Early March Grocery Haul

Wednesday 8 March 2023

Grocery Haul 




I thought it would be fun today to share with you what I bought today at the grocery store. I do keep a fairly up to date store cupboard with a large variety of tinned and frozen meats, vegetables and fish, as well as other things such as flour, sugar, butter, lard, etc. 


Today's shop was to top up fresh ingredients and replace a few things which I had used and needed replacing.  As you can see my two feline "Snoopervisors" are hard at work inspecting everything for quality control!

 

I apologize for my mitts, the toaster and the embroidery pattern in the background.  The toaster is going to the local charity shop as I just got a new one which looks very vintage that I love, and my mitts I had not put away yet. The pattern is something I am getting ready to embroider! 


I thought I had done very well with my shopping today. I didn't buy any extras, but was still surprised when I got the total bill at the end. I do not know how families are coping these days with the costs of things. I really don't.

I did all of my shopping at the Independent Grocery shop here in town. Its where I go most of the time as their produce always seems to be a lot fresher than the produce at the other grocery store in town, and they do carry a lot of the President's Choice items and No Name Brands that I like to buy.


In no order of preference here we go! 


Potatoes 




Sweet Potatoes were on offer and so I picked up two medium ones. ($2.66) I also got two medium sized russet baking potatoes. ($2.96)


I can remember when for those prices you got a whole bag of potatoes.  



two indulgences 




These two items were indulgences on my part.  I have always wanted to try Pot Stickers.  Kind of like Chinese Pierogi I guess.  


The Chicken and Vegetable Pot Stickers came from the frozen section and cost $6.79.


The Buttermilk Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets were quite expensive at  $20.99, but as there is just me in the house they will last me for more than a few months. I know I could make my own, but sometimes you just want or need to be able to grab something quick from the freezer for your tea.



stew pack 






This is what is called a Stew Pack. It is a bag of vegetables used for making stews I guess, containing two swedes (rutabagas), a cabbage, a parsnip and some carrots. It was $4.99.

I think stew packs are a big of a bargain for a person living on their own.  I get 4 different vegetables for a fraction of what it would cost me to buy full sized bags of each.   And I find that nothing gets wasted from them. As a person on their own I always manage to use them up.



cheese and pesto 






Refrigerated Grated Parmesan. A step up from the old green can we used to get when I was growing up, but not quite as good as the block that you grate yourself.  Even so this jar cost me $9.49



Refrigerated Pesto. Four individual pots of fresh pest for $6.59. It works out much cheaper than making fresh pesto from scratch. Especially this time of the year.  This brand is quite good.



onion and garlic
 




I got a large Spanish onion ($2.80) and one head of garlic ($1.29).  I could have probably gotten a whole bag of smaller onions for not much more than the cost of this one onion, but this time of year they are getting near to their use by date and lots of times I end up having to peel quite a bit away to get to the usable onion.  Or they go bad before I can get them used.

With there only being me in the house this Spanish onion will do me for quite a few different recipes or meals.


fresh vegetables




There are a dozen Brussels Sprouts in the bag and I paid $4.90 for them. They are quite large, about the size of ping pong balls. I prefer smaller ones, but these will be great for roasting.


Spring onions at $1.99 a bunch. They come in handy for all sorts.


One medium cauliflower for $5.99. I will probably get about 4 meals from that. Its fresh looking and unspotted. It can sometimes be difficult to find one without manky spots on it. I like that it is sold as an individual and not by the pound. By the time you trim off all the leaves, etc. your cauliflower is usually half the size of what you thought you were buying! haha





salad and meat 




I got a pre-packaged chopped salad. This one cost $6.99. I will probably be good for three to four meals for me.  You can buy a small bucket of a premixed salad for $6 and it will only last one meal, so this is actually worth it for me.

Some sliced Stone Roasted Ham. $7.88. This is good for sandwiches, in omelets, salads, etc. 

A package of the PC Free From Bangers, Honey Garlic. I will freeze these individually so that I can use them over a period of several weeks.  They are a good size and there are five in the package for $7.99, which for me works out to $1.60 per meal as I will get five meals from them.

These are the best sausages and about the only store brand sausage that I have found here in Canada that compares to the British sausages.  They also come in four flavors, hot or sweet Italian, regular bangers, and honey garlic.


I usually buy the regular or the sweet Italian. Today I fancied a change.



Dairy 





This was my take from the Dairy Aisle.  2 liters of full fat milk. This stuff is microfiltered and it seems to always last me well beyond the sell by date.  As a single person on their own, I was very tired of always having to pour milk down the sink. $5.99  It really does stay fresh longer.


Whipping cream $4.79  I would much rather use real cream if I can rather than the artificial stuff or the stuff in the can. Real cream holds up much better.


