Juicing can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right know-how and tips, I’m about to share with you, juicing on a budget at home is completely do-able, even for a family.
These things are KEY when it comes to juicing: knowing where to shop for produce, what to buy, having the right recipes, and an execution plan so nothing goes to waste.
Following these steps will ensure you are using your dollars wisely and making the most of your time and efforts.
the 5 strategies for juicing on a budget
1. shop smart
You have to know where to get produce, and where to get good produce. We live in Indiana, so my top three stores for purchasing organic produce on our budget are Kroger, Aldi, and either Costco or Fresh Thyme (depends on the sales). When the farmer’s market opens in summer, we head there for homegrown organic produce which also supports our local farmers.
- Do you have to buy organic? You absolutely should be purchasing organic produce to juice. I explain why in this post here. The short version is juice goes directly into your bloodstream and when you’re juicing conventional produce filled with pesticides, you’re giving your blood a nice shot of toxic chemicals. Don’t do that. What’s the point of doing all the work if you’re giving the body poison? This entire post is to keep you shopping organic on a budget—keep reading.
Sale ads are your friend!!! You know, the ones that show up in the mailbox every week with junk mail? Yeah. Until we had kids, they never received my attention (straight to the trash they went). Now I use them to assist in making our shopping list so I don’t forget anything and get the best deals. We would end up saving anywhere between $15-25 each trip! That’s a lot when you add it up each month, and juicing on a budget wouldn’t be possible without it. There are usually really good deals on organic produce depending on the stock they get. So get your recipes, add look through the ads to find out where to go to get what.
2. know what to buy first
Heading to the store and buying random things that might go together can turn into a disastrous juice—I’ve done that and ended up with a few squishy apples and rotten celery. Certain ingredients go together, some don’t, some will produce way too much sugar, and some will ruin your entire juice. Each scenario will leave you in a world of frustration. Not only will money have been wasted, but you’ll likely say “screw it, I’m not doing this.” No to mention, it’s really hard to correct a yucky juice.
This is where recipes are key, but good ones. This leads us to step #3.
3. have the right recipes to follow
I can’t stress enough, locating recipes that will taste as good as the health benefits they will provide is key. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, I tried so many stinking recipes on the internet I thought it would be beneficial to helping him heal and taste good.
Man, was I wrong! Honestly, I was a little ticked some people would even put those recipes out there that wasted people’s time and money; especially if you were trying to stick to juicing on a budget (it felt unfair). It’s one of the reasons we opened Beet Street Juicery and be committed to only produce juices that not only helped the body but also tasted damn good.
And they don’t need to be complicated.
All of the recipes we developed at the juice bar, share with you on this site, and now available in our This is How We Beet Street Recipe Book, are simple, straightforward, and strategically created to taste good while providing health benefits.
4. STORING PRODUCE PROPERLY
Whether you’re able to juice everything you buy within a couple of days or if it’s a week out, taking the proper storing steps will keep everything fresh for when you need it.
Keep produce that is in bags in their bag in your produce bin. To save you time later, wash your apples as soon as you get them home (big bowl with some Dr. Bronner’s or veggie wash, let them soak for a few minutes, rinse, dry, and store). For leafy veggies, don’t wash them until you’re ready to use them so they don’t get soggy (wrapping them in a damp paper towel helps keep them fresh longer).
It’s frustrating when you are all set to juice, go to grab produce and some of it’s bad. Avoid that by 1. buying what you need and know will use that week or within 2-3 weeks, and 2. take the extra 10 minutes to store them properly. It will save you more time and energy when it comes time to actually making some juice.
5. STORING JUICES PROPERLY
There’s nothing more pissing off than going to grab a juice and it being bad. It’s sad and you kick yourself for it happening.
Knowing the right way to store juices will save you time (going to the store), energy (juicing), and money. Here’s the right way to do it for each type of juicer you have. And if you don’t have a juicer yet and are looking to get one, also on a budget, head to How to Choose the Right Juicer for You, where we break down the juicers on the market and how to get one affordably.
- Centrifugal – with proper steps taken it will keep for no more than two days and will begin to go flat or spoil after that.
- Masticating – with proper steps taken juices will keep for 2-3 days and will begin to go flat or spoil after that.
- Cold-press – with proper juicing and storage steps juices will last 3-4 days and will begin to spoil after that.
additional tips on storing juice
- If you juice spinach, because of the nature of the leaves, it may spoil your juice before the 2-3 day mark. Spinach begins to separate and become a little slimy.
- Ideally, juices made in anything but cold-press juicers should be drunk within the first hour to receive all of the living nutrients and enzymes within the juice. However, we have drunk these juices two days after, and while they do not taste as crisp, they are still delicious and provide the body the nutrition it needs. Drinking these juices 1-2 days after is still far more beneficial thank drinking a store-bought “dead” juice that’s been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long. If you look at those juices, they only have an expiration date, not a made on date.
- If you juice carrots, be sure to peel the skin, especially if you plan on storing them for two days. The natural surface bacteria on the skin of carrots will naturally begin to break down the juice. I’ve also tried baby carrots and it must be the way they are processed (even organic) and they tend to do the same so keep those juices no more than 1-2 days.
- Juices should always be stored in glass (bottles or Mason jars). Juices are very alkalizing so they will pull toxins out of plastics. Glass will also keep them fresh the longest.
- Fill the glass Mason jar or bottles as much to the rim as you can. Store full juices in the coldest part your refrigerator–typically the in the back, not the door.
juicING on a budget FROM NOW ON
It’s doable, I promise. You don’t have to spend a hundred dollars on organic produce to make four juices despite what some say out there. I know, because we do it. We are a family of four, soon to be five, and juice within our budget every month. And if you’re mind gives you the self-talk of “but regular kale is $.97 and organic is a whole $1 more…tell it to shut it. Kale is one of the most beneficial greens for us, but it’s also the third most pesticide-ridden along with 14 others—check out the EWG list of top pesticide-ridden foods here. We adopted a saying after my dad passed away from cancer and it’s “Pay now, or pay later.”
If we didn’t juice every week, I’m not sure our oldest would get the nutrients his body truly needs because he is reluctant to try them right now. It’s so great to see them want to be so involved with making the juice too; which is one of the first steps to trying them.
Make sure to plan ahead on what you want to make, check out our 5 Ingredients Juice Recipes if you’re not sure where to start.
Check out your local sale ads for the best current prices on produce at the stores you shop at. What I like to do is start at Costco first (since they don’t have weekly food ads and they get bulk things like organic mangoes, apples, and bananas randomly), then what I don’t find there I’ll go off my ads list—typically Aldi, Koger, and Fresh Thyme. And when our local farmer’s market is open during summer, we like to shop as local as possible.
If there are questions on anything I might not have covered when it comes to juicing on a budget, please let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email!
And don’t forget to check out the release of our new recipe book, This Is How We Beet Street. It has all of our best-selling juices, smoothies, and more from the juice bar!
Happy juicing!
