Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
Looking for a job as a grocery clerk? Check out these valuable resources to navigate your job search and stand out.
Finding Your Dream Grocery Store Job
I’ve never worked as a grocery clerk before, although I have worked in the grocery industry.
My role was picking cases of products in a warehouse, which was a repetitive, tough job with long 12-hour shifts, but it paid well.
In the UK, it’s not easy to find a job fresh out of University or if you want to enter the workforce.
When I came to Canada, I was amazed at all the opportunities in front of me.
However, most of the careers I was interested in required me to go back to school, which is what I did.
Working as a grocery store clerk is a great opportunity to gain experience in customer service, which can take you to other levels of the world.
Not everyone who gets a job in a grocery store wants to retire there, but those who do may get promoted, which means better opportunities and more money.
Working as a grocery store clerk is a great way for students, older people, or those wanting a part-time job to enter the workforce.
It can provide an income until you’re also waiting for a better job. Some Primerica reviews mention how the company provided an opportunity while they were in a lower-paying job.
In any case, it’ll probably only be temporary; it’s tough to score a full-time grocery store job these days unless it’s management or you move up in the company with years of experience.
It’s tough to score a full-time grocery store job unless it’s management or you move up in the company with years of experience.
I had a teen named Christine send me a few questions last week because she wants to find a part-time job while she attends university.
I wondered if any fans had tips to share with her about working in a grocery store.
She wants to work as a grocery store clerk because she doesn’t mind dealing with customers, money, and the repetitive nature of the job.
She wants to know, “Is working as a grocery clerk a bad job?”
Working At A Grocery Store vs. Fast Food Restaurant
Christine is also contemplating working in fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s or Tim Hortons, but she isn’t sure if she is cut out for the fast pace of those jobs.
As the title suggests, working in fast food is fast, which means you are on the go your entire shift.
The employee turnover rate is probably much higher in fast food than it is in supermarkets; however, keep in mind that a grocery clerk’s job is also fast-paced.
Another one of her questions: Is working in a grocery store hard?
Working as a grocery store clerk can be challenging, but when you are working with food, it’s time-sensitive, which means you have to serve it hot when it’s hot.
Some grocery stores time the cashiers to see how fast they can check out a customer.
One of the hard parts is waiting for a price check because that will hold up an entire line, and the grocery clerk will have to deal with those customers who kick up a fuss.
Ultimately, when you work in a fast-paced customer service role, you have to be alert to time, the customer, and being a leader for your company.
Mrs. CBB has worked in both the grocery store and fast food industry and told me that you should stay away if you don’t like dealing with customers.
The customers were the only thing that kept her going while working in this industry.
Once she left the customer service-based role and moved to a desk career, she found she often missed that interaction.
What tips can you add about working in fast food vs. grocery stores?
Benefits Of Working At A Grocery Store
With the help of Mrs. CBB, we came up with the following benefits of becoming a grocery store employee.
However, if you’ve worked in a grocery store, you may have more reasons why someone should apply for a grocery clerk job.
That means our list is not all-inclusive because it mostly boils down to what you enjoy.
- Many grocery stores offer minimum wage plus jobs
- Some may be union jobs, which may mean more per hour and other benefits
- Potential benefits for full-time employees
- You get to deal with the public
- There’s always something new going on
- Easy way to make money if you want to work part-time
- Flexible hours if you are a parent or looking for part-time hours
- You get the best discount groceries and see all the deals first
- You may get a staff discount card or days for stuff you need, such as Food! Some companies give employees discounts for stuff they don’t even need. Example: Discount on a vehicle if you work in a car manufacturing plant (Unless, of course, you are buying a new vehicle)
- Potential heads up on all the new flyer specials
- Bonding with the regulars who come in and building friendships
- You get to listen to music while you work
One of our CBB fans, Juanita, currently works at Sobey’s and had this to add:
Some stores give their staff an in-store discount.
Where I work on a specific day of the month we receive 10% off a purchase of $50 or more.
Juanita
What other benefits can you think of for someone considering a job as a grocery store clerk?
Cons Of Working As A Grocery Store Clerk
Although I can probably come up with just as many reasons why working as a grocery clerk is a tough job, there are the obvious, but not everyone considers them a problem.
- Long periods of standing
- Dealing with difficult customers
- Part-time hours when you want full-time
- Little to no benefits if offered
- Wearing a uniform
- Late nights and weekend work
- Heavy lifting
- Repetitive work
Over-spending can be a huge con especially if you want to stick to your grocery budget as some people like shopping everyday after their shift and pick up what is on sale or on special that day.
This may work to their advantage but they also might blow their grocery budget if they have one.
