Organic food costs can be a shock to the grocery budget yet for many people it’s worth buying organic with their hard-earned money and for many reasons. Are there benefits of eating organic foods? I think so but I’m no food scientist so I can’t tell you for sure. I’m just hearing all the hype about organic food and joining in although my wife now has to eat a low glycemic index diet I can understand how it’s difficult to find foods to eat when there are many you can’t.
When we grow our vegetables and fruits we use no chemicals (pesticides) and add nothing more than good compost, water and sunshine. There has to be some benefit in that, wouldn’t you think? Our friend Karen at Lil Suburban Homestead finds there is money-saving benefits from growing a garden for the family and her garden certainly speaks for itself. There are people I have talked to who say yes there are benefits eating organic and others who think there is not enough evidence to prove organic food is beneficial to the diet and for most, the budget.
We are eating exactly what we set out to grow but I’ll tell you the taste comparison if anything makes it worth the while. That’s the beauty at least for us when we grow our own vegetables in our back garden because we don’t use any chemicals. Now we are starting to garden seeds that are organic but for a higher price of course, but are they worth the money? Essentially, does it really matter if you grow your own vegetables from seeds that are not labelled “organic seeds” on the package?
Where to Find Organic Food?
Finding specific grocery store food at times can be a challenge so we have to do a search or make a phone call to ask if a shop carries a particular product that we need. Depending on what grocery store locations you have close to your house sometimes it’s easiest to shop the shortest distance rather than going the extra mile or 10. It makes sense if time and money are not on your side especially since gas prices can take a chunk out of the budget.
Not all stores carry organic foods but if you do a search online you should be able to find stores with organic foods in your area. I know that you can find organic food at Metro, Sobey’s, Zehrs, RCSS or the Super Stores, and potentially the smaller shops although I really haven’t paid too much attention. I find that food in grocery stores are relatively the same but differ depending on quality and in many cases the size of the shop as not all grocery stores are able to carry a vast amount of products like a superstore grocery store might.
As the summer approaches fresh produce graces the produce section and consumers flock to pick up the best deals but are they all pushing people out-of-the-way to buy organic? I don’t know the statistics but I’m betting there are an élite amount of organic shoppers compared to those that shop regular produce and products. Not everyone shops speciality foods by choice especially if they have a chronic illness that pushes them in that direction.
We are seeing organic products pop up all over and with aisle after aisle, produce, meat bunkers, dairy etc filled with plenty of selection. We often go down the organic aisles to compare prices and look at the products. I won’t lie the prices scare me as they are very high for almost every product I’ve ever seen. The good news is that I’m sure many are happy to see the product selection growth just not just not the prices.
Do I think organic food prices will come down? I don’t know but the more I read and hear the more it’s clear that it’s a lucrative business that will continue to grow. I’d like to see the prices become a bit more realistic for the every day shopper but it’s hard to say what the future holds for these types of products.
How Much Is Organic Food?
We do our best to eat according to the Canada’s Food Guide but including organic food can be a drain on our budget. I also find in some places that organic food prices might come down a bit in order to compete with its sister the non-organic produce but is still fairly pricey. Trying to stay away from food additives and preservatives will cost a pretty penny but for some people, that’s what they want, that’s what they need and that’s what they will buy.
If you really want to eat organic food on a budget I think it’s possible provided that you have some extra money to move around in the budget or can make changes to your budget. I also know that for some there is nothing more to cut in the budget and organic is just not realistic for them. If I had to think of ways to cut back or earn extra money I’d have to take a look at what we could do to make that happen.
If we were more attentive to the time of use program and the smart meter we might be able to save some money on our hydro and water bill. That money we could roll over into our grocery budget if needed. You understand what I mean about making cuts to other parts of the budget.
If you smoke, consider quitting and putting that money into your budget. I know, easier said then done.. believe me I know! Two years smoke-free and it’s the best decision I’ve made for my health. If you don’t use your gym membership cancel it and find other ways to exercise on the cheap. Those are just a couple of ideas that come to mind if you are looking for extra cash to put towards your grocery budget aside from making more money. Building up a stockpile of organic foods is possible but like any other pantry it all takes time.
We love to eat organic vegetables and since the garden is now planted we are hoping to shave a few bucks off the grocery budget by harvesting peppers, tomatoes, fennel and much more this summer. That is likely as organic as we get in our house but it works for us and we are happy with that choice.
I noticed a 3 pack of organic lettuce for $5.99 where you can find a 3pk of Romaine lettuce for $2.99 or even $1.99 on sale. In the photo above you see an organic pineapple for $4.99 on sale where you could get a regular pineapple for $1.99 on sale. Tomatoes on the vine this week are $0.99 but if you want organic tomatoes on the vine they will run you $2.99lb on sale. An organic seedless cucumber is a whopping $2.49 each on sale where you can get a regular seedless cucumber on sale for $0.69 this week.
Clearly anyone can see the price variation and have to decide first how much their grocery budget is and how much food they need or eat each week. There are many reasons that can affect the cost of a budget BUT you can still find healthy foods to buy if you really want to. If you plan your shops, plan your meals, don’t shop hungry and eat less if you find you are eating too much food because many of us (including us) eat more than we need to we can control the grocery budget expenses to a reasonable amount if needed. We’re working hard now on portion sizes to see how that affects our overall budget costs.
Check your area listings as well to see if you have any local Farmer’s Markets that are open this time of year with fresh produce and organic produce for sale. It’s a great way to interact with local organic farmers in order to get to know them and support the local economy. You might also find a better deal if you go to the source.
We found just that but with flowers this past week. Instead of going to a garden centre in town we went out of town and found amazing deals on flowers that would have cost us 3 times the price but it didn’t because we went right to the flower source. We will certainly be doing the same next year.
Growing Organic Food
If you have the space to grow fruits and vegetables because eating healthy organic foods is something you would like for your diet then certainly make use of the space you have. If you don’t have a green thumb don’t be afraid to experiment. If my wife can do it, anyone can (love you babe, sorry you just tend to kill plants) honestly, she’s not allowed to water anything…. she kills everything but I must say she has done well with her tomatoes and basil. Likely because there is a motivation behind it this year. We are having a growing competition this summer to see who can grow the better basil and tomatoes. I’ll keep you updated on how things are going. I have my secret growing weapon (and I’m not telling).
Question: Do you buy organic food? Do you grow your own organic food? Do you shop at local farmers markets?
Grocery Game Weeks for June
This is the start of the June Grocery Game Challenge which means we are almost half way through the year. In July I plan to do a 6 month grocery budget recap to see just where we stand with our budget and if we need to make any improvements.
