# Help with grocery bill



## joncnca (Jul 12, 2009)

I'm otherwise pretty prudent with expenses, live below means, set up automatic savings all over the place to the point where I don't even know when I'm saving, but I am...and then investing and enjoying in a responsible manner. But I have a real soft spot in the grocery department, and I keep blowing my (perhaps unrealistically low) food budget, so perhaps I can get some ideas from you guys. 

My wife tends to like some prepared foods, which can be more expensive than my fresh foods, which I cook. But I don't want to lay the blame solely on her, as I like to get good, fresh, nutritious food for the family (at the expense of other materials possessions), and the cost of healthy food is ever rising. Plus, gotta keep the wife happy, but she's actually pretty reasonable.

Family of 2 adults and baby about just over 13 months. I try to cook lots from fresh, but also have a small stock of "emergency" food that's ready to eat/heat. I keep end up spending about $400 a month on groceries, which because of the rising price of groceries, may not be as outlandish as I think...but I feel like it's high. I try to buy stuff when it's fresh and stock up on sale items, but even then...things like apples can be $1.50 a pound, and each apple could be about a pound, so that's like $6 for 4 apples. Grapes are like $4 a pound, and a bag is usually 1.5-2 pounds!

I try to get all my groceries at FreshCo and Real Canadian Superstore. It kind of matters to me that they are Canadian because I want to support them. The prices aren't the lowest around, but they're not the highest, and the quality is not bad. I'm actually surprised by how fresh the produce is at my local FreshCo.

We go through a tonne of milk and bread, which adds up. Fresh fruit is expensive, even more than vegetables. Meat I tend to get at RCSS because it's decent, sometimes I get stuff at T&T (asian supermarket) because the quality/price ratio is ok, not the cheapest but quality is ok. Meat can be costly, but still way lower than eating out (which is not included in the $400; but kept to a modest $100, but still there for reasons I won't get into now).

I try to minimize processed foods, will get a package of chicken breast cold cut for occasional sandwich and maybe frozen nuggets when heavily discounted as backup food. Avoid snacks and empty calorie type stuff, but sometimes a box of cookies sneaks in. I actively look for lower cost, higher mass and higher nutrient foods, but everything still adds up. Sack of potatoes is always delicious though, and cheap ($4 for 10 pounds).

And of course, there needs to be some variety, so sometimes herbs or spices might require a capital investment but last for a while...fresh herbs much more expensive and reserved for special occasions. 

So yah, like I said, I tend to prioritize food over other material acquisitions because I think it's important for my family's health. But it's not perfect, and I welcome some ideas to help get my bill down...or maybe it's kind of reasonable? I'm also experimenting with some different things to give the baby new experiences. No processed baby foods though.

Am I the only one who has noticed the price of food go up?


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

My goodness, you seem to be doing everything right. Buying fresh, unprocessed food and cooking it at home has enormous health benefits for your family. Your food budget seems reasonable to me, and yes, I think food prices are inflating, due to weather aberrations, geopolitics, etc. Two ideas come to mind: first, do you have a freezer? I mean the standalone type, not the one at the top or bottom of your fridge. Having space to freeze food in significant quantities would enable you to buy in bulk, perhaps with other families, and to do batch cooking. There is an excellent food blog that I follow called The Kitchn (no e) and they just started a series of articles on this. Second, do you have a garden or access to a plot of land that you can plant with vegetables? If you have the interest and the time, and the climate allows, this can contribute to both savings and quality. I don't have a garden and when I did, I never had a green thumb. But I patronize the local farmers' markets throughout the growing season. They are not cheaper, but the quality is excellent. Just yesterday, I chopped up and roasted some sugar pumpkins that I bought at the farmers' market last fall, and made a glowing yellow pumpkin purée that is so much better than the canned version, as well as roasted pumpkin seeds with garlic for snacking and salads. I think it tastes better when you know it came from down the road.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

As mentioned by heyjude, sometimes buying bulk can save some extra $. Meat is one good area, start cutting your own to save money. I just bought a boneless pork loin at Costco tonight and sliced it up myself in about 10 minutes, saves me 1-2$ per kg doing it that way. You can also look at cutting up steaks yourself from larger cuts.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

$400 a month for 2.5 people isn't too bad. When I am Being super frugal (like right now) we spend about $800 for five people (3 adults, 2 kids). I agree food prices have gone up considerably the last year. I think you are doing great though. 

Good healthy food is really important to me especially for my family. We do a lot of fresh fruits and veggies too. We don't do much processed, as my spouse has a low sodium diet. I will buy the frozen lean cuisines when they are on sale, just in case I don't have enjoy leftover overs for lunch. Here are some random things I do. 

My tips to cut cost have been to try to ONLY buy foods if they one sale of possible. I look at at the grocery flyers each week and make my list of the on sale items with the costs and then I will go usually to superstore where generally the groceries are cheaper and get them price match the other items. I spend a little time planning ahead and going through flyers which I find saves me a lot.

I grab coupons that on the shelves of items I want, and then store them in case they go on sale other time, I have even had a store pay me to buy items. 

Meats - I buy on sale only, and I have a large freezer so like others have said, I buy it uncut. A few weeks ago they had a great sale on chicken and pork , so I bought 3 whole chickens, 30 lbs of pork loin, and 3 racks of ribs for under $100. I was able to do the following:
I rotiserried two chickens (saves on electricity), had one for dinner, pulled the meat off the other to make shredded chicken, boiled the carcasses with some veggie peelings I have saved in my freezer to make the best homemade low sodium broth. Last one is in the freezer 
Boiled all three racks of ribs with some herbs, spices, and then threw them in zip locks with marinades and bbq sauce, and saved the pork broth for another meal in the freezer.
Sliced up one of the pork loins into chops, another in thin slices with different marinades , and the last made pork schnitzels.
I calculated I got around 16 main for a family of 5.

