One of my family’s favorite treats is fresh, homemade banana bread.  Fortunately, I’ve figured out a great way to save money making it: buy ripe bananas.

Periodically my local grocery store will have bags of bananas that are ripe right now.  The bananas have gone a little soft and they may have brown spots.  They’re not ideal for eating plain, but they are oh-so-perfect for banana bread.

These “great for baking” bananas are also a significant savings over fresher ones. Rather than paying $.60 a pound (or more) for fresh bananas that I have to wait to turn brown and soft on my counter before I bake with them,  I can buy a bag of ripe bananas that are ready to use today for about $.21 a pound. That’s a huge savings for those of you who like to bake with bananas!

I got enough bananas in the bag to make four loaves of banana bread.  We enjoyed some of the bread right away, and the rest went into the freezer.  No time to bake?  You could also freeze the bananas for later use in smoothies, bread, muffins, or desserts.

It’s a good idea to pay attention to the produce section of the grocery store for other potential savings on fruit or vegetables that are getting a little past their prime.  They may not be ideal for eating in their current state, but slightly overripe fruits or veggies can easily be incorporated into other recipes.  For example, overripe apples make excellent homemade applesauce and pie fillings.  Other vegetables like carrots and potatoes can be diced up and either dehydrated or frozen for use in soups and stews.

Check out our other cheap tricks to help you save time and money and be sure to share your own cheap trick with us.  You just might see it end up in a future Cheap Trick post!