# Grocery Costs



## K-133 (Apr 30, 2010)

Has anyone else noticed a decline in their grocery bill costs?

Six months ago my weekly bill pushed $160. The past month I've seen it hover more between $130-$140.

My spending habits have not changed drastically, so I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed the cost of their bills drop so much.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

I have noticed a significant _increase_ in my grocery bills.
I've said on this forum several times during the last year that the prices of essential household items (perishable like groceries and non perishables like cleaning products, etc.) have been going up since the so called recession of 2008.
My spending habits hasn't changed at all during this time and in fact I track all my spending in an Excel sheet.
I was expecting a drop in my monthly household expenses due to several reasons (kids out of diapers, switching to regular vs. organic produce, etc.) but instead have seen an increase.
I can list several weekly use things that have increased in price.
Bananas are 69c. instead of 49c.
Herbs are $1.29 instead of $1.09
Apples are $1.49 instead of $1.29
Milk is $3.87 instead of $3.47
Butter's $3.27 instead of $2.97
Most vegetables have gone up 20c./lb or more
Rice is up by more than 20%

I could go on, but your personal "basket of goods" may be very different than mine and so your CPI is different than mine.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

I agree with crump. My basket includes things like bread, milk, vegetables, yogurt, fruit, apples, bran muffins, whole wheat spaghetti, tomato juice, tomato paste and various canned vegetables. The prices on ALL of these things are up significantly in the past 5 years. As all of this stuff is heavy and must be transported, my guess is the high price of gas (50% more than the price 10 years ago) has a lot to do with it.


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## ChrisR (Jul 13, 2009)

I've got to agree, grocery prices are way up in the last 2 years. Every time I see one of those stupid inflation reports I always say to myself: where the heck are they buying their groceries!?!

(Yes, I know inflation reports take into account a lot of other things, but seriously, what does the average person care how much the price of an xBox changed over the last month?)


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

This is why the generic "inflation rate" is pretty meaningless. You need to have a sense of your *personal* inflation rate, which may differ quite substantially from the aggregate rate. 

In my book we talk about "there's a CPI - why not a CP-me and a CP-you?"


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

There was significant food price inflation in the past five years, but there has been some mild deflation in the last year or so. Most of the grocery retailers in Canada have had mildly shrinking sales because of the falling price of groceries.

So, you're both right!

MG: I'm reading your book right now. This is a pretty good point that most people don't see made often enough. There's not much you can do to hedge your own inflation rate though, so you have to rely on something like CPI.

I wouldn't be surprised to see someone create a service that can take your current consumption mix and give you the inflation rate for your particular weighting. The subindices that comprise the CPI are available, so this should be doable. What good this does you, who knows? I can't imagine insurance companies offering products to help hedge your particular inflation rate. They could conceivably, but I imagine that kind of product would be expensive to create and not in particularly high demand--most people aren't even aware of this as a problem.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Malcolm Hamilton suggests an annuity that increases by CPI less 2% - to account for declining consumption in retirement while providing a hedge if inflation exceeds 2%. (See page 191 of the book for a note on this.)

The point we were trying to make is that if you think "Oh, I am protected from inflation because I have an inflation-indexed annuity/DB pension" - it ain't necessarily so.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

MoneyGal said:


> Malcolm Hamilton suggests an annuity that increases by CPI less 2% - to account for declining consumption in retirement while providing a hedge if inflation exceeds 2%. (See page 191 of the book for a note on this.)
> 
> The point we were trying to make is that if you think "Oh, I am protected from inflation because I have an inflation-indexed annuity/DB pension" - it ain't necessarily so.


Does that significantly reduce the cost of the annuity (ie, is the value in the inflation risk hedge or the 2% growth rate)? Sorry if you answer this in the book--I'll probably finish it tonight.

This is opportunely timed. My parents are retiring and would like to have some sense of what they should be thinking about, so they're informed when they speak to a financial planner. This makes it easier to tell the ones who are good from the commission smash-and-grabbers. They've been burned before by the latter and it's making them gun-shy.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

The idea of an annuity which provides a hedge to inflation at (CPI - 2%) is purely theoretical.  It's a great idea, though! In general, adding a CPI or COLA rider will reduce your payout by about 25%.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

I've noticed my grocery bills go down only because:

I shop several loss leaders every week. I stock up on items when they are on sale. I mainly shop No Frills and Food Basic, only shop at loblaws and metro when things are on sale, or I need a high quality meet/produce. Most of the time, the meat and produce at No Frills and Food Basic is fine. 