We try not to waste anything thing so about once a week if I have any sad looking veggies I marinate them and or stir fry them and put them with little pieces of left overs meats over rice for a little Asian rice bowl. 

We try to make as much from scratch as possble, we mix up bread dough, and rise twice, then shaped in the pan and freeze it. Take out the night before thaw, rise and bake in the morning. We have fresh baked bread every few mornings for under $.50. 

Dried beans have been my latest experiment, and rice and beans with veggies, have been turning out well. 

I have to admit, I have been enjoying the challenge of reducing my grocery bill but still maintaining healthy eating, and keeping kids happy.


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## rikk (May 28, 2012)

I save a bit at Shoppers Drug Mart sale days ... 1/2 price coffee for percolator (I'll pick up a couple of cans), bacon for the weekend (buy a couple and freeze), yogurt, cheese, milk in the plastic bags for freezing, eggs ... and a few other odds and ends like PC products since that stuff's available there now.

Bigger picture ... healthy food/eating is worth every penny


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## gardner (Feb 13, 2014)

Plugging Along said:


> Meats - I buy on sale only


Definitely. The price of meats varies so widely it's hard to understand. A cut of beef could be $8.80/kg one day and $23/kg the next. For meat I believe you should always know the price range that different major cuts might have and always look for something that is on sale. And, at least here in Ontario, "on sale" does not necessarily mean advertized as on sale. I have seen items priced UP from $8.80 to $13, be advertized at $13 "on sale" before finally going to the regular $15 price.

When you spot something that's a good deal, buy extra and freeze. You don't have to go nuts, but it will help you a lot to have a couple of pork roasts in the freezer that you bought for $2.60/kg on sale and know you can chuck one in the slow-cooker for a sunday dinner. Don't be afraid to get a giant roast and cut it in two or three pieces to freeze either.

I also would encourage your family to fall in love with winter veg. Turnips, parsnips, carrot, spuds, onions and hard squash all keep for months and are usually locally grown. They are generally a lot cheaper per meal than fresh veg that have to come from California or Mexico or farther.


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## JordoR (Aug 20, 2013)

Honestly spending $400 on two adults and a baby (baby products aren't cheap) seems perfectly reasonable to me.

I've really noticed an increase in grocery prices in the last 6-12 months. I do all my shopping at save-on foods/pricesmart due to convenience (I don't like some products at superstore, and I'm single so I don't really need a lot.) and it seems over this time period my weekly costs have increased by 20-30%. Just for myself, I probably spend ~$60-70 a week on groceries but I require a lot of healthy foods and certain products since I'm a pretty serious runner. So $100 a week for an extra person and baby seems quite reasonable to me. I could probably cut this down to $50 if I shopped at superstore, but I'm fine with it.

As mentioned you could definitely save money buying in bulk (if you aren't already) if you have a large enough freezer. I personally can't buy in bulk much as I have a small apartment sized fridge, where the freezer seems to give everything frostburn no matter how dilligent I am in double bagging, eliminating air, etc.


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## cougar (Oct 15, 2014)

I too think the price of your groceries is reasonable. If you still want it cheaper think canned or dried beans and chickpeas on sale, some meatless meals or low meat meals such as stir fries. You can also price match at Superstore, so if you find another store has the item cheaper take in the flyer or on line ad. Buying things on sale as you say is the key.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Even when I was hurt, and dead broke, I never skimped on food. Yes, the prices have increased over the years, but the margins are so small at the retail level they can't hide inflation like other goods.

One thing that caught me, you buy meat at superstore...the quality there is usually quite a bit lower (they sell up to AA beef usually, and I've even seen ungraded meat). There is a huge difference between that and AAA or sterling grade. The same with chicken in their bulk packs vs. the "prime" cuts.

For meat, Costco has some of the best quality at the lowest prices when you actually compare grades. Also, buy the vacuumed packed cuts and slice it yourself, I've seen on average a saving of up to 1/3.

Also, shop based on a price per pound. I find things like stew meat to be more expensive than a vacuum packed sirloin tip, but people assume stew meat is cheaper...or "sale" items with only a price sticker, where the weight of the product is less than normal.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

For a longer term grocery saving/know what is in your food approach, look to doing your own food canning. It takes time to build up your supply of jars, and to find the pressure canner at the right price. Look to yard sales, church garage sales, etc. 

I can tomato sauce, meat based pasta sauce and meat based chili in the summer when the main ingredients - tomatoes, sweet peppers and onions are local and most affordable. I will also buy a bushel of sweet green/red peppers and spend a day dicing them up or grinding them, then pack them into 250mL jars and also freezing them once diced to build a year or more's worth of green peppers for cooking into eggs, sauces, , salads, etc. $12 for the bushel in the end of August, versus $12 for about 4 peppers this time of year. 

We also buy about 5 dozen corn in season, slice them from cobs and can them so as to have a good tasting corn available on the shelf all season. Once you get going with this it works out, but it takes a time to get into a comfortable flow preparing food this way.