CBB Fan Juanita – Grocery Store Clerk
What other cons can you think of for those considering a job as a grocery store clerk?
Grocery Clerk Skills Needed
I went ahead and searched online for a grocery clerk job description and made my way to Workopolis, where I found a job ad for Freshco/Sobey’s.
They are hiring a grocery clerk for their new store opening up in Brampton, Ontario which means everything in the store is brand new and very clean.
Working in a new grocery store is just as difficult as working in an older grocery store, even though some people may say that it’s hard to keep up with how pristine a new store is.
Sample Grocery Clerk Job Description
Interested in delivering the newest grocery products available to consumers across Canada?
Do you have a strong sense of detail and enjoy being part of a customer service focused team of energetic people?
Then we’d like you to join our grocery department team!
The grocery department at FreshCo is responsible for products ranging from cereals to ice cream, from hair care to pet care.
Thousands of different products and brands are stocked on our shelves.
Whether taking a customer to where a product is located, to helping them make the right choice of product, or simply taking pride in setting up a well-organized display, the members of our grocery team are focused on ensuring customers leave our stores with exactly what they need.
We achieve this through strong organizational skills, a team mentality to getting the work done and great product knowledge.
Training is provided and a part-time position can lead to promotion and other great opportunities in our business.
Workopolis
Job Requirements For A Grocery Store Clerk
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Excellent customer service skills
- Compliance with safety and sanitation procedures
- Experience and knowledge of the Grocery Department is an asset
- Retail experience is an asset
- Available to work days, evenings, and weekends
Various Grocery Store Job Titles
Working at a grocery store, you will find different roles throughout the store depending on what your store has to offer.
Although the roles may be similar, the job descriptions may vary.
Below are some job titles you may find in a grocery store.
- Grocery Clerk
- Grocery Cashier
- Grocery Manager
- Grocery Stockperson
- Bakery Clerk
- Produce Clerk
- Meat Department Clerk
- Dairy Clerk
- Frozen Food Clerk
- Sushi Clerk
- Deli Clerk
- Seafood Clerk
- Fresh and Hot Food Clerk
- Baker
- Senior Cashier
- Self-Checkout Clerk
- Self-Checkout Manager
- Assistant Store and Department Managers
ImportanceOf Customer Service Skills
The one skill that these job titles have in common is customer service.
You must be able to deal with the public daily with a smile, even though you may not want to.
Most grocery stores will find they have high turnover because most grocery clerk jobs are only part-time and suitable for someone happy to have 15-20 hours a week.
I remember talking to a grocery store clerk at Zehrs one day, and although she was making more than minimum wage, her hours weren’t paying the rent.
Grocery store managers may hire students to work evenings and weekends because they would rather work those hours after school.
The problem is they never stick around because as soon as they graduate, they move on to find a career they studied for.
With such high turnover, many grocery stores hire more people aged 55 and older.
My mother-in-law, over 55, recently worked as a grocery clerk at a local grocery store.
Unfortunately, she was laid off and found that most businesses didn’t want to invest in training someone her age.
She has lived without an income for the past two years and was excited to find out she got the job.
She said that she missed dealing with customers and loves to help people find what they need.
She’s only a few weeks into her new job, and she has no complaints thus far.
She’s happy to have a job that gives her some extra money to spend and helps fund their retirement.
What other job titles can you think of for a grocery store clerk?
Grocery Store Advancement Potential
One of the great reasons to get a job as a grocery store clerk is the potential to move up in the company, especially if you plan to stay a while.
My wife has a cousin who has worked at Metro since the store was called A&P and is now a department manager.
He loves working for the company because they are flexible and work around his family life schedule.
With management positions and promotions comes a salary increase as well.
Since most students want to work as grocery store clerks or in fast food, we need to remember that technological changes have slowed down the hiring of employees.
Where we used to have many cashiers open on a given day, now we have self-scanners, which one grocery store clerk watches.
These scanners have taken over the role of the traditional grocery store clerk, which means there are fewer job opportunities.
According to the census data, in 2006 women held approximately 33% of the positions in this occupation, a proportion that has risen slowly since 1991 (26%).
There is a lot of night and weekend work, and store shelf stockers are sometimes required to do night work.
The data on annual employment income ($22,549) presented in the “Characteristics” section under “Statistics” applies only to the 31% of this occupation’s members who worked full-time and full year in 2005.
The average employment income of those who did not work full-time or full year, including a number of students, came to only $8,594.
There were very few self-employed workers in this occupation in 2006 (1% compared to 11% for all occupations)
.- Stats Canada
Potential Grocery Store Interview Questions
That’s great you’ve got the interview lined up, and now you want to know what human resources might ask you about your job interview.
