Re: Groceries
 

I have never seen that specific brand College Inn anywhere I shop in Canada, but there are similiar brands, usually near the spice aisle. Club house has a couple stew and crock pot options and usually available in most Canadian stores at least here in BC.

Re: Groceries
 

LOL me too!!

Re: Groceries
 

Thanks!!

Re: Groceries
 

I popped into Fortino's on Tuesday - my 'once every 3 years' trip there.. and discovered joy of joys - they had chocolate hobnobs! They also had Chivers marmalades (including ginger), Chocolate digestive biscuits (plain and milk) and a miriad of other Brit specialties. :D

Re: Groceries
 

Last week I noticed in Superstore that Prez Choice had digestives - plain and chocolate. :nod:
Do you mean new to Fortino's (I always think Fortnum and Mason when I read that name)? I thought we'd already discussed chocolate Hobnobs being in Walmart. I have a preference for them without chocolate but they only have the chocolate ones here. :(

Re: Groceries
 

Walmart weren't stocking chocolate hobnobs for ages - I tried to buy for a couple of years, they were only available (in my area) for online shopping, never in the store but having checked they are now available in one local store and online again (albeit at HUGE cost - no way I'm paying $14.50 a pack ) :) Fortino's had McVitae chocolate digestives, rather than their generic brand, which was good to see. I haven't seen chocolate hobnobs in there before. Plain ones are available at the usual place :D https://www.amazon.ca/McVities-Original-Hobnobs-10-5-Pack/dp/B009CS3LNE

Re: Groceries
 

Hell's bells. :ohmy:
I bought a load of Colman's sauce mixes off Amazon for much cheaper than some of the Brit on-line places.

Only Club orange biscuits though.
Why not any of these

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...e4c31f4d36.jpg
which are very reminiscent of the old Tiffin bars.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...b0b631de1f.jpg

Re: Groceries
 

I haven't been in No Frills for a few days, and the flyer is giving me ideas. There could be tacos happening in the not too distant future, also some nice salad options. A problem with getting a bag of 6 avocados is using them all without waste or before I get sick of them (same thing with a bag of tortillas), but I think I'll be alright.
https://www.nofrills.ca/print-flyer?...03C3,%20Canada

Re: Groceries
 

It's Superbowl weekend so that means you can put your feet up with some ready made food and not bother to watch but just enjoy the food. :p

Superstore does nice oblong pizzas (12" x16") - made up, not frozen - which are very good value @ $10 normally (I often get one for $5) but are only $8.
Also 20 wings for $10, which are useful for dividing up with a salad or a few chips.
For $20 there's 36 wings and enough wedges for 2 or 3. Have the wedges and a couple of wings for lunch and then you have a load of wings left for whatever you want.

Various other platters available but not great value.

No doubt other stores do something similar. Sobeys doesn't try hard enough though.

Re: Groceries
 

The Hamilton apartment we have just rented for our first month in the country is close to a Fortinos. This pleased the wife immensely as it is owned by Loblaws and she is somewhat of a groceries snob.

Also handy as it’s walking distance and we will be without car for a short while.

Digestives and Rich Tea biscuits at Freshco and T&T (Ontario)
 

Just sharing my latest discovery. Rich tea and digestives biscuits imported from the UK (Royalty brand) found at Freshco in Ontario for $2 a pack. The digestives are also sold at T&T but slightly pricier unless it's on sale
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...db056ce0e4.jpg

.

Re: Groceries
 

She'll soon learn not to be a groceries snob - Loblaws/Fortinos / Metro etc., are far more expensive.. and don't forget that Freshco and Food Basics are owned by the same groups as Loblaws etc., so the food is generally the same but much cheaper! Both Freshco and Food Basics have opened big new stores on Hamilton Mountain in the last year or so. Walmart Superstore (Upper James at Fennell) is reasonable for food as well. I would personally avoid No Frills on Upper James, it's not a nice store at all. There's also a massive store in Jackson Square that I've heard is quite good, plus of course Longo's, who also deliver (as do Metro now).

As for transport - the bus service in Hamilton is excellent - you can get a 'transit ticket' if you need to change onto anothe route... or you can get a Presto Card if you want to explore further afield. There's 2 cab companies, which are reasonable for short distances (and Uber).

If you need info on Hamilton do shout - (in a separate thread) - there's a few of us here :D

Re: Groceries
 

When I was living in Montreal, compared to Walmart and Super-C, Loblaws was upmarket. It's Atlantic Superstore here but Sobeys seems upmarket instead.

Re: Groceries
 

Actual Loblaws branded stores are upmarket here in BC but there are not many with this banner, only a couple in the Vancouver area, mostly in higher income/nicer areas.