If you missed grocery game posts for this month just click on the links below and post your shops in the comment section. Each week I will add the previous weeks Grocery Game Post here.
The May winner of the Grocery Game Challenge goes to 23 Joanna C! Congrats!!
Grocery Saving Tips
Free Money Saving Downloads just for YOU!!! Get organized with a freezer inventory, meal plan, shopping list, price comparison list and much more!!! Click, Save and Print.. It’s that easy~ Also look back on previous grocery game posts for loads of grocery shopping tips and information.
- Let Your Coupons Expire And Save Money
- Knowing Your Prices Is The Key To Saving Money In The Grocery Budget
- Product Price Adjustments Don’t Miss The Savings
- Scanning Code of Practice In Canada (SCOP)
- How To Start Saving Money On Groceries In Canada?
- How Much Should My Grocery Budget Be?
- Top Ten Ways To Cut Your Grocery Budget
- Meal Planning For The Budget
- The Grocery Game Challenge and Our Grocery Budget
- Grocery Budget Saving Tips
- Food Shopping On A Budget
Metro
- 2x cucumber sale $0.99
- 2x white mushrooms sale $0.99
Total Out Of Pocket- $3.96
Food Basics
- Egg Creations Sale $1.99 x6 -$1.00 coupons
- Iceburg Lettuce Sale $0.97
- Whole Wheat Pita $1.00
Total Out Of Pocket $ 7.91
No Frills
- Redpath Sugar Sale $1.77 x4 PM Zehrs
- Tomatoes $2.97
- Carrots $1.97
Total Out Of Pocket $ 12.02
Yearly Grocery Budget For 2 : $2819.38
- Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $235.00 or $78.33 week with one no-shop week per month or $58.75 for 4 weeks per month. (During the months with 5 weeks we just make it work)
- Total Budget For June: $235.00- $72.24= $162.76 ($83.42-$11.18=$72.24 will be carried over to June)
- Total Coupons Used this Week : $0
- Total Discounts this Week: $0
- Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
- Total Rewards Points Used: $0
- Stockpile Budget: $20.00 Used: $0
- Total Spent This Week:$23.89
- Total Spent So Far for (June): $23.89
- Total Over/Under spend this shop: $ N/A
- Total Over/Under spend for the month of (June): $N/A
- Total Left to Spend for the Month: $
- Total Coupons Used This Month :$0
- Total to Carry Over Next Month : $
- Total Spent To Date This Year: $206.95 (Jan)+ $160.77 (Feb) + (March)$169.62 + (April)$397.74+(May) $155.68=$1090.76
- Rendezvous Account: $65.38 (this will be used for a date night or a summer holiday)
Weekly Overview:We didn’t need much this week just a few vegetables so that kept the budget low.
Canadian Coupons Found In June
Frequently Asked Questions
Grocery Game Challenge RULES….. Read the rules first and if you have any questions email me or comment on this post with your question and someone will answer you as soon as possible.
- Do I have to be Canadian to post my Grocery Shop? No, you don’t have to be Canadian to post your shops only to win a monthly prize. We have a few players from around the world.
- When does the Grocery Game Close each month? The Grocery Game Challenge Closes at Midnight of the last Sunday of the last post for the month. You can post your shops all month-long.
- Does Your Grocery Budget Include Health and Beauty and Laundry? Yes our Grocery Budget includes such items as shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, fabric softener, dish soap etc. We don’t mind stockpiling items that won’t be effected by expiry dates or have long expiry dates but not so much food any more. It’s just one way to help cut your budget to save money.
- Where can I find Canadian Coupons? Here are your latest Coupon Match-ups of the week including Checkout 51 from 25 Newspaper Inserts around Canada compliments of Save Big Live Better that you can use to help you save money in the Grocery Game Challenge.
- How Do I Know what stores accept coupons? You can find all your store coupon policies here. If you are not sure it’s always best to call the store and ask.
- How Do I Grocery Shop?– I can tell you about grocery shopping and what we do in terms of shopping to save money and how it works for us. There are no wrong or right answers, just smart choices. Over time you will gradually learn where you should and shouldn’t go in the grocery store or at least how to say no, I’m on a budget I don’t need to buy this or that. You may also substitute items in order to stick to your budget to make it work.
Related articles
- Easy Chicken Curry In A Hurry (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
- Financially Savvy Teen Budgets Cash Using The Envelope System! (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
- Mr.CBB’s Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
- Is Budget Failure Your Own Fault? (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
- Free Plants And Easy Ways To Save Money On Gardening (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
Marie says
Hello very interesting blog, I wish it was updated to 2017! Our Monthly groceries for a family of 4 with 3 dogs is $1280 a month! When I read that yours for 2 is $2300 CAD for a year!!!
Our groceries includes household items such as toiletries,cleaners, medicines, pet food (bought at Pet store)
What is your budget for 2017 and what Province are you living in?
We are living in Alberta, Canada
Regards
Marie
Mr. CBB says
Hi Marie,
You are reading a blog post from 2013 which details our budget then. If you click on The Grocery Game tab it will take you to the Grocery Game Posts for 2017. Each one details our shops, budget and what we purchased. I hope that helps.
Pauline says
3lb tomato $1.2
2lb salt, 45 mini limes and 5 sweet breads $2.13
15 gallon drinking water $6
3lb fish $6
1.95lb onion $0.75
2.29lb potato $1.04
4 avocados $2.8
1L floor desinfectant $0.67
500gr honey $1.96
1.25L rhum $7.46
small watermelon $1
250gr ketchup $1.5
2lb salt $0.36
200gr mustard $0.45
soy sauce $0.5
worcester sauce $0.68
1 gallon vegetable oil $6.53
60 small limes $1
total $42.05
Weekly overview:
stocked up on sauces and honey, veggie oil is still to treat our wood so won’t be eaten. Forgot the tomatoes in the supermarket so I went to the normal market, where they weight with weird scales and the produce is about the same so generally getting it all in one place is better.
Total Grocery Budget for the Month:$274.20 in June.
Total Coupons Used this Week : none
Total Spent This Week:$ 42.05
Total Spent So Far for (June): $388.73
Total Over/Under spend this shop: $26.5 under if you divide June by 4 weeks.
