BristolUK

Lamb continues to be on the menu

The lamb shanks were magnificent and the boneless legs are back in the Superstore flyer this week (loblaws too?) @ $7.99 lb but we still have a couple of joints left from last time.

I've just been making up a batch of mint (from the garden) sauce ready for Sunday. I've never done that before.

caretaker

I know someone who has cases of this wonderful Portuguese chorizo shipped from Vancouver to Regina on the bus, his son sends him 30 or 40 rings several times a year. I'm going to heat some up right now, and tomorrow possibly get a few more rings to take home with me.

scrubbedexpat091

Still not on sale here...lol


Sat down and did a thorough budget as we really need to cut costs, and groceries are the 3 largest expense and only cost that can be cut, rent is the highest.

It's astonishing how much food costs these days, you can drop 140 dollars and come out with so little.

Could be a BC thing but prices are climbing fast and across everything it seems, meat and produce being the big price climbers.

Every week less and less sales, and higher prices.

Shard

Looks like the real deal.

Shirtback

I've been having a think about this.

When times/budget are tough, I can eat for 20$/week: no meat, but still eat healthy & reasonably well. Usually, my food budget for 1 comes in at around 40$/week, without depriving myself. In fact, that includes spoiling myself/luxuries. I do cook from scratch, don't eat dessert/cookies/biscuits/sweet stuff.

I used to feed 5, well, on less than 100/week.

Is BC really that much more expensive ? (Sincerely curious, not judging). I have noticed that grocery shopping when I visit TTO is significantly more expensive than here, but put that down to being in a city.

scrubbedexpat091

We buy very little meat, cans of beans, cans of tomatoes for chilli, milk, cereal, some fruit and frozen veggies usually, meat if on sale.

I make as much as I can from scratch.

I'll try and find the receipt from last week and post tomorrow.

Shirtback

I'll try & remember to save receipt & post tomorrow too . It'll be a big shop - I'm out of carbs !!

scrubbedexpat091

I can't find any recent receipts (i'll save the next one) but here are some of the prices from this weeks flyer. (Save On Foods, best store we have overall.)

Strawberries 2.50 for 16 oz

Banana's 95 cents lb (organic, we buy non-organic which run about 78 cents lb)

Last time we did buy a small roast for 8 dollars which was 4 dollars off, managed 4 meals from it in total.

Regular sale price is 4.99 per pound.

Bread is running about 2.50 a loaf for a cheap brand/store brand. (unless on sale.)

Milk 4.79 4/liters

Cans of beans (store brand) vary week to week, generally anywhere from 1.99 to 2.99 per can. (tried to get dry but they never have kidney beans in dry form.)

Canned tomatoes runs about 2-3 can.

Frozen veggies if not on sale run about 3-5 dollars per bag for 500 grams, sometimes store brands can be had for 2.50 each for 1kg. I stock up when I can but we have a tiny freezer so can't buy too much frozen.

I can't remember everything from the last shop, and a lot of what we buy is never in flyer and what is really isn't a great deal meat, junk food.

Yogurt anywhere from 3.99 to 6.99 for 800 grams, depends on the week and whats on sale.

We do have slightly inflated prices due to lack of competition and being a small town, but driving to Vancouver isn't worth the time just for groceries as the savings isn't significant enough.

Shirtback

Ok, going to try to compare like-for-like, prices from Maxi (No Frills, I think, outside Qc) unless otherwise mentioned:

I also bought 10lb potatoes @ 1.99; bag of 4 peppers @ 2.97; fresh spinach, 2 lettuces, a punnet of cherry tomatoes for 5$ at the market.

Bacon at GT is 2.50/lb; eggs on special there this week @ 2.00/dozen.
I'm small town too, but I think we have a lot more competition than you do, which helps.

bats

$5 for a cauliflower. That's all I have to say.

Shirtback

OUCH

BristolUK

Yes, that's a lot. $2.99 up the road although more often $4.
Couldn't find the other lamb...somewhere near the bottom of the freezer I think so we bought some more. Not a small piece @ $27 but I'll split it and freeze half so it goes between four twice.

scrubbedexpat091

Sounds like you do have more competition, we have 3 stores, 2 are owned by the same company (Jim Pattison's) and one is smaller, neighborhood geared towards higher end hippy types so mostly higher prices but sometimes a good sale.

Then Save On which has the best selection and overall pricing, and service.

The last one is Extra Food's a Loblaws franchise, rumor is they are turning it into a no frills though, so maybe we will see lower pricing, right now they are no cheaper overall then Save On, but their store is old, smelly, and the service stinks.

They are having difficulty expanding as 2 of the 4 other tenants of the building refused to relocate, so they have far less space to expand then originally planned, but still hasn't been officially approved by town council from what I can tell as the sign still says proposed development and nothing has started yet.

If Wal-Mart was allowed, I am sure they would have their typical grocery store, but the town council at the time when they approved the Wal-Mart store, they restricted how much food, and what kinds of food they could sell, and the current council is more anti-bix box so nothing is going to change there anytime soon most likely.

BristolUK

You're a life saver.

I bought a pot of salsa verde but then forgot about it until I came across it the other day. I mixed it with mayo. It had a slightly different appearance but it really is almost identical to what I've been missing.

It went brilliantly with spud.

not2old

ketchup, mayo & relish = a great taste. Vary the amounts of each in the mixture for a different concoction

Use on fish, meat even salad

Italian salad dressing (store bought or home made) as a marinade for fish or chicken

In all of the above always store brand or no name brand

Early morning shop at the local grocery store into the produce section where the guys filling the produce shelves opening boxes of produce are cleaning off the outside leaves or sorting produce which they throw into a box on their cart. Ask for discards for your rabbit [of course no rabbit], sort at home & use yourself. Free produce

Same as going to the 'marked down' produce shelf that a cauliflower was found [small black spots on it] for $1.99 which is what I got yesterday at No Frills. At home I cut of the black spot, the rest was good to eat for two/three meals. Similar with potatoes usually when not on special can be found sorted & poly bagged on the marked down cart ~3kg for $0.99

Yes, I still do those things

My favourite is getting the FREE beet top laves which are better tasting than spinach or swiss chard

In the fish section of the local Chinese market a section with lots of bagged fish sections for soup, which sorted is edible for a meal, anything over into the soup pot

Food is the lowest cost of all of our expenses, followed by clothing.

Utilities & property just does my head in

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