Aside from the obvious, your best strategy is to know your resume inside out and the company you are applying for.
You must know who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve learned, and what you want from a company.
If you are called in for an interview you could be interviewed by your possible new manager, supervisor, assistant store manager, store manager or maybe even a human resources manager (each store is different with the interview process).
If and when you are hired in our store for instance there are usually training shifts for either a few days or few weeks based on the job role you have been hired for.
CBB Fan Juanita Paul- Grocery Store Clerk
Here are a few sample grocery store interview questions for Metro, No Frills, Provigo, Save On Foods, and Zehrs to get you started from the Glass Door.
If you sign up at the Glass Door, you can see the full questions, but remember that these are just examples, and there are so many possible interview questions.
I don’t know how they get these questions, but either way, they are great questions to add to your mock interview.
Take my suggestion above, and you should ace the interview.
- Why do you want to work at Save On Foods, No Frills, Zehrs?
- What would you do if a co-worker took $20 from the cash register?
- How do you deal with angry customers?
- Are you searching for a temporary or permanent position?
- Can you work weekends?
- Can you lift heavy objects over 30lbs?
- Do you have any retail or customer service experience?
- Have you ever worked in a grocery store before?
How To Apply For A Grocery Clerk Job
You can easily bring a resume into any grocery store if they accept resumes or may ask that you apply online or through a third-party job bank service such as Workopolis.
Below are a few Canadian grocery store websites with career opportunities and tips for applying for a job.
- Sobeys Careers, which also includes Safeway, Freshco, Foodland, IGA, Thrifty Foods, and Lawtons
- Careers at Walmart Canada accept online applications
- Loblaws Stores Careers also offers graduate opportunities to partner with different schools and alumni. Submit your resume in person at a store or distribution centre, or online at www.loblaw.ca/careers, and it will be uploaded to the electronic database.
- Careers at Metro Canada
Loblaws Grocery Store banners include:
- Independent
- Zehrs
- Real Canadian Superstore
- Wholesale Club
- Club Entrepot
- Lees Entrepot Presto
- T&T Supermarket
- Osaka Supermarket
- Shoppes Drug Mart
- Bloor Street Market
- Valu-Mart
- Loblaws
- Fortinos
- Provigo
- No Frills
- Atlantic Superstore
- Extra Foods
- Maxi
Grocery Store Work Is Not For Everyone
I know this was a long post, but I believe that when you are interested in a career, the most important thing you can do is research, which includes talking to people who work in the industry.
When you network with people who already work in the role you are interested in, you can ask them any questions you’d like so you can make an informed decision.
Ultimately, you will only know if you are right for the role once you have worked in it.
Thanks For reading,
Mr. CBB
October Grocery Game Challenge Posts
If you missed any grocery game posts for the month, I will post the lineup each week here for you so you don’t have to go look for past GGC posts for the month.
Free Budgeting Tools
Free Money Saving Downloads are awesome lists created to get us on track to reach our budgeting goals, and we are sharing them with you now.
Ultimate Grocery Shopping Guide
Everything you want to know about grocery shopping in Canada.
2015 Grocery Shop Results
Yearly grocery budget for two 2015: $2820
(The above total does not include the stockpile budget of $235 per year or $25 per month.
Points Overview (add any other sections you need to show us your savings)
- Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $235.00
- Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs $235.00
- Total Gift Cards used to date: $32.40
- Total Rewards Points redeemed this week: $0
- Total Rewards Points used to date: $140.00
- PC Points Plus Earned to date: 30660
- Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP) to date $0
Coupon Apps (add any other apps you use to save money)
- Snap Groupon to date: $28.00
- Zweet to date: $18.00
- Checkout51 to date: $6.00
Grocery Shop This Week
Below are the grocery stores and products we purchased during our shopping trips this week.