Total Over/Under spend for the month of (June): $115.53 over
Total Left to Spend for the Month: -$115.53
Total Spent To Date This Year: $1,115.53 for two
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hey Pauline,
Ok, that shop is incredible. I would have loved to see that shop in a photo. Your limes are so cheap and many of the other items were an excellent price. We picked up limes for $0.15 each and we thought that was great. I’m impressed with this shop. I think it’s one of the best for you so far and it includes Rhum! We say Rum! 🙂 Well done mate!
Juanita says
Our weekly budget is $100 a week making this month $400.
First week of the month and I already blew it!!
Safeway
$3.99 2L ice cream
Target
$4.88×2-.75Cx2 cheese brick
$8.26 total oop
$1.50 total coupons
Superstore
$2.18 spring roll wrapper
$1.98×2 green & red pepper 4pk
$1 superman cup
$7.19 total oop
Save on foods (stacking)
$8.99×2-$3Cx2&$2Cx6 melitta kcups
$1.99 trident gum
$4.59-fpc spaghetti sauce
$1.25×4-.75×4&.50×4 barilla pasta
$2.99×3-$4Cx2&$1C Clorox smart tech cleaners
$1.90 total oop
$27.59 total coupons
Sobeys
$2.50×4-$1Cx4 librete yogurt
$7.49 eye of round steak (min 2 meals)
$7.49×2-$3.50instore coupon x2 3L oil
$1.49×4 2kg fine sugar
$3.20×2 12pk pop
$2 chips
$2 chip dip
$2 croissants
$2×45-$2Cx45 sweet baby rays bbq sauce donation
$2×5 pizza pops
$2×2 snap peas
$2×2 perogies
$1×2 green leaf & romaine lettuce
$2-$1C old el paso salsa
$2×4-.75Cx4 international creamer
$2 glade aersol
$4.49×3-$10(wub$15glade) glade candles
the following shop is 15% Tuesday
$3.49×2 philly cream cheese
$2.34 hot&spicy chicken
$3.01 bologna
$2.19 ground chicken clearance
$12.83 eye of round steak (4 meals min)
$5.08 pepper beef jerky
4.54 provolone cheese
$1.25×4 gg canned veg
.99×4 jello pudding
.99×2 broccoli
$4.49 cheese buns
.99 demi baguettes
$4.99X2 iced tea (w/$10 in pizza coupons)
$1.29 cucumber
$1.99 strawberries
$3.49×10-$3Cx10 colgate pro-sensitive donation
$1.49×6-$1Cx6 degree ladies donation
$2.68×2-$1Cx2 starbucks frappucino
$17.47 15% discount
$149.50 total coupons
$137.82 total oop
$159.16 total weekly oop
$196.06 total weekly coupons & discount
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hey Dee!
There’s something exciting about the start of a new grocery game month and many of us do overspend but I know you’ll pull through it. I’m so impressed with your coupon usage this week wow!! Where did the $3 colgate coupons come from, well done and I’m sure the person(s) who receive the donation will be so happy. Although you went over… keep the spirit and plan it out.. you can do it! Looking forward to seeing how your month unfolds. You get ballot #7
Juanita says
Mr.CBB the $3 coupon was from an insert a little while ago and thought I would just pass them onto others since it is a very expensive product but between the coupon and discount they were free!! Hoping I can keep the rest of the month in check 🙂
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hmm I’ll have to look back in my inserts. Thanks for letting me know.
Christine Weadick says
Yea.. a new month!!! Hopefully I can get stocked up some and still hold to the budget for the month…..
I went to Foodland twice this week, one biggie and one not so big shop. Still went over but the cupboard has been looking rather bare and I will need to work on some stocking up as I go along…..
June 1
2 cans tomato paste @.66- 1.32
1 can pasta sauce- 1.33
3 packages pasta @ 1.49- 4.47
1 can pineapple- 1.59
bananas- 1.53
1 jar pickles- 1.79
1 can tomatoes- 1.99
2 plants @1.99- 3.98
1 pack raisins- 2.29
3 Powerade drinks @1.00- 3.00, these were a rain check from last week
1 loaf W/W bread- 2.50.
1 pack cheese slices- 2.50
1 Oktoberfest sausage- 2.50
1 yogurt- 2.50, 1.00 coupon
1 loaf veggie bread- 2.50, .75 coupon, new product… haven’t tried it yet
1 cranberry cocktail- 2.98
1 bagels- 2.99
1 doz eggs- 3.19
2 raisin bread @3.49- 6.98, 2 -.75 coupons
1 container parm cheese-3.88
1 container dried sage- 3.99!!
1 bag stir fry veggies- 4.29
1 box Rice Crispies- 4.49
1 jar salad dressing(mayo type)- 4.49
1 lb butter- 4.69
2 4l milk @ 4.79- 9.58
1 case ginger ale- 5.78, 2.00 coupon
1 jar honey- 5.79
1 package chicken breasts- 9.51
1 pack smokes -9.69
1 Tetley tea bags 144 count- 9.99
tax- 2.92
Total- 125.77, 5.25 coupons
June 5
2 pasta dinners @ .69-1.38
1 can tomatoes- 1.49
2 Gatorade @1.66- 3.32
bananas- .63
1 pack raisins- 2.29
1 yogurt- 2.50
2 packs cheese slices @ 2.50- 5.00
2 bagels @2.99- 5.98
2 raisin bread @3.49- 6.98, 2 coupons, 1.00 and .75
1 box Rice Crispies- 4.49
1 4l milk- 4.79
1 lean ground beef- 5.24
1 jug water- 5.49
1 case cream soda- 5.78
1 case ginger ale- 5.78, 2.00 coupon
1 pack smokes- 9.69
tax 3.19
Total- $73.76, 3.75 coupons
Budget for year- $7800.00
Budget for month- $600.00
Total spent this week- $199.53
Total coupons this week- $9.00
Total for month- $199.53
Total over/under for week- Over $49.53
Total over/under for month N/A
Left for the month- $400.47
Total coupons for the month- $9.00
Total carry over- $304.35
Total YTD- J$818.08+F$598.07+M$770.12+A$938.07+M$650.13+$199.53=$3974.00
So I started the month by going over. I need to stock up some as the cupboards are looking bare. The raisin bread was on sale plus the coupons,as were the bagels, the chicken breasts will make at least 3 meals for 4, cheese slices are a fast meals for the boys to make themselves if I’m not here, yogurt, Oktoberfest sausage, pasta all were on sale. I’m hoping that if I can do a little stocking up a couple of weeks of the month I can stock up and still hold the budget in line. As this is June the boys and I will be picking strawberries in a week or two for jam and a few good feeds of berries. Even picking will be a hit as I do get quite a few berries. The jam is worth it! This week isn’t looking good either …. butter is on sale and I got 8 lbs of it @ 2.88 instead of 4.69…..Most of the bread and bagels went into the freezer as did the bread I got yesterday for $1.84, 4 loaves worth. I still don’t have much meat to use for meals…. I’ll be watching those sales!!!