Extra old cheese, a large block for $6.49. It was on offer.  I always prefer to grate my own cheese if I can and old cheese gives you a lot more flavor for your money spent so you don't need to use quite as much of it when you are cooking with it.



store cupboard top up





The sugar free jellies were on offer at four packages for $5.00  They are normally $1.79 each. As  a diabetic I like the sugar free jellies. They make for a nice treat that isn't going to cause me too much trouble when it comes to my illness.  My blood sugars stay pretty even most of the time and it is because of treats like this.

I also like to have them on hand for when I know my father is coming for supper or lunch. He always looks for something sweet afterwards and as he is a diabetic as well, I know that these won't do much harm.

White kidney beans. I saw a recipe that I want to try using white kidney beans. These cost $1.79.  I think for things like canned beans, tomatoes etc. No Name Brand are quite alright, and they are always cheaper.  Quite often they are packed in the same factories that pack all the name brands.

Some squeeze paste treats for my snoopervisors. They really like these. $3.49.  There is four in the pack and I divide one at a time between the two of them. They are not an every day treat but an extra special treat.

I also needed a new toothbrush. $2.29  By the way, never throw out your old toothbrushes, once they are finished being used to clean your teeth, you can use them as great cleaning tools in the home. They are great for getting into smaller spaces and I find they do a great job of cleaning around taps, etc.




fresh fruit 







I got some fresh fruit.  The Mango ($4.99) was on offer and was a real treat. I had it for my lunch as it was quite ripe and I wasn't sure how long it would last.  It was so delicious. If I go out with my sister tomorrow I will pick up another one. It has been a long time since I have had a mango. I love LOVE them!


Two honey crisp apples ($4.27)  Remember when you could get a whole bag of apples for that price?


Three fresh bananas ($1.02)  Not too bad.  Now I just have to remember to use them up.  But even if I don't they are always great for baking.


Some red grapes ($5.35)  It has been quite a while since I have had grapes. I just fancied some and they are great in chicken salad, as are chopped apples for that matter.


Two fresh limes (1.98).  I plan on doing some Tex Mex cooking this week and limes are a must!




various sundries 





A jug of fresh orange juice. $2.99  It was on offer. I always like to have a small glass of juice with my breakfast and I am getting tired of prune juice.

Some Mayonnaise. $7.99  Pricey when you have to buy it when its not on offer.  But I only like Hellman's.

Plum Sauce $7.29 for the club pack, which will last me quite a while. I like it with the chicken strips and I thought it might also go nicely with the pot stickers?  I could be wrong. It always comes in handy however.

Tomato Ketchup $4.99  Again it was on offer and I was out of ketchup. This is an ingredient I use quite often.  It is great in sauces, soups, stews, etc. and you just have to have it on your chips! Heinz is the one I like best of all.

Not shown:

  • A bag of dry cat food $15.99 (I buy the grain free, white fish)
  • Two packs of Diet Coke 2/$11.00 plus deposit of $1.20  I save all of my refundables (you get half of your deposit back) and give them to a learning disabled man who is friends of my daughter who collects them.  He gives the money he gets to charity and it gives him something to do. Its like his job.
  • Three bottles of sparkling water 3/$3.00 plus deposit of .30 cents.
  • A large pack of toilet tissue which was on offer. 20 double rolls for $11.99  This was $8 off the regular price of $19.99 for non-members.
I wasn't thinking because if I had gone shopping tomorrow I would have gotten the 10% Senior's discount. Darn!  I just remembered it now! Oh well. Next time.


bill total



With taxes and everything my bill came to $215.86 and I almost died of shock.  Aside from the toilet paper, diet cokes, water and bag of cat food, everything fit into three grocery bags.   Again as I said, I do not know how families are making ends meet. 


Were it not for my habit of squirreling away food/nonperishables when I get a good deal on things and maintaining a good store cupboard I don't know how I would manage either.  We do live in interesting times.



Nutmeg




Hmm . . . looks like one of my snoopervisors is all tired out from all of that work! Bless his heart.  This is Nutmeg.  The other one is Cinnamon.


Do let me know if you enjoyed this post in the comments below. If this is something you would like to see more often then I can certainly oblige. Its been a nice exercise for me to be able to write it all down like this and take note of exactly where my money went.


Tomorrow when I am out with my sister I will pick up some ground beef at the farm market. Its about $6 a pound and is organic and free range, locally produced.  I  like that it is the same color inside as it is outside!  I will also get me another mango. Yum yum!


This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com 



 Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again! 


