Fall Meal Planning on a Budget: Harvest Season Savings
Take advantage of fall produce and sales. Save money and eat seasonally.
Why Fall Eating Saves Money
Fall brings the cheapest produce of the year for many families. The harvest fills stores with apples, squash, potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage, and those vegetables are cheap, filling and keep for weeks. Cooler weather also brings back soups, stews and roasts, which are the most budget-friendly meals there are.
Fall Produce in Season
In season through the fall: apples, pears, squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. Root vegetables are often sold in large bags at their lowest prices of the year, which makes this the time to stock up.
Fall Comfort Foods
Fall comfort food is cheap by nature: shepherd's pie, beef stew, roast chicken with root vegetables, butternut squash soup, chili, baked pasta and apple crisp. Most of them use one inexpensive protein, a few vegetables and pantry staples, and many taste even better as leftovers.
Preparing for Winter
Use the fall harvest to prepare for winter. Store potatoes, onions and squash somewhere cool, dark and dry, and they'll last for weeks or months. Make and freeze soups and sauces while vegetables are cheap. Buy an extra roast or turkey when they hit their seasonal low and freeze it.
Fall Meal Ideas
A fall week from the flyer: Monday, roast chicken with carrots and potatoes; Tuesday, chicken and vegetable soup from the leftovers; Wednesday, pork chops with apples and onions; Thursday, butternut squash pasta; Friday, shepherd's pie. Dessert is apple crisp from a bag of sale apples.
Transitioning to Cold Months
As the weather turns cold, shift your plan toward oven meals and big batches that cover more than one night. Keep a few soups and stews in the freezer for busy weeks, and lean on long-keeping vegetables when fresh greens get expensive.
Featured Cities
Harvest deals vary by region and week. Browse this week's deals in your city to see which fall produce is on sale near you.
Deals in Your City This Week
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