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hey Christine!
A new month is always exciting especially when you have a full budget. I was just saying to Jen how it was an awful month last month for us trying to stick to such a small budget because of our overspend the previous month. I don’t want that to happen and we’re still trying to catch up now. I can’t wait to hear about your Jam experience! We make crab apple jam each year as well but this year we may donate the apples to whomever would like them. Stick to your guns this month Christine and stock up best you can…. I’ve learned that there will always be a sale… 🙂 Cheers Mr.CBB you get ballot 6
Jen P says
I shop for 2 adults and a 2 ½ year old boy. Our budget is $90/week or $360 for this month and includes baby items, laundry, health/beauty, etc.
RCSS
Lindt choco bar 2/$5.00 – 50% pink sticker – $2.50
Arctic gardens frozen veggies 2/$5.00 – $5.00 coupon
Almond milk $3.99 – $2.00 coupon
Almond milk 2 x $3.99 – 2 x $2.00 coupons
Corn Pops (family size) 2 x $7.88 – 50% pink stickers – $7.88
NN fabric softner $2.99 – 50% pink sticker – $1.50
SD coconut milk yogurt $4.59 – $.50 coupon
Apples (PM WM) $1.82
Tresemme shampoo and conditioner 4 x $3.97 – 4 x $1.50 coupons
Coupons $17.50
CD $3.47
OOP $32.45
Wegmans (USA)
Chicken breast $14.83 ($1.99/lb)
Chicken drums $4.08 ($.99/lb)
2 layer chocolate cake $14.00
OOP $32.91 – $20.00= $12.91***
***Got home and had the cake for Ken’s birthday and it turned out it wasn’t chocolate like it said it was on the label and then the last piece I cut for us was mine and I found a hair in it! I called and complained. They said they would credit my VISA with $20 for the cost of the cake and the inconvenience.***
Tops (USA)
Vegan mayo $4.79
Munchies mix 2/$6.00
Kelloggs fruit snacks 5/$10.00
Ground turkey 2/$6.00
Donut $.79 – FPC
Vegan cheese slices 2 x $2.99 – $.30 coupon
Coconut yogurt 2 x $1.79
Almond milk 2 x $3.99 – 2 x $1.00 coupons – 2 x $1.00 coupon doublers
Almond milk ice cream $5.99 – $1.00 coupon – $1.00 coupon doubler
Suave Moroccan oil $6.99 – $1.00 coupon – $1.00 coupon doubler
Coupons $9.09
OOP $49.62
Food Basics
Carrots 2 x $1.00
Mushrooms $1.00
Lipton soup mix 3 x $.99
Dempsters buns $2.00 – $.50 coupon
KD case of 12 2 x $5.28
Coupons $.50
OOP $18.03
RCSS
Almond milk (PM SDM) $3.49 – $2.00 coupon
Mini Wheats (PM WM) 4 x $2.88 – 4 x $1.00 coupons (each box also came with a code for a free breakfast item)
Soy milk $2.39 – $.50 coupon
Bananas $1.15
Broccoli (PM FC) $.99
Cucumber (PM FC) $.89
Romaine $1.69
Coupons $7.50
OOP $14.62
Total Grocery Amount Budgeted For the Year : $4,680 ($90/week)
•Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $360
•Total Coupons Used this Week : $34.59
•Total Coupons Used This Month : $61.09
• Total Coupons Used this Year: $816.7
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this week: $1.00 (used my parents receipt to get $1.00 for spending over $60)
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this month: $4.00
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this year: $91.50
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this week: $3.47
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this month:$11.70
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this year: $257.39
• Total SCOP this week: $0
• Total SCOP this month: $0
• Total SCOP this year: $3.41
•Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
•Total Spent This Week: $127.63
•Total Spent So Far for June:$196.07
•Total Over/Under spend this shop: N/A
•Total Over/Under spent for the month of June: N/A
•Total Left to Spend for the Month: $163.93
•Total to Carry Over Next Month : I do not carry over
•Total Spent To Date This Year: $1848.50
•Weekly overview: OMG what is wrong with me! I need to get under control. Making a trip to the US certainly didn’t help my getting back on track this week! My MIL is going to be away for my next few shopping trips so hopefully not having her discount card will motivate me to not spend as much. I will do better!
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hi Jen
Since your MIL might not be around it’s probably best to keep the shopping light otherwise you may just see a spike in cost. Look at your yearly coupon total, wow, impressive but so is the almost $300 you save with her discounts. You did spend a fair amount this week so the rest of the month will be a challenge for you but I know you can do it. Keep at it. You get ballot 4
Sarah M says
I am joining in for the first time. We are really trying to crack down on our grocery spending as it was completely out of control.
Shoppers Drug Mart
4L Milk – $4.49
Eggs – $2.49
Chocolate Chips – $1.99
Total Out of Pocket – $8.97
Walmart
Organic Carrots – $1.47
Cilantro – $0.77
Green Onions – $0.47
Mushrooms – $2.97
Baby Spinach – $2.97
Gluten Free Pasta – $2.97
Plain Greek Yogurt – $4.97
Astro Kik Yogurt Drinks (2) – $2.00
Romaine Lettuce (3 pack) – $2.47
Cracker Barrel 900g Cheese – $8.97
Strawberries – $1.97
Cauliflower – $2.47
Avocados (bag of 5) – $2.97
Garlic (3) – $0.67
Red Onion – $1.39
Black Beans – $1.00
Chickpeas (2 cans) – $2.00
Red Kidney Beans – $1.00
Total Out Of Pocket – $43.50
Safeway
Serrano Pepper – $0.65
Corn Tortilla’s – $2.49
Total Out of Pocket – $3.14
Costco
Ancient Grain Tortillas (15 in a pack) – $4.39
Almond Butter – $7.49
Yams (3lb bag) – $2.99
Bananas (bag of about 9 bananas) – $1.69
Ciabatta Buns – $5.49
Mixed Peppers (bag of 6) – $5.99
Total Out of Pocket – $28.04
Total Grocery Budget for June: $560
Total Coupons Used this Week: $0
Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
Total Spent This Week: $83.65
Total Spent for June: $83.65
Total Underspend this shop: $56.35
Total Left to Spend for the Month: $476.35
Total Coupons Used This Month: $0
Total to Carry Over Next Month: $0
Weekly Overview: This was my first week and I was exceptionally happy with how I did. With the help of my 7 year old and after inventorying my fridge/pantry/freezer, I made a meal plan for the week. Then I looked up flyers online (as we don’t get any delivered) to find any sales that I should watch for and figured out that Walmart was by far the cheapest for most of the things I needed. I switched from doing my main shop at Safeway to Walmart and am sure I saved $10 to $15 just by doing that. I used the Grocery Gadget app on my phone to estimate the total and then added in the actual prices as I shopped so I knew how much I was spending before I got in line to pay. I think this will be very helpful going forward as I can cost out my list before I even leave the house. That said, the biggest money saver was making a meal plan and sticking to it and just staying out of the grocery store the rest of the week. My intent is to keep my weekly spending under $100 although I have allowed a bit higher than that in my budget as I know that there are a few staples that will need to be replaced this month. I haven’t gotten far enough into this to work on a stockpile budget etc, and for this month am just working on really keeping my grocery spending under control.