I use point promotion events at participating locations. (mainly shoppers and superstore)
Last two events at superstore were spend $100 and get $20 in points. So it's like 20% off. With shoppers, they had a promotion where you spend $30 each in a group of 10 people, everyone gets about $20 in free points. WIth these promotions, I buy essential items (milk, bread, sugar, etc) and use items that have mail in rebates. 

I use a lot of coupons now and collect them through several websites. I keep my eyes on RFD for mail in rebates and free items. Every week I shop, I use 1-2 coupons and about once a month, I seem to be getting an item for free. I hold the coupons and then wait for the items to go on sale. For example, today I bought two 500G black diamond cheese bars for $5.98. This was on sale and I used two $1.00 off coupons, found on the back of Latencia Milk. 

I use MBNA smart cash credit card. 3% cash back on groceries-cheques go to mortgage. 

I also made a list of "cheap meals" and we eat from it once or twice a week. In addition, meals are planned every day and grocery lists are complied from the weekly meal list. 

Considering your grocery bill is the second biggest expense from the mortgage, it's worth the effort to save money. 

We used to spend about $400/month on groceries, now I believe I can get it to $300/month. $1200 savings in one year. This will be piled back on the mortgage, saving even more money.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

The meal planning thing is probably the single biggest contributor to savings on groceries in my household. I've read that (on average, something like) 20% of grocery store food that is bought is never consumed - it rots and is thrown away. That's like going to the store, buying 5 bags of food, and then walking over and dropping one whole bag right into the garbage can!

I plan meals every weekend and physically prepare most of the week's meals on Sunday. I will do another prep session on Wednesday or Thursday night, too. There is never any thrown-out, rotten or wasted food in my house.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

MoneyGal said:


> There is never any thrown-out, rotten or wasted food in my house.


That's admirable! I wish I could say that. But even though I cook nearly all our meals from scratch, I do end up with a fair amount of rotten food for the compost bins. Part of the problem is that there are just two of us in my household. And another part of the problem is that it's hard to find some foods, like leeks, for example, where you can buy only what you need. I bought a bunch of leeks last week because I needed one leek for making stock; I found a very tasty leek recipe that used up half of the rest of the bunch, but we are now getting tired of eating leeks and I still have four leeks left. I suppose I could make potato-leek soup and chuck it in the freezer if I can find time; fortunately leeks last a long time in the fridge.

Similarly, because I didn't bother to grow mint this year in pots on our porch, I've had to compost a fair amount of mint and other herbs when I needed just a little for a recipe but had to buy a whole bunch. You can only drink so many mojitos!


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Jungle said:


> Considering your grocery bill is the second biggest expense from the mortgage, it's worth the effort to save money.


Perhaps this applies to you, but I'd wager transportation is the #2 expense for most people. Cars are expensive, and more expensive than most people really think. Annual cost for a two-car family can easily run to $10k +.


Nonetheless, your advice is pretty good. I usually find coupons to be a waste of time, because they are for 'national brand' items that are still more expensive than private label counterparts. Occasionally useful when the item is on sale, but most coupons have short times to expiry, probably strategically timed to miss any promotions.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

I need to start putting more attention towards our meal consumption. We waste TOO much in our house, I'm sure we're well over 20%.




MoneyGal said:


> The meal planning thing is probably the single biggest contributor to savings on groceries in my household. I've read that (on average, something like) 20% of grocery store food that is bought is never consumed - it rots and is thrown away. That's like going to the store, buying 5 bags of food, and then walking over and dropping one whole bag right into the garbage can!
> 
> I plan meals every weekend and physically prepare most of the week's meals on Sunday. I will do another prep session on Wednesday or Thursday night, too. There is never any thrown-out, rotten or wasted food in my house.


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## K-133 (Apr 30, 2010)

> And another part of the problem is that it's hard to find some foods, like leeks, for example, where you can buy only what you need. I bought a bunch of leeks last week because I needed one leek for making stock; I found a very tasty leek recipe that used up half of the rest of the bunch, but we are now getting tired of eating leeks and I still have four leeks left. I suppose I could make potato-leek soup and chuck it in the freezer if I can find time; fortunately leeks last a long time in the fridge.


