A Redditor Asked For Grocery Hacks To Save Money & The Tips Are Worth Their Weight In Loonies
With the cost of groceries in Canada continuing to burn a hole in shoppers' wallets, many Canadians have been looking for creative ways to save money.
Recently, one Canuck even took to Reddit to ask for grocery hacks that "make you feel smart" or that save a lot of money, and they got a whole lot of useful feedback.
The Redditor started the post by sharing what they do while grocery shopping.
"I feel like the top member of Mensa when I buy 5-7 bananas all in various shades of green so that they ripen on different days," they said, referring to the famous high-IQ society.
The original poster added that because of current grocery prices in Canada, they've had to give up shopping at upscale stores and have switched to brands like No Frills, Walmart and FreshCo.
"It’s actually insane how much cheaper it is, feel like I save $70-100/week," they explained, before asking how other people are navigating higher food prices in Canada.
The question prompted a lively thread about basic things that can be done to cut down on grocery expenses -- and some of them are surprisingly effective.
One such popular hack is buying a whole chicken instead of buying more expensive, skinless cuts.
"Buying a whole chicken and dismantling it instead of buying boneless skinless chicken breast," suggested one person. "I get a bunch of meals out of it: one meal that needs boneless chicken breast (like butter chicken), two soups and two stir fries."
Others also added that, after dismantling, even the bones of the chicken can be put to good use instead of being discarded.
"Ziploc freeze the bones for all future broth use," another Redditor advised.
from BurlingtonON
"I bought four pounds of chicken backs and necks on Monday at No Frills for $4," somebody else said. "That made six litres of stock for soups."
Multiple shoppers also recommended Costco's rotisserie chicken as being good value for money, especially if you don’t have time to cook a whole chicken yourself.
"If you're a Costco member, $7.99 for [an] entire roast chicken. I then make chicken sandwiches, soup, and another meal with the chicken itself," suggested another.
"Costco sells their rotisserie chickens at a loss," somebody else claimed. "It's the cheapest option."
from BurlingtonON
If you only rarely visit Costco and don't want to splurge on a membership just for one visit, there might be a hack for that too.
"Get a member from friends/family to buy you a $20 gift card. You're not limited to $20 of spending,” one thrifty Reddit user advised.
"Take the sales pitch from the supervisor, smile respectfully. It's not the kind of thing I would be proud of doing every week/every other week but I don't see the value play in membership for my limited needs (between 0-1 trip every year)," they added.
Of course, Costco isn't the only place you can find good deals.
"Bulk Barn on sustainable Sundays and No Frills for all other needs. That's it. That's the hack," another money-saving Redditor stated.
Many Bulk Barn stores offer 15% off regular-priced items if the customer brings their own reusable containers on Sundays.
from BurlingtonON
Many also recommended taking advantage of stores that offer price matching, which is when a store lowers or matches prices based on those of their competitors.
"Price matching. No Frills, FreshCo do it with little to no hassle. Use Flipp to browse,” one Redditor said, referring to the app that compiles flyers across big stores in Canada.
And they're right -- as both FreshCo and No Frills will offer a price match, with certain conditions.
from BurlingtonON
Meanwhile, there were also some suggestions in the Reddit thread that aren't store-specific.
"This ain't much of a hack, but a good suggestion. Never take the cookies, crackers, box of lasagna noodles (or anything breakable) from the front of the shelf," somebody advised. "Those are the boxes that have dropped off the shelf a few times and broke all the cookies. Always grab the boxes from the back."
Frugal shoppers also suggested making the most of sales and using discount coupons, and strategically freezing items for the future if you don't need them immediately.
They noted that freezing perishable items, such as meat and fresh produce, when they're on sale can ensure long-term savings and minimize the risk of waste, which is a win-win!
Hopefully these little tips, tricks and hacks will help you save a couple of loonies the next time you're heading to the store.
Meanwhile, if you're looking for even more suggestions, AI tool ChatGPT has offered some promising advice to help shoppers save even more money on groceries.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