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hi Sarah!!
Thanks for joining the Grocery Game Challenge! I’m so excited as will the other players that post their shops. We are all here to help each other out. You will see each week in my grocery game post a link to Save Big Live Better’s coupon match-ups for the week if that helps you with your shopping and planning as well. I’m glad to hear you did your inventories as that is crucial to knowing what you already have so you don’t 1-buy it again or 2- don’t let it expire and waste money. I would love to create a blog post about your journey if you are interested. Let me know what you think. With the GGC (Grocery Game Challenge) you track everything on your own and post it here. It doesn’t have to match up with my weeks etc it’s all about YOU and YOUR budget. If you want to get entries into the monthly contest just make sure all your posts are in by the last Sunday of the GGC month at midnight, that’s it. If we have weeks that don’t coincide and your month spills into the next that’s fine, just keep tracking it and telling us exactly what you are doing so we follow along. Most of us have lowered our grocery budget since we started posting our shops. It really has opened our eyes to how much we were buying and spending that we didn’t really need to. We’ve also all started cooking more homemade meals and are eating out less and less. Buying convenience foods is the killer but none of us judge each other from what we buy as we are all unique and are learning. It’s a process that takes time and I’m just proud of all of you for taking this step to get on track. So your budget for the month is $560 feeding 3 people in your grocery budget. That’s great your 7 year old got involved. You were under budget this week! That’s great. If you spend less than your budget or more than your budget at the end of the month will you carry over the money or debt to the next month to make up for the overspend or underspend?
We carry over the overspend only and the underspend goes to our romantic rendesvous account as found money so we can have a date night!!
You get ballot #3 welcome aboard and if you ever feel like giving up, don’t!!! Email me for support!!
Mr.CBB
Sarah M says
Hi. Thanks for the warm welcome. Yes, it is $560 for 2 adults and a 7 year old. I think that if I am able to stay under budget I will build up a certain amount in reserve which will hopefully balance out any overspending (am thinking $100 to $200). That said, once I get a reserve, then any extra each month will just go into savings. We typically eat homemade meals and not a lot of processed foods (which is a very big change from a couple of years ago). We only eat out about once a month, although this month will be twice as we had a celebratory dinner out last night and will take our son out to celebrate the last day of Grade 1 at the end of this month. I do keep a separate section of our budget for dining out as it really varies depending on the month for example in the winter we typically don’t go out at all since we live out of town and it isn’t that appealing to head into town on snowy cold nights. For my grocery budget, my plan is to start at $560 and hope to be able to bring that down even more as I get more practiced at this. I am going to continue to try to shop at Walmart and will check out Giant Tiger. I live in SK so we don’t have No Frills and some of the other stores mentioned on here that are in ON. Definitely feel free to do a blog post about my journey – I am happy to be able to share what I am learning as I go along on this as it is a very big change. The hardest part is just staying out of the grocery store because it is such a habit. One tip I do have is to keep an eye on the loss leaders and markdowns in the dairy case at Shoppers Drug Mart. I find at least here in SK they have some of the most aggressive discounts on dairy/cheese/yogurt etc. And for markdowns, I got eggs last week that were still a week away from their due date marked down to $1.49./dozen. I knew I would have no problem using them in the time before they expire and they were a great price.
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hi SARAH,
I’m sure you once you start posting you will see where you can cut back on grocery shopping and get that budget down. We do shop reduced sections etc and if you look back and read past grocery game posts I talk about our problems with going into grocery stores when we don’t have to and shopping more than we need, spending more money. If we do a blog post on you it means you will have to write it as I don’t know you, you’d have to email me and we could talk about the process involved. In the meantime if you have any questions at all ask away if I’m not around one of the other fans will be more than happy to help you out. Cheers Mr.CBB
Mary F Campbell says
Good to see you join us Sarah!
I get a little better each and every week by posting my shops and getting feedback from the What’s for Dinner feed on exactly what are the folks making with their grocery dollars.
My little tip for a recipe I am making tomorrow: I have some leftover whipping cream in the fridge and a jug of skim milk. My Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup recipe for tomorrow calls for 3 cups of half and half… so I will use up the whipping cream I have left and thin it out with my skim milk to get the 3 cups total liquid that I need. Close enough! Working with what I have instead of exactly following a recipe has saved me oodles! 🙂
Keep up the good work! 😀
Wing-sze Blake says
My husband and I do not think much about organic food, we both think what we are eating is healthy enough so we dont and wont want to spend the extra money to go organic. we eat lots of vegetables, we eat mostly home cooked meals (except when we go out once a week, and also have frozen pizza once a week, husband’s favourite lol)
Last month i had 68.79 left in May’s budget, but i haven’t kept track of Jan – April’s budget much, so i think i will start clean every month this year, keep it $250 for a month, hopefully. BUT bad news is just this past week i spent quite a bit, $146.13!!!!!!!!!!! therefore i only have 103.87 for the rest of the month, which is 34.62 a week, oh my goodness!!! let’s see how i am going to make it, need some stretchy pants to stretch it now haha
and this coming week, i am going to stock up on bacon with the bacon coupons i have, i can’t skip shopping this week. but i promise myself i will use as many coupons as i can to stretch it this month because i need to stick with my budget! please help me coupon god~~~
We went to Hamilton yesterday, bought a month’s meat for the 2 of us, spent just $35! we got 6 large shoulder chops (which we usually cook just 1 for the 2 of us, they are giants!), 2 packs of chicken thighs(5 thighs each). they are giants too. so usually each of us will have 1 thigh for a meal, that means there are more than 4 meals there plus leftovers. cottage roll is a kind of ham in case you never heard of it, which will be 3 meals for us plus lots of leftovers for husband’s lunch sandwiches. and a couple of new york striploin steaks and some braising ribs. way more than enough meat for the month for us. besides, we still have lots of ground beef, ground pork and chicken wings in the freezer, so it should be more than enough!
if we don’t go to this store once a month when we go to Hamilton to see husband’s uncle (we live in Niagara region), i believe we would be spending like $80 -$100 a month for meat, so we are saving a whole lot of money on meat shopping in Farmer Al’s!!