I would consider the stores here top being upmarket and bottom being discount type chain

Whole Foods
Urban Fare*
Choices*
Safeway
Nester's*
Save On*
Great Canadian Super Store & Wal-Mart
Buy Low* & No Frills

I know I am missing local independents and smaller some smaller chains, this is a general gist of things.

*all the ones with the star are owned by the same parent company, so while it looks like there is great competition there really isn't due to so many brands being owned by the same parent company, same with Loblaws, No Frills, Superstore all being owned by the same parent.

Choices is like a less upscale Whole Foods, organic and still very expensive.

Re: Groceries
 

Very helpful, thanks Siouxie.

Re: Groceries
 

Thanks, in an attempt to save money I’m going to tell Mrs Crofty82 that list is the other way round and see how long I can get away with it.

Re: Groceries
 

10lb box of Navel oranges for a bargain $6.88 at Giant Tiger.

Re: Groceries
 

so like 68 cents per pound, nice price.

Lowest I found today was 99 cents per pound, 5lb back for $4.98

I compared Super Store vs No Frills today, not as much as savings with No Frills as they like to make it seem, at least for our locations

NF = No Frills/ Super = super store

Navel Oranges
NF- 1.10 per pound
Super- 1.11 per pound
*NF didn't have the same size pre-bagged so I could not directly compare, but Super can get the price to 99 cents per pound buying a 5lb bag.

Bag of frozen corn, No Name Brand, same size both stores.
NF 2.00
Super 1.98

1.75kg bag of Broccoli PC brand, Frozen
NF- 7.97
Super- 7.78

PC 4 fruit blend 2.75kg
NF- 14.97
Super- 14.98

NF Total- $30.44
Super Store- $29.72

But Super Store requires either driving a car, taking transit, or taking a taxi so really there is no savings to be had once you account for cost of transportation.

We ended up just going to No Frills.

Fruits and vegetables cost a lot more vs frozen meals, can get 15-20 frozen meals for the same price which will last longer but of course not healthy, hard to eat health on a lower budget that is for sure.

Re: Groceries
 

Too bad your No Frills isn't great; the one here is above average for most things (the produce is very good), even though it isn't a massive store. My usual complaint is if I go there for a specific sale item and it isn't there for whatever reason, either sold out or not delivered yet. Between Wholesale Club, No Frills, and an occasional visit to Independent (all Loblaws stores) and Giant Tiger I get almost everything I want and almost never go to Safeway, and never to Sobey's or Co-op. If I happen to be right there I'll walk through Walmart grocery and sometimes find some good things there. Superstore or Walmart or Sobeys means a drive to the outskirts of town.

Re: Groceries
 

Probably the high cost of real estate in Vancouver, low prices + high real estate don't really go hand in hand and Wal-Mart really isn't much competition in the city of Vancouver with 1 location within city limits at the far eastern edge and not even a normal size Wal-Mart. City of Vancouver has made it clear to Wal-Mart they are not welcome here, doubt there will ever be another within city of Vancouver limits, plenty in the burbs though.

I can't say Wal-Mart is much if any cheaper though, really everyone pretty much falls into the same prices for the most part, except Safeway they just over charge to the point I don't even consider them a viable place to shop, even their flyer deals are generally not the best deals.

I did like Giant Tiger though back when I was living in Ontario, good prices for sure and decent store, its too bad we don't have them out this way.

Re: Groceries
 

''Broccoli,

While not exoccoli,

Is within an innach,

Of being spinach.''
Ogden Nash

Re: Groceries
 

Been a while since I checked out the Brit stuff in Sobeys.

I can't remember if they had Custard Creams before but now they do, with the Bourbon biscuits.

They've had Flakes for years but now have a multi-pack option, as well as Galaxy Ripple and Wispa.

Also cans of Bitter Shandy and Dandelion & Burdock so I bought one of each for old times sake. :thumbup:

Re: Groceries
 

Sobeys had goose today for $33-$36 each. ($8.80/kg)

Whenever I've looked before they've always been $60-$70. They were not advertised as a special price or any kind of saving.

They had whole Pheasants too, also for about $33. I didn't notice the 'weight' price.

Re: Groceries
 

I bought 2 of the pork picnic shoulders from No Frills at $1/lb today, $17 something for the both of them. Froze one and I think I might go all Food Network pulled pork on the other and make a dry rub and let it marinate then smoke it and finish it off in the oven. I've probably seen it hundreds of times on tv by now, what could go wrong?

Re: Groceries
 

Pretty big then. Previously we've cut them into 2 or 3 chunks - not necessarily equal - before freezing and our smallest piece was 2.6lbs.

Standard roast and leftovers for sandwiches, curries, whatever.

Re: Groceries
 

I like shopping in Giant Tiger.

