# tips on reducing grocery bill in Toronto



## sunworship (Mar 15, 2019)

HI All,

We don't eat out and I prepare our work breakfasts and lunches everyday. We also meal plan. I still find our grocery bill for two people in Toronto is $800 a month. We shop at no frills, we use the flyer. We don't coupon or price match yet (I am still not sure how to "do" this effectively and I am not going to stockpile things due to space concerns.

Any suggestions for how to bring out grocery budget down? I already eat vegetarian so that's a savings, but I eat certain things organic (peppers, greens, apples, etc). 

Thank you!


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## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

Welcome to CMF!

$800/mo for two adults sounds pretty good to me.
Personally, we buy regular veggies and not the so-called organic. The price difference is usually apparent on the signs in $/kg and not worth it imo.

Bringing your lunch to work as you do is a huge benefit.

We do buy meat but can often get top cuts at a reduced price ahead of expiry (I wouldn't necessarily buy meat at NoFrills though - some seem clean/well managed, some less so). 

One thing we do is buy eveything on a cash-back credit card, helps a bit.

Have you looked elsewhere in your spending for savings?

Added: I know some will think $800/mo is a high number for food. We spend about 800-1000/mo. But we buy what we want (no budget), fresh veggies & fruit, cheese, lean beef and chicken breasts, coffee beans. No junk (well ok, the occasional bag of old dutch low salt ripple potato chips :apologetic


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## sunworship (Mar 15, 2019)

I don't understand "Have you looked elsewhere in your spending for savings?" What does that mean?


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## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

sunworship said:


> I don't understand "Have you looked elsewhere in your spending for savings?" What does that mean?


I meant that if you are looking to spend less in a month, have you looked at where the rest of your spending goes through the month. Generally its the total monthly spending that you want under control. I understand though if you are looking only for grocery saving tips.


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## Prairie Guy (Oct 30, 2018)

Our grocery bill for 2 adults averages a little under $400 a month, and we eat very well without sacrificing quality. $800 seems to be a lot...that's $27 each and every single day for groceries and you're not buying meat. We buy meat and keep it under $400 without making an effort.


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## OptsyEagle (Nov 29, 2009)

If you have the time, buy from more then one grocery store. Even think about including Shoppers Drug Mart, Giant Tiger, etc. Online they have flyers for most of the stuff on sale. I think Thursdays are good flyer days. Just save the links in your browser. You will find that many sale items require another item to go with it. For instance, where I am Shoppers has no name chips on sale for $.99 a bag...but they want $4.49 for kraft onion dip. These retailers are not stupid. Since I am not either, I buy the chips at shoppers and the dip for $2.99 at Food Basics.

Now I am not advocating anyone make a special trip to Food Basic just to save $1.49 on dip. But you will find that Food Basics has many, many things on sales. Box of chicken wings for $5.77. Delissio pizzas for $2.99. Anyway, I am retired so I usually try to walk to these places for exercise. Why waste effort on a tread mill when you can have a nice walk in fresh air. Take a kart or back pack and fill her up with well priced merchandise and get some exercise at the same time. It really does help if you can stock up. My Independent Grocer had kraft barbecue sauce on sale for $1.00 today. I bought 8 of them. They won't make it through the summer but have an expiry date into 2020. I am pretty liberal with my barbecue sauce. lol.


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## OptsyEagle (Nov 29, 2009)

Also, although I am pretty sure our grocery bill is a lot less then $800 per month for two of us, in some instances you need to think of things in another way.

I mentioned above that Food Basics had chicken wings on sale for $5.77. Sometimes my wife and I will head over to Don Cherry's to watch the Ottawa Senators lose another hockey game. We will have a couple of pints and a plate of chicken wings. That bill, although not out of line at all, will head north of $75 when taxes and tip are included...or we could head down to my well decked out man cave, in my own house. Get comfortable on the couch and watch the game on a 60" HDTV. No better seats in the house and all the beer we can drink and $5.77 chicken wings that taste as good as restaurant brand when I add the same hot sauce (Franks Xtra Hot) they use. Total bill for the same fair, less then $20.

