Yum.

Oh yes!

A cheese and crisp butty!

I taught a Canadian friend's child about crisp butties. I often get blamed for being a bad influence.

Technically not a grocery item but nicely illustrative of easy savings.

Low dose ASA. Typical, non offer price is $14 for 120. Offer price can be as low as $8, like 2 weeks ago at Sobeys. 3 packs for $24 is virtually a year's worth.

This week, the 'offer' (also at Sobeys) is $18 for 180. Or $36 for a year.

That's quite a difference and it applies to any number of grocery/household items that last quite a while; ketchup, mayo, detergent, dishwasher tabs, Olive Oil... Coffee's a great example. Could be $15 a tin and another time $8 or $10.

I'm not really sure how long a tin lasts me, 2 or 3 weeks maybe? I generally have three tins when they're $8 so about $144 a year instead of up to $270 if you miss the deals.

No calling at multiple stores to get the best deal, just a simple awareness of sometimes a huge price difference one week to the next and keeping an eye out when you know you're getting near the end and restocking at the best price.

Also a great example of how it's more expensive to be poor. Things like that, which I use in large volumes over time, wait til they're on offer, then stock up, you need never pay full price. People who can't afford to buy multiples when they're on sale wind up paying the larger price every time, and not having the flexibility.

Some years back I was on a team working on a reduced bus fare scheme. The q was raised what was wrong with the existing bus operator's scheme - and was pointed out that although that allowed for much cheaper fares, it relied on a family being able to pony up £35 upfront in one go, which often the people most in need of the reduced fares simply couldn't, so they didn't benefit from.

I recall reading that the poorest people in the world pay the most for water.

But, to cheer everyone up for the weekend, Sobeys is now doing compliments (own brand) diet tonic in Cans.

Just in time for fall :/

Thanks to the general shiteness of Toronto Hydro our local Sobeys is largely empty. 6 blackouts in just under a month. #JeSuisCityPlace #CityPlaceInTheDark

But is it any good?

It's been a while since I had a G&T (I prefer whisky & 7up/sprite) but Compliments (ordinary) tonic water I found undrinkable.

Good point, I always buy Schwepp's because there's no point on spending big $ on good booze and making a substandard drink so you can save a few bux on mix. Tonic doesn't taste sweet to me so not surprised diet tonic is rare, but I'm not knocking the principle since I use Diet Coke in my rum and coke.

Of course, it's possible that Compliments diet tonic might taste better than their ordinary stuff given I find it very hard to drink regular coke/pepsi having got so used to the diet versions.

Odd thing...I don't mind which of Sprite or 7up I use with my whisky - although in honour of Col. Henry Blake it should be 7up - but when it comes to the diet version it has to be 7up. Something not quite right about Diet Sprite when mixed.

I'd actually never even contemplated such a thing as "bad" tonic. Maybe I need to rethink my mixing ratios...

Though I'm no way at Barbadian levels where it literally is a splash of coke in a glass of rum. Yum!

Thinking about it if I'm on dark & stormy it does have to be goslings ginger beer, there's a ginger flavour and I have a slight allergy to which makes me cough, and it's in Grace and most supermarket cheapos.

I miss preservatives in food. Food used to last forever, now your bread or tomatoes are moldy before you get them home from the shops.

Found Fever Tree tonic last night in the new Michaelangelo's in Aurora. Had to go and buy gin to celebrate!

Is any of the complaints stuff good? I tried a few different types of the Compliments ( label from drinks to food, and found them all pretty mediocre to down right gross, the Compliments version of 7-up tasted like metal, so gross.


Part of the Safeway issue out west is the fact they replaced better products with Compliments which customers seem to dislike in mass.

Mixed.
I would never buy any store brand version of coke/pepsi/sprite/7up...they are all awful.

Compliments wieners are not good but their stuffing mix is fine. I think the 'sensations' brand is good