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

We have two adults and a soon to be 12 month baby and spend probably closer to $500 a month. I think $400 is pretty darn reasonable and you'd be hard pressed to get it any lower without sacrificing quality.
You don't mention where you live. Real Canadian Superstore is a western thing if I'm not mistaken, so I will guess the prairies. We certainly pay more for fruits and vegetables in the winter.

I don't know your housing situation, but if you can, try growing some of your own. An apple tree is cheap and doesn't require a whole lot of help. There are pear, cherry, and plum varieties that can be grown in all major cities in Canada. All edible and sweet. Tomato plants are practically weeds and the amount of tomatoes one plant can produce is ridiculous. And it doesn't matter where you buy your veggies, none will taste as good as the ones from your garden. Same with raspberries and blackberries. Beets, cukes. Herbs. It's great fun for the kids when they get a bit older too.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Checking the flyer online, buy "in season" fresh produce, shop during the week day, and at ethnic supermarkets if all possible do help chop the grocery bill abit (at least 10% savings).


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## Silverbird (Mar 5, 2013)

$400 a month is great.

We have 2 adults and a preschooler and try to work on $600 a month. Need to give Costco a try.

Agree with the suggestions on knowing normal ranges and stocking up when on sale.

Also noted that stewing beef pre-cubed is usually a worse deal than any other kind of beef.

What I've really noticed is a lack of sales on Eye of Round Beef. I haven't seen a good sale (<$3/lb) since last summer. 

This is my go-to for BBQ season. Cut off the cap and silverskin, cut into round steaks, for the odd pieces I cut those down into cubes for Goulash or strips for stir fry


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## jamesbe (May 8, 2010)

Sounds good to me as well. 2 Adults try as we might it is difficult to stay under $400 a month for 2 and we eat very little.


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## Itchy54 (Feb 12, 2012)

Your budget is good, I spend that much or more for just the two of us....but
After a recent health scare I am going as organic as possible and eating only grass fed beef and organic free range chickens. It can get quite expensive. Luckily we get a lot of our meat at the local university meat cutting store, all local and grass fed. It is offered at a very decent price.
I grow, in season, all our own greens and tomatoes, squash and whatever else I have room for. I get organic veggies at Costco (although they are very limited) and at Superstore. I try to buy the top ten recommended items to buy organic, not everything.
we eat mostly paleo (again lots of health and allergy related issues) so it can get pricey. We eat a lot of veggies!

I know one thing, we get one chance at life. I will never again poison my body with a processed food. Won't happen ever again. I have saved and saved over the years and now it's time to spend it on good food and travel. I do not want to be sitting here waiting for the phone to ring with the test results......it is the most nerve-racking thing ever.


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

I assume the baby was breastfed for much of his/her first year After that ends you are likely to see an increase in consumption of food you have to pay for!


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

^ Doesn't thermodynamics indicate that mom had to be eating every calorie baby received via milk?


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

andrewf said:


> ^ Doesn't thermodynamics indicate that mom had to be eating every calorie baby received via milk?


On a 2 or 3 year period, yes. But on a month to month period, no. Breastfeeding is a great way to get rid of those extra baby pounds accumulated in the previous year.


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## off.by.10 (Mar 16, 2014)

joncnca said:


> We go through a tonne of milk and bread, which adds up.


Try cutting on the milk, it sounds like you're drinking too much of it. I used to drink milk with every meal and go through about a 4 liter bag every week by myself. I now put milk in my cereal and drink it with dessert only. This means the 4 of us (two young kids) need about 2 bags (8 liters) a week, which is much more reasonable. Water is a perfectly healthy choice.

You could also bake your own bread. It's not that much work with no kneading methods and it usually tastes a lot better. However, it's only worth it financially if you can get ingredients in bulk at good prices and don't put a $ value on your time. It also requires some dedication to keep it up so you need to *really* enjoy baking.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

I agree with everyone else, $400 is not bad at all. 

FYI, T&T is owned by Loblaws so you're shopping Canadian there too.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Superstore, T&T, no frills, loblaws, etc. are all the same company part of George Weston foods...from an investor's point of view you can he the names interchangeably.


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## newuser (Sep 16, 2014)

Lots of good advice for fixing the symptom -- grocery bill. But your "disease" is probably a low income which causes your grocery bill to look relatively high. 

Start with your job. Any of these will help your top and/or bottom line:

1) Ask for a promotion or pay raise at the same employer
2) Go for a promotion or pay raise at a different company
3) Find a job that is closer to home

Upgrade your skill set if none of the above is possible. 

Work smarter if not harder.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Or, better yet, find passive income through investing...get your money working for you, so you don't have to work.

But then, I've never had a real job since I was a kid, and have never asked for a raise in my life, so what do I know...


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## joncnca (Jul 12, 2009)

wow, thanks everyone for the great suggestions and perspective.

there are some limitations that i need to work with. regarding growing my own food, i don't have the garden space. regarding a deep freezer, also don't have the space. i do try to buy meats on sale and freeze as much as possible, but even then, there's only so much freezer space in my refrigerator. in the part of ontario where i live (GTA), i'd have to shell out upwards of an additional $3-400,000 to buy a house with space to have a big back yard and garden. staying in my neighbourhood is important because we have family nearby, and our place is already 2000 sq ft and otherwise totally suitable for our purposes, so garden and deep freezer are kind of non-starters. i'll try to do a little bit of balcony gardening this year, but won't be substantial.

i definitely buy by the pound (kg) and look for good price/kg ratio, not just the price of the item. i also get meats with skin on, uncut whenever I can, because it is much more expensive to buy de-boned/de-skinned, and i'm fine with doing that stuff myself.