*So even if that increases my grocery bill it seriously reduces my entertainment expense*. I won't even go into the fact that, living in Kanata, I could actually walk to the Canadian Tire Centre to watch the same game, but then I would be paying another $300 for tickets, $40-$50 for drinks and snacks and the Ottawa Senators would still lose.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I would say we average about $1000-$1200 in groceries for 4 people, and that is very high quality and tasty food (though not organic). That includes household cleaning and toiletries too. We do eat out though (mostly my spouse) so that's not included. We eat a lot of meat (more than I would like), some junk, and lots of fruits, and some veggies (less than I would like) Years ago, my spouse was laid off and I was on mat leave, we were down to 17% of our income. We found we went from spending about $1200 a month (no budget, no care about how much we spent) to $450 a month. That amount has crept up, to about $1000 for the four of us, but I would guess if I had to, I could do it for under $800 a month for 4 including all meals (we would stop eating out)

My tips are:
- Know your prices. Not only the current ones, but what items are seasonal. 
- Buy primarily on sale. Unless its for something special, we almost always buy and eat what is on sale at the flyers. We buy more if it's a good sale (see below about buying in bulk). You have to be a pretty flexible eater and creative in what you make. I pre check all the flyers before I head out to shop. 
- Look for coupons every where and stack. I found that certain more expensive stores had a lot of coupons in their isles, I would take a few, and then go to the cheaper grocery store, that often had their own coupons. Bonus if the items were on sale. On more than I one occasion, I would get the item for free and they would pay me because the coupons were more than what I paid. They don't 'give' you the money, but take off the total grocery amount. 
- For price matching, I use the 'Flipp' app, and just have all my items selected. I pick the overall all cheapest store, and then have them price match it there. I don't do this during busy time (I don't like being that person), and I make sure I have all the items to be price matched together, and the app open to show them. I am pretty, but I have been behind people not organized, and it drives me nuts
- Double check the prices at they are ringing in. If they are wrong, not only do you the sale price you, get $10 off or the first one free (the lower of the amount) with SCOP
- Buy in bulk. I buy things that will last until the next sale (of that lowest item). So prime rib/tenderloin goes on sale at Christmas, and sometimes Easter and Thankgiving. I will buy enough at Christmas that will last me about just past Easter, then buy some more if they are on sale then until just past Thanks given, until Xmas again.
- Create a good food management system. It took me a while to get my system down to know when things are on sale. I do over buy sometimes, hence we sometimes eat food a little old. Crappy to throw food.
- As a part of the food management system, know what can be frozen, how long things last, ect. 
- Don't waste ANYTHING! I would wash vegetables really well before peeling, and save all the peels, stems, ect in a freezer bag. Once I had enough, I would make a vegetable broth. For chicken and meats, I would carve off all the meat, and save the bones for broth. ALL leftovers would be saved, and eaten later. Either packaged in smaller containers or added to a future meal. 
- Grow a garden. This can be very helpful if you are good at it. I am not, so end up spending more, but my friends are great at it. So I tend to get their extras. I did find that a herb garden always produced more than I spent. I love cooking with fresh herbs, and at the end of the season, I dry the extra. 
- Make everything from scratch. I used to make bread, pasta, all baked goods, sauces, condiments, you name it, I learned to make it. This is the most time consuming, but it did save money
- Cook from dried beans. Canned beans are cheap, but dried beans are so much cheaper. Essentially, if there is a form that is less processed and more time consuming, then that is usually the cheaper way to go
- For cleaning products, I used reusable items and often made my own which had less chemicals and felt they worked better

I find our groceries have gone in price because I so much busier, but if I had the time, and motivation, I know I could spend a lot less to even now. It's the couponing and checking all the prices that take me a long time, but I can do a lot of the things I mentioned as second nature.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^^^^^^


> Any suggestions for how to bring out grocery budget down? I already eat vegetarian so that's a savings, but I eat certain things organic (peppers, greens, apples, etc).


 ... I think there is a premium price for organic foods, at least 1.5 times if not twice the cost of non-organics. For example, non-organic peppers I can get for $.99 per lb whereas organics cost $1.99 or even $2.99 per lb. Nope, I'm not paying a buck just for a red pepper! 

And then compound the notorius pricing on "fresh" produce for our winters, your food bill can easily double. My cost-cutting menu is dictated by whatever is "on sale" for the week (eg. pasta & sauce (non-organic though) at No-Frills or even Metro, and not by whatever I feel like eating at that time or planning (best part- no need to) for the week. (With some exemptions of course, such as sweets. There's no delay here).


