Re: Groceries
 

How much did you get for that? Walmart does an 8kg bag for $8.97.
We used to buy Superstore's No Name equivalent but now go for either the India Gate or Sitara @ $13/$14 for 4.5kg.
https://i5.walmartimages.ca/images/L...g?odnBound=460
Still good value, lasts a long time. (I order on line from time to time and get free delivery rather than go there)

Perrier? Or big bottle of ordinary stuff?

Re: Groceries
 

1 liter of regular. Its for work. Bottles get lost at work easily so better to use the disposable variety.

Rice is a small bag 750g.

Wal Mart is a pain to get to so I tend to stick to whats close to home.

We also have a small place with limited space so a big bag of anything takes up valuable space. The small bag will last a while as we only eat small amounts of rice.

Re: Groceries
 

It's not often I get much from PC points, what with their general habit of putting points on products when they are a much better deal when the price is reduced by a bigger value than the points. Which is most of the time.

But today was an exception with $10 worth of points for $100 spend, points that effectively made Häagen-Dazs half price and Deli cheese 25% off.

I've never had Häagen-Dazs ice cream before so this was a good opportunity to try it. Plus the Craic Irish extra mature and British Reserve was half price too.

I bought Sumatra Coffee pods, bog rolls, Pam olive oil spray, Butter, the ice cream, oven fries (great for the Actifry), bottle of wine, onions, cherries, Tomatoes, a chicken, 4 Chicken Kiev portions. Only the Pam and onions were the 'normal' price.

Full price of everything $182, I paid $133 and it gave me $21 worth of points, so $182 worth was effectively $112.

Re: Groceries
 

I shop the sales a bit, stock up a bit, (though space is limited). When Giant Tiger had a bin of Maple Leaf bacon on for .75 I bought a stack of it. I got a family pack of burger at No Frills today and split it into 4. this past week cukes were 2 for $1.50 and I still have some. Five or six large pink gins with a cucumber wedge garners you a full serving of vegetables, as laid out in Canada's Food Guide.

Re: Groceries
 

:eek: That must be the bargain of the century.

Re: Groceries
 

On the verge of expired but so full of nitrite that it's very forgiving, once frozen it keeps really well. I bought 13 and have been going through it, but we sometimes get $1.50 or $2 bacon (Campfire or Spaulding) at Wholesale Club and No Frills.

Re: Groceries
 

We freeze it too.
Walmart had something for 97c a pack once which was as good as ML but anything less than $2.50 is generally about two-thirds fat and shreds when you try to pull the slices apart.

You bought 13? Did you walk under any ladders on the way home as well? :lol:

Re: Groceries
 

I *think* I finally worked out the PC points system (load your offers weekly, people ;) ).

Having said that, my offers/possible points are frequently screwed for weeks at a time after my ~monthly trip to chez daughter where I usually do a grocery run for her & buy stuff for her household that I don't need/wouldn't dream of buying for myself. Right now I have amazing offers for nappies, pasta and frozen juice. None of which I need/consume.

All the other offers this week for points which I'm interested in, are on special at the next-door establishment, cheaper (even taking points into account).

I used to work (briefly) for Haagen Daz, put me off most ice-cream for life :(.

Re: Groceries
 

:nod:
I find that to be the case 90% of the time including the same store, different week.

PC black tin coffee, if not on offer is around $15 or $16.

On offer it's anything between $8 and $11 and that's at least once a month, with the local Shoppers also having it for $8 once a month.

The $2 worth of points when there's no offer isn't too appealing in comparison.

I have a rough idea when I may need to restock so I just look for a good price when I'm down to the last half a tin.

But they've had such great offers on the pods lately - including the absolutely heavenly PC Sumatra - that I have about 8 boxes (12s) to fall back on in the event I misjudge when I run out. :o

I don't think anything can put me off ice cream. Want to try? :lol:

Re: Groceries
 

:lol: No, Not at all! & I have no dastardly revelations about HD.

It was a side effect of serving ice-cream, teaching people to serve ice-cream, being surrounded by ice-cream, inventorying ice-cream, lugging ice-cream around, all day & half of the night then shutting up shop & starting again the next morning :sneaky:

Re: Groceries
 

You missed out the part about people making "It was enough to make I scream" jokes. :o :rofl:

Re: Groceries
 

2 beef roasts at Costco over the weekend for $19. About 4.6 pounds each.

Re: Groceries
 

About $2 lb. What are they?

Re: Groceries
 

Odd comment!

5lb bag off apples cheaper than 1lb of ground turkey.

1lb strawberries less than half the price of 1lb ground turkey.

Do you buy dried legumes?

Re: Groceries
 

I have and tried to eat them, but I just don't like them.

Re: Groceries
 

Have you tried soaking and cooking them? ;)

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Ah ok, makes sense but could save you a ton of $$ in the long run. Even if you still buy mince, you could pad the meals out with some legumes to make them go further.

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Best way of getting good groceries is getting a decent job so you can afford (read the research) food. It can't be much more simpler than that.

Re: Groceries
 

Not sure getting a decent paying job is all that simple.;)

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Is your job not decent then? I mean you have to fish for your food. :rofl:

Re: Groceries
 

Because his entertainment budget could be as much as your wages I wouldn't look to him for advice on home economy. The best way to eat well when money is tight is to learn to cook what you like and shop for bargains, as usual.

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Good point. :o

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It's free food. If you hold constant, the cost of the boat, moorage, petrol, insurance, fishing gear, bait and "couple's" therapy. ;)

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Yep, throw a handful of red lentils into a stew or ground beef, they disappear with cooking.