i've been concerned about vacuum sealed meats. they usually look kind of...sickly, and i imagine there is some kind of preservative or salt that's added and i don't want to have extra salt already in the food.

i try to load up on winter veg, squashes, and root vegetables. recently i've been trying to get into using dried beans and such, as some of you have suggested, because they're nutritious and cheap. milk is hard to reduce, because my wife likes milk a lot. actually, i drink almost nothing but water, but she likes various drinks like milk and soy milk. we make our own juice. the Vitamix was a great investment and worth the money, we feel.

i tried making my own bread, because i probably buy two loaves a week. at first using the old fashioned way from scratch, but it's very time consuming and i never managed to get it tasting right. i tried with a bread maker and still had issues...so i've given up on that for the time being. might try again, because it appears to be a money saver if i can get it to work and taste better. i make steamed buns sometimes and the amount of food you can get out of flower makes me salivate at the potential savings of making bread from scratch, haha. i actually enjoy baking but my results have not been encouraging. and i work full time, and pretty involved with the baby, so time is a limited resource as well.

i don't have a costco membership..i'd wrestled with the idea. i've heard the quality of meat is good, but in fact, we're pretty modest with our meat. we don't have "steak" often because it's more of an indulgence and plus i'm not very good at making steak. we have other cuts that give us the nutrients we're after at a lower cost. chicken and some pork cuts are more common for us. actually i'm trying to reduce our red meats overall. 

i envy those of you who have gotten into canning. i think that's kind of advanced for me, plus there's a time and equipment (and space) commitment that i may not be able to make right now. but i'll keep that in mind for something in the future. i have frozen lasagna and chilli in the past, but with my limited freezer space, there's only so much i can store. even with canned foods, i'd have to store it somewhere, haha.

yah the baby is really into solids now, and i'm sure many of you can relate, i just want this baby to have the best food possible, so i try not to skimp on new experiences for her. and basically, if she'll eat it, and it's good for her, i'll buy it. funny feeling after having become a parent. maybe this will change as the "newness" of parenthood wears off, or until i have another one!

my wife is off work right now as we've decided to have her stay at home with the baby as long as possible. we're both well educated and have fair incomes. I LOVE my job and it's close to home with excellent work/life balance and very personally rewarding subject matter, and i took somewhat of a pay cut to accept it, so i don't really see that changing soon. but living on one income is a challenge for most Canadian households, i'd imagine, and requires some planning. investing is right now primarily for retirement, and i'm not really investing to generate income.

any other ideas are welcome. thanks!


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

The vacuum packs have nothing added to them, unlike the frozen foods. In fact, I believe the vacuum packs are what they butcher into cuts at the store, it's how its shipped from the packer. As I said, the quality of vacuum packs varies, so you have to look at the grade. Also, you may have to "clean" some of the cuts as they may still have connective tissues and fat attached, but the price is significantly less...upward of 1/3. 

Costco also sells higher quality chicken and pork at better prices. I've also noticed they are getting organic fresh meats in now.

As for a freezer, when I was a student, living in a small apartment, I got a small chest freezer which didn't take up much space...it saved me a bundle. If you have a small furnace room or something, it would be a good investment, and they make upright ones which don't need much space.


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

For cooking dried beans, root vegetables, stews, etc a pressure cooker is invaluable in saving time and money. Not to mention economizing on energy (gas or electricity). You can cook beans in 15 minutes, that take several hours in a regular pot.

For baking you can use canned milk or powdered milk which is cheaper than fresh. I like canned milk on cereal especially on oatmeal. And in tea.

If you like fresh baked bread without the fuss there are some good quick breads. I used to bake Irish soda bread made with whole wheat flour, powdered buttermilk from the bulk food store, baking soda, a little salt, water of course. There may have been other ingredients I forget but you should be able to find the recipe online.

Another is corn bread made with corn meal, whole wheat flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, and milk.

Both are delicious, easy and cheap to make. The only reason I don't make them anymore is they are too tempting and fattening but if you are not fighting a weight problem they are great.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

joncnca said:


> i don't have a costco membership..i'd wrestled with the idea. i've heard the quality of meat is good, but in fact, we're pretty modest with our meat. we don't have "steak" often because it's more of an indulgence and plus i'm not very good at making steak. we have other cuts that give us the nutrients we're after at a lower cost. chicken and some pork cuts are more common for us. actually i'm trying to reduce our red meats overall.


Costco is much like any other store, you still have to watch their "on sale prices" as they are not always the best. Overall all when I compare local prices they usually do much better in a number of areas. Meat is almost always cheaper and better quality than the local safeway/co-op/sobeys/walmart, I was floored when I saw ground beef prices in the $12-15/kg a while back and costco was still at $8-9/kg. Pork has been in the mid $6/kg range for a while now and their pre-cooked chickens for $7.99 are bigger and better tasting than at the other stores. Along with savings on other stuff household stuff, prescriptions, OTC drugs and cheaper gas it's easily worth the $55 membership IMO.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Is it a sweet cornbread? I've been looking for a good recipe for a sweet cornbread.


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## Retired Peasant (Apr 22, 2013)

joncnca said:


> ... regarding a deep freezer, also don't have the space. ... our place is already 2000 sq ft





> ...i tried with a bread maker and still had issues...


