Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
Jan 15th 2007, 1:10 am
#16
Moderαtor Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Posts: 30,771
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
Took me ages here to realise squash here is either the frozen punch, or the sachets of koolaid powder.
Mixing stuff in jugs is why fridges are so big here I figure.
Ribena is expensive but commonly found
and yes £ was probably me.
Anyway, buy some jugs, and forget about squash, punch is nicer and koolaid lets you decide how much sugar your kids get
Mixing stuff in jugs is why fridges are so big here I figure.
Ribena is expensive but commonly found
and yes £ was probably me.
Anyway, buy some jugs, and forget about squash, punch is nicer and koolaid lets you decide how much sugar your kids get
Jan 15th 2007, 2:20 am
#17
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2006
Location: saskatoon.
Posts: 45
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
We have been here a little over 4 months now and find grocery shopping expensive compared to back home, even individual items are more expensive.
Jan 15th 2007, 2:29 am
#18
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Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Posts: 30,771
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
I dont know they are more expensive (but then I havent shopped in the UK for years), but it is now winter, so more stuff is imported which will make a difference.
No doubt though that "real life" in canada is more expensive than people think ,basing their comparison on costs of visiting, like hotels, rental cars, petrol, eating out etc., and once that nice exchange rate boost is forgotten about.
It would be interesting to compare the actual costs of groceries here and there.
Milk and Bread are probaby more, but a lot of stuff is probably cheaper. Dont have a receipt on me right now though...
No doubt though that "real life" in canada is more expensive than people think ,basing their comparison on costs of visiting, like hotels, rental cars, petrol, eating out etc., and once that nice exchange rate boost is forgotten about.
It would be interesting to compare the actual costs of groceries here and there.
Milk and Bread are probaby more, but a lot of stuff is probably cheaper. Dont have a receipt on me right now though...
Jan 15th 2007, 3:37 am
#19
Property Owner
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: Downtown Toronto
Posts: 249
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
I dont know they are more expensive (but then I havent shopped in the UK for years), but it is now winter, so more stuff is imported which will make a difference.
No doubt though that "real life" in canada is more expensive than people think ,basing their comparison on costs of visiting, like hotels, rental cars, petrol, eating out etc., and once that nice exchange rate boost is forgotten about.
It would be interesting to compare the actual costs of groceries here and there.
Milk and Bread are probaby more, but a lot of stuff is probably cheaper. Dont have a receipt on me right now though...
No doubt though that "real life" in canada is more expensive than people think ,basing their comparison on costs of visiting, like hotels, rental cars, petrol, eating out etc., and once that nice exchange rate boost is forgotten about.
It would be interesting to compare the actual costs of groceries here and there.
Milk and Bread are probaby more, but a lot of stuff is probably cheaper. Dont have a receipt on me right now though...
Perhaps that's why I've added a few pounds to my frame
Jan 15th 2007, 6:34 am
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2006
Location: saskatoon.
Posts: 45
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
Dec 13th 2007, 8:27 am
#21
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: East of Toronto
Posts: 5
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
Hello everyone! What a great forum this is - I've been lurking for a while and suddenly found this thread so have to add my orange squash experience. My family came over to Canada in the 70's when I was a teen. I now have my own teens and they're oh so Canadian. Sigh.
So, a few weeks ago I happened to notice a bottle of Orange Squash in the grocery store, having forgotten that it was such a big part of my childhood. Some weird brand, next to the drink mix stuff. Anyway, I decided to buy it (under the suspicious eye of my Canadian husband).
Took it home, "Hey kids, look, this what I used to drink when I was young! Want to try some?"
"Yeah, mOm. Whatever."
A few polite mutterings, "s'ok, yeah. Weird though."
And after such a luke-warm reaction to it, they managed to polish off the whole bottle in less than a week. Hubby was one of the biggest culprits, mixing it with Allens Apple-Peach drink. Have to admit, it was delicious except he didn't bother to water it down. These Canadians and their sweet tooths. Sweet Teeth?
So that was the first and last bottle I bought. Heck, a bottle every 4 days? Imagine the recycle bin...
I really will pick up some more though. LOL. The novelty will wear off, I'm sure!
So, a few weeks ago I happened to notice a bottle of Orange Squash in the grocery store, having forgotten that it was such a big part of my childhood. Some weird brand, next to the drink mix stuff. Anyway, I decided to buy it (under the suspicious eye of my Canadian husband).
Took it home, "Hey kids, look, this what I used to drink when I was young! Want to try some?"
"Yeah, mOm. Whatever."
A few polite mutterings, "s'ok, yeah. Weird though."
And after such a luke-warm reaction to it, they managed to polish off the whole bottle in less than a week. Hubby was one of the biggest culprits, mixing it with Allens Apple-Peach drink. Have to admit, it was delicious except he didn't bother to water it down. These Canadians and their sweet tooths. Sweet Teeth?