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That's coz the lentil monster takes them out and hides them when nobody is looking. :devil_smile:

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If you really want to save money. Freegan route! Not to everyone's taste but certainly growing in popularity.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=scava...from+bins+food

Re: Groceries
 

I never knew that. I bet he lives under the bed.

Re: Groceries
 

No Frills is the store of choice today.

$50.11 total including 0.51 GST and 0.01 PST.

Pretzels 0.88
6 pack coke 0 3.97
Water flavoring 2.97
Swiss cheese slices 3.47
greek yogurt 4 pack 3.79
Cheese sticks 3.00
1lb baby carrots 1.79
2 oranges 1.26
Bananas 4 in total 1.26
Plums 2.83
Peaches 1.69
Tomato, grape size 4.97
Black berries 2 pints 3.00
Cibatta bread 2.49
Roasted turkey breast meat (for sandwiches) 9.97*
Potato salad 2.00
Plastic bags 0.20

The above is just to make food for my shifts at work Wed/Thurs. I eat breakfast/lunch/snacks all at work.

Re: Groceries
 

Had an appointment today and took the opportunity to walk the 10 minutes on to Sobeys.

Last day of their flyer week but they still had cherries @ $2.88 and best priced shrimps in a couple of years @ $8.99 for 340g but still ouch. To think I used to get them for $8 for 907g. :(

They had loads of meat half price, with dates still 2 or 3 days away, including some lamb chops and best of all some unexpected chickens @ 99c lb. Unheard of round these parts.

My mother in law told me a woman drew them to her attention saying they must have the price wrong. I looked and I saw the biggest chickens I've seen here that were actually chickens and not mature hens/boiling fowl or whatever. I thought there was nothing special about the $14 price.

The I looked again and saw they were all about $4.50 and nearly 5lbs.

I usually stock up when they're $1.99 lb and typically they cost around $6.50/just over 3lb each. But around $4.50 for 5lbs:ohmy:

I bought two. We'll have one for dinner and one cold for another day. I wish I had more freezer space.

Easily the best chicken deal here in my 12 years.

There was no price sign, no notice or anything. A last flyer day bonus? A mistake? Someone having a laff?

Re: Groceries
 

No Frills has pork side ribs for $2/lb, my course is clear.

Re: Groceries
 

Not really groceries but I bought two bottles of wine yesterday.
$21 and $13.50 in NB.

They're $16 and $11 in Ontario.

Those are good reasons to move there as well as reduced snow. :rofl:

Re: Groceries
 

Was not sure to start a new thread or just ask in this one, since it is around the same topic.

I have been trying to find a few food items, some that I commonly had in Australia or the UK.

1. Fresh herring - since being on the Northern Equator now.
2. Ham of the bone (the looks I get at Deli counters asking for this)
3. Back bacon or even British style bacon(the latter was kinda hard to find in Oz) Not overly keen on the Canadian style bacon.
4. Butter beans - but have since found them in No Frills and also Nations(Again some blank looks from supermarket staff)

Re: Groceries
 

I can't help you with the first 2, but for the bacon the nearest I have found (other than going to a British shop) is Lou's double smoked back bacon - you will find it with the pre-cooked chicken, ham steaks etc., not with the bacon.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/lous-bb.../6000195368385

I usually wait until it's on sale and then buy a load and freeze them!

Edited to add, apparently Metro Fish Dept will order fresh herring if you request it, it's only available by special order (it may be worth asking in other stores too) https://www.metro.ca/en/products-to-...eafood/herring

:)

Re: Groceries
 

There's a brand called Lou's which is still just the 'oval' meat part but does actually taste like Brit back bacon with the fat cut off. You can always stick a bit of streaky on so it looks like the real thing. ;)

But occasionally you may see British Style back bacon packs and that is like we're used to. There's even a Wiltshire back bacon, but I think the Wiltshire is in the USA. But it also seems what we're used to.

It depends where you live.

Re: Groceries
 

:rofl:

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When they had Lou's pea-meal bacon at Giant Tiger it was super cheap and I bought a lot... thought it must have been a pricing mistake, and it hasn't been there since.

Re: Groceries
 

Have you been to the St. Lawrence market? I don't think so.

If you don't want to go that way and fancy a ride into the country, J-Mar Custom Meats just north of Mount Forest is a Mennonite butcher's where they keep good bacon in several formats including back and streaky (though not all formats every day) and will configure pigs and cows to order. If they don't know what "Ham of the Bone" is, because it has another name here, they'll work it out. They're untraditional to the extent of having, and answering, a telephone. (519) 323-JMAR(5627).

Re: Groceries
 

Thin and watery, in my estimation.

Re: Groceries
 

Awesome guys, thank you so much for the replies. Truly appreciated. I will check out Walmart next week as have to go there anyway.

@Siouxie, thank you for the edit. I have a metro in my local plaza. I will ask them, I did find surprisingly they had frozen kippers and frozen smoked haddock, and even black pudding.
And also today in WholeFoods, I noted they sold smoked herring. First time actually spent browsing the meat and seafood selection as usually just on lunch break and no point buying this stuff.

@BristolUK, haha funny guy :)

@caretaker, cheers not heard of that place and after searching google never heard of that shopping plaza. So worth a trip as not too far from me.

@dbd33, correct I came close but it was shut buy the time I got into Toronto. Guess I need to become a morning person. Searched for the place you mention and wow it is country, worth probably a day trip, cool box and clear my freezer out prior then. Shame they do not have a website, but the 7 google reviews are great.

Re: Groceries
 

Until you enter a location next to your avatar they're all valid suggestions.