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

As Beaver101 mentions, the elephant in the room is the use of organic fruits and vegetables. This is a luxury, and if you're attempting to reduce your food costs, this is the first place to start. I'm sure you have any number of reasons for using these products, but there is very little scientific evidence to support any health benefits for organic products. There is no nutrient difference in organic versus conventional foods. 

Many think that organic foods are produced without pesticides, but it's simply that they use organic pesticides rather than synthetic pesticides. The synthetic variety are targeted to specific pests and very little is required and are designed to wash off easily, where organic pesticides require liberal doses to be effective and require vigorous washing to remove. You'll pay an incredible premium for these items. This is your number one place to start to save grocery dollars.

You sound like you eat healthy, but you have to watch any foods that are processed or have been modified by the seller as this adds to costs measurably. I know when I stand in line at the grocery every week and see the amount of boxes in the carts in front of me, and then see the jaw dropping dollar totals for their cart. Everything in my cart either has dirt on it, or it was killed in the last week. Question everything you buy in a box. With meat, it's so cheap to buy a chicken and cut it up compared to the finished breasts, thighs, etc that the butcher has handled. I know you say your vegetarian, but you certainly have to shop more often and pay attention to meal plans and proper nutrition much more religiously than the meat eater.

Also cut out any junk snack food (i.e. chips and dip). This is a waste of money and does nothing positive for you. 

ltr


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

like_to_retire said:


> Many think that organic foods are produced without pesticides, but it's simply that they use organic pesticides rather than synthetic pesticides. The synthetic variety are targeted to specific pests and very little is required and are designed to wash off easily, where organic pesticides require liberal doses to be effective and require vigorous washing to remove.




can u let us know what are these organic pesticides

it's true that a lot of produce from many bio farms looks picture-perfect. No spots, insect bites, evidence of infestation or fungus whatsoever. So what are they using to prevent crop damage? in particular, what is it that you say has to be washed off so elaborately?


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

OnlyMyOpinion said:


> I know some will think $800/mo is a high number for food. We spend about 800-1000/mo. But we buy what we want (no budget), fresh veggies & fruit, cheese, lean beef and chicken breasts, coffee beans. No junk (well ok, the occasional bag of old dutch low salt ripple potato chips :apologetic



in both cases that $800/month is for 2 adults i believe

glad to have a minority cmf cellule of high food spenders. As best i can recall, there might now be 3 of us who don't budget food. Here we also spend 350-450/month per person which includes a bottle or 2 decent wine.

judging from Plugging's reported alberta food prices, grocery costs here in quebec are lower than out west. Significantly lower, at least 10% lower. Which can make a difference over a lifetime. Plus quality of local food is high.

i buy the sales heavily, stock up heavily on basics when they're on deep special, always have a pantry stocked with quality basics that i would have paid 10-20% below regular prices because they were all bought during special sales. That delicious organic french jam that sells regular 4.59 for a small jar goes on sale at 3.49, i will buy a dozen jars, etc.

as for fresh groceries, i have no budget. I certainly buy what's on sale if i like the items - sale items are often very fresh because the grocery has ordered in bulk - but otherwise i buy what seems freshest & best.

life's too short to economize on food imho. Good food & good cooking add up to one of the simplest, most easily available, most easily renewable, everyday pleasures. Which reminds me, i've never tried those signature one-herd organic butters. Although i believe peterk has posted about these. They cost an arm & a leg. Are they really so much better than regular unsalted butter? would love to know

(signed)
no-kitchen-budget pie


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

humble_pie said:


> can u let us know what are these organic pesticides
> 
> it's true that a lot of produce from many bio farms looks picture-perfect. No spots, insect bites, evidence of infestation or fungus whatsoever. So what are they using to prevent crop damage? in particular, what is it that you say has to be washed off so elaborately?


I've read many times that synthetic pesticides are specifically designed to be highly washable, but you can use the internet as good as I can.

The internet supplies copious articles discussing natural versus synthetic pesticides used in organic and regular farming practice.