True that! It drives me nuts to buy a huge bunch of parsley, only to use half of it! I told this to the grocer and all they could say is that it comes in bunches like that. 

Being more concerned with waste than increasing my value proposition, I'd gladly pay the same amount, if they'd split the bunch in half.

True story about my bill though guys. Sure, I have noticed that milk is now $6-$7 and oil $12 (from $8 a couple of years ago. My whole bill however, is healthier. I'll have to keep investigating to find the cause. 

Part of it may be that I am better at managing the waste.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

andrewf said:


> Perhaps this applies to you, but I'd wager transportation is the #2 expense for most people. Cars are expensive, and more expensive than most people really think. Annual cost for a two-car family can easily run to $10k +.
> 
> 
> Nonetheless, your advice is pretty good. I usually find coupons to be a waste of time, because they are for 'national brand' items that are still more expensive than private label counterparts. Occasionally useful when the item is on sale, but most coupons have short times to expiry, probably strategically timed to miss any promotions.


I would also wager transportation is #2 for a lot of families. We are virtually car-free (we have one older vehicle on the road but rarely take it out and are considering on our next move of getting rid of it completely if we can realistically do so). Going car-free is a huge factor in our wish-list for postings.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

K-133 said:


> True that! It drives me nuts to buy a huge bunch of parsley, only to use half of it! I told this to the grocer and all they could say is that it comes in bunches like that.


I solved that particular one by growing my own. Parsley grows fine in a pot, as long as you make sure the pot is deep (Parsley has a taproot, so a shallow pot won't do). I keep it in a pot on my porch all summer and take just what I need; the only downside is that the local tomcats are forever spraying my pot and the plant itself so I have to wash it really well before eating! Same goes for our basil.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

omg please don't throw out your herbs. Or if you must, please don't mention it in a place where i might find out.

extra herbs are to be dried in small brown paper lunch bags & kept for the winter. Dried, their properties change, and they are often stronger, even more interesting. Mint is a perfect example. Brad you wouldn't be a person who buys fresh mint, uses a couple sprigs, throws the rest in compost heap, then buys boxes of mint tea bags, would you. I mean, you of all people.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

humble_pie said:


> omg please don't throw out your herbs. Or if you must, please don't mention it in a place where i might find out.


Sorry, I must have taken leave of what few senses I have left. I do dry mint and oregano and use them all winter, although some herbs like basil, parsley, and cilantro are pretty depressing when dried -- I turn fresh basil into pesto and freeze it, but there's only so much time. And remember, I don't "throw out" any vegetable matter; it all gets turned into compost and feeds a healthy ecosystem of sow bugs, centipedes, and earthworms in my compost bin before ending up in the garden.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

I solve the parsley problem by eating it like a salad vegetable, not like a garnish - a bunch is chopped up and eaten over several days (along with mint and coriander and maybe a tomato and cucumber chopped in). Coriander I make into pesto with cooked spinach and feta and walnuts or cashews, served as an accompaniment to fish or chicken.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

Ooops sorry, I forgot about vehicle cost, Yes that is up there #1-2.

Anyway, here are three websites that offer free coupons. You select what you want, they mail them to you. I don't get any spam or extra junk mail by signing up:

www.websaver.ca
www.save.ca
www.gocoupons.ca


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Addy said:


> ... are considering on our next move of getting rid of it completely if we can realistically do so). Going car-free is a huge factor in our wish-list for postings.


If you have a family I would recommend against this. You just never know when johnny needs to be rushed to hospital, picked up from school in the rain etc. Buses are way too crowded with strollers and other wheeled contrivances these days and bicycles are unsafe. Taxis are expensive and can keep you waiting a long time. If you're single that's one thing but every family needs at least one reliable car.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

the-royal-mail said:


> If you have a family I would recommend against this. You just never know when johnny needs to be rushed to hospital, picked up from school in the rain etc. Buses are way too crowded with strollers and other wheeled contrivances these days and bicycles are unsafe. Taxis are expensive and can keep you waiting a long time. If you're single that's one thing but every family needs at least one reliable car.


I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or if you truly mean what you posted, so I'll go with the latter.

*I highly recommend going car-free  * It sounds to me like you may not have a lot of experience cycling or riding buses yet you're telling me how unsafe bikes are and how crowded buses are? I love riding the bus, and my kids love it even more. If you've never taken your kids or grandkids for a bus ride, they are missing out!

