Frugal Friday: Weigh Your Produce

I just HAVE to share this common sense but overlooked genius little tip I received this week from TheKrazyCouponLady regarding saving money on produce. I have not personally used this tactic to the extent she suggests, but I know I WILL the next time I go food shopping!

Here is the tip, in her words but slightly edited by me for brevity:

Here’s a great way to get more produce for less money, without even using a coupon! There are two important groups of produce that should be weighed before purchasing:

(1) Individually priced produce:
ex: lettuce, avocado, berries, grapefruit, kiwi, lemon, peppers, pineapple
When you’re purchasing produce that is priced per item, instead of per pound, it’s always best to weigh each item.  Did you ever think to take your 1-lb strawberries over to the scale?  You may find a variance of a quarter of a pound!  Better to be the one on the receiving or “heavy” end of the scale!
... Heads of lettuce are usually priced per head.  I always squeeze my iceberg lettuce to find the more densely packed heads, but I’ve found when I combine that strategy with the scale, I have even better luck finding the jumbo heads.  Lettuce is one item on which I’ve found the most variance with weight!

2) Bagged Produce:
ex: 5-lb bag potatoes, 3-lb bag carrots, 5-lb bag apples, bagged oranges
When you’re purchasing a 3-lb bag of carrots, the processor who originally placed the carrots in the bag is supposed to fill the bag with at least 3 pounds of carrots.  The weight on the bag should be the minimum, though you’ll find, once you visit the scale, that’s not always the case.  Each bag of carrots has a slightly different weight.  On my last trip to the store, I found a bag that rang it at about 3.3 pounds, so I got 10% more product for free just for taking literally 60 seconds at the scale.  Plus, my kids think it’s great fun. 

Potatoes are especially important to weigh.  Since potatoes are 80% water, their weight can decrease over time.  I’ve found the widest variance on bagged potatoes than on any other bagged produce.

I am looking forward to using this tip in my own grocery shopping!
Have you already been doing this?