Have you ever noticed how much you’re paying for that small container of chopped watermelon compared to the cost of a whole one? If not, then you should stop and take note. Or how about that veggie tray, with the handful of cut carrots, celery, and the top of one broccoli? You’ll notice that you’re not just paying more for those items, but most of the time, you’re getting less.

You are basically being charged for your laziness!

Sure, we all like the convenience of saving a little time from having to peel and chop our fruits and/or vegetables. But an extra 50 cents here, and a dollar and fifty there, can start to add up to as much as ten dollars in one month; and start to grow to almost a hundred dollars or more in a year’s time!

Don’t believe me? Test it for yourself the next time you go shopping. Take your phone and capture the cost of that head or bunch of lettuce, and then go over to where they keep the bag of lettuce and take a snapshot of that. That’s where you’ll also find the bag of sliced bell peppers, snapped green beans, and chopped onions — conveniently located for the grab and go! And you’d be right, in terms of saving some time. But once you get home and pull up all of your comparison photos, write down how much money you would have spent purchasing the pre-packaged items, and what you would save purchasing the whole produce.

It’s amazing what our laziness is costing us. Like paying $2.49/lb for red onions that have already been peeled. Versus paying only 89 cents per pound for the same red onion that you go home and peel yourself. During my recent shopping spree, I picked up a head of lettuce for $1.49 versus the bag of the same type of lettuce for $2.99.

And it’s not just fruits and vegetables.

Peeled shrimp will cost you as much as two or three dollars more per pound than buying the shrimp with the shell. Unless they’re running a specific sale, a whole fryer chicken is much cheaper than the packaged one with separate pieces. The funny part is that you actually get more having the whole bird than just the cut up pieces.

And if you have a food processor, why don’t you chop your own nuts?!

The point is that you’re probably carelessly spending extra money each shopping trip, if you’re not taking the time to check prices, and stop going for what seems easier and convenient. Just like checking for sales, coupons, and discounts is important before you go shopping. So is making the effort to save money to buy the same product, unprepared or packaged, and not go for the pre-sliced/chopped/peeled ones.

Remember, the more money you save grocery shopping today, the more money you can put aside in your savings account for that raining day fund, or something fun you plan for yourself in your future.

Think about it.