If Johnny needs to be rushed to the hospital (stressing the word rushed) parents should NOT be driving him, he should go in an ambulance. It's irresponsible (I work in health care) to drive him yourself in such an instance.

If it's not a case of him truly needing to be "rushed" to Emerg, than a taxi will suffice. Even with a vehicle on the road we take a taxi to the hospital (or, when I'm working, I walk or bike with my daughter as her daycare is near my work) as it's cheaper and less hassle than finding parking.

I know a lot about cycling, have cycled for years with and without my kids and would hate to have to give a thing that gives me and my kids such unbelieveable enjoyment!!


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

Sorry I'm helping lead this post off topic. I am curious how people who work fulltime and have children manage to cook every meal (or pretty much every meal)? Sometimes I cook up a storm on the weekend and freeze it (I love home made chili... so easy to put frozen in a pot and voila - meal in minutes!) but I have trouble making things other than chili and maybe lasagna once a year. Plus I forget whats in the freezer sometimes and it ends up spoiling from being there too long. I'm curious, for those crunched for time, how you do it?


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

Addy said:


> Sorry I'm helping lead this post off topic. I am curious how people who work fulltime and have children manage to cook every meal (or pretty much every meal)? Sometimes I cook up a storm on the weekend and freeze it (I love home made chili... so easy to put frozen in a pot and voila - meal in minutes!) but I have trouble making things other than chili and maybe lasagna once a year. Plus I forget whats in the freezer sometimes and it ends up spoiling from being there too long. I'm curious, for those crunched for time, how you do it?


Good question - in my case, my wife stays at home with the kids so she has time (in theory) to cook.

Friends of mine that both work, will generally do a big cook-off on the weekend.

Crockpots are another option - prepare the night before, turn it on when you leave for work and it should be ready for you.

This might be a good topic for a new thread.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

This is a good topic for another thread. That said, I am responding in this thread. 

For me, I plan and prepare our weekly food on the weekend - and I usually have to put in another big chunk of time on Wed or Thurs eve (or very early morning) to replenish and prepare. 

Our meals tend to be very simple: two handfuls of veggies per person (varies with their hand size), one fist of protein (fish, lean meat, or tofu - one of my kids is vegetarian), and two thumbs of fat (nuts, avocado, dip, dressing...). 

On Sunday I will buy, cook and prepare all of the protein for the week and 3-4 days of vegetables (i.e., trim and blanch beans, chop raw veggies, roast tomatoes and peppers, make a carrot and orange salad, make a composed salad, etc.) If I have time I will also prepare something "extra" for the week, like home-made protein bars. 

My husband does the kids' lunches and my lunch every day (he usually works at home). The protein for the night is removed from the freezer - if frozen - in the morning. When I get home from work, I usually don't do anything more than assemble plates. The kids always have access to raw veggies, milk, and fruit when they get home from school. 

All in all, I will spend probably 4 hours on Sunday (planning, shopping, preparing) and then 30 minutes EVERY day on food stuff. 

We don't have a TV, so I don't spend any time doing that. Really, this is just the way I can keep sane during the week. I cannot spend time thinking about what is for dinner - having the "Sunday ritual" in place makes sure I eat well throughout the week without having to think about it when my mind is crowed with work stuff and my other commitments (I'm at the gym every day and I am a Girl Guide leader).


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

Addy said:


> I am curious how people who work fulltime and have children manage to cook every meal (or pretty much every meal)?


I don't have kids, but I rarely work fewer than 12 hours per day plus I'm a musician on the side, often have gigs on the weekends, am currently rehearsing for a CD that will be recorded next spring, and also try to exercise (bike outdoors or rowing machine in basement) for at least 45 minutes per day. 

Even with that schedule I still find time to plan, shop for, and cook most of our meals from scratch. It helps a lot that I work at home, so I can run down to the kitchen and get things going when I need a break from work. I even make most of our own bread, but I've got an easy recipe for bread that takes very little time or effort on my part (and no, I don't use a bread machine). It also helps that there is a decent supermarket about 7 minutes from our house by foot, and more specialized food shops (e.g., health food store) within a 10-15-minute bike ride. It also helps that we don't watch much TV -- I calculated the other day that we've only watched 4 hours so far this year.

