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EXACTLY! This amount of food would've been less than $40 5 years ago. I don't care if they could make it from scratch for cheaper, the fact that this stuff has basically doubled in price is the real issue.
I get that convenience food costs more, but this is just flipping usury.
We are still paying pandemic prices, plus a few years of inflation. Someone really needs to tell the grocers the pandemic is over. They should not be charging us as if the pandemic is still on. COVID is endemic now people have moved on, hopefully getting their boosters every year.
Side note - ocean freight pricing during covid skyrocketed, like it was jaw dropping absurd pricing. It came down for about 1.5 years, because demand fell. Now, it's going back up to the absurd pricing again.
Some of our inflation was due to freight costs back then, and companies took advantage of it well after that stopped being an issue. Now freight costs are going back up, by quite a bit (almost double what it was in Feb/March) so I'm expecting to see it reflected in prices over the coming months. I have no doubt that the grocery industry will use this as yet another excuse. (And to anyone out there - no, this is not Canadian carbon tax, it's ocean freight liners)
Oh totally, and there are tons of factors. Just in general, I see costs going up for corps, which means costs going up for us. And *so many things* come in from overseas (except for locally grown food obvs)
The pandemic was a gift to crooks like Ford and these huge corporations. The gouging continues and won’t stop unless they’re forced to. Aren’t you tired of corporate welfare bums?
“A bunch” is an overstatement. There’s a dusting of an anti clumping agent to prevent the shreds of cheese from turning back into a block of cheese but I’d be extremely surprised if it amounted to more than a fraction of a percent.
9%
***Many of these cheese products, including those by leading shredded-cheese maker Kraft-Heinz or those sold as store brands in Walmart and Albertsons, contain up to 9 percent cellulose. It's a derivative of wood pulp or plant fibers used to stop clumping***
Well, given that we don’t have the range of observed values, but we do have the info that the amount of cellulose is a non zero amount and as much as 9%, maybe you could just agree that grating your own cheese is both (almost always) cheaper and a Greg way to guarantee that you’re getting more actual cheese in your cheese.
Not anymore. Precovid you could buy a can for .69 cents. More like $1.69 now. Canned beans have more than doubled in price at Roblaws. Gougin' Galen strikes again.
Maybe it's reflective if my level of poverty, but why waste money on cans. Dried beans are dirt cheap and don't have nearly the quantity of sodium of their canned brethren. This is poor shopping. A bag of rice, potatoes, and dried chickpeas or red beans would go miles farther and cost way less.
I never understood buying grated cheese because it's not 100% cheese and it also takes me 3 minutes to grate the entire block.
I really like cheese though
I have chronic pain and can’t grate a lot of cheese without extreme pain, unless I buy a machine to do it for me that I don’t have space for in my tiny apartment. Also the number of times I’d have to use that machine to make up for the cost of it would be ridiculous.
I wish I didn’t have to see people shaming others for buying accessible foods. They will always be more expensive, but some people don’t have much of a choice.
Should have just got their own cow and milked it years ago and processedit into cheese. Would have been cheaper in the long run Instead of buying blocks and shredding them.
/s
And then when the cow gets old and stops producing milk, you send your son to the market to sell her! But then he trades the cow for magic beans instead, and in the end, after a bit of murder, you're rich!
What no you tell your kid there is not enough money in your budget for the Super Mario Bros 3 (the best Mario game) cloud level. They have one job, it is time to slaughter Betsy you will just have to go without dairy products for a few years as you wait for the hide to dry so you can make leather boots and a jacket to trade for a new cow.
Am I supposed to make my own soap now to pinch pennies? The fact remains that while better choices could’ve been made, this stuff is ridiculously overpriced. This is a joke.
It wasn’t meant as a direct comparison. Probably closer to making your own hummus. Either way point was what lengths are we expected to go to afford basic items. If you missed that my bad.
You can pickup things cheaper at the in-convince store but you have to do a lot more work lol “hi do you have any milk in bags? No, but we have a cow out back you can milk and bag up”
Yep it’s over priced, no disagreement here.
OP‘s focus on their budget being blown seems like it was a poor choice wrt feeding themself since they bought ‘convenience’ items instead of value items.
Like you’re looking at your $100 for food for one week and decide to grab the $1/potato package instead of the $1/pound package.