Try really hard to find the space for the freezer - big payoff IMO. As for the breadmaker, I use mine all the time. At first, I had problems too, but found that using the flour labelled 'best for bread' and using 'bread machine' yeast made all the difference.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Since you're in the GTA, look for the following grocery stores: No Frills (aka cheap Loblaws), Food Basics (aka cheap Metro), or Freshco (aka cheap Sobeys). 

Regarding the bread maker, my husband found he liked the results when he made his dough in the bread maker and then baked it in the oven. You could give that a try if you still have the machine.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Just a Guy said:


> Is it a sweet cornbread? I've been looking for a good recipe for a sweet cornbread.


Speaking of cornbread........


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ LOL! JAG is just looking for a "recipe" for kornbread, he ain't taking your kornbread. :biggrin:


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## mcoursd2006 (May 22, 2012)

By far the biggest expense in our grocery bill is fresh fruit and vegetables. My family of five (2 adults, 3 kids ages 6-12) spends about $1000/month on groceries, and we rarely go dine out. So I say you're doing pretty good spending only $400.

For vegetables try to eat what's in season. In the dead of winter not much is in season round here, but you can still buy a head of cabbage for about $1.30 and the thing weights about five pounds. You can also find fresh green beans for about $1/lb, as well as cauliflower heads or broccoli for less than $2 each or $1/lb.

Concerning fruits, if you buy fruits from stores like Loblaws it will cost you a lot. You can always scour the 'cast-offs' for slightly bruised apples, over-ripen or bruised bananas, oranges, etc., for dirt cheap, if you don't mind the cosmetic blemishes.

Meat is also expensive. Eat less of it. Use dried beans in slow cooker.

Starches are cheap--potatoes, pasta, rice. But you probably want to limit the amount you consume.


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

Is food expensive, though? I mean what percentage of their income does an average Canadian spend on food compared to someone in the third world? Or compared to a Canadian in 1950?


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## Ag Driver (Dec 13, 2012)

I think you're doing great at $400 a month with 2 adults and a kid. Personally, I'm about $200 a month as single bachelor. I cook often, and by whole foods. I enjoy cooking and enjoy fresh fruits and veggies. Most of my bulk is from Costco, but I find myself going to RCSS for fresh fruit. I also like using my PC points as I get a nice $20 kick every so often.



Sherlock said:


> Is food expensive, though? I mean what percentage of their income does an average Canadian spend on food compared to someone in the third world? Or compared to a Canadian in 1950?


I'm about $200/month, which puts me between 3-5% depending on how good my year is in terms of work. Going by the average income of Canadians today, that would put them at 6%. Not sure about the 50's...


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## betsu63 (Mar 4, 2011)

Are you price matching? Simple way to save a lot of money. Of course you can take the fliers into the store, but the easiest way to do that is with a phone with an app such as Flipp.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Retired Peasant said:


> Try really hard to find the space for the freezer - big payoff IMO. As for the breadmaker, I use mine all the time. At first, I had problems too, but found that using the flour labelled 'best for bread' and using 'bread machine' yeast made all the difference.


+1 on the freezer. It is actually one of my biggest money and time saving appliances. Last time we had to replace it, I found that our grocery bill had actually gone up for the month while we were shopping around for a new freezer Even a chest freezer is good, excellent for saving the frozen baby food.

For my bread, I use the bread machine on the dough mode to rise it. I find baking in the machine doesn't work well for me, I don't like the shape or the paddles sticking. Once the dough is risen, I would manually punch it down, and shape it into my loaf pan (oiled and with cornmeal to prevent sticking), then off in the freezer until the night before I need it. If you want to save a little more room, I have take the dough, cut up in small balls (for buns) freeze on a tray, and then put in ziplock. Same thing thaw over night, or in the morning, for dinner, and bake in the toaster oven, or if I making a meal in the oven, toss in with the meal. 

I use regular flour and regular yeast, but would adjust the yeast ratio if I had to bake it.


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## PrairieGal (Apr 2, 2011)

Here is a website for budget friendly recipes. http://www.budgetbytes.com/

Summer is coming, you may be able to get cheaper produce at farmer's markets, or I have head Asian markets are good. Does your grocery budget include diapers, wipes, prepared baby food, etc? Those things add up fast, but thankfully don't last forever.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Your budget is very good.

We spend up to $600 per month on groceries, that includes household supplies.

My wife, with a small health scare, is not eating more organic food. It costs more but her health (and mine) is better for it.

We get our meats in Ottawa from Costco and shop at FreshCo and FarmBoy for other supplies. 

Like another commenter, we have tried to cut out all processed food. We avoid sugar and all refined grains as much as possible.


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## Retired Peasant (Apr 22, 2013)

Plugging Along said:


> Once the dough is risen, I would manually punch it down, and shape it into my loaf pan (oiled and with cornmeal to prevent sticking), then off in the freezer until the night before I need it. If you want to save a little more room, I have take the dough, cut up in small balls (for buns) freeze on a tray, and then put in ziplock. Same thing thaw over night, or in the morning, for dinner, and bake in the toaster oven, or if I making a meal in the oven, toss in with the meal.


I've been meaning to try this for buns. I take it you only let it rise once, punch it down, form them and freeze. When you take them out and unthaw, do you then let them rise a second time before baking?


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

You mentioned you have 2000 sq ft of living space. You have to have room for a small freezer in that space. Most people can make it happen in 700 or 800 sq ft. There are small apartment sized freezers available.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Retired Peasant said:


> I've been meaning to try this for buns. I take it you only let it rise once, punch it down, form them and freeze. When you take them out and unthaw, do you then let them rise a second time before baking?