My conclusion on the subject is that organic fruits and vegetables are not worth spending the extra money on. A poster looking to save money on their grocery bill says they use organic fruits and vegetables. I offered a solution.

ltr


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## OptsyEagle (Nov 29, 2009)

I think it is important in life to be happy with what you have as opposed to always thinking one is missing out. I have said many times to people "that I am extremely lucky that I have never missed a meal". That is not said to say I am pre-occupied with food, or food is something that I cherish all the time and ensure its devourment at regular intervals. It is said, because I understand that many people in this world and especially the many people who came before us, did not have that luxury. I was not brought up wealthy, but my mother always ensured that we had food, when it was supper time or breakfast time. After her care, I have succeeded in continuing to ensure its availability.

Of course I missed a meal now and then, like we all have, when the days busy events got away from me. I had to skip lunch thousands of times, and sometimes my supper came at 11:00pm, when I got very busy that day. What I actually mean is that I never missed a meal solely because there was no food. Having no food I believe would be one of the most annoying things I could ever imagine. Those days where supper came at 11:00pm, certainly gave me an idea of what it would be like if it never came at all. I was famished and definitely my mind was starting to get pre-occupied with the idea of eating. What would it be like to not have food for a week? I can't even imagine it.

So I agree with HP and others. Food should be the last thing you worry about when it comes to expenditures, if you don't have to, but with that said, if you can acquire anything for a lower price, that alone allows you to have more and better stuff. So Bon appetite!


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## stardancer (Apr 26, 2009)

One thing I have found that works is- when you see what is on special before shopping, decide what you will make of it and buy that much; for example, my spouse and I (retired) are eating small portions so I will buy XX kg of ground beef which will make 2 meatloaves, 2 shepherd's pies and 1-2 bags of loose ground for spaghetti sauce; I don't buy any more until all that is used up. The same with a whole chicken or a package of chicken breasts/thighs; we can get 3-5 meals out of that if I plan ahead.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

sunworship said:


> We don't eat out and I prepare our work breakfasts and lunches everyday. We also meal plan. I still find our grocery bill for two people in Toronto is $800 a month. We shop at no frills, we use the flyer. We don't coupon or price match yet (I am still not sure how to "do" this effectively and I am not going to stockpile things due to space concerns.


Price comparisons will be difficult across different cities. You are spending $400 per month per person.

That doesn't sound too high to me. My grocery costs in downtown Toronto was about $350 a month back in 2011. There's been 8 years of inflation since then. You are spending approximately the same amount as I did, per person, adjusted for inflation.

$350 x (1.02)^8 = $410 per person... same as you



humble_pie said:


> life's too short to economize on food imho. Good food & good cooking add up to one of the simplest, most easily available, most easily renewable, everyday pleasures.


I completely agree. Assuming you are eating healthy, good quality food that brings you pleasure, this is not the area to cut corners. We are lucky to be living in peacetime with plentiful food, and lucky to get amazing fruits and vegetables from around the world, all year round, at good prices.

If I feel like some smoked salmon, I get smoked salmon. The other day I found fresh figs, and was curious, so I bought one. I don't indulge in "fancy" food every day but I will enjoy it often enough. Life is short.

For routine cost savings, I keep an eye on which fruits are the cheapest per lb. For somewhat expensive items that I really want (such as quinoa, fish, meats) I will aggressively compare prices between stores. In Toronto, check Loblaws, No Frills, even Rabba where there are sometimes interesting sales. Don't bother with Whole Foods.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

sunworship said:


> I don't understand "Have you looked elsewhere in your spending for savings?" What does that mean?


I can't see any way to answer the original question asked. Every individual (or couple) has individual tastes and opinions as to what is acceptable in terms of food. For example, one person may be perfectly happy eating grill cheese sandwiches and mac and cheese as a meal, while someone else wouldn't dream of eating either of those. Someone may be perfectly happy eating chicken thighs while someone else only eats chicken breasts and yet another person disdains eating chicken as 'poor people's food' and insists on steak or nothing. I know that I personally enjoy eating steak a couple of times a month but I will not buy cheaper cuts, I want the best cuts every time, otherwise I see no point to eating steak at all. So what one person spends on groceries vs. another person and how they choose to try and cut their costs really tells you nothing about what you could look at doing. 