I focus on recipes that take 30 minutes or less to prepare, and there are literally thousands of those to choose from. I have a few cookbooks that I go to frequently for most of these receipes; on the weekends if I have time I'll tackle more ambitious recipes but I avoid recipes that seem too complicated or time-consuming unless the end result is really worth it.

My girlfriend helps out by occasionally making dessert, and she washes most of the dishes (we've never owned a dishwashing machine). She also does most of the house cleaning. Because I work at home, I do most of the laundry, food shopping, cooking, and any errands that need to be done during business hours; my work schedule is fairly flexible so I just work extra hours at night if I've taken an hour or two during the day for errands or cooking.


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## Taxsaver (Jun 7, 2009)

Since I'm on diet, my total food bills have gone down. Inflation has therefore no effect on me.


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## mrbizi (Dec 19, 2009)

This area is a bit of challenge for me and my wife. We both work plus we have a kid with special needs who constantly needs our attention. The majority of our meals are take-out (I know, unhealthy and expensive). We are a family of four and we spend around $500/mo for groceries and another $500/mo for take out meals.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

Sorry I forgot to mention, planning your meals around what's on sale saves money. 

For example, if chicken is on sale this week, then some of your meals are planned around chicken. 

Try not to plan a chicken meal first then go pay full price when. 

Not saying you have to eat chicken for 7 days straight, it's just to take advantage of itmes on sale, then planning your meals around that.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

Here is an example of how I waste food:

Last weekend I made Tandoori chicken, and put it in the back fridge. I forgot about it as both my husband and I have had meetings after work every day this week. So there the chicken sits and now I'm afraid to eat it. Any idea if it would still be okay? I made it on Saturday and now it's Thursday  If it's still okay I will put it in the freezer when I get home tonight.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

Addy said:


> Last weekend I made Tandoori chicken, and put it in the back fridge. I forgot about it as both my husband and I have had meetings after work every day this week. So there the chicken sits and now I'm afraid to eat it.


Given that it's cooked it's probably okay, but I tend to not take chances with chicken and other meat. Five days is on the edge of my tolerance for "is it safe to eat?" and my feeling it's better to be safe than sorry. Throwing $10 worth of chicken into the garbage is not as bad as being sick for two days.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

My personal rule is 3 days, if that helps.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

Into the garbage it goes! I hope garbage day is soon!!


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## ChrisR (Jul 13, 2009)

Addy said:


> Here is an example of how I waste food:
> 
> Last weekend I made Tandoori chicken, and put it in the back fridge. I forgot about it as both my husband and I have had meetings after work every day this week. So there the chicken sits and now I'm afraid to eat it. Any idea if it would still be okay? I made it on Saturday and now it's Thursday  If it's still okay I will put it in the freezer when I get home tonight.


Is your fridge 4°C or colder? Will you be feeding anyone who might have a weaker than normal immune system? (ex. the very young, very old, chronically sick, immune deficiency syndrome, etc)?

If your fridge is set correctly and you're not feeding anyone who would be unusually susceptible to a bacterial infection, then your food is probably safe in the fridge a lot longer than you think it is. I regularly keep well cooked dishes like lasagna, stews and fully cooked meats 10 days or more. Longer than that and the color and flavor will change, but its still quite safe to eat. 

Why? Very few disease causing microbes are able to grow at refrigerator temperatures. The bacteria and fungi that do grow are primarily spoilage organisms (ie they change the flavor and make the food smell bad), but they do not cause disease.

*Please note: This does not apply to food stored at temperatures warmer than 4°C!* Many disease causing bacteria grow well at room temperature, and the food can become quite dangerous without any noticeable changes in taste, smell, color etc. For some kinds of food (rice or anything with mayonaise for example) this can happen in a matter of hours.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

The issue for me is texture, not taste or smell - IME cooked chicken gets rubbery (I assume this is due to evaporation) after 3 days.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

I'm begining to realize that the concept of dollar stores may be on their way out.
Most dollar stores have now started sporting a sign of $1+.
The reality hit home this afternoon when I realized that my 10 pack of LR44 watch batteries was almost over.
So I drive over to Dollarama where I usually buy these.
I find that they have reduced all the 10 packs to 5 packs.
It's still $1 but half the quantity.
That's like 100% inflation in 1 year 
Obviously such teensy weensy lowly items of everyday household use are not a part of the Govt's venerable "basket of goods" for calculating CPI.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Yes my shampoo has increased by 33% last year. Celery salt has not been carried for over two years.

