Save Money on Carrots

Unfortunately I am not talking dazzling white carats (although take a peek at some of those at Fort Wayne based www.YourDirectDiamonds.com), instead I'm referring to the crunchy orange kind that supposedly help you see better.  Emphasis on supposedly, as they haven't worked for old four-eyes here.  They aren't a terribly expensive veggie, but there is a way to make fresh carrots consume even less of your grocery budget.

Instead of buying the baby carrots that come pre-cut and pre-washed swimming in a bag of carrot water-juice, consider purchasing that big bag of peel-still-on, 10 inch carrots.  A 1 lb bag of baby carrots cost about $1.50 at Meijer.  The 3 lb bag of unprepared adult carrots can be purchased on sale for $2.50, or about 83 cents a pound. 

The glaring difference between the two options is not only the price per pound, but the fact that you have to peel and cut the second kind.  I estimate it takes less than 10 minutes to wash, peel, cut and store a 3 pound bag of carrots.  The task will be less daunting if you do it immediately after returning from the grocery.  Either do the whole bag at once or if you don't go through the orange sticks that quickly, just prepare enough for a week.  The unpeeled carrots will last for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.  If you prepare too many and they start to dry out and curl up, simply store them in a water bath. 

Try preparing your own carrots.  It is far less expensive, and the carrots last longer and taste better in my opinion. They don't come half-rotted in a particulate-laden, water-juice solution as is often the case with the already prepared baby carrots.