When my husband and I faced another wave of holiday costs, we started trimming expenses wherever possible — especially our food spending.
Our monthly grocery allowance was roughly $250 for the two of us, and we knew it would stretch to cover presents and decorations if we were careful.
Fortunately, we already had a decent stash of dry and canned goods to rely on in early November.
But by the second week, after a third night of rice-and-cheese SpaghettiOs, I began craving spinach salads piled with freshly sliced strawberries. We needed to bring some greens back into our meals — without running to the store.
I thought Craigslist might help — and the fix ended up filling our refrigerator with more produce and fruit than we could eat.
Here’s how we pulled it off…
Trading for Food on Craigslist
Most of us have $5–$20 items around the house we’d happily sell if we could find the right buyer.
Maybe you’ve tried listing these things on Craigslist or eBay with no luck. They’re not worth much, but they’re too valuable to just toss when cash is tight.
Using the free Craigslist app (also on Android), I posted a pretty blue coat for $10. It only had a small hole above the pocket, but after two weeks no one bit.
Not one to give up, I changed tactics.
I relisted the coat in the Free section, but added an important note: “Although this is free, if you had some food items to trade for it, like veggies, grains or vegetarian canned goods, that would be much appreciated.”
I figured the “free” label would get more interest, but I was stunned by the generosity and number of emails from strangers offering what they could.
In just two days, I was inundated with offers ranging from bags of frozen broccoli to pounds of glossy purple plums.
After weighing the options, I replied to a wonderful woman who worked at a local fruit stand. She offered to bring a mix of what she had leftover.
And, wow, did she deliver.
Between fresh bunches of kale, bags of heirloom carrots and organic pomegranates, she probably gave us about $18 worth ofproduce — almost double what I’d initially asked for in cash.
I tried the approach again with a brand-new pair of $20 sweater boots.
Within a day, a terrific man contacted us and offered to take us grocery shopping for whatever we needed. We were too busy, so I asked him to bring fresh tomatoes and surprise us with a few extras.
We were definitely surprised. Here’s what he brought:
4 boxes of veggie pasta: $6
2-pound bag of apples: $4
11 cans of mixed vegetables: $12
1 box of oatmeal packets: $2.50
8-pack of applesauce cups: $3.50
1 jar of gourmet mushroom wine simmer sauce: $4.50
2 pounds of vine tomatoes: $5
2-pound bag of colorful heirloom lentils: $6
2 ripe avocados: $2
2-pound bag of mini cucumbers: $4
2 limes: $1
AND one lovely bouquet of flowers that brightened my day: $6
Total value of groceries scored: $56.50
Each time, we’ve DOUBLED or TRIPLED the cash asking price in goods that we actually needed.
I figure we’ve gotten roughly $180 worth of fresh produce and other pantry staples over the past few months.Combined with the monthly grocery money we didn’t end up using, we’ve saved about $750 and enjoyed a very happy holiday season.
We’ve had such success with this tactic that it’s been three months since we set foot in a grocery store for anything besides laundry detergent. I don’t expect we’ll stop until we can finally see the bottom of our junk closet.
Sometimes we do so well that I have to slow down how often we post items.
Should You Try It?
I’ve found three real perks to this approach, aside from saving cash:
1. You Can Screen Out Flaky Responders
You know, those people who waste your time by not answering your reply or skipping a meetup.
How? You can tell right away if someone actually read your post if they offer to bring food. If they don’t mention that, they probably skimmed it and might not show up.
2. You Create a Pay-What-You-Can Setup
By asking folks to bring what they can, people often get extra generous — especially when it’s something as essential as food.
3. You Declutter Your Home
Clearing out clutter is pure joy to me. I don’t know about you, but a tidy home beats a fancy spa treatment any day.
Granted, this tacticdoeshave limits.
I live in Seattle. There’s a dense population and most people have cars, so it’s easy for me to ask people to drop by for a trade.
You also can’t be as selective as you would in a supermarket, nor can you control exact quantities, but I view these constraints as opportunities to learn new recipes and cooking techniques.
You might wonder why I use the “Free” section instead of the “Barter” area — which seems more aligned with what I’m doing. Simple: not enough people use the “Barter” area to make it worthwhile.
Safety Tips for Using Craigslist
If meeting strangers or accepting food from them worries you, I understand.
Over the years, Craigslist has been my favorite for furniture pickups and garage sale items, so I already felt comfortable when I started this experiment.
Here are some common-sense safety tips Craigslisters use:
- Use an email with an alias when posting and replying to ads.
- If you’re meeting someone, bring a friend along.
- If you’re uncomfortable having someone come to your home (or vice versa), choose a neutral, public meeting spot.
- Don’t publish your phone number in the ad. This isn’t just about safety — it also prevents a stream of random calls all day.
- Remember, this isn’t riskier than attending a food drive or going trick-or-treating. Just apply common sense and you should be fine.
This swapping approach is one of the best finds I’ve made on Craigslist. With spring cleaning coming up, you might join me in covering countertops with a colorful array of fruits and vegetables — and you can learn more about how a freezer helps save money on groceries to stretch those finds further.
Tonight’s supper is heirloom lentil soup made with canned cubed tomatoes, oven-roasted shallots, and slices of rich avocado atop each bowl.
It sure beats SpaghettiOs with a side of sodium. Go find some junk today and fill that fridge!
Your Turn: Will you try this method to cut food costs?
Laura Hamilton is a YouTube vlogger for RollingDiaries and a fellow Savinly contributor who’s always hunting for ways to live more smartly. She lives in Seattle with her husband and her imaginary dog, Nickels.