Bought quite a few things in there today and when it was all scanned I thought the assistant said 84 something. I thought it was a bit more than expected, but you know how it is, sometimes there's a more expensive item you forgot or there are so many things you lose track of and it all adds up.

It was actually 34 something. :thumbup: :thumbup:

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Just spent far too much on a tin of post-organic, ancient strain Mesopotamian chickpeas. I hate the realization that at best I've become middle-class. :sick:

Re: Groceries
 

To what do you attribute the fall? :p

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He's been led astray - mixing with the wrong crowd! ;)

These are the ones I buy (if I don't buy them dry) - every so often they are on offer at 4 for $5, so I stock up.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...a79bb4d27d.jpg

Re: Groceries
 

Christmas a couple of years ago he mentioned "adopting a turkey".
Meanwhile, for us plebes.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...fc117c5d1e.jpg

Re: Groceries
 

Got value for money from our $33 lamb leg.

Lovely roast dinner on Sunday. Took most of the leftover meat off the bones then Monday roasted the bones and simmered them with some veg for broth-come-soup - surprisingly meaty - for lunches.
Then today's dinner was Lamb Bourguignon.

There's still a chunk left for sandwiches or could be a curry.

Re: Groceries
 

I went shopping this morning; stood in line @ 2m intervals for about 5 minutes until 9:00 and got in No Frills in the first wave. Got my avocados, roma tomatos, garlic, a cuke, big tray of lean burger, tray of hot Italian sausage, and one of mild Italian, 18 eggs, and with a scan and an insert tapped my way out of there. When I walked out at 9:10 they were admitting people 1 at a time as others left.

Re: Groceries
 

i picked up a wack of eggs on saturday. going to pickle them this afternoon

Re: Groceries
 

I bought a big jar of pickled eggs from Metro a couple of weeks ago :)
https://www.metro.ca/en/online-groce...p/067773060044
https://www.metro.ca/en/online-groce...p/061454251172

I also bought soused (pickled) herring

Re: Groceries
 

the only thing that should be pickled are onions. :D

Re: Groceries
 

Decided to sign up for Instacart today. $9.99 monthly. Saves what appears to be minimum $3.99 per delivery. The (almost hidden) service fee of 5% fell to 2% and on my order today I already saved about $9.

In these busy times - one assumes- it's common to see "no slots" available but then many options including almost immediate delivery. eg Monday night all the stores they shop at were coming up nothing available but at 8.30 this morning I was offered delivery between 9.20 and 2.20.

I made my order and then the shopper opened up a messaging field when at the supermarket. It was going fine and then suddenly "I must stop shopping...I have a personal emergency."
I had no idea whether someone would take over and neither did the shopper whose English was poor. I gave it a couple of hours and an email said "taking longer, sorry, delivery now later." I had two mails like that and then a new shopper did take over, completed the order and added a couple of other items I had messaged about. Perfect service.

The emails appeared to be automatic as the shop hadn't been completed. But at least it was done and done well in the end.

Re: Groceries
 

I was going to use instacart today, seems only 3 grocery like stores in my area are options, independent, Wal-Mart and Super Store, but instead of the usual no delivery available, the option is now order today and delivery between today and Monday, a bit too big of a window for me to place the order.

It's too bad more stores are not option here.

Re: Groceries
 

I have a Metro and Freshco within 5 minutes and a Food basics and Walmart within 10 - Fortinos is about 15 minutes away. Instacart only offer Walmart and Fortinos for delivery, which is annoying as Walmart don't stock a couple of the things I need and Fortinos is more expensive. https://www.inabuggy.com/ have a ton of other stores.. but are more expensive again :(

Re: Groceries
 

I will have to take a look at that service, see if its in Vancouver. Grocery chains are so different there, no Fortino's out this way as far as I know of, or food basics or Metro.

Within 15 minutes of me excluding downtown I have a couple No Frills locations, Super Store, Wal Mart (only one Wal Mart in City of Vancouver, its mostly a suburb store) Super Valu, a couple Save On's, Safeway, then downtown I know there is an IGA but the prices are insanely high, probably a couple other chains downtown but I never go downtown for groceries, there is a Whole Foods but its too expensive.

We do most of our shopping at No Frills since its next door, but we go to Save On if we want fresh bakery or deli stuff because No Frills lacks in store deli and bakery, and once in a blue moon Safeway.

Wal-Mart is a pain to get to, so we rarely go there.

There is a Costco downtown as well, but we don't have a membership, pretty useless store when on a small budget, $100 doesn't get you much variety at Costco.

Re: Groceries
 

J.
You go to your NoFrills store and pick up your essentials. That is what you do. Observe the distance rules and wear gloves, mask and glasses.
You can work around what you cannot have.
We have no bakery or deli items here either. It is a bit plain but honestly, we and the cat/birds are fed . That is a win.