DISCLAIMER: I know this sounds like r/hailcorporate but I'm not advocating for everyone shopping at Whole Foods -- just reminding everyone to not make my mistake, and check out ALL of the local supermarkets in your area, not just the discount ones. The discount ones often aren't much cheaper at all, except when it comes to junk food.
I don't own a car, so like a lot of you folks I'm restricted to what supermarkets are on my bus route. There are three: Metro, Loblaws, and Whole Foods (ranked in order of expensiveness). I used to go to the "discount" supermarket, a Metro subsidiary, and I usually spent about $75-$100 a week for my boyfriend and I. I just assumed I was getting the best price because it was the "discount" grocer, so I bought all of my groceries there. Eventually I got fed up with at least 50% of my produce being rotten when I cut into it -- the Metro's produce was always either already half-moldy, or would be moldy in a day or two, and it was expensive, too Like $2-$2.50 for a bell pepper expensive. The produce at Loblaws was slightly better, but I still cut into rotten fruit too often for my liking, and it was more expensive -- I was spending $100-$150 a week for BF and I there.
One day I happened to go into Whole Foods (for the first time) just to get a soda. I noticed that like 80% of the store was absurdly overpriced, true to "Whole Paycheck" reputation, but the produce... was actually cheaper than at Loblaws and Metro? Anyway, I did a price test, to see how much a big homemade pot of salsa would cost with fresh ingredients from each chain. (Keep in mind I'm Canadian, our groceries cost more in general, plus I live in a Northern city that is especially expensive). About 8 cups of tomatoes, 1 cup jalapeno, 2.5 cups onions, 1.5 cups green peppers, garlic, canned tomatoes, lime juice, and some odds and sods like salt, sugar & vinegar. At Loblaws, it cost me around $40. At Metro, it was $30. At Whole Foods, it was $20. For produce, Whole Foods was the winner -- despite being the fancy rich yuppie store.
Anyway, I learned to always pay attention to where I'm buying what. I now shop at Whole Foods for my produce and proteins, and Loblaws or Metro for my prepared/processed foods (because anything with packaging is $$$ overpriced at WF). This gets me the best deal for all of my items. I find I usually just shop at Whole Foods now, because I hate doing two trips, so I end up eating healthier and only spending $50 a week for groceries for my boyfriend and I.
A side benefit: doing my main shop at a more expensive "healthy" supermarket helped me cut down on junk food & impulse purchases. I'm inclined to buy a jumbo bag of Lays chips for $1.99 at Loblaws... not so much when it's a $6 bag of avocado oil chips. Similarly, I'll try that $2.99 Crystal Pepsi but I'm not paying $5 for a gd Yerba Mate.
Submitted June 19, 2017 at 05:33PM by _psychedalek_ http://ift.tt/2sjvdDC
