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Jun 6, 2008 8:40 pm US/Central
Online Network Helps Save Money On Groceries
MESQUITE (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Take thousands of your closest friends and use your collective buying power to save money. It's called a food co-op, and organizers say it can save you 40 percent on groceries. But what kind of food do you get, and is it right for you?
Karen Miller has eleven mouths to feed. She runs a group home, and every penny counts. That is why she joined Share-Colorado, a food co-op that delivers groceries to members nationwide. "It helps to make the paycheck stretch a bit further, and gives them nutritional foods," Miller said.
Trena Damm coordinates food co-op distributions from her church in Mesquite. Once every month, a truck delivers hundreds of pounds of food for North Texas members. "Everyone is looking to save a dollar, and I thought, what a great thing, even for my family," Damm said.
Anyone can join and there are no qualifications or long-term commitments. You just visit a website, choose as much or as little food as you want, then pick it up on delivery day.
You can buy pre-packaged boxes of produce and meats, or single items a la carte. A box of meats including burgers, chicken strips, chicken breasts, hamburger patties and desserts runs about $25.
The foods are brand name and fresh, not donated or old.
"The more people that participate in the program, the better and the lower we can keep these prices," said Damm.
Customer Courtney Wisdom likes the selection of produce. "They have a lot of variety, a lot of foods," she said. "The organic stuff is really good." With the co-op, 17 to 22 pounds of fresh produce costs about $15.
When you order a box of produce, however, you do not know what actual items you will receive until just before the delivery date. The co-op looks for the best prices and items that are in-season. Consumers must be a litle flexible in meal planning.
Interested?
Click here to sign up. Remember, there is no membership fee to join.
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