Food Basics
- 2 small pumpkins $1.50 each
- Raspberries $2.88
- Strawberries $2.88
Total Out-of-Pocket $8.75
Zehrs
- Browning Sauce $3.29-50%
- Stuffing Mix $1.00
- Liberte Greek Yogurt Blueberry $5.29-50%
- PC Organic Arugula $5.49-50%
- 10lbs potatoes $1.67
- Fennel $2.99 (it’s huge)
- 6 x Bagged Whole Chickens In-store special $4.01, $4.19, $3.68, $3.64, $4.16, $3.66
- Brie $6.99-50%
- 2x PC Spanish Salami $6.99 each-50%
- 2% milk $3.97
- 3.23% milk $4.97
Total Out-of-Pocket: $56.49
- Total to spend this month: $235
- Stockpile budget 2015 ($25.00): (Jan/Feb) $50.00 +$0 (Mar)+$16.94+$25.00 (April)+$25.00+ May $25.00+ June $25.00+July $14.44+Aug $25.00+Sept $25.00+ Oct $
- Stockpile budget used this month: $23.94
- Total coupons used this week: $0
- Total coupons used to date: $34.50
- Total in-store discounts this week: $41.89
- Total in-store discounts to date: $623.00
- Total spent this week: $65.24
- Total spent so far this month: $134.28
- Total over/Under spend this shop: over $over
- Total over/Under spent for the month: $under
- Total left to spend for the month: $104.70
- Total Spent To Date 2015: (does not include stockpile budget) Jan $166.49+ Feb $261.51+ Mar $231.02 + April $258.44+May $218.12+ June $235.67+July $212.16+August $118.15+ September $130.37+ October $
Weekly Grocery Shop Overview
We were lucky to score some great deals over at Zehrs that were not on our list, such as the chickens and some 50% off items.
Going into Zehrs is hit or miss for us, and we know that it could make or break our budget because those stickers tempt us.
We’re still on track for the month, and I’m making lots of chicken noodle soup!
Canadian Coupons Found
Here are some great places you can find Canadian Coupons!
We’re finding fewer and fewer coupons in the stores these days.
What are your thoughts? Are coupon apps taking over paper coupons?
You’ve decided to take control of your grocery budget. Now show me your shops, and let’s get started!
-Mr.CBB
Envious of your chicken deal 🙂
Do you use the carcass to make chicken soup afterwards?
Yes I made the broth last night! We are making soup when I get home from work tonight. I thought it was an amazing deal so I stocked up while I could. Cheap soup all winter!
OCTOBER – Week #2 of 4- Oct 12-18, 2015
2015 GROCERY BUDGET / STOCKPILE BUDGET AND US RESERVE:
•Total Grocery Budgeted For Year: $190.00 x 12 = $2,280.00 for 2 adults
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REMARKS FOR THE WEEK:
Hubby has come down with one of his two annual colds. That changed my entire plan for the Thanksgiving weekend cooking. I am a big believer in all things “soup” to heal what ails you when you work with nice healthy ingredients.
So I have soup, soup, and more soup on the menu this week:
– Cabbage-Potato-Spinach-Onion-Ground Beef Soup (with a hit of hot sauce)
– Velveeta Cheesy Broccoli Soup & Garlic Bread
– Easiest Ever Pumpkin Soup with Quick Peppery Cheese Bread
– Turkey Mulligatawny Soup (a variation on a theme) with Baked Apple Cornbread
I was going to take advantage of one of our rain checks this week to stock the pantry with NO SALT diced tomatoes. Hubby found an even better deal though and picked up NO SALT 28 oz cans at 2 for $3.00! Good shopping sweetie!!!
Next week I’ll have apples to report because hubby and I will be going to the local apple festival. Fall has some of the best festivals! I have my eyes peeled for sales on Christmas supplies too!
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OUR “CANADIAN” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
Thrifty Foods – Maple Ridge –
8 Compliments 28 oz NO SALT Diced Tomatoes @ 2 for $3 = $12.00
Total OOP: $12.00
** Earned 0 Air Miles on this shop **
** SAVED $0.00 in Rain Check Coupons **
** SAVED $7.92 Loyalty Savings on this shop **
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OUR “US RESERVE” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
OUR NEXT USA SHOP MAY BE in December while hubby is on vacation.