Here’s what i spent last week (HOLY~~~~~)
Budget for 2 people + 3 pets: $250/month
June’s spending: 146.13
June’s budget left: 250-146.13=103.87
June’s coupon used: 31.43
My shops for the last week: 35.54+20.94+67.71+21.94=146.13
Farmer Al’s (local butcher in Hamilton): $35.54
chicken thighs 4.98+5.35=10.33
pork shoulder chops 3.35+3.22+3.38=9.95
beef braising ribs 4.96
steaks 4.07+3.31=7.38
cottage roll 2.95
Giant Tiger: $20.94
Pops 2×2.00=4.00
lettuce 2.47
carrots 1.27
cucumber 0.97
onions 1.17
tin foil 2.00
tomatoes 1.67
cream 3×1.97-3×0.75=3.66
18s eggs 2.97 PM freshco
HST 1.43
Walmart: $67.71
kitty litter 8.98
cesar dog food 9.47-3.00=6.47
iams dog treats 2×3.48-2×1.00=4.96
Olay moisturizer 2×9.77-5.00= 14.54
Zantacs 2.22-3.00=+0.78 overage
clover leaf tuna 3×2.00-3×1.00=3.00
miracle gro singles 3.87
pet stain & odour remover 8.93
Delissio pizzas 2×4.97=9.94
HST 7.80
Food Basics: $21.94
nappa cabbage 1.90
margarine 2.99
frozen shrimp 10.00
green onion 0.67
ginger 0.98
skor bar 0.69
sweet potato 1.66
acorn squash 1.99
jumbo juicy hot dog 4.99-FPC=FREE
snicker bar 1.29-0.65store coupon-FPC=FREE
mars bars 2×0.69-2xFPC=FREE
m&ms 8×0.69-8xFPC=FREE
HST 1.07
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hey WING!!! My FPC GIRL!!!
Organic food can get costly you are correct and that’s why we don’t buy it unless we score a great deal. Most of our organic foods will come from our garden or the relatives gardens. It sounds to me like you fell off track a bit with your budget so starting clean is a good way to go. Even so you only have over $100 left to spend let it be that way WING… get on track to keep your expenses under control whether you spend it all or not each month. For us that is crucial to our budget. I think it’s smart to go to the meat butcher shop when you go to Hamilton especially if you are already there to visit the uncle. Saving money is important so if you know you can save, then save. You don’t seem to both eat lots of meat so you can keep your costs fairly low. Where is the bacon on sale and what coupons are you using? I’ve never had a cottage roll, what are they like? Are they fatty? That’s alot of chocolate are they Facebook freebies I missed again lol. I think you can pull this month off with the $100 you have left Wing… don’t give up on your budget…. I can’t wait to see how this unfolds for you. You get ballot #2.
Wing-sze Blake says
yes mr CBB! i am confident that i can pull it, the rest of the month i will only need fresh veggies, that’s all. it will cost like $20 for a couple weeks, so no worry that i will blow my budget for June! confident 😉
the bacon i have coupons for is maple leaf foods bacon portions, they have another round of $2 off again. (coupon: Zehrs has that on sale this week for 3.99, so it is just 1.99 a pack. For the chocolate coupons, some were from m&ms giveaway last year, mars/snicker ones were from a canadian mitts giveaway, they had a glitch so instead of sending out to all the mistakenly winners each a pair of mitts, they sent out 5 chocolate FPCs each. another example of getting FPC because of a glitch was Garnier body lotion last year, they had a glitch sending out emails to non-winners saying they won, so ended up sending everybody a FPC! from then on, i join everything i can hoping they have a glitch lol
Cottage roll is a kind of ham, not fatty at all either, very healthy. i believe they soak the piece of ham in some kind of salty water. when you buy it you just boil it with water, i put a bay leaf and some pepper in the water then add carrots, potatoes and whatever vegetables you want.
cheers mr CBB! 🙂
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hey WIng!
Thanks for telling me about the cottage roll, I’ve always wondered about that when I see it at the shops. I’m going to have lots of faith in you this month that you stick to the budget! I think I even have $2 bacon coupons I found at Zehrs a couple of months ago although the packages of bacon are small and for $1.99 I wouldn’t bother in my opinion but for you two it may be perfect since you like smaller portions of food.
Dr. Sheba says
Week 22
Walmart
Laundry Detergent $5.97
Tyson Chicken Nuggets $5.26
Coffee Creamer $2.89
Ice Cream Sandwiches $2.97
Total Out of Pocket $17.63
Walmart
24 Ice Cream Sandwich $5.94
Corn Meal $1.38
2 pks Water Crackers $3.68
Paper Towels $5.97
6 lb Rice $3.96
24ct Brown Eggs $4.56
3 Bell Peppers $3.50
5 Tomatoes $1.97
48 oz Vegetable Oil $3.24
Raw Shrimp $5.00
Turkey Smoked Sausage $2.38
2 can Tuna $1.96
Milk Gallon $3.68
Hawaiian Punch $2.08
Tysone Chicken Nugg $5.26
Mini Bagels $2.98
1 lb Ground Beef $4.58
Chicken Drumsticks $5.98
1 bag Red Onions $3.48
Wheat Bread $2.78
Wheat Bread $2.28
Coffee Creamer $2.89
5lb Tator Tots $5.98
Garlic Bread $2.42
Pizza $5.47
Bush Beans $1.50
Total Out of Pocket $99.62
Donna’s Restaurant
King Fish Meal $11.12
Total Out of Pocket $11.12
Walmart
Grape Jelly $1.98
Barbecue Sauce $2.18
Paper Bowls $2.23
20ct Kool Aid Jammers $3.76
Coupons $0.25
Total Out of Pocket $10.51
Total Grocery Amount Budgeted For the Year: $4000
Total Grocery Budget for May: $285.92
Total Coupons Used this Week: $0.25
Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0.00
Total Spent This Week: $138.88
Total Spent for May: $138.88
Total Underspend this shop: -$67.40
Total Overspend for the month of May: $0.00
Total Left to Spend for the Month: $147.04
Total Coupons Used This Month: $0.25
Total to Carry Over Next Month: $147.04
Total Spent To Date This Year: $ $1,922.99
Weekly Overview: I shopped a little heavy this week since I am aiming for a no shop week this month. I have also been using Walmart as my primary store since they usually have the best prices for the things I buy. I would prefer if I could only do a once-a-week shop at most. I always have my life, but sometimes I forget a few things.