However, I do think there is value in looking at all the non-grocery items you buy at the same time. A typical 'grocery bill' at Loblaws is NOT all food. My wife as a past nurse for example, uses what to me is an inordinate amount of paper towels and tissues. It's that cleanliness thingy. Anyway, we buy paper towels in the largest packs they sell and there can easily be $10 difference in price from one brand or store to another. The same is true of most cleaning products of any kind such as dishwasher soap or laundry detergent, etc. I'm not about to give up my two filet mignon steaks a month and start eating chicken thighs instead but it doesn't matter to me which brand of paper towels we use.

So it might make some sense to take the time to examine your 'grocery bill' and separate out the non-food items and see what you can do to reduce costs for those items. Unless of course you are actually telling us that your 'grocery bill' is only for 'groceries' meaning food items only. I tend to doubt that at $800 per month but maybe your answer will surprise me sunworship.


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## Prairie Guy (Oct 30, 2018)

Longtimeago said:


> Unless of course you are actually telling us that your 'grocery bill' is only for 'groceries' meaning food items only. I tend to doubt that at $800 per month but maybe your answer will surprise me sunworship.


My GF and myself just spend a month in Florida. We tracked all of our expenses and our grocery bill was about $450 CDN. However, that included wine, beer, briquettes, soap, toilet paper, etc. Our current bill is around $400, but that also includes many household items that aren't food.


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## doctrine (Sep 30, 2011)

In a humourous but realistic sense, your options are as follows:

A) Spend more time and travel further to find savings on the food you want to eat
B) Change the food you eat..
B1) to only food that is on heavy discount at any given day/week
B2) to eat cheap food that costs less
B2a) improve cooking skills to make cheap food taste better

Food gets especially expensive when you decide what you want before you go to the store or look in the flyer.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

A couple of tips that I don't think have been mentioned yet. 

1. Look around the produce department for the discounted produce cart. On there, you will find bags of produce that have been deemed less than perfect, and they are marked down 50% from the regular prices. Some of it is truly garbage but lots is still fully usable. 
2. The Flipp app for your smartphone lets you search for a given product and shows you all the flyers it is in for your area this week. It makes for easy price matching. You just show the app to the cashier. Search for your grocery list in the app before you go to the store so that you know in advance which items you'll want to do price matching on.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

Spudd said:


> A couple of tips that I don't think have been mentioned yet.
> 
> 1. Look around the produce department for the discounted produce cart. On there, you will find bags of produce that have been deemed less than perfect, and they are marked down 50% from the regular prices. Some of it is truly garbage but lots is still fully usable. [



i'm a bit doubtful because the valuable vitamins & enzymes are the first things to break down in an early-stages-of-decay vegetable. I think a few items out of the discount bin might be OK, for example overripe bananas for the cook who is going to bake bananq bread. But in general i'd stay away from a past-their-prime not-so-fresh vegetable dump bin.






> 2. The Flipp app for your smartphone lets you search for a given product and shows you all the flyers it is in for your area this week. It makes for easy price matching. You just show the app to the cashier. Search for your grocery list in the app before you go to the store so that you know in advance which items you'll want to do price matching on.



i'd actually never seen or heard of such a thing before i read cmf forum. Do some provinces actually have regulations that say all citizens are entitled to the lowest price for grocery products, industry-wide, across the province? or possibly only across a municipality?

how horrible. I cannot imagine a customer who'd deliberately tie up & embarass a cashier by haggling, smartphone in hand & item by item, that other stores are selling the same item for less, therefore the blameless cashier's store must kow-tow to said customer's demands. 

never seen this behaviour in quebec. Hope i never do. Instead i'm grateful for all the beautiful fresh food. Because here in canada, we are living in a land of plenty.


.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

humble_pie said:


> i'd actually never seen or heard of such a thing before i read cmf forum. Do some provinces actually have regulations that say all citizens are entitled to the lowest price for grocery products, industry-wide, across the province? or possibly only across a municipality?
> 
> how horrible. I cannot imagine a customer who'd deliberately tie up & embarass a cashier by haggling, smartphone in hand & item by item, that other stores are selling the same item for less, therefore the blameless cashier's store must kow-tow to said customer's demands.


They are not governmental regulations, the individual stores decide if they want to offer a price-match policy. If they do, then they will price-match against advertised items from their competitors. To get the match, you simply show the ad to the cashier. The cashier is used to it, they won't be embarrassed. 

For example, here is No Frills' price match policy: https://www.nofrills.ca/wont-be-beat

Personally, I find it too much effort and do not do it, but it is a valid and accepted way to save a bit of money at the grocery store.