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2015 Y-T-D GROCERY SAVINGS:
•Total Loyalty Card Price Reductions This Year:
Jan $3.58+ Feb $0.00 + Mar $14.54 + Apr $15.76 + May $0.00 + June $5.68 + July $0.00 + Aug $35.63 + Sept $138.97 = $214.17
•Total Coupons/Rain Checks Used This Year:
Jan $0.00 + Feb $0.00 + Mar $0.00 + Apr $0.00 + May $0.00 + June $14.00 + July $0.00 + Aug $0.00 + Sept $88.75 = $102.75
•Total Price Match Savings Used This Year:
Jan $0.00 +Feb $0.00 + Mar $0.00 + Apr $0.00 + May $0.00 + June $0.00 + July $0.00 + Aug $0.00 + Sept $0.00 = $0.00
•Total More Points Earned This Year:
Jan 22 + Feb 45 + Mar 140 + Apr 12 + May 6 + June 12 + July 0 + Aug 160 + Sept 84= 481 Points
•Total Air Miles Earned This Year:
Jan 0 + Feb 0 + Mar 1 + Apr 1 + May 322 + June 0 + July 0 + Aug 4 + Sept 176= 504 Air Miles
•Total PC PLUS Points Earned This Year:
Jan 1200 + Feb 900 + Mar 900 + Apr 1,500 + May 0 + June 1800 + July 0 + Aug 900 + Sept 2,200= 9,400 Points
•Total Optimum Points Earned This Year:
Jan 30 + Feb 40 + Mar 0 + Apr 0 + May 0 + June 20 + July 0 + Aug 0 + Sept 0= 90 Points
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2015 Y-T-D GROCERY SPENDING:
•Total OOP Year-To-Date:
Jan $199.31+ Feb $180.69 + Mar $274.41 + Apr $105.59+ May $237.00 + June $171.34 + July $53.25 + Aug $319.00 + Sept $117.32 + Oct (trf $25.00 Xmas Reserve+$17.09 to Summer + $17.50 trf to Re-Stocking Reserve + $12.50 trf to Borscht Reserve + $50.00 trf to US +$21.93+$12.00= $156.02)= $1,813.93
•Total Year-To-Date Grocery Budget:
Jan $190.00+Feb $190.00 + Mar $190.00 + Apr $190.00 + May $190.00 + June 190.00+July$190.00+Aug $190.00 + Sept 190.00 + Oct $190.00 = $1,900.00
•Total Over/Under on Year-To-Date Grocery Budget: $86.07 AVAILABLE
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2015 CANADIAN UNUSED RESERVE:
2014 Fwd $0.00+Jan $0.00+Feb $3.83+ Mar $32.09 + Apr $4.99 + May $4.69 + June $9.38 + July $4.69 + Aug $0.00 + Sept $9.38 +Oct $0.00= $69.05
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2015 RE-STOCKING RESERVE:
2014 Fwd $325.00+Jan $22.50+Feb $22.50 + Mar $17.50 + Apr $18.44 + May $17.50 + June $6.56 + July $20.00 + Aug $20.00 + Sept ($17.50-$120 – $167.50= – $270.00) + Oct $17.50 = $217.50
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2015 Y-T-D BORSCHT RESERVE:
2014 Fwd $412.50+Jan $12.50 + Feb $12.50 + Mar $12.50 + Apr $0.00 + May $20.00 + June $30.00+July $0.00 + Aug $12.50 + Sept $12.50 + Oct $12.50 = $537.50
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2015 Y-T-D HOLIDAY SEASON RESERVE:
2014 Fwd $110.00+Jan $10.00 +Feb $10.00+ Mar $10.00 + Apr $10.00 + May $25.00 + June $10.00 + July 15.00+ Aug 15.00 + Sept $10.00 + Oct ($25.00 – $64.88 trf to US Reserve = -$39.88) = $185.12
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2015 Y-T-D SUMMER RESERVE:
2014 Fwd $90.00+Jan $10.00 + Feb $10.00 + Mar $15.00 + Apr $15.00 + May $35.00 + June $36.44 + July $13.56+Aug $21.31 + Sept ($9.85-$106.16 = -$96.31) + Oct $17.09= $167.09
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• SUMMARY OF FUNDS Y-T-D:
$ 1,900.00 Grocery Budget JAN-OCT
$ 69.05 Redeemed Points to Purchase Groceries
($ 0.02) Hiding Spot Cash – SPENT
($ 13.45) 2014 Costco Rebate Chq – SPENT
($169.31) Trf to Misc Reserves (Re-Stocking, Borscht, Xmas, Summer)
($ 201.81) Trf to US Grocery Reserve
($ 69.05) Set in a reserve to offset Redeemed Points
($ 1,429.34) Actual CASH SPENT
$ 86.07 AVAILABLE FOR Y-T-D SPENDING
• VALUE POINTS REDEEMED Y-T-D:
$ 4.98 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – JAN
$ 4.69 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – FEB
$ 4.69 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – FEB
$ 4.99 Whole Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – MAR
$ 4.99 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – MAR
$ 4.99 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – MAR
$ 1.60 Sprouts- 1,000 MORE Pts – MAR
$ 4.99 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – MAR
$ 4.99 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – APR
$ 4.69 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – MAY
$ 4.69 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – JUNE
$ 4.69 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – JUNE
$ 4.69 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – JULY
$ 4.69 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – SEPT
$ 4.69 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – SEPT
$ 69.05 Total $ Value of Points Redeemed
So far $1,900.00 has been budgeted Y-T-D for 2015 and we have recorded these funds as “spent” and in fact they have been “saved”:
$217.50 Freezer Re-Stocking Fund
$537.50 Borscht Fund
$185.12 Holiday Season Fund
$167.09 Summer Season Fund
OUR CURRENT TOTAL UNUSED RESERVES ARE $1,107.21… that is a $937.50 carry-forward from 2013 & 2014 and $169.71 in NEW 2015 savings after spending $574.11 of the reserves in SEPTEMBER and OCTOBER.
