rather simply.  Click here to see how.