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

humble_pie said:


> in both cases that $800/month is for 2 adults i believe
> 
> glad to have a minority cmf cellule of high food spenders. As best i can recall, there might now be 3 of us who don't budget food. Here we also spend 350-450/month per person which includes a bottle or 2 decent wine.
> 
> ...


There's a good organic butter from Guelph I try to buy - They label their stuff with a "pastured" sticker for the batches made in the late summer when the cows are grazing, from what I've gathered. $13/lb though...

I've been using up lots of the Kerry gold, from my last trip to the states, I like the taste of it better and it is richer. I'm probably going to Europe in a month, and I'm going to try to locate some proper French butter (from France!) while I'm there. 

That said, we don't spend too much on groceries. About $500/month for 2. But I don't buy much fish and only buy things like high-end beef cuts and raspberries when on sale. Lots of pasta dishes. Even though I promised myself I wouldn't, I still buy the huge logs of pork loin for bulk chopping into chops/roasts. Just did bbq beef ribs earlier this week and am going to make beef stock in the IP in a couple of days.

I'd really like to get to the point where I can just buy a nice looking steak for $40/kg and not think about it... but I'm having a hard time actually doing it, despite plenty of disposable income... Always gotta wait for the sale...

Edit: I've stocked up on my favourite Jam - Huckleberry Jam from a little place in Big Fork Montana that makes it right on site. I don't know if I've had better jam to be honest. On a crispy English muffin with a bit of butter, I almost like it more than any other food, it's a close call!


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

humble_pie said:


> i'd actually never seen or heard of such a thing before i read cmf forum. Do some provinces actually have regulations that say all citizens are entitled to the lowest price for grocery products, industry-wide, across the province? or possibly only across a municipality?
> 
> how horrible. I cannot imagine a customer who'd deliberately tie up & embarass a cashier by haggling, smartphone in hand & item by item, that other stores are selling the same item for less, therefore the blameless cashier's store must kow-tow to said customer's demands.
> .


 I will say I am one of those customers who have used price match. As someone said, it’s a store policy’s usually posted. 

It’s been around for years before apps, I used to bring the flyers to the stores. Like I said, try to not do it on a busy time to hold up people, and I am very organized at it. 

I will have my items marked in the flyer (now app). I have them separated at the end. I tell the cashier that I will price matching the end items. I when they scan the item,I tell them how much it is, show them the place in the app,
Flyer and they change the price. I have found most places that price match had started to self match the price anyways. 

It’s not just groceries, it is merchandise stores. I was looking for a time my child really wanted, it Just happened to be at the superstore, so I bought up the flyer, and it wa 40% cheaper. Plus saved me the trip. 

For me, price matching is no more difficult than when a store charges you regular price and it’s on sale. Actually easier, as the person has to get someone to find the sale item in the store. I have mine right there.

I don’t know why a cashier would be embarrassed at all. Price match was around when I worked at the Hudson Bay company almost 30 years ago. Customers bought in competition flyers all the time. It needed to be the same item, in the same city, and we would price match. It was a national store policy.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

interesting Plug ... perhaps it's a regional/local thing?

there are no stores in my neighbourhood that price match. More surprising still is the behaviour of the 2 stores i mostly shop at, where i've been a loyal customer for 10-20 years. From time to time the cashiers do make mistakes on the bill. Here in quebec, consumer laws say that in such a case, a store is supposed to offer the mistaken item without charge (i believe there's a ceiling on its value though)

my 2 grocery stores never do this. I wouldn't dream of daring to ask them to do such a thing. They're barely willing to refund me the overcharged portion of a billing mistake. Typically they act as if it were my fault for bringing the overcharge(s) to their attention. Apparently customers are supposed to vacuum up such mistakes in silence. Things have gotten to the point where, if a billed-too-high mistake is less than a dollar or 2, i will just accept it.

it's all very different from a store where cashiers are used to customers who price match in an organized fashion. Perhaps this is a regional difference.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

sunworship said:


> HI All,
> 
> We don't eat out and I prepare our work breakfasts and lunches everyday. We also meal plan. I still find our grocery bill for two people in Toronto is $800 a month. We shop at no frills, we use the flyer. We don't coupon or price match yet (I am still not sure how to "do" this effectively and I am not going to stockpile things due to space concerns.
> 
> ...