This also means that with $190.00 to start OCTOBER plus $52.09 available carried forward from SEPTEMBER less $72.09 transferred to the various savings reserves less $0.00 transferred for Points Redeemed = $170.00 plus an additional $50.00 saved in our US grocery reserve, we opened the month of OCTOBER with $120.00 available to spend on the Canadian side of the border LESS the funds we have spent of $33.93 on our groceries (cash & points) so far this month and have $86.07 AVAILABLE for the month of OCTOBER.
We have groceries that have been purchased using points redeemed, rather than the budgeted cash in the amount of $69.05. Available as an offset, we currently have $69.05 in our UNUSED CASH RESERVE. As at this moment, we need and additional $0.00 in the UNUSED CASH RESERVE. If our budget is truly sufficient, when we reach December 31st, the unused funds should still be equal to, if not greater than, the value of the points redeemed. It’ll be interesting to see if they actually are.
Note: Another reserve of $110.21 IS AVAILABLE for our next US shop!
Of the outstanding US Shopping Reserve $110.21:
$113.07 is carried forward from 2014
$252.50 is new 2015 Y-T-D savings
Less $115.57 that we’ve transferred back to the grocery funds
PLUS $64.88 transferred from our Christmas Reserve funds
Less ($9.98+$5.00+$15.32+$34.58) = $64.88 Christmas spending in the US
Less ($10.00+$71.86+$57.93) = $139.79 that we’ve actually spent in 2015
= $110.21 US Reserve Available
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The valid rain checks I hold are as follows:
Thrifty Foods –
12 x 14 oz Compliments NO SALT Diced Tomatoes @ $1.00 ea – good until Dec 27/15
6 x WW Bread @ $1.00 ea – good until Dec 29/15
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Hi Mary,
That’s a great deal for the diced tomatoes and I like the No Salt as well. Do they keep as long when you buy them with no salt or does that not matter? I hope your Mr. is feeling better. I think soup does heal many things and your round-up of soups this weeks sound great. Fall is one of the best times to get apples. I would love to go to an Apple festival. My wife said she used to always go to the orchards with her family as a child and picked apples, cherries, peaches etc. and has many fond memories. We plan to do this with our son when he gets older. Festivals are great to meet vendors, sample foods and chat to the locals. Have fun and looking forward to your apple report. You get ballot 19. MR.CBB
Week 2 – October 11 – 17
• Grocery budget to work with in October: $200
• Total coupons used this week: $3.50
• Total coupons used to date: $132.41
• Total RCSS gas coupons used this week: $0
• Total RCSS gas coupons used to date: $16.71
• Total value PC Plus points redeemed this week: $0
• Total value PC Plus points redeemed to date: $340
• Total gift cards/certificates/gifts used this week: $0
• Total gift cards/certificates/gifts used to date: $63.76
• Total student discounts this week: $2.47
• Total student discounts to date: $195.46
• Total tax savings RCSS this week: $0
• Total tax savings RCSS to date: $11.98
• Total spent this week: $47.95
• Total spent so far this month: $94.50
• Total left to spend for the month: $100
• Carry over: $2.05
• Total in carry over jar: $67.35
• Total Spent To Date 2015: $2,502.65
RCSS: Bananas .91, jumbo chili cheese beef hot dogs 5 x 1.00, Maple Lodge chicken hot dogs 4 x .50, Chicken bacon cheese sausages 4 x .50, Wonder bread hot dog buns .50, Wonder bread hamburger buns 2.22 (SCOP) and .50, Old Mill dinner rolls 2 x .75: 12.4 rounded down 1 cent
RCSS: NN black olives 2 x 1.00, PC cola 2L .94, Eggs 2.49 (PM), frozen brussel sprouts 2.28, potato 10 lb 1.67 (PM), bananas 2.44 less 30%, broccoli .88 (PM), raspberries 2 x 2.00 less 2.00 coupons (PM), bean sprouts .99 less 30%, Oil of olay bar soap 7.99, less student discount 2.47, plus tax 1.05: Total paid 25.20
Walmart: Armstrong cheese 3.97 less .50 coupon: Total 3.45 rounded down 2 cents
Walmart: Armstrong cheese 3.97 less .50 coupon: Total 3.45 rounded down 2 cents
Walmart: Armstrong cheese 3.97 less .50 coupon: Total 3.45 rounded down 2 cents
On target for this week and a bit put into the carryover jar. Great deals on clearance sausages and hot dogs at RCSS. We are doing our best to stay on track and we needed to start getting more veggies. The garden is just about done, we have some carrots. Sadly, we got frost last night, so I need to check the tomatoes that are left and still green. I didn’t realize the temp was going down so far, so I didn’t cover them. The cheese at Walmart was a great deal, but because it was one coupon per customer, they rung it in as three separate transactions. I don’t care, whatever gets us the cheese. We haven’t been buying a lot of cheese since it’s a big expense and eats up a lot of the budget.
