Self Inflicted Pain
My first day of this new challenge was by far the most difficult. Being so busy rushing around with the end of last months cooking challenge I didn’t get a chance to go grocery shopping for this month. This meant when I woke up day one I was somewhat limited on my food selection.
From 6am when I woke up until after 8pm all I had to eat was two eggs and two granola bars, which I had to buy off my girlfriend for $3. I crashed hard that night and went to sleep knowing my body had burned every carb of energy it had.
I committed to myself then and there that if I was going to survive the rest of this month I was never going to let that happen again.
Find an Adult
The next day I called my friend Dave for some help in budget shopping. You know those guys who have been around for a while and just know where the best deal is in town, that’s Dave. He agreed to show me the tricks of his trade and take me around shopping so I wouldn’t starve to death.
Dave did not disappoint.
Our first stop was Bulk Barn where the plan was to stock up on dry goods like rice and pasta. We scoured the aisles looking for the best deals. I assumed everything was dirt cheap because we were buying it in bulk. Apparently that’s not the case..
Dave was uncompromising, he wouldn’t let me buy anything that was over $2.49 a pound, and let me tell you..that’s was a lot of stuff.
Rice for instance I thought was cheap, after all it’s rice! Apparently rice can get up to $10 per pound if you get the good stuff (and I definitely wasn’t getting the good stuff) so I found myself the ‘Manager’s Special’ White Basmati Rice for $2.29 per pound.
Pasta I also thought, cheap right? Wrong…again the Manager’s Special was the only ‘good deal.’
Dave’s Deal Strategies
- Don’t buy unless it’s on sale.
- If it’s not on sale it will be, you just have to wait.
- Not all sales are created equal.
- Sometimes items will be on sale but not for a good discount. Don’t be fooled.
- Find the ‘Manager’s Specials.’
- These are usually items that are discounted to match other stores discounts or to clear out items.
- Yesterdays news is today’s dinner.
- Grocery stores will often discount meat and other perishables that were put out the day before. If you’re eating it soon who cares if it’s one day old. It may even taste better cause you paid less for it.
- Flyers are you’re friend.
- Buy in bulk when bulk is cheap.
- Bulk buying can save you money but sometimes bulk is just as expensive as normal sizes. Check the price per pound and figure how many meals you are going to get for what you’re paying. Do the math and if it’s more than a few dollars per serving it’s not a good deal.
- Don’t be fooled by the buy ‘x for $x’
- Grocery stores are sneaky and they have all sorts of ways of getting you to buy more. Premium products at eye level, milk and meat at the back of the store. The sneakiest of all is the ‘buy x for $x.’ The sticker makes it look like you ‘need’ to buy multiple of the item to receive the discount; in most cases, you don’t. Most often they will give you the same discount for just one item.
- Get creative with your protein.
- Proteins don’t have to come from meats. There are lots of less costly options to still get you’re protein intake. Lentils, Beans, Quinoa, Tofu are all usually a good deal. Checkout this article on ‘Proteins for Meatless Mondays‘
- Know what’s cheap and what’s not.
Popping Some Coupon Tags
Dave and I toured Bulk Barn, Save-On Foods, Super Store and I did a Costco run on my own. In hindsight I probably over spent a little more than I should have but I think I set myself up for a pretty good month. Honestly I am a little stressed out now cause I only have $93 left and it’s only the first week!
| Store | Product | Price |
| Bulk Barn: | Chow Main Noodles | $1.59 |
| Powdered Macaroni & Cheese Sauce | $1.10 | |
| Powdered Chicken Soup Stock | $1.11 | |
| Fusilli Pasta | $2.96 | |
| White Basmati Rice | $6.03 | |
| Green Lentils | $1.59 | |
| $14.38 | ||
| Save-On Foods: | Ragu Sauce x3 | $5.01 |
| 20 MarcAngelo Hot Sausages | $10.00 | |
| 18 Pork Chops | $17.32 | |
| VH Chicken Steamer x2 | $6.00 | |
| Western Family Coffee | $3.99 | |
| Western Family Fettuccine | $2.50 | |
| $44.82 | ||
| Super Store: | Big Bag Assorted Frozen Perogies | $3.68 |
| Big Bag Potatoes | $5.88 | |
| Big Bag Onions | $6.97 | |
| Bananas | $1.79 | |
| $18.32 | ||
| Costco: | Big Bag Organic Frozen Mixed Veggies | $9.99 |
| Big Bag Frozen Peas, Carrots, Beans | $9.99 | |
| 5 Dozen Eggs | $12.99 | |
| Cherry Tomatoes | $3.69 | |
| Newman’s Own Tomato Sauce | $5.49 | |
| Vega Protein and Greens Vanilla Flavor | $26.99 | |
| $69.14 | ||
| tax | $1.35 | |
| $70.49 | ||
| Burger King: | Date Night: Wopper Wednesday Meal | $5.29 |
| Brittney: | 2 Eggs + 2 Granola Bars | $3.00 |
| Total | $156.30 | |
As you can see I also had a very romantic Date Night on Wednesday with my girlfriend Brittney. You can’t beat Wopper Wednesday.
Thanks for the help with budget sopping Dave. Now I just have to make it last for a month….