If you buy a lot of organics at no frills, I would suggest the pc insiders subscription program. It offers 20% back in points on pc organics branded items (as well as on a few other categories).

Honestly, vegetarian should be pretty inexpensive. What would some typical meals look like? Have you tried estimating the per serving cost of your meals? I'm sure there are apps that could help with this.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

humble_pie said:


> interesting Plug ... perhaps it's a regional/local thing?
> 
> there are no stores in my neighbourhood that price match. More surprising still is the behaviour of the 2 stores i mostly shop at, where i've been a loyal customer for 10-20 years. From time to time the cashiers do make mistakes on the bill. Here in quebec, consumer laws say that in such a case, a store is supposed to offer the mistaken item without charge (i believe there's a ceiling on its value though)
> 
> ...


You're referring to the scanning code of practice. I think it's a quasi-voluntary policy adopted by Canadian retailers where the price at the till can't be more than the price advertised on the shelf. The first same item is free, or $10 discount off the shelf price, whichever is greater (max discount of $10). It is to incentivize retailers to maintain accurate pricing at shelf (usually the mistake is that the shelf is not updated when pricing changes) and help consumers not have to pay as close attention during checkout.

I remember the first time I complained about not getting a discount--sketchily advertised department discount of 40% or something. I noticed when I reviewed the receipt after completing the transaction. I just wanted to pay for the discounted price, but I ended up getting the item for free. It didn't feel entirely right to me.

Other true human error is when the cashier enters PLUs (the 4-5 digit codes on produce or bulk items). I remember a transaction when I was buying some bulk flour or something and the cashier fat fingered and it came up as pine nuts or something at $20 a lb... wait a second!


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

humble_pie said:


> interesting Plug ... perhaps it's a regional/local thing?
> 
> there are no stores in my neighbourhood that price match. More surprising still is the behaviour of the 2 stores i mostly shop at, where i've been a loyal customer for 10-20 years. From time to time the cashiers do make mistakes on the bill. Here in quebec, consumer laws say that in such a case, a store is supposed to offer the mistaken item without charge (i believe there's a ceiling on its value though)
> 
> ...


That is a very different attitude towards the consumer. 

I learn about SCOP (scanning code of practice) on I think it was Market Watch (or some equivalent Canadian show). It was quite interesting, they said before SCOP came in place that something like 1 in 4 items that are on sale do not come up., and there was an error. No surprise, that the error often favoured the stores. It was even more so at stores that you had to do your own bagging, since people didn’t pay attention to the scanning. People were buying things thinking they are on sale, but then paying full price, and not realizing until they got home. Most people wouldnt bring it back to the store. The point of SCOP was to show that the stores were doing this by accident and they could retired it. The intent is that if you identify an linked on sale item that doesn’t ring up, they should give you the item for free or $10 off (which ever is less) and subsequent items for the sale price. The store is then suppose to either correct the signage or the sales system. 

It is all voluntary for the store, but if a store says they are a part of it, they are supposed to honour it. Walmart and superstore , along with all our major chains participate. The new cashiers are often confused if I tell them, and I will point to the sign that is right where you pay. If they are confused or there is a line up, I will just pay and goto to customer service. 

For price match, I am really organized because I have been behind someone not organized trying to price match. It was so bad that I pulled out my phone to help her. I also suggested how she could pre- plan before getting in line. I realize that it’s not my right to get the price match so I try not delay others or cause a lot of effort. However, I am very surprised when the store has made the mistake, that the cashier doesn’t rectify it right away.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

Plugging Along said:


> For price match, I am really organized because I have been behind someone not organized trying to price match. It was so bad that I pulled out my phone to help her. I also suggested how she could pre- plan before getting in line.




that's Plugging, always ready to offer a helping hand!

out of curiosity i phoned the customer service call centre for the big chain that's in my neighbourhood. The one where they are so snooty. I asked Do any of their stores Price Match?