29 comments

  1. Lovely shop! I've never seen that 'Stone Roast Ham'....PLEASE tell me it is similar to English ham as I miss that so! I also keep a larder of goods as I live in the country and when winter gets in the way I've always got a stockpile. I often say that if I had a cow for dairy, I'd be able to get through the winter! I often go to the Independent store in a village north of me instead of Superstore in the city as they have the same sales but I don't have to walk two miles around Superstore to find things. I see that your cat has her eye on her treats. Who says cats are stupid!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Linda! Like you, I miss English Ham! This is quite similar but I think we are doomed to be missing our English goodies forever. Sigh . . . I agree with you about the difference between the Independent and Superstore! Almost always the same products, same specials and less walking around! My kitkats always have their look out for the prize, lol. Not stupid at all! Love them to bits! Have a great day! xoxo

      Delete
  2. Marie, thank you for sharing and letting us into your life.. I found this to be a very interesting read. Would love to see more of these. Yes, it sure is getting harder and harder to live with the prices of food and everything else going up. As a senior I find that stretching my food dollar is getting hard. Absolutely love your feed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much. I don't really understand the reasoning behind the huge increases either. I don't think the grocery producers can really blame Covid and the war in the Ukraine on this. I think it is mostly down to greed and their chase after profits!

      Delete
  3. Oh.My.Goodness!!! This is a real shocker to me!! I had to convert to Euro's but it's nearly the same exchange rate. The toiletpaper...6 euro's over here..That's nearly half the price in the states. And same goes for many more products! Hellmans for 8 dollars..seriously?? I went grocery shopping last Monday. 6 pers/1week plus some stockpile plus two bunches of tulips (hey, I do live in the Netherlands, lol) at 2.99 each and two fruitbushes at 1,99 each. Total: 185 euro's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. It is getting desperate here in Canada. People are having to make some tough choices. I was reading a news article this morning which said our MP's were going to be having discussions soon with grocery CEO's. Costs here were up 11.4 percent in January alone. This price gouging is really starting to hurt people. You would not want to know what I would have to pay for a bunch of tulips here! Sometimes I can get them half price at $12. You live in one of the countries that I had hoped to visit but never got to when I was living in the UK!

      Delete
  4. Wow. Your prices are out of sight! I know there is a difference between Canadian and American, but even so. We have 4 grocery stores here in town, all owned by the same company, so they all have the same sales. I really don't like that. I shop sales and it's nice to have some competition between the stores. We also have Aldi - they have the best produce usually, and we have Wal-Mart. I shop the regular grocery stores for sale items only or if there is something I can't find at Wal-Mart. The prices on their non-sale items are ridiculous. Thankfully Keith is still working and getting social security. I'm still working as well. Don't know how you do it, Marie, kudos to you. Kudos to all seniors on a fixed income. Much love - Raquel XO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Raquel! I rely on having a good food storage to help me get by. I don't know how people are managing. Having to make hard choices between eating and other things I imagine! xo

      Delete
  5. Food prices are horrendous, go up every time you go to the grocery store. Yet those CEO's keep raking in the bi bucks. Certainly needs looking into. I use the Flipp app now and shop for sales whenever I can. Thank goodness there are only 2 of us to shop for. We need to be thrifty and make a couple of different meals from the same foods. Off to make chicken soup today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They sure do. I need to look into the Flipp app. Although we don't have many shops to choose from where I live. Basically only two. Enjoy your chicken soup! xo

      Delete
  6. My experience is that the independent stores (we call them mom and pops here) are generally more expensive for a lot of items. The produce in ours tends to be less fresh than the larger stores much of the time. Some of the prices you list are considerably higher than what I've been paying, some are pretty comparable. I'm currently getting fresh from the farm milk delivered to my door (they can' sell raw milk in stores here) for $4 a gallon, free range local eggs have been running between $7 and $8 a dozen.I frequently pass by stuff I wouldn't have given a second thought about buying a couple years ago simply because they've gotten much pricier, but most of those items are pre-prepared stuff. You can still buy pork pretty cheaply, and dark meat chicken is still a decent buy. I feel sorry for someone cooking for just one because those bags of selected vegetables and individual potatoes,etc are more expensive than the bigger bags even now. I did find that buying the 5 lb bag of onions compared to the 3 lb one wasn't worth it because inevitably the 5 lb one had at least one onion already going bad which would pretty readily contaminate the whole lot. I've been saving money by baking my own sour bread. My daughter has a friend who has a source for 50 pound bags of flour which are as cheap as the 25 pound bag in the supermarket, so I bake a lot of my own stuff. I will say that the price of fresh fish right now is out of sight at our local store.$25 to $35 for a package that would provide one meal. I do think that fuel prices are behind a lot of this. I also know that all of this gives us more incentive to plant the garden yet again. My husband raises potatoes every year, so we don;t buy potatoes from the store from about August until May.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I could have a vegetable garden, but where I live is in a sheltered Senior's community. I was looking at a 10kg bag of flour yesterday and they wanted $19.99 for it. That's about a 25 pound bag. I try to make as much food as I can from scratch! xo