My bread baking is still being worked as I used only whole grain/wheat. the recipes say let it rise, punch down, form, rise bake. Even when I am not baking right away, I get dense larva you buns so I rise, punch down, rise again, punch down, form, rise bake

Or it rise, punch down, rise, punch down, form , freeze. Then I thaw overnight, cover with damp cloth , (this is my rise) and bake


Hope that makes sense


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## smihaila (Apr 6, 2009)

$400 for 2.5 persons and Fresh Chopper is not that bad.
Back in Waterloo, ON, we were paying $700 for 4 persons (2 adults, 2 chidren 6 and 9 as age). As a matter of fact, the Kitchener-Waterloo was a rip-off region - Toronto-level prices but much lower job income levels. Boooo to K-W !


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

I spent over $600 on groceries in February and I am single. That is almost double my usual bill, but I entertained and baked several times and bought expensive ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour and coconut oil ($16 a jar!) because one of my close friends has a gluten sensitivity. 

So I think your grocery bills are quite reasonable.


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## showmethemoney45 (Feb 27, 2015)

*food $$*

We are a family of 4-2 kids age 7 and 2. The 7 year old is very picky and doesn't eat much. I've been tracking our grocery/food eating and its NEVER under 1000/month!!! It can be up to 1700/month!! and thats with only $200 in eating out. I bring my lunch every day and my husband does most days. I think we need to start going Vegan...


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

showmethemoney45 said:


> We are a family of 4-2 kids age 7 and 2. The 7 year old is very picky and doesn't eat much. I've been tracking our grocery/food eating and its NEVER under 1000/month!!! It can be up to 1700/month!! and thats with only $200 in eating out. I bring my lunch every day and my husband does most days. I think we need to start going Vegan...


First things I'd look at is the cost per food group and what makes up those groups.


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

showmethemoney45 said:


> We are a family of 4-2 kids age 7 and 2. The 7 year old is very picky and doesn't eat much. I've been tracking our grocery/food eating and its NEVER under 1000/month!!! It can be up to 1700/month!! and thats with only $200 in eating out. I bring my lunch every day and my husband does most days. I think we need to start going Vegan...


Where do you shop? Sunterra? If it's something like that or Safeway you're probably spending 50% to 150% more than you could be at superstore or costco. If your 7yo doesn't eat much, that's an atrocious food bill (the 1700 one). The 1000/mo bill if that includes 200 eating out isn't that unreasonable, especially given your lifestyle.


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## betsu63 (Mar 4, 2011)

Price matching saves a lot of money! Really easy if you have data on a cell phone. Doable with flyers otherwise. I almost never pay full price for fruits and vegetables for example Flipp or sale whale are examples with Flipp being my favourite.


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## Jim9guitars (May 5, 2012)

Here are some thoughts on eating habits that have saved money and improved overall health for me. I have to point out though that I am now single and getting along in years a little but several years ago I got away from eating red meat(due to a vegetarian wife at the time) and realized a monetary effect and an overall better health effect. Now I eat chicken and fish but not with every meal, but one thing I noticed in recent years was the onset of heartburn. I read somewhere that it's often caused by over eating so I began only having a half chicken breast instead of a whole one, and a smaller piece of fish etc..., and not only did I not miss the extra food intake, the heartburn went away. I also realized another boost in overall health. I carefully make sure to keep portions of everything smaller and have learned that if you feel the urge to eat more when your plate is empty, just hold off for 10 or 15 minutes and you'll forget all about it and not eat more. Subsequently, I have more energy and have taken to using workout DVD's I get from the library, most of which require little or no equipment. I also make and freeze batches of soup and baked beans etc, in a slow cooker, this helps reduce salt intake and is far healthier and a little cheaper than buying canned or otherwise processed foods.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Jim9guitars said:


> Here are some thoughts on eating habits that have saved money and improved overall health for me. Subsequently, I have more energy and have taken to using workout DVD's I get from the library, most of which require little or no equipment. I also make and freeze batches of soup and baked beans etc, in a slow cooker, this helps reduce salt intake and is far healthier and a little cheaper than buying canned or otherwise processed foods.


Ditto..I have been off red meat due to my susceptibility to gout ,which is supposed to be a rich man's disease and I am not a rich man..at least not anymore.
I often hear about this paleo diet, but in my years and condition..not a good diet for me...but I do a lot of stir frys with veggies and shrimp as well..and of course KD..
it's a lifelong habit.

Eat a light meal and play yer guitars..that will keep your mind off food..LOL!


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

Good post Jim9guitars, eating correct amounts instead of stopping when one feels "full" is good habit to learn and as you mentioned, you'll be far less likely to get heartburn. I have switched mainly to unprocessed foods because it contains less sodium, fat and other things not needed plus it costs less. I still eat red meats (mainly pork but have ground beef and/or steak once in a while) but keep the portion sizes down and have chicken or fish regularly.


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## showmethemoney45 (Feb 27, 2015)

For the month of May we spent more than $2000 on food. $200 was for fast food/lunches, $108 for eating out, $73 for coffee shops, and $52 for alcohol. I check fliers and shop mainly at costco and Superstore with some last minute things at safeway. My husband has a HUGE consumption of meat which I've been trying to get him away from for financial as well as health reasons. The total is barbaric. I think we also end up throwing a lot of food out as we buy too much and it goes bad. I hate it.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

showmethemoney45 said:


> I think we also end up throwing a lot of food out as we buy too much and it goes bad. I hate it.


