Originally Posted by Jsmth321 (Post 11900307)

Most stores do in Canada and it can be hard to find authentic ones.

I just picked some up in WA state 50 for like 3 bucks....lol

Originally Posted by BristolUK (Post 11922471)

Jamaican Curry powder was recommended by N2O, I think, but none of the Walmarts here stock it.

I knew I could get it on line from them but free shipping is now only on a spend of $50.

I added a few things, including bog paper, the excellent flyer price applied on line too and before I knew it I was up to $40 and the shipping was 'only' $6.

But spending $10 to get the free shipping was only going to cost $4 so I made it.


My order included three jars of the curry powder. They are enormous. :eek:

All delivered by Canada post and a day early too. In fact that was the second parcel this week that Canada Post delivered efficiently and ahead of schedule.

Oops...it was actually THREE packages early.

Yay for Canada Post. The rest of you must be doing something wrong. :lol:

Originally Posted by leith (Post 11877426)

This month, I decided to be an absolute tightwad on grocery shopping. For two of us (adults) eating three good meals a day, I spent $175 and I still have lots of food left to start next month's spree of stinginess. I don't bother checking flyers because most of the things on sale aren't stuff we'd eat anyway but here are a few of the rules that have propelled me into the higher realms of Scroogedom.
1. I buy foodstuffs with the least packaging by shopping at The Bulk Barn or the bulk bins at Superstore.
2. I invested a few years ago in a set of Kuraidori Vacuum Canisters from Home Hardware. Tomatoes, celery, lettuce, any other kind of greens keep far longer in these so there's no waste if there are only two of you and you've bought the biggest items sold as $x "each".
3. I don't buy any ice cream, soft drinks, cakes, cookies, pies or other obviously sweet stuff. Fruit juice only when on sale. Yoghurt for dessert - always some kind on sale but I don't buy any with sucralose or any other artificial sweetener.
4. Lots of stand-by dry goods in the pantry such as pasta and rice, dried split peas and my favorites - oatmeal for porridge and veggie burgers, and lentils which are a great source of protein, cook fast, and can be used for a lot of different soups and a very tasty kind of "meatloaf".
5. I buy huge bags of apples that don't fall within the store's parameters of acceptable appearance. Not overripe, bruised, or diseased, just the wrong size or shape.
6. The cost of other big bargain bags of things such as onions or potatoes I sometimes split with a neighbour or neighbours.
7. I check the unit cost on everything. It's usually on the price tag but if not, just do the math otherwise you can't compare packages of different sizes.
8. We have fresh free range eggs at breakfast every day but if perchance I do buy any eggs at a grocery store, I weight them on the produce scales and figure out the best deal. (To get the most for my money, I do this also with anything else sold as $x each,)
9. When buying spices and other small, light weight bulk items, I just tie up the top of the bag. The plastic tags can add about 10% to the weight of things that are quite expensive to start with.
10. I never go shopping when I'm hungry and I make sure I have something ready in the fridge that I can warm up fast when we get home.
We do eat a lot and and often have fish or chicken but they're not the centrepiece of most meals.
OK, so I'm a grocery store owner's worst nightmare but you can at least be one of his bad dreams. What are your strategies for the ultimate dime-squeezing? Do tell.

Originally Posted by leith (Post 11877426)

This month, I decided to be an absolute tightwad on grocery shopping. For two of us (adults) eating three good meals a day, I spent $175 and I still have lots of food left to start next month's spree of stinginess. I don't bother checking flyers because most of the things on sale aren't stuff we'd eat anyway but here are a few of the rules that have propelled me into the higher realms of Scroogedom.
1. I buy foodstuffs with the least packaging by shopping at The Bulk Barn or the bulk bins at Superstore.
2. I invested a few years ago in a set of Kuraidori Vacuum Canisters from Home Hardware. Tomatoes, celery, lettuce, any other kind of greens keep far longer in these so there's no waste if there are only two of you and you've bought the biggest items sold as $x "each".
3. I don't buy any ice cream, soft drinks, cakes, cookies, pies or other obviously sweet stuff. Fruit juice only when on sale. Yoghurt for dessert - always some kind on sale but I don't buy any with sucralose or any other artificial sweetener.
4. Lots of stand-by dry goods in the pantry such as pasta and rice, dried split peas and my favorites - oatmeal for porridge and veggie burgers, and lentils which are a great source of protein, cook fast, and can be used for a lot of different soups and a very tasty kind of "meatloaf".
5. I buy huge bags of apples that don't fall within the store's parameters of acceptable appearance. Not overripe, bruised, or diseased, just the wrong size or shape.
6. The cost of other big bargain bags of things such as onions or potatoes I sometimes split with a neighbour or neighbours.
7. I check the unit cost on everything. It's usually on the price tag but if not, just do the math otherwise you can't compare packages of different sizes.
8. We have fresh free range eggs at breakfast every day but if perchance I do buy any eggs at a grocery store, I weight them on the produce scales and figure out the best deal. (To get the most for my money, I do this also with anything else sold as $x each,)
9. When buying spices and other small, light weight bulk items, I just tie up the top of the bag. The plastic tags can add about 10% to the weight of things that are quite expensive to start with.
10. I never go shopping when I'm hungry and I make sure I have something ready in the fridge that I can warm up fast when we get home.
We do eat a lot and and often have fish or chicken but they're not the centrepiece of most meals.
OK, so I'm a grocery store owner's worst nightmare but you can at least be one of his bad dreams. What are your strategies for the ultimate dime-squeezing? Do tell.

Originally Posted by Mr.CBB (Post 11923155)

it's the most expensive bill apart from a mortgage/rent for most people.

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 11923164)

No car?

Originally Posted by Mr.CBB (Post 11924582)

A mortgage/rent and food are budget necessities which is why I left out the vehicle but yes a vehicle is another large expense in the budget for those who have payments as well as maintenance costs.
:nod:

Originally Posted by scilly (Post 11957290)

I don't like the "new" Sobeys (ex Safeway) ............ much of the own brand by Sobeys is not as good as Safeway's own brand used to be. Plus, many items have disappeared from the shelves, and the manager of the store has trouble ordering them in if they are not "own brand".

It's as if we are now supposed to be "one size fits all".

Safeway here used to vary its store by the neighbourhood it served ............ so there was one where you could always had a wide range of Jewish food, and another where the selection of Asian foods was fantastic. Now we have smaller speciality areas within each store.

Our local store used to have a good selection of fine deli meats and some super goods because it is the closest store to one of the wealthiest areas ...... not the neighbourhood we live in, I hasten to add!

We're seriously considering trying to find another grocery store . even though we would much prefer to stay local.

Oh yes, and our weekly grocery bill has gone up, not down since Sobeys took over, so we have cut back on what we buy