Hi Angela,
I just noticed you track your gas coupon usage which is great. I never thought to do that but now I might. I actually just redeem my points from CTire but it would be nice to see how much I save each year. I was wondering about that armstrong coupon. I have them and saw the sale but never made it out. That was a super great deal on the cheese. I would have stocked up too!! Oh, you did score a great deal on the hotdogs! I find the PC stores always have the best reduced items and that’s another reason we shop there. Well done Angela! You get ballot 20. Mr.CBB
I used to work at a grocery store owned by my uncle years ago. It was part time and what I liked about the job is that I could get discount on products and work anytime I want.
Yearly grocery budget for 4 adults and 2 cats 2015 -$7800.00
(The above total does not include the stockpile budget of $235 per year or $25 per month.
Points Overview (add any other sections you need to show us your savings)
Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $650.00
Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs $650.00
Total Gift Cards used to date: $10.00
Total Rewards Points redeemed this week: $0
Total Rewards Points used to date: $0
PC Points Plus Earned to date: 21250
Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP) to date $0
Coupon Apps (add any other apps you use to save money)
Snap Groupon to date: $3.00
Zweet to date: $.25 ($25.75 cashed out)
Checkout51 to date: $1.75 ($25.59 cashed out)
Grocery Shop This Week
Foodland #1
1 Downy -8.99
1 case ginger ale -3.33
1 cranberry cocktail -2.99
1 yogurt -2.99
2 packages pasta @1.79
1 box sandwich bags -1.78
1 pack ground pepper -.99
2 4l milk @4.88
2 lbs butter @3.99
1 sour cream -2.29
Bananas -.98
1 pack lean ground beef -3.85
Tax -1.83
Total OOP -$51.34
Foodland #2
1 jug water -5.49
1 pack glad containers -4.99
2 cases cream soda @3.33
1 yogurt -2.99
2 pasta sauce @1.79
Bananas -.89
Tax -1.51
Total OOP -$27.70
No Frills
2 Palmolive dish soap @2.47, 2X1.00 coupons
1 Downy -14.99
1 Dawn dish soap -1.97
1 ketchup -4.97
1 216 count Tetley teabags -9.99
1 OEP taco kit -2.99
1 10kg flour -7.99
1 NN ground pepper -2.99
1 NN cinnamon -1.49
3 NN apple sauce @1.29
1 Royale TP, 8dr -3.97
4 cans tomato paste @4/2.00
2 4l milk @3.97
10 lbs potatoes -2.47
2 packs Johnsonville brats sausage @2.97
1 pack hot cross buns -4.39, 50% discount(2.20)
1 bagels -1.50
2 Dove body wash @4.99, 2X1.50 coupons
1 mouth wash -3.79
Tax-5.62
Total OOP -90.18, $10.00 GC, 5.00 coupons, 2.20 discount
10000 PC points for spending $50.00
Total to spend this month $650.
Stockpile budget 2015 ($25.00): Jan $22.20+ Feb -$24.50+ Mar $22.18+ April $18.32+ May $40.95+June $24.15+July $45.32+ Aug $32.92+ Sept $22.43+Oct $
Stockpile budget used this month: $0
Total coupons used this week: $5.00
Total coupons used to date: $130.64
Total in-store discounts this week: $2.20
Total in-store discounts to date: $129.78
Total spent this week: $169.22
Total spent so far this month: $345.16
Total over/Under spend this shop: over $over
Total over/Under spend for the month: $under
Total left to spend for the month: $304.84
Total Spent To Date 2015: (does not include stockpile budget) Jan $640.13+ Feb $572.63+ Mar $786.52+ April $515.95+ May $621.33+ June $760.66+ July $552.91+ August $674.89+ September $610.32+ October $
Weekly Overview (your final thoughts) we were in Stratford so I ended up going to No Frills for the first time in several months. Not as costly to the budget as it could have been. I tried very hard to keep that trip to what I needed! The gift card came in handy as well there. I think because I haven’t been in so long my offers were sparse as all I had was 10000 points if I spent $50.00. I now have enough points to be useful a little. I was over slightly for the week but there is room left in the month even with having to get some goodies for the kids for Halloween.