Yup, throwing out meat is the worst ... total waste.
BTW, Costco has $5 off the Boneless Pork Loin packs this week. Just slice them to the desired thickness you like, wrap them in "meal packs" and put them in the freezer ... great money saver even without the weekly discount.


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## J Watts (Jul 19, 2012)

showmethemoney45 said:


> For the month of May we spent more than $2000 on food. $200 was for fast food/lunches, $108 for eating out, $73 for coffee shops, and $52 for alcohol. I check fliers and shop mainly at costco and Superstore with some last minute things at safeway. My husband has a HUGE consumption of meat which I've been trying to get him away from for financial as well as health reasons. The total is barbaric. I think we also end up throwing a lot of food out as we buy too much and it goes bad. I hate it.


That's ^&*#*&$# insane! $2000 a month for how many people?


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## showmethemoney45 (Feb 27, 2015)

J Watts said:


> That's ^&*#*&$# insane! $2000 a month for how many people?


Thats only for 4 people, 2 kids aged 2 and 7. Some months with be more as I tend to stock up when a sale hits. SO FAR this month is $1391. $200 out of that is supplements, $40 for booze, $195 for eating out (lunches), $76 for coffee shops. ARRGH.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

I hate to be the counter point but we are modestly frugal - most meals at home, cooked from basics rather than prepared foods. yes, occasional meal or lunch out. 

Our family is wife and hub, and two boys 11 and 15. 15yo is becoming a major component of the food budget. He is going away as a camp counsellor soon for 8 weeks, so the food bill should drop a bunch while he is gone. 

Last year we spent $6600 on groceries, $1400 on eating out -and $1200 on what I call household- cleaning products from Canadian Tire, toilet paper etc. - stuff you consume but don't outright eat. 

So I guess we are on the tightwad end of the spectrum.


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## momoffiveboys (Jun 19, 2015)

showmethemoney45 said:


> Thats only for 4 people, 2 kids aged 2 and 7. Some months with be more as I tend to stock up when a sale hits. SO FAR this month is $1391. $200 out of that is supplements, $40 for booze, $195 for eating out (lunches), $76 for coffee shops. ARRGH.


We are a family of four at home (teenager kids) and never spend more than $550 per month on food. What is very helpful is NOT shopping UNTIL your fridge is bare.


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## showmethemoney45 (Feb 27, 2015)

momoffiveboys said:


> We are a family of four at home (teenager kids) and never spend more than $550 per month on food. What is very helpful is NOT shopping UNTIL your fridge is bare.


WOW....good for you...WOW. You're right-we need to make do with what we have then buy more. We throw away a lot of spoiled food this way. its gross.


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## none (Jan 15, 2013)

I'm guessing you are probably wasting your money on supplements:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/a...myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/


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## CalgaryPotato (Mar 7, 2015)

momoffiveboys said:


> We are a family of four at home (teenager kids) and never spend more than $550 per month on food. What is very helpful is NOT shopping UNTIL your fridge is bare.


What does a typical meal look like? I'm baffled, that is 1.50 per meal per person. Like someone was saying earlier even an orange or an apple costs close to a dollar.


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## momoffiveboys (Jun 19, 2015)

CalgaryPotato said:


> What does a typical meal look like? I'm baffled, that is 1.50 per meal per person. Like someone was saying earlier even an orange or an apple costs close to a dollar.


Just the regular, but we don't generally eat expensive meats, like steak. I buy a lot in bulk, do all our own baking, and watch the flyers big time. And we certainly don't pay $1 for an apple or orange. I buy them in bags and rarely pay more than a $1 per pound. We also have a large garden - I also freeze extra veggies and can fruit. 

I should add that we have a M/C that we pay off in full each month and it allows us to deduct quite substantial amount from our grocery total...probably averaging about $60 per month.


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## Video_Frank (Aug 2, 2013)

Ponderling said:


> 15yo is becoming a major component of the food budget.


I hear you. Our 14 yo is nicknamed "The Belly". We spent ~ $12k last year at Loblaws (food, toiletries, etc), of which we got $500 back thanks to the Scotia Visa Momentum 4% cash-back card. A further $4k was spent on take-out / dining out. This is due to rep hockey schedules that force us to be away for meals and tournaments with our two boys.


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## J Watts (Jul 19, 2012)

showmethemoney45 said:


> Thats only for 4 people, 2 kids aged 2 and 7. Some months with be more as I tend to stock up when a sale hits. SO FAR this month is $1391. $200 out of that is supplements, $40 for booze, $195 for eating out (lunches), $76 for coffee shops. ARRGH.


That's pathetic. $200 for what supplements? Another $200 in just 2 weeks on *restaurant lunches* and $76 ($5 a day on coffee? Really? When brewing a cup at home costs 20 or 30 cents?) is where your problems start. Your _additional _grocery bill is even worse.


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## J Watts (Jul 19, 2012)

CalgaryPotato said:


> What does a typical meal look like? I'm baffled, that is 1.50 per meal per person. Like someone was saying earlier even an orange or an apple costs close to a dollar.


What kind of oranges and apples are you buying for $1 each? I can buy a 3 pound bag of apples (10-15 apples) and a flat of oranges for $3.99 each. Also, about 5-6 bananas for $1.25. There's your fruit for a week for under $10.


