For years I have been shopping at the same few stores where I've found prices to be the lowest for the items I need. No Frills for most of our food, the Real Canadian Superstore for the items I can't find at No Frills - goat mozzarella, some natural cleaning supplies, diapers/wipes (I find to be cheapest here!), and Halenda's for nearly all of our meat (have you seen Food Inc.?).
Martina's comment on our budget allocation for groceries made me take a closer look at our grocery expenditures in November. At the same time, organizing my grocery expenditures also forced me to evaluate our food choices. I like to loosely follow the Canada Food Guide. After the first 2 weeks I noticed that we were consuming more than twice the recommended amount of grains, half the recommended milk and alternatives, 2/3 the amount of fruit and vegetables and just over the recommended amount of meat and alternatives. I tried to correct that for the last half of the month. Without further ado, below is an itemized list of everything I bought under the "grocery budget" last month:
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No Frills
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Astro Balkan Vanilla Yogurt (650g) x3
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6.81
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Sale
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Astro Natural Fruit Yogurt (100g x12)
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3.98
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Sale
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Small Eggs x2
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3.98
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Dozen Large Eggs x3
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6
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Sale
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Neilson 2% Milk 4L x2
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7.94
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NN Marble Cheese 500g x2
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11.14
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Sale
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NN Medium Cheddar Cheese 500g
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5.57
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Sale
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International Delight FV Creamer x2
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3.94
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Sale
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International Delight FV Coffee Creamer
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2.77
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International Delight FV Creamer
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2
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Sale
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PC Blue Menu Lactose Free Margerine
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2.69
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Imperial Margerine
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2.47
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Natura Organic Rice Milk Carton (1L) x4
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9.16
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NN Peanut Butter
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3.97
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Dried Split Peas
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1.79
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NN Kidney Beans
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0.87
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NN Black Beans
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0.87
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NN Slow Cooked Baked Beans
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0.98
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NN Flaked Tuna in Water x2
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2.34
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Pork loin (5 lbs)
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8.69
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Sale
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Schneiders Hot Dogs
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2
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Sale
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Avocados (5 pck)
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1.88
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Sale
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Avocadox2
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1.94
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Celeryx2
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2.94
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Field Cucumber
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0.77
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Sale
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Field Cucumber
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0.88
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FM Carrots (3lb) Bag
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1.67
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FM Carrots (3lb) bag
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1.47
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Sale
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Potatoes (10lb) Bag
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3.97
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Whole mushrooms x2
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3.34
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Green Onion
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0.44
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Sale
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Spanish Onion
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0.78
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Sweet Onions x2
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1.41
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Rutabaga
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2
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Sweet Potato x5
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2.79
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Broccoli x2
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1.94
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Iceberg Lettuce
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1.97
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Romaine Hearts 2 packs x2
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3.94
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Sale
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Spinach 8oz bag
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1.47
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Baby Spinach Bag
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1.47
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Grape Tomatos
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1
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Sale
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NN Fzn Green Peas 750g
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1.99
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PC Reduced Sodium Tomato Juice
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1.97
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NN Crushed Tomatoes
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0.99
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NN Pizza Sauce
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0.59
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Clementines (5lb) Box
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3.88
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Sale
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Bananas ($0.57/lb)
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6.67
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McIntosh Apples (6lb) Bag
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2.97
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Sale
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Algoma Empire Apples (1Kg)
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1
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Sale
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Bartlett Pears (5)
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1.72
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Plums x2
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0.54
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Navel Orange x1
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0.39
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Del Monte Pears in Water
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1
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Sale
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Del Monte Peaches in Water
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1
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Sale
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NN Unsweetened Applesauce
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1.67
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PC 4 Berry Blend Fzn Fruit
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3.99
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Sale
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Minute Maid Calcium Added Fzn OJ x 2
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3.5
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Minute Maid Fzn OJ with Calcium x2
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1.94
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Sale
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Allens Apple Juice (1L)
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0.97
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NN 100% Apple Juice 1L Carton x 12
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10.68
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Vienna White Breadx2
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3.34
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Sale
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Country Harvest Flax/Quinoa Bread
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2.5
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Sale
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Country Harvest Flax/Quinoa Bread x2
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4
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Sale
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Wonder Bread
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1.88
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Sale
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Wonder Bread
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2
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Sale
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D'Italiano Bread x3
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7.76
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Sale
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VP Hamburger Buns (8pck)
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1
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Sale
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VP Hamburger Buns (12 pck)
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2.89
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VP Hamburger Buns (8 pck)
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2.19
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Whole Wheat Bagels (4 pck)
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0.88
