Interested in juicing on a budget? These 5 tips are just the thing you need to get started, without reducing juice quality!
The green shoots of economic recovery may be appearing all around us, but for the average household the weekly shop remains a constant battle to stay in budget and keep the cost of living down. In particular, trying to buy the best produce without breaking the bank requires careful planning.
And for keen juicers this presents a bit of a dilemma. We all want high quality groceries to go into our juices, but how do we afford to keep our juicer running regularly when it demands that we buy kilos of food every week – especially if you are trying to go organic?
Juicing on a Budget
Here are 5 ways you can keep your juicer running regularly without defaulting on your mortgage payments.
1. Find your local food market and buy when the time is right.
All foodies love to spend time strolling around markets on a weekend, but it pays to have a strategy when it comes to buying produce. Scout the special deals on the fruit and veg stands for some great bargains on fresh, locally sourced produce and your juices will be better than ever before.
Unlike your supermarket where prices are structured and set in stone, it’s always worth a bit of a haggle with your local grocer, too. Don’t be shy about asking for a few extras if you have already spent £10 or £15. And, of course, head down at the end of the day just before the market is set to close and you will be able to drive an even better bargain. You may find yourself more limited on choice, but you’ll save the vendor the time and effort of lumping a kilo of carrots back into his or her van and is often worth them knocking a hefty percentage off produce that may go to waste anyway.
2. Buy in bulk and store/freeze.
It is much cheaper to buy in bulk than buying each fruit or vegetable individually. For example, buying a larger quantity of “ripen at home” avocados can be easier on the pocket than buying one at a time and living hand to mouth. And going green with your bananas can give you days to use up your stash.
Yes, buying in bulk does require a more thought-through approach to scheduling meals and a knack for utilizing storage solutions to their maximum. Juggle your larder, fridge and freezer space carefully, however, and you could save tens of pounds every week at the tills.
3. Shop and juice in season.
Purchasing produce that isn’t in season is a lot more expensive due to its limited availability and the added cost of shipping produce from the furthest corner of the Earth. Base your shopping basket on what’s in season does require you to explore juice recipes that you may not previously have considered – but that’s no bad thing. In fact, once you’ve expanded your repertoire from a simple carrot, orange and ginger juice there will be no stopping you.
4. Leftovers: Waste not, want not.
If you typically use vegetables to cook main meals then don’t throw away those unused pieces. We’re talking about broccoli stems, carrot peels, parsley stems, asparagus tips, beet greens, celery ends, kale ribs, and even cabbage pieces. Oh yes, they can definitely be juiced! You will be surprised how much juice they can produce, too.
When you are done preparing your main meal, just bag up these leftovers and store them in the fridge until you are ready to juice.
5. Grow your own garden.
Growing your own garden is a fantastic way to supplement the produce you buy in stores and from food stalls. And thanks to the handy solutions offered in all home and garden centres nowadays, any apartment living yuppie can try their hand at it with little more than a window ledge.
Start with hardy greens like parsley, spinach, kale, and lettuce, which need only a little love and attention. Then you can move on to more adventurous items until before you know it you have turned into not only the king or queen of juices but a horticultural hero.
It takes patience to grow your own produce and the fruits (excuse the pun) of your labour may not appear for several weeks. Give it time, though, and you will soon find that a healthy slice of your monthly income is freed up for other purposes.