Canned escargot are still a bargain.


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## btacay (Sep 15, 2010)

*Money Saving Tips To Counter Rising Grocery Costs*

You can save a lot of money when you plan your shopping. Always make a list. Keep it in the kitchen and add to it as needed. Don’t shop often. Do at least one week's shopping with each visit. In the store, don't buy on impulse.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

HaroldCrump said:


> I'm begining to realize that the concept of dollar stores may be on their way out.
> Most dollar stores have now started sporting a sign of $1+.
> The reality hit home this afternoon when I realized that my 10 pack of LR44 watch batteries was almost over.
> So I drive over to Dollarama where I usually buy these.
> ...


It could very well be, but it would be assigned a rather minuscule weighting.


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## Dana (Nov 17, 2009)

Addy said:


> I am curious how people who work fulltime and have children manage to cook every meal (or pretty much every meal)? ... how you do it?


I hear you. I have the luxury of being at home most days and still struggle some days with having enough time (or energy) to cook dinner. Truth be told, I don't actually like to cook. I like to eat though and I like to eat '_real_', unprocessed foods. And I like to spend my money wisely. A few things I find helpful:

*When I buy meat (in bulk) it gets divided into portions and marinated and or seasoned before it is frozen. This way when I take it out of the freezer the night before, it is marinating while it thaws in the fridge. All I have to do is put it in the oven. 

*Ditto for vegetables. We are lucky enough to have avid vegetable gardeners in our family and are the recipients of lots of yummy, chemical free vegetables each year. I flash freeze them as soon as they are picked and freeze them in portions. Easy to thaw (some you don't even have to thaw, you can steam/prepare from frozen). 

*I keep prepared salad in the fridge every week. Just add dressing. Or for a meal just add leftovers from the fridge (cheese, meat, fruits and veg that might go 'off' if not eaten). 

*I keep frozen tomato and meat sauces in the freezer. You can add anything to them when you heat them up to use any leftover veg. 

*I keep a supply of 'dry mixes' in the pantry. We have pancake mix (just add egg and water to make pancakes), mix for dinner rolls, dry rubs and marinades, homemade croutons. Mixes for cakes, breads etc. Mixing and sifting everything is half the battle, so most of the work is already done. I only have to make mixes 2-3 times per year. 

*one day each spring/early summer I make enough jam to last the year. We pick the berries ourselves. 

* I plan 5 meals per week. The other two meals are either leftovers, sandwiches, a restaurant meal or whatever else comes up. Life happens and I get stressed if I plan 7 meals but for some reason we can't eat 7 meals at home. I can't stand the thought of wasting food. 

I struggle with trying to keep my food costs down vs. my desire buy organic food. I buy organic if it is a food that won't be peeled or the skin discarded. Otherwise I buy regular and wash it really well. I try to buy chemical free meat but it is sooo much more expensive. We only eat meat a few times per week. Do you buy organic/hormone free? Is it worth the extra expense?


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

I buy "regular" fruits and vegetables and organic/no-hormone/free-range meat. 

The regular chicken, for example, is so loaded with salt that I react to it...and it has so much water injected into it that by weight it is not cheaper than the butcher I visit for free-range/no-hormone/no salt or water added chicken.


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

MoneyGal said:


> I buy "regular" fruits and vegetables and organic/no-hormone/free-range meat.
> 
> The regular chicken, for example, is so loaded with salt that I react to it...and it has so much water injected into it that by weight it is not cheaper than the butcher I visit for free-range/no-hormone/no salt or water added chicken.


What butcher do you go to? (since we live in the same area)


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

A lot of people eat them as BBQ chicken with the usual sides, but recently I've discovered the joys of cooking with those. So much easier and faster not having to worry about contamination and such, much easier to work with a cooked chicken for wraps, butter chicken etc. I often wonder why more people don't use the cooked chickens as a starting point.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

FP: I go to a butcher near work, not home - Sanagan's. He's in Kensington Market.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Dana

Can we drop in for dinner? You sound like a fabulous host!


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## M0vingon (Jun 19, 2010)

Everything has gotten significantly more expensive where I am. I have seen a significant jump in food prices over the past year. I have simply stopped buying some things because the price of them has doubled. I'm very frugal with groceries, plan meals out, buy on sale, cook at home, and my food budget has stayed the same. Essentially we are spending the same amount of money, but getting less for it. It's kind of sad, really.


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