Saving money on food: STEP 4 Fresh, Frozen, Canned, and Dried

The final step in saving money on food involves purchasing ingredients in various forms.  I call it the fresh, frozen, canned, and dried rotation.  Not all ingredients will fit in this model. Here is an example of some that will:

Fruit
FRESH: apples, bananas, grapes, and seasonal fruit
FROZEN: marked down bananas not the best for eating but great in a smoothie, fresh seasonal fruit purchased at a great price in a ziplock bag in my freezer, five bags of cranberries that were on an after Thanksgiving special
CANNED: applesauce canned from my neighbor's apple tree, apple butter, peaches purchased as seconds from a fruit stand that I canned, any other tin can fruit in light syrup or juice
DRIED: raisins, dates, cranberries, pineapple, prunes, apricots etc.

Vegetables
FRESH: lettuce, spinach, zucchini, carrots, kale, etc.
FROZEN: bagged veggies
CANNED: canned veggies (not my favorite but ok in soups in a pinch)
DRIED: onions, carrots, potato flakes, etc.
(squash, potatoes, onion can last a long time in a cool place)

Meat
FRESH: poultry, beef, pork, seafood
FROZEN: put it in the freezer before it expires
CANNED: tuna, chicken, spam,
DRIED: jerky

Dairy

FRESH: milk, cheese, butter
FROZEN: shredded cheese, butter
CANNED: evaporated milk(doesn't taste as good as fresh milk, but fine for smoothies, pancake mix, cornbread etc.)
DRIED: instant milk (doesn't taste as good as fresh milk, but fine for smoothies, pancake mix, cornbread etc.)

  There are obvious health benefits from eating fresh foods.  The idea is to have multiple ways to get a similar item so you don't need to run to the store and buy more than you planned.  It also is a way to "put off" spending when the fresh items are not on sale.  Therefore, you purchase items at the price you want to pay because it is the lowest!