      Delete
  7. I found this fascinating. First, even with the exchange rate, some of your prices seem far higher than ours. Others (like the salad) seem about the same -- a little more, not much. The Diet Coke is higher for you -- but not a lot, maybe $1 more (if you get it on sale.) . We have the deposit, too -- .10/bottle, which I always use as a grocery credit. It seemed the boxed chicken filets were much more than you'd pay here -- but I haven't bought any for a bit. I can see why my friend in Canada is willing to take the hour drive to cross the border and do a lot of grocery shopping in Port Huron. I do try to shop sales and freeze meat when I get a good deal. I recently did a comparison between by 2021 and 2022 food costs and realized I had only spent about $500 more on food in '22 -- it seemed so much more at the time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Food has always been a lot cheaper State-side Jeanie. We often used to go to the US to shop when we were raising a family. All of the basics such a bread, butter, cheese, milk, eggs were a lot cheaper for sure! xo

      Delete
  8. Interesting post. Groceries are so much more expensive over the last couple of years. I also live alone and am glad I simply need to shop for myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks very much. I cannot imagine what kinds of choices larger families are having to make! It must be scary! xo

      Delete
  9. I never knew you were in Canada...LOL The price of food is crazy, I am always complaining about it on my blog also. How many points did you get? As that is one bonus of buying from the Loblaws brands of stores I find. I am picking up my monthly produce bag today, so will be posting about it on my blog tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Gill, I moved back to Canada two years ago now. I will be sure to check out your blog. I live in a very rural area of Nova Scotia and we don't have the delivery services and options available like they do in larger urban areas. xo

      Delete
  10. Hello - thank you sharing. SWMBO and I need to go shopping as well - same type of shopping as you did. It's just the two of us, along with 4 cats and a lap dog. For about the same amount you spent we could of filled an entire shopping cart - that is, about a year and a half ago. Today, nope. We are now averaging $80-$100 per standard, plastic shopping bag. Cat food is even getting worse, and more scarce as well. We know of people who are getting desperate, and going into depth, just to pay their basic bills, like gas and electric.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean about the cost of pet food Larry! If you want to feed your animals quality food, it is costing more and more. The last time my sister bought a bag of food at the Vets for her cats, it was over $90!! xo

      Delete
  11. It is so much harder to shop frugally for one than it is for a large family. You seem to pay more for smaller sizes. I do love the stew pack. I'll have to see if there is anything like that here. And I assume when you say something is 'an offer' that's what we in the US would call on sale? It's even scarier if these are sale prices.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is like you are being penalized for being a smaller family. Its not right. It should cost less and not more! Yes, an offer is what you in the US would call sale prices. xo

      Delete
  12. It is getting very scary. We are seniors and are lucky to have a large freezer that lets us take advantage of sales, as well as the time to cook from scratch. I have twin grandsons and was shocked at the price of formula. It’s hard for young families who not only have to deal with the high cost of everything, with full time jobs and little ones they don’t have a lot of time to shop around and cook from scratch. Love your recipes and especially appreciate your downsized recipes for two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks very much Denise. I think the luxury of being a stay at home mom is probably over these days as it must take both people working just to stay afloat. I know my middle son and his wife both work full time and still have to live with the in-laws with their three sons because they cannot afford to get a place of their own! But at least they haven't got to pay for child care! xo

      Delete
  13. I really liked this post, I do not live in Canada so it was interesting.
    Your prices look much like the U.S. and still climbing..
    Your mayo prices are quite higher, we can get a full-size jar for around 5.89.
    I considered making my own with all the recipes out there but worried about raw egg.. Although eggs are now $5 a dozen for the store brand. I can see why you would be shocked by your tally.. Soon we will need to move to a farm and hope our thumbs are green enough to survive. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mary! I have considered making my own mayo as it is very easy to make, but as a now "elderly" person I don't want to take the risk of raw eggs. xo

      Delete
    2. PS - the last time I bought eggs they were $6.99 for one dozen extra large brown eggs.

      Delete
  14. Prices in Canada are absolutely ridiculous. But we must remember the carbon tax that the government has slapped on us has contributed to the cost of everything going up. Food that must be trucked to us costs more as gas costs more. Farmers are also hit with an increase in gas and now the government wants to attack their use of fertilizer. Likely it will get worse before it gets better. We need a government that is focused on the people. Love this post and your site. I have tried many of your recipes and they are delish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had forgotten about the carbon tax. That dang Government. I agree, we need a Government that is more focused on the people! Thanks for your lovely comment! xo

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you so do not be shy!


BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT OR RATING, ASK YOURSELF:
Did you make the recipe as directed? Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.

Is this comment helpful to other readers? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Remember that this website is run by a real person.

Are you here to complain about ads? Please keep in mind that I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising helps to defray my cost of doing so, and allows me to continue to post regular fresh content.

Thanks so much for your understanding! I appreciate you!