No, Never, said the lady. The chain - it's metro richelieu - is in ontario too so that must mean no price matching quebec or ontario.

they own a big box discount operation called Super Carnival & the customer service lady volunteered that they don't price match in their Super-C stores either.

my other supermarket is a tiny operation, only 3 stores but all 3 are thriving. Owners are a greek family that does all their own buying, no middlemen, so their prices are just about the cheapest in town while the quality of all their foods - it's the greek mediterranean diet - is extremely high. Fabulous selection of ultra-fresh fish, cheeses, meats, all kinds of vegetables, fruits, yogurts, olive oils, middle eastern treats. 

there's no way mr & mrs big greek family would want to bother price matching because already their prices are the lowest in town. If imported broccoli during the winter is $2.99 at big chain Metro for example, then tiny greek supermarker will have broccoli @ .99 or 2/3.00.

out of curiosity, how much is a head of broccoli in calgary these days? i always have the impression that quebec food prices are about 10% lower, in general, than out west.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this. But it used to be fairly common to buy a side of beef or a whole pig, and put it in the deep freeze. This still works if you have a large family and can use up the meat in a reasonable time, usually within 6 months or a year.

Here in small town or rural areas you can go with a farmer friend to a livestock auction and buy a critter on the hoof and have it transported to the local abbatoir or slaughter house. This is the cheapest way to get good meat.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

humble_pie said:


> that's Plugging, always ready to offer a helping hand!
> 
> out of curiosity i phoned the customer service call centre for the big chain that's in my neighbourhood. The one where they are so snooty. I asked Do any of their stores Price Match?
> 
> ...


I always find it interesting the different practices between provinces and stores. I have even price matched when I travel. In AB, Superstore, No Frills, local Co-op, and Walmart will all price match. Safeway/Sobeys will not. No small grocers will price match, and I totally understand that. Similarly, the Mediterranean grocery has great prices. I will support them first, but find they only have a small amount of what I am looking for. 


For broccoli, it's not as simple of a question as it would seem. I get a back of broccoli (florets) for $4.99 at Costco. I will have to go home to find out the weight. I think it's about 2 lbs. If I get the whole broccoli, it's about $1.69 - 1.99 lb regular price right now. . I think each mid size one is about $2 each. So it is more expensive here. 

I remember being out east, and thinking much cheaper produce is.


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> I remember being out east, and thinking much cheaper produce is.


It's seems to me in the east, the closer to the farm you get and the less "commercial" the seller, the cheaper the produce becomes. Big grocery chain > Small local grocer > farmer's market > guy-with-truck along the road.

Out west it's the opposite - Big chains are the cheapest, small grocery stores have premium locations and premium prices for urban bourgeoisies, farmer's market are more expensive still for those who spend 50% of their income on organic kale, and guy-with-truck is in the most premium location of all, catching MEC-attired outdoorsmen who need some expensive fruit *now* on their way to mountains... Once I stopped on the old highway between Calgary and Banff at a "BC peach guy" and it was $15 for a 2qt basket of peaches!


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## *PetePerfectMan* (Jan 24, 2019)

sunworship said:


> HI All,
> 
> We don't eat out and I prepare our work breakfasts and lunches everyday. We also meal plan. I still find our grocery bill for two people in Toronto is $800 a month. We shop at no frills, we use the flyer. We don't coupon or price match yet (I am still not sure how to "do" this effectively and I am not going to stockpile things due to space concerns.
> 
> ...


$800 was good enough for 2 persons and you want to bring it down. Before you do it, list down all the expenses, incomes, and savings that you have for a month and see where you can do some adjustment to have more savings. If you want to lower the grocery budget then just pick the things you needed the most. Also, get a membership card so you can earn points and get some rebate.


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## tavogl (Oct 1, 2014)

My wife uses an app for coupons it's called Flipp. It shows all the coupons from neaby grocery shops. You can itemize and filter the search as you wish and simply pull the coupon from your phone and show it to the cashier. 

She says it saves quite a bit of money and time as she no longer has to drive to 2 or 3 places to shop anymore. Im very proud she comes from spending 600$ (discretionary spending) every two weeks in crap she had no idea where it went, to using coupons. Best thing is it "only" took 8 years to train her lol.

We spend about 150$ a week in food(2 people), but we don't budget and eat what we want.


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## leah_jean2019 (Apr 12, 2019)

buy only the bare necessities that you need. no more,no less.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Eat less.

Visit your relatives at dinner time.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Eating less is actually a really good idea. The combination of eating less total food + eating really good quality (and fresh) food will enhance health quite a bit.

Sometimes I try to do a minimal dinner, perhaps just a salad (either with cheese, or a can of tuna for protein).


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