So that was the first and last bottle I bought. Heck, a bottle every 4 days? Imagine the recycle bin...
I really will pick up some more though. LOL. The novelty will wear off, I'm sure!
Dec 13th 2007, 8:35 am
#22
Sawdust making harpy
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Alberta
Posts: 11,291
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
Cheers guys I love Pernod and Black, and on our first week here went to a bar, surveyed the back shelf just to see if they had pernod which they did - it just never occured to me that the 'black' part of the equation would be such an issue.
I had a blue instead
I had a blue instead
Dec 13th 2007, 8:41 am
#23
Now on Vancouver Island
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Posts: 6,935
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
Originally Posted by PurpleSlacker
Hello everyone!
You are a fine example of someone who came to Canada as a teen and went native so to speak (well you did say you'd married a Canadian
).You and your Canadian kids are what many current members of BE's Canada forum can expect in a decade or two or three. That is, the teenagers who moved from the UK with them will have grown up, settled in, and added Canadian children-in-law and Canadian grandchildren to the family.
One of my sons is dating a lovely Canadian girl. Don't know if anything permanent will come of it, but I'd be delighted to have her as a daughter-in-law any day.
Sorry, I've introduced a bit of thread drift here, but orange squash isn't a sacred cow to me, so I make no apologies.
Dec 13th 2007, 8:49 am
#24
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: East of Toronto
Posts: 5
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
Hahahaha, Judy, thanks for the lovely warm welcome! Yes, it's weird when you're sitting at the dinner table, back straight, and you're looking for a knife. Hubby set table with forks and plates, I say where is my knife, he says, you dont need a knife for beef stew and mashed potato...
LOL.
Good luck with your son's girlfriend!! Hope she sticks around
Pam
LOL.
Good luck with your son's girlfriend!! Hope she sticks around
Pam
Dec 13th 2007, 8:52 am
#25
Scottish Canuck
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: Auld Scotia > Nova Scotia > Calgary
Posts: 3,703
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
ha ha, just noticed this thread was started by me, way back when I was a newbie, freshly landed on NS soil 
Now 11 months later I think that groceries are not quite as expensive as I first thought although I still think it costs a bit more to shop at the supermarket here than back in the UK.
It takes time to get your head around the price differences and tax at first but you do gradually stop converting everything from $ CDN back to GBP. Still do it from time to time though
Now 11 months later I think that groceries are not quite as expensive as I first thought although I still think it costs a bit more to shop at the supermarket here than back in the UK.
It takes time to get your head around the price differences and tax at first but you do gradually stop converting everything from $ CDN back to GBP. Still do it from time to time though
Dec 19th 2007, 11:25 am
#26
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2006
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 47
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
Okay, have been to a few supermarkets and haven't been able to find any orange squash or diluting blackcurrent, etc. They all seem to be already watered down. Are the concentrates available here?
Also, for anyone about to move here and buying food with CDN dollars NOT converted UK money (where's the pound symbol on my Canadian keyboard??), it is more expensive than I thought. Will be able to work it out better when OH's first wage comes in - that way we'll see what percentage we spend
I think UK food prices are pretty cheap as all the supermarkets seemed to be in price wars. Read a report recently that people in the UK used to spend 25% of their budget on food shopping but now only spend 12%. I could easily buy a weeks shopping for 4 back in the UK for around 100 GBP plus a little extra for fresh fruit and veg throughout the week. I definately think my food budget will go up.
Also, for anyone about to move here and buying food with CDN dollars NOT converted UK money (where's the pound symbol on my Canadian keyboard??), it is more expensive than I thought. Will be able to work it out better when OH's first wage comes in - that way we'll see what percentage we spend
I think UK food prices are pretty cheap as all the supermarkets seemed to be in price wars. Read a report recently that people in the UK used to spend 25% of their budget on food shopping but now only spend 12%. I could easily buy a weeks shopping for 4 back in the UK for around 100 GBP plus a little extra for fresh fruit and veg throughout the week. I definately think my food budget will go up.
Dec 19th 2007, 11:52 am
#27
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 801
Re: Orange squash? (oh, and food prices)
The big glass bottles of Ribena are also available in Costco, I've noticed. They appear to be produced in Canada, rather than imported.
So that's available. As for other squashes, expensive cordials aside, expat shops tend to stock things like Robinsons (there's a couple in Vancouver).
Haven't tried the frozen concentrate yet - will have to check that out - we've just moved into our own place where we can actually stock a decent freezer!
Cheers, Iain
So that's available. As for other squashes, expensive cordials aside, expat shops tend to stock things like Robinsons (there's a couple in Vancouver).
Haven't tried the frozen concentrate yet - will have to check that out - we've just moved into our own place where we can actually stock a decent freezer!
Cheers, Iain