Normally I buy a big jug of Downy at Canadian Tire but they were out so I got a smaller one at Foodland. Then we went to NF and I grabbed a really big one!! It will keep me going for a good long time!
I have cashed out both Checkout 51 and Zweet to use for Christmas shopping. I have my points at Jackson’s to use too, Lady’s night is coming up on Nov. 4. My cash with air miles is adding up nicely for December’s groceries. Toss in money’s that I made sewing this year and the gas money the lady next door gave me for driving her to London a couple of times and it will all help pay for then. I need to start making the gifts very soon too…
Hi Christine,
I like how you are tracking your Coupon app cashed out. That will give you an indication how well it’s working for you. You in No Frills can be deadly but for good reason. If we lived in a small town where the prices were higher I’d want to stock up like crazy once I got into town where there was a No Frills. I guess it would be like going to Costco for you. 🙂 How much do you estimate you will need for December groceries and how do you come up with that number? It may be a great blog post to help others figure out the cost of their Christmas food and decor expenses so they can pre-plan and save all year. You get ballot 26. MR.CBB
The funds from the coupon apps will be general Christmas shopping here as that money is added to the money from sewing and such. That is as close to having spare money for gifts as we get these days. I have been saving points at Jackson’s since last year to use this Christmas when they have a good deal going to build more points. Foodland started with the air miles April 1 I believe it was and I have 50% go to the dream cash that I have been saving to help with Decembers groceries. I’m not sure this year if they will have the turkey bucks, haven’t seen or heard anything on that one. But I use lists for the Christmas shopping for everything from gifts to groceries and I watch the sales. When my kids were small I made a lot of the gifts for them so I was used to starting early on this. I’m still making some gifts this year so I have picked up some supplies, mostly at Michael’s Arts and Crafts when we are in London. I pretty much work with lists and sales, making lists for everyone and everything. For the meals and baking I make a list of what I’m making and what I need to have on hand so I know what to watch for and get on sale….You get my idea…. Let me know if you want anymore info for a blog, glad to help if I can…
Our weekly budget is $125 making this month $500
Sobeys
$2×2 buns
$2.49 green grapes
$4.49 sandwich
$3.30, 3.11 chicken breasts – clearance
$3.07, 2.72, 2.71, 2.65 chicken breasts bnls sknls – clearance
$2.49 buns
$29.30 total oop
Safeway
$2.33×2 2L homo milk
$2.33×2 2L chocolate milk
$9.30 total oop
Shoppers
$2.49×2 dzn eggs
$1 candy
$2×2 chips
$10.23 total oop missed the bonus points by .02c!!!
Co-op
$1×6 hunts pasta sauce
$1.33×4 2L pop
$11.54 total oop
McGavins bread basket
$1.59×4 bread
$6.36 total oop
Walmart
$3.97 4kg sugar
$2.97 lg pasta shells
$9.97 150ct Tylenol
$1.97×6 alfredo sauce
$4 ?
$32.73 total oop
Superstore
$1×3 French bread
.33×3 lindor choco
$2.46×3 massive pumpkins
$1.20 bananas
$3.97-fpc 1lb strawberries
.94 windshield wash
$13.57 total oop
$3.97 total coupons
$113.05 total weekly oop
$3.97 total weekly coupons
$355.76 total monthly oop
$142.38 total monthly coupons
$5211.44 total yearly oop
$1651.14 total yearly coupons
great week on clearance sales at work from poor dates on chicken during the holiday
been buying sandwiches at work because I ran outta snacks in my locker and purse
Haha…
I just came to ask you about those sandwiches and read the last lines of your post lol. You did pick up some great deals on chicken. I’m envious of the deals you can find at your store. You should kill the budget every month BUT working at the grocery store could cause your budget to skyrocket! Oh sounds like a blog post to me!! How on earth do you get an FPC for strawberries? Great shop. You get ballot 24. Mr> CBB
Hey Mr.CBB
I bought two boxes of mini wheats at co-op months ago and not only were they on sale they had a $2 coupgon credit and $1wub2 on CO51!! but inside the box was a code you enter online for a free breakie item and I had missed out on all the free cereal by then but took the next best coupon free fruit worth $3.99! great deal for buying fruit at the end of the season when prices are crazy again.
I find end of season or out of season fruits to be tasteless so we really limit what we buy. I find it’s best to stock up over the summer and enjoy it frozen unless you can find some tasty fruit which is always hit or miss.