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## daledegagne (Apr 6, 2015)

After working with people from all over Canada, and knowing their grocery bills intimately, I would like to share a few thoughts;

There really _isn't_ such thing as a globally reasonable bill. Whether something is reasonable or not heavily depends on;

- food preference & ideas on proper meals
- location
- creativity & willingness to change

*Before and After Case Study: Paleo Vs. Vegan*

*Before*

Paleo: Family of 4 - 2 adults, 2 kids age 7 & 10. Toronto. Bacon/eggs breakfast. Raw veg, Fruit/nuts lunch. meat (typically a chicken or turkey or fish, not always red) and 2 vegetable dinners. Only fresh produce, almost nothing pre-made (maybe juice), insisted on things like organic free range eggs. $1500 Bill.

Vegan: Family of 4, 2 adults, 2 kids, age 2 & 4. Barrie ON. Oats for breakfast. Raw vegetable, sandwich, fruit, nuts for lunch. No meat (obviously) for dinner. Focus on pastas, vegan pizza, and mixed veg with tofu, soy and nuts for proteins. Insisted on organic nut butter, and large amounts of raw nuts (2-3 lbs almost, cashews, walnuts, etc every couple of weeks/month). $1300 Bill.

*After*

Paleo: Despite being in a hard financial position (consumer proposal) the client was eating exactly as they wanted to be and was unwilling to try and make any change. End bill: $1500.

Vegan: This family felt they were spending wisely on groceries as well, but were willing to change their status quo. First, they used what they had in their cupboards and meal planned more stringently. They identified the most expensive products in their bill and most expensive brands and committed to finding cheaper alternatives. They did this for 2 weeks, and found they saved $50. End Bill: $1200 per month. I'm sure that doesn't sound significant, but in the end, they didn't change that much.

*Best Tips I've come up with for Saving money on your grocery bill*

1. Meal plan and list shop. 

I know, some people aren't planners, or list shoppers by nature but it works. 

2. Challenge your status quo. 

We all have habits when it comes to shopping. Recognize and change them. Maybe it's brands we automatically reach for, or our favourite fruits or meats. For me, it used to be boneless skinless chicken breasts. Big savings when I switched to chicken quarters. 

For anyone who grew up like I did - here is the _Biggest_ status quo you can challenge - Do you need a meat at every meal? My wife is a vegetarian. I still eat meat but not as often. I don't really miss it. I lost about 20 lbs when I stopped eating red meat 2 to 4 times a week.

3. DIY vegetables & Herbs

Grow small herbs you like to use, and vegetables as well. You don't need a garden. You can grow a lot of stuff in your kitchen. We grow basil mainly - makes the kitchen smell awesome.

4. Make your own Sauces & other easy to makes

Pre-made sauces are hella expensive but most are super easy and cheap to make. For us, our fav is pesto - but we swap out the pine nuts for walnuts, and add milk if we want it to stretch (pesto cream vs. pesto). We also make our own yoghurt

5. Don't buy habit - buy seasonal. 

Vegetables and fruits especially run seasonally. Know them and buy accordingly.

6. Recycle

Buy a chicken, eat chicken, use left overs to make chicken vegetable soup. Just like Grandma used to do.

7. Farmers market & Co ops

Pay into a coop and get your share of veggies, and sometimes meat or eggs. Alternatively, sometimes you can "buy" a chicken/cow etc from farmer and they manage that livestock for you. You reap the benefits and they solidify their income. You also support local.


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## Video_Frank (Aug 2, 2013)

The three big ways we save are:
1) 4% cash back on groceries with the Scotia Momentum Infinite VISA card. More than $500.00 per year cash back on groceries alone (let alone gas, recurring bills, etc).
2) PC Plus Points. They email a flyer with deals on items we regularly purchase. The offers are tailored to your purchases and you accrue points for cash back. This is also hundreds of dollars per year savings.
3) The Flip App. This allows you to price match at the cash register. We routinely save $40 - $50 per week on groceries. Our bill used to be above $200 every week yet now it is often ~ $180.00 or so.

Using these three methods could allow you to save thousands of dollars per year while purchasing the exact same foods you're buying now.


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## Itchy54 (Feb 12, 2012)

Hard to find a good deal lately, especially when dealing with my wheat allergy. We eat a lot of fruit and veg and our meat is grass fed beef, chicken and pork, choosing pastured animals when possible. I spend a lot on our food.
Anyways, the other day I was wandering through Walmart and saw their clearance shelf for the produce section. Now, I have looked at other stores clearance stuff and it's always rotten crap...but the Walmart stuff was all good! Every bag was one dollar. The fruit bag had a mango, cantaloupe, oranges, apples and a lime ...all of it was fine. The veggie bag was six large tomatoes, ten mini cucumbers,, two red onions....all perfect. Today I got a fruit bag with a pineapple, a cantaloupe, two mandarins, and a grapefruit. That was one great fruit salad. I will check this rack often.


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## Westerncanada (Nov 11, 2013)

Just a Guy said:


> Even when I was hurt, and dead broke, I never skimped on food. Yes, the prices have increased over the years, but the margins are so small at the retail level they can't hide inflation like other goods.
> 
> One thing that caught me, you buy meat at superstore...the quality there is usually quite a bit lower (they sell up to AA beef usually, and I've even seen ungraded meat). There is a huge difference between that and AAA or sterling grade. The same with chicken in their bulk packs vs. the "prime" cuts.
> 
> ...




As someone in the retail sector I can tell you that margin's are much higher then you'd imagine at several locations. Save on Foods is the second highest priced Grocery in Canada next to Safeway only (Flyer items are good buys and the balance is 300%). 

Save On has great fresh offerings, but you definitely pay for the premium. Nothing that is in a fresh department is under a 50% markup.


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