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Sale
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Old Mill WW Bagels (6pck)
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1
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Sale
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Family Size Multigrain Cheerios
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3.97
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Sale
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NN Old Fashioned Pancake Mix
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2.29
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NN Seasoned Croutons
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1.29
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NN Soda Crackers
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1
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Sale
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NN Soda Crackers
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1.99
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Bella Travole Spaghettini 450g x2
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1.76
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Sale
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NN Fusilli (900g)
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1.67
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PC Tortilla Chips (Small Rounds)
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1.99
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Sale
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NN Mac N Cheese x2
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1
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Heinz Scooby-Doo Pasta
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0.88
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Sale
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Campbells Tomato Soup
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0.67
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Sale
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Campbells No Salt Broth (Beef, Ckn, Veg) x3
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5.01
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Sale
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Swiss Chalet Sauce
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1.29
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PC Ketchup
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3.29
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Heinz Ketchup
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2.47
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NN Canola Oil
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2.97
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Renees Light Caesar Dressing
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4.47
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PC Syrup (15% real maple)
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3.99
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NN Italian Spice Blend
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1.53
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NN Parsley
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1.5
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Folgers Classic Roast Coffee (2lb)
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6.88
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Sale
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Coca-Cola (2L Bottle)
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0.96
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Sale
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Duncan Hines Choc Fudge Cake Mix
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0.97
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Sale
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Vlassic Pickles
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1.88
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Sale
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Fzn McCain Crinkle Cut Fries
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2.27
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No artificial colouring |
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Fzn NN Chicken Strips (white meat) 900g
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5
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These tasted like garbage! |
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NN Fzn Blueberry Waffles
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1.77
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NN Fzn Waffles
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0.97
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Sale
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NN Fzn Deluxe Mini Pizzas
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3.99
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Sale
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NN Fzn Pie Shells
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2.77
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Cascade Dishwasher Detergent (5.14 kg)
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9.59
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NN Jumber Paper Towel 6 pck
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2.97
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Sale
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NN Plastic Wrap
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0.88
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Sale
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NN 24 Rolls Toilet Paper
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3.83
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Sale
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NN Dog Food
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2.97
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NN Reusable Cloths 10 pck
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1.99
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Halendas
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Ground Turkey 2.5lb
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12.85
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Bacon 1lb
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5.2
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Bacon Bits 1/3 lb
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1.46
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Bone-In Skin on double Chicken Breast (1.5lb)
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4.61
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Ground Beef x 2lb
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6.98
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Sausages x2
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2
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Sale
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Chicken Legs (2 legs)
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2.6
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Stewing Beef (1.5lb)
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5.99
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Sale
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NY Striploin (1 piece - just under 1lb)
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5.79
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Sale
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Superstore
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Astro Balkan Style Vanilla Yogurt
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2.48
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Sale
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PC Goat Mozzarella x2
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11.58
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Oreo Cookies (500g)
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2.98
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Sale (splurge!)
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Multigrain Cheerios Family Size
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4.97
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Sale
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Lucky Charms Family Size
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4.97
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Sale (total splurge!)
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NN Canned Baked Beans
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0.99
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NN Mac n' Cheese
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0.59
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Tuna Helper
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1.66
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Sale
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Blackberries 1/2 Pint
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1.47
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Sale
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Clementines 5lb
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3.98
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Sale
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White Potatoes 10lb
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1.88
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Sale
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Bananas
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1.3
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PC Baby Wipes 80ct.
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2.49
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PC Box Diapers (Size 6) 96ct.
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19.99
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Sale (at least once/mth)
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Nature Clean Unscented Laundry Detergent
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8.99
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Walmart
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Huggies Swim Diapers
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12.57
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Sale
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$430.02
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So slightly more than $400. All the items highlighted in green are non-food items (Totalling $66). So in terms of actual food expenses we came in about $30 under the $400 mark.
Some things we do:
- Meal plan - look for different meals using many of the same ingredients, plan around sales
- Price match only for stuff I buy regularly
- Very limited brand loyalty
- Smaller portions/less meat - in line with food guide servings (1 lb = 6.4 servings)
- Very aware of food guide servings in general, especially for kids
- Very little waste - started serving boys smaller portions and allowing seconds to avoid waste
- Getting creative/ using up what we have - fridge and cupboards are getting bare around grocery day
- Ensuring that leftovers are always eaten - this can sometimes mean odd combinations of food
- Batch cooking and eating the same meal twice - I usually aim for one or two meals we can duplicate in a 2 week period. Any more than that and I feel like there isn't enough variety.
I guess one of the biggest things I do is that I don't always take advantage of sales. Our grocery budget is pretty fixed at $400/month. If I blow the budget to take advantage of sales by then inevitably it cuts into other areas and could put us over in another category.
I'd love to know some of your tricks and tips for keeping your grocery bill in check. I really like this MMM post on the topic.
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