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hey!
I presume this is your first shop for June then. It’s great to see you are not at WM and moving away from the high priced Publix. Does your WM do price matching? If so take advantage of that by sitting down and making a list of what you need and seeing if other grocery shops in your area are selling it for cheaper. Bring the flyer with you when you shop to show the cashier and reap the savings. I can see you are working hard at getting more foods to cook rather than pre-made. Garlic butter is dead easy to make so don’t waste money on garlic bread, really it’s so easy. Mince up garlic real well then mix it in with your butter and you get garlic butter, spread on your fav loaf of bread and presto!! You can even cut the head off your garlic, add olive oil, salt and cover with tin foil and roast it until soft, then squeeze out the garlic, when cool mix with soft butter and now you have roasted garlic butter. Tater tots are convenient yet pricey. You can buy a bag of potatoes if you wish, prep my onion garlic balls, then freeze them. All you need to do then is heat up your veg oil and deep fry them or bake them up for the family and it will save you some $$$…. the recipe for my onion garlic balls are here.
I’m so happy to see you are making progress… I can’t wait to see how this month turns out for you. If once a week shop is what works for you keep it that way. Sometimes the more shops you go in, the more money you will spend. I know from experience.
Keep up the good work.
Mary F Campbell says
I build a NO SHOP week into every month for us. It helps me in three ways… I get a budget break on my groceries and that’s always welcome, I get a time management break and that’s pretty welcome too but it also forces me to clean out the fridge and shop my pantry and freezer for a week. That is a good thing in that it keeps my stock turning over regularly. You’re doing great! I see such progress in your grocery shops and hope you are enjoying the journey. 😀
daisyprairieecothrifter says
I rarely buy organic food because of how expensive it is. But we do grow it – we don’t use pesticides at all. Right now we have the plants on the deck so they can get nice and strong without bug interference.
The Norwegian Girl says
Organic food is extremely expensive in Norway, so it´s not often you´ll find anything organic in my kitchen.. I do like the idea of it though, and would love to have a vegetable garden some day to grow my own vegetables.
Adeline says
Organics are priced such cos of the certification, whilst genetically modified & pesticide laden foods are heavily subsidized by the govt. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t GMO foods bear the brunt of getting labelled as such so as to keep people informed. Obviously they are not proud of their food or they have something to hide?
Everyone has choices to feed their family & kids with sucrose, fructose, corn syrups and maltodextrin etc., just need to read the ingredients.
Some organics can be included in the budget or we can have excuses.
Buy organic seeds & Grow A Garden, be it a container garden.
Shop on Tues/Weds and checkout 50% off organics at the store such as Zehrs, Loblaws, Independent stores. Buy organic apples, potatoes, celery, spinach, strawberries as these are laden with pesticides.
Buy no antibiotics, no hormone meats & chicken from the local farmer, cheaper per lb than at the store.
For eg., did you know that you can just buy some organic veggies like celery, potatoes, pineapple and regrow them, so you pay one time but get twice the amount?
Go to heathyshopper.ca and print coupons.
Know your prices!
I choose to buy some organics just for my sanity, I find that I’m psychologically more healthy that way if that helps positively. Go as natural as you can. Start somewhere however small. You’ll taste the difference. If I can find organics always at 50% off so can you 😉
Mary F Campbell says
June – Week #1
Week of June 3 – 9, 2013
2013 GROCERY BUDGET / STOCKPILE BUDGET AND US RESERVE:
•Total Grocery Budgeted For Year: $142.50 per month x 12 mos. = $1,710.00 for 2 adults
•Total Stockpile Budgeted For Year: $47.50 per month x 12 mos. = $570.00 for 2 adults
————————————————————————————————————————–
OUR CANADIAN SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
Extra Foods – Maple Ridge
2 cans chickpeas (on sale) $1.74
1 Sour Cream $2.38
1 Whipping Cream $2.97
•Total Loyalty Card Price Reductions: $0.00
•Total Checkout51 Savings: $0.00
•Total Coupons Used: $0.00
•Total More Points Earned = 0 Points
•Total Air Miles Earned = 0 Points
•Total OOP: $7.09
• Grocery Budget OOP: $7.09
• Stockpile Budget OOP: $0.00
————————————————————————————————————————–
OUR US RESERVE SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
Not applicable this week
————————————————————————————————————————–
2013 GROCERY SAVINGS:
•Total Loyalty Card Price Reductions This Year:
(Jan $40.04) + (Feb $44.48) + (March $98.35) +
(April $50.00)+ (May $3.00) + (June $0.00)
= $235.87
•Total Coupons Used This Year:
(Jan – $60.46) + (Feb – $0.00)+ (March $11.79) +
(April $12.48)+(May $1.50) + (June $0.00)
= $86.23
•Total More Points Earned This Year:
(Jan 265) + (Feb 248)+(March 151) +
(April 26)+(May 0 ) + (June 0)
= 690 Points
•Total Air Miles Earned This Year:
(Jan 57) + (Feb 10) + (March 30) +
(April 83) + (May 0) + (June 0)
= 180 Air Miles
————————————————————————————————————————–
2013 GROCERY SPENDING:
•Total Grocery OOP Spent So Far This Year:
(Jan $217.50) + (Feb $198.39)+ (March $72.90) +
(April $215.04)+ (May $70.12) + (June $7.09)
= $781.04
•Total YTD Grocery Budget So Far:
(Jan $190.00)+(Feb$190.00)+ (March $108.79) +
(April $142.50)+(May $142.50) + June ($142.50-$72.50 = $70.00) =
$843.79
•Total Over/Under on the YTD Grocery Budget: $62.75 UNDER
————————————————————————————————————————–
2013 STOCKPILE SPENDING:
•Total Stockpile OOP Spent So Far This Year:
(March $81.21) + (April $77.55) + (May $17.45) + June ($0.00)
= $176.21
•Total YTD Stockpile Budget:
(March $81.21) + (April $47.50) + (May $47.50) +
(June $47.50+72.50 from Grocery = $120.00)= $296.21
•Total Over/Under on the YTD Stockpile Budget: $120.00 UNDER
————————————————————————————————————————–
• GRAND TOTAL FUNDS SPENT SO FAR: $957.25
————————————————————————————————————————–
CLOSING REMARKS FOR THE WEEK:
I have my annual borscht run to Castlegar coming up towards the end of this month – mid week before the long weekend crowds hit the roads! I’ll also head to the US to stock up on bread on the 18th, so I can take a loaf or two with me.
