A Newcomer To Canada Asked How To Save On Groceries & The Advice Is Honestly Gold
So many helpful tips!
Fresh fruits and vegetables in a grocery store. Right: Canned foods aisle in a store.
If the price of groceries in Canada has gotten you down lately, you’re not alone.
Inflation has been hitting wallets hard, and it can be especially hard for newcomers in Canada who have to buy everything from scratch, sometimes without a solid income source.
So, it’s not super surprising that a newcomer to Canada reached out to Reddit for a little help.
On the subreddit r/PersonalFinanceCanada, a newcomer posed a question that’s probably top of mind for a lot of Canadians too — "How [can I] spend less on groceries?"
They explained that they’re a family of two that recently immigrated from Europe and said they don’t seem to have quite figured out how to handle the cost of grocery shopping in Canada.
“It’s not so much that we can’t afford it, but it would be nice to have more for non-grocery things,” they said. “I mainly wanted to see if we’re doing something wrong, because there is no way we spend $100 on groceries per week.”
Almost immediately, Redditors took up the challenge of offering their favourite grocery tips and hacks in Canada… and some of these are actually super helpful.
Shop at the right stores
Most Canadians know that where you shop can save you a whole lot of money, but this information might be harder for a newcomer to the country with no information about which stores are cheapest.
So, some Redditors helpfully dished on which stores are most affordable… and which to simply avoid.
“If you have a discount or superstore near you, I'd recommend shopping at one of those for the lowest prices. For example, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Walmart or Freshco…” one Redditor suggested.
They added, “You can also go to Costco, but their pricing model isn't really about obtaining the lowest absolute price per gram/item, but rather buying high-quality premium items for a better price through bulk buying.”
Another recommended Walmart. “I’ve shopped around a lot, and you usually get the best bang for your buck @ Walmart,” they said.
“Superstore/Loblaws is the priciest (but good quality, so if you want you can buy your fruits & vegetables there, and only buy produce that is in season). Everything else is the same quality-wise,” they added.
Costco in particular came up a bunch of times, with loads of Redditors naming the wholesale retailer and even recommending what products to buy there.
“Costco is the way to go, their regular price Kirkland toilet paper and paper towel, as well as their cheese and eggs, can’t be beat,” one person stated, while also recommending the sales for laundry detergent and dishwasher pods.
“Costco at least once a month for most things… They are good for food, clothing, pharmacy, glasses, gasoline, tires and much more. The annual rebates far more than cover the cost of executive membership,” another said.
Price matching
One really useful piece of advice? Price matching. In fact, loads of Redditors recommended doing this to bring grocery prices down.
For the uninitiated, price matching is when a retailer agrees that it will drop its prices to match those of a competitor. But in order to access this service, you need to know which stores offer it.
“We use FreshCo for price matching. The closest store is a bit out of our way so we have to weigh the cost/savings of driving that far,” one Redditor stated.
On its website, FreshCo indeed says that it has a lowest price guarantee, which means that if a supermarket competitor within the geographic area is offering a lower price on the same product, they will sell it for less than the competitor’s advertised price.
However, in order to lower the price of a product at a grocery store through price matching, it’s important to show proof of this cheaper price, which brings up another hot tip the thread offered...
Use the Flipp app
“Use the Flipp app and compare store fliers. Shop where it's cheapest,” read a comment that was upvoted over 80 times.
For context, Flipp is an app that allows users to browse weekly digital flyers from retailers in your area, and it was highly recommended by those on the Reddit thread.
This definitely seems like a handy one, whether you want to search for the lowest prices or try price matching with a store near you that allows it.
That's not all, and there were loads of comments with even more helpful advice, ranging from buying in bulk, buying seasonal produce, and checking unit prices as opposed to sticker prices, to looking for coupons, checking the reduced price sections, meal prepping and stocking up on things during sales (and not when you run out).
It's all super useful advice, and not just for newcomers either!
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
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