I'm thinking about starting a new little Hungry Janey series, entitled "Please Don't Buy It!" So often I shake my head at the things people buy that cost more money and are of lower quality than making it yourself. Today, I'm going to look at the fruit basket.
To start, let's see the alternative. Sobey's fruit baskets contain bananas, oranges, apples, pears, grapes, and a pineapple. They cost $24.99-$39.99 depending on size.
(Sorry, this tiny photo is all they offer on their website. I assume this is the larger size basket which costs $39.99)
Here's my homemade fruit basket, which costs a total of $18.48.
The players: Seedless watermelon, 3 bananas, pineapple, 2 kiwi, 2 lemons, grapes, 4 apples, blackberries, 2 tangellos, 1 lime, 1 orange, strawberries.
The Breakdown
Watermelon $2.97
Strawberries $1.49
Blackberries $1.47
Orange $0.76
2 Kiwi $1.00
3 Bananas $0.92
Pineapple $1.99
2 Tangellos $1.33
Grapes $2.75
2 Lemons $0.68
4 Apples $1.00
1 Lime $0.67
Total $18.48
Why would one spend $39.99 on a small basket of fruit when so much more variety can be purchased individually for just $18.48? When putting together your own fruit basket, you can choose the fruit that looks the most fresh, or what is local and in-season, or the recipients favourite fruit to make it more personal. You can even add a few non-fruit items, such as a bag of granola, bottle of wine, or box of chocolates to suit the recipient. Your choice of presentation also makes the gift much more personalized than the standard cellophane wrapped wicker basket. I gift wrapped a box and lined it with tissue paper before putting in all the fruit. This is the box that the berries are displayed in at the grocery store, and it was the perfect size for this fruit basket. Why buy something generic when you can make something better for less?
I just have to say...this matching wrapping paper and tissue paper delights me. I remember how excited I was the day I bought it, and my husband just scratched his head in utter confusion. I have to post an extra photo of the paper, because surely there is another paper-lover out there who can appreciate it more than my husband does.
A very good post, thank you.
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