I am moving the funds out of our grocery budget into the stockpile budget to cover my borscht purchase for the year, before we do any further shopping. It helps me stay on track to know what I can REALLY afford to spend in a given week.
Grocery Budget (CDN):
($0.16) – Overage from May
$142.50 – June grocery Budget
($72.50) – Transfer to Stockpile Funds for Borscht
($7.09) – WEEK 1 grocery purchases
$62.75 – Remaining for JUNE
Stockpile Budget (CDN):
$47.50 – June Stockpile Budget
($72.50) – Transfer from Grocery Funds
$120.00 – Reserved for Borscht Purchase
Safeway Gift card (CDN): $20.00
Cash Hiding Spot (CDN): $21.51
Re-Stocking Funds (CDN): $0.00
Grocery Reserve (US): $165.89 US
Cash Hiding Spot (US): $65.00 US
————————————————————————————————————————–
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Hi Mary,
I’m catching up early on these while I can!! I know you made changes to your borscht run to Castlegar so how will that affect your budget now? I love how you have that $0.16 overage in May, very jealous… So you have $62.75 for groceries in June after the Borscht If I am reading correct plus your stockpile budget. Your hiding spot is growing… 🙂 With the crockpots that you own have you ever considered buying a bag of dry chickpeas and putting a cup or 2 in the crockpot for a few hours and then keeping them in the refrigerator for when you need them? That’s what we do every week as we found it to be cheaper overall although I don’t know the costs for chickpeas in the bags out where you are. We pay $1.99 for 2kg. So this week so far you spent $7.09.. not too shabby at all!! Let’s see how your month rolls out! You get ballot #1 Mr.CBB
Mary F Campbell says
Mr CBB, to be honest… hubby doesn’t eat that many beans and lentils unless I am making a chili or a stew. So, it makes more sense to use canned when it’s for something that only I will be eating.
The 2 cans of chickpeas are basically for my lunches. I wanted to make a pot of soup that’s loaded with vegetables with one can of chickpeas that I could nibble away at for an entire week.
The other can is just to have a spare in my pantry.
I have better luck getting hubby to do meatless meals when they come in the form of eggs, cheese or pasta or even nuts. Since I like him to have one fish meal a week… I pick my battles when it comes to the beans/pulses.
Besides, one can of beans for my week of lunches is a minimal cost in my mind. I do regularly use dried navy beans, kidney beans and black beans but hubby is not all that crazy for chickpeas. Everyone has their likes and dislikes.
The borscht fund is going to stand. Just because I have it set aside for the purchase doesn’t mean I have to spend it right away. I can always hold it in reserve for the summer of 2014. 🙂
I am doing okay with our June shopping – but I told hubby to put the brakes on now and we’ll have a couple of NO SHOP weeks. I am going to get bread in the US on the 18th but not much else. I have a REALLY tight hold on the purse strings this month. Just try and wrench that wallet from my hand… not gonna happen! LOL 😀
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Oh, I thought he enjoyed them as much as you do so that does make sense just to buy the odd can or two. If you are still going to get the borscht then it makes sense to hang on to the money and if you use it you use it if not I’m sure you can find ways to make use of it. We need to cut down as well we have so much in the freezer that needs using up and our relatives already brought a load of free veg and garlic for us. I’m sure the summer will bring more free food our way as well!
Greg @ Thriftgenuity.com says
My wife and I are debating buying organic. Although, in general, we just need to focus on eating more fruits and vegetables period. We will definitely stick to a money-conscious approach if we make the switch, so thanks for the ideas.
Canadianbudgetbinder says
That’s how we started out Greg. We stopped buying boxed food as much as possible ie: crackers, cookies, crips, bars etc.. and focused on fresh produce, dairy, meats, grains… it’s been working out great but we’ve also had to get creative in the kitchen and creat new recipes. It works for us.
Adeline says
That’s awesome to hear! Yes, more fruits & veggies are great. Products such as mushrooms, avocadoes & kiwis I believe are ok to buy conventional. I’ve tried organic and conventional kiwis just for experiment and yes the organic ones were more expensive but the they were sweeter tasting, The conventional ones were ‘soury’. So maybe even if they were cheaper, have I wasted my money since no one wanted to eat them anymore haha? Perhaps I’l just wait when the organic ones become cheaper. I’ve gotten organic carrots at $1.99 when conventional were $1.97, so it’s a no brainer to me which one to get. Many times I’ve gotten organic milk, tomatoes & bananas all at 50% off so became cheaper than conventional. So I wish you and your wife all the best and have fun on the lookout for these 😉
plantingourpennies says
So far, it seems as though organic foods haven’t been proven to have more nutrients or produce better health benefits than conventionally grown foods. There was a study that was widely reported last fall on this topic.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/09/04/160395259/why-organic-food-may-not-be-healthier-for-you
Canadianbudgetbinder says
yes I’ve read a few studies and iIve read and talked to people who say yes it is no it’s not. All I know is you can’t beat the taste and for that reason alone, I’m a happy guy for organic. Thanks for sharing the study mate.
Christine Weadick says
A new month to work at staying under budget….. we’ve bought organic at the local farmers market on occasion, and don’t see much of a difference price wise there. The real difference tends to be at the grocery store. I go to a PYO place for my strawberries for jam and I was able to talk to the owner of the place about this kind of thing. He does use chemicals, and freely admits it but says that it’s only if necessary and as little as possible. Fair enough……I enjoyed the conversation. May not be organic strawberries but he’s honest about what he does. That seems to be the main advantage of shopping for food at the markets…. you get to know the grower and can ask about things and get answers, not something you’d expect to get at the grocery store…
There are some coupons posted I’ll have to have a good look for!!
Canadianbudgetbinder says
Thanks for your input, I was hoping to hear from some of the fans about cost. I think building a relationship with local farmers is a great way to help them out and I’m sure they will help you out.
mycanuckbuck says
I recognize a few of those coupons! My husband got a few through work – they were awesome. No expiry date and the product was completely free!