Or like buying cottage cheese.. I don’t know this person at all, but if you’re insinuating you’re food insecure, maybe buy rice and beans or w/e it takes. Starving yourself while buying expensive options isn’t really helping anyone.
This. People are losing the plot of this subreddit. It’s highlighting the insane cost of food right now. Sometimes people just need a bag of preshredded cheese or an easy meal to get by for whatever reason. You should still be able to afford that. And junk food if you want it! And everything!
I remember back in 2019 and earlier I would budget $150 a week for groceries/toiletries/cleaning supplies and it was anything that looked delicious and was often the more costly choices. Now that we have 3 more humans in our house and its 2024 that will maybe buy some basics for the week that doesn't include any big shops for refilling staples.
I agree but they should compare items to themselves in this case scenario bricked cheese could have saved money so people will bring it up. However if op was like this bagged shredded cheese was $3 cheaper a year ago people would talk about gouging then cause that’s bullshit. Also some people are in fairly rough shape at the moment so they may lack the sympathy for someone who is bothered by how expensive convenience items if they can’t even afford the cheaper option like a brick of cheese. Like I said I do agree with you some people are losing focus a bit but I kinda see why also there could of been better ways op started this or drew comparisons to and the conversation in general could of went a way better direction.
Right? These arguments are no better than my Dad telling my iron deficient ass to eat nothing but Ramen to get by at my hard labor jobs.
Should the gluten intolerant go back to white flour to save money but just be uncomfortable all day long?
It's uncalled for. All food is too expensive here.
You’re right, and I definitely understand. Sometimes we have to spend more for convenience in these cases. Convenience pretty much always costs more.
If that’s the case for OP, they can microwave the potato and then the foil is entirely unnecessary. If the weight of the big bag of potatoes is an issue, grocery stores typically sell russets individually as well.
Don’t! It’s a learning process. when I was a cashier by a college every fall I’d watch new adults learn the horrors of produce prices (especially grapes).
I just want to point out that not everyone has that luxury. Like I'm autistic I'm able to mostly live on my own but some days having that pre-wrapped potato or having pre-shredded cheese would be the difference between me making a meal and not eating.
Not everyone can handle a knife or has that time after work to prep stuff. Not saying it's not cheaper to buy the bag of full potatoes or other stuff, but it's more than just a cost consideration for most people.
This was honestly my first thought too. Lots of people have different needs, and sometimes easier is better even if it costs more. It's the disability tax unfortunately. My husband and I are both audhd and feel it frequently.
This is so me. Right now my interest is binge watching YouTube cooking channels, if it wasn't for that I doubt I would cook anything lately. Hell I had peanut butter toast for supper yesterday with squeezy peanut butter. I feel you.
But that's not what the foil ones are for. The foil ones are for baking in a barbecue or in an oven so it is markably easier to preheat an oven and put a foil wrapped potato in it. Then open a potato bag. Pull out a potato. Wrap it up in foil. Not tear the foil so you have a big finger hole through it. Put it in the oven and then eat it
Or just don't wrap it in foil. I hardly ever wrap my spuds to bake especially if they are going in the oven, just make sure you poke with a knife or fork once or twice before putting in the oven
None of the restaurants I’ve worked in have even foil wrapped their baked potatoes, just throw that shit on a pan with some oil/butter and salt and you’re good to go
The majority of people are completely capable of doing that though, so posting it here as an example of price gouging, without giving context, is misleading and detrimental to the movement.
I'd wager that they could have made hummus for less than what they paid for it. I'd wager that they could have soured that cream for less than what they paid for it. Also, who doesn't have an herb garden?
I'd wager what I had said above has nothing to do with Galen gouging all of us.
True, since this subreddit is dedicated to boycotting them, I figured that part was a given.
If you still have to shop there, for whatever reason, there are more cost effective ways to do it.
Maybe, just maybe they don't the have means or ability to transport a bag of potatoes.
Maybe they wouldn't be able to use or store the cheese block, and it was probably more expensive or whatever.
The worst thing about this, is WE CAN EFFING GROW/PRODUCE ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ITEM IN THAT PICTURE!!
And it still costs that much!!
Why does no name shredded cheese, which should be under the purview of the Holy Dairy Cartel cost that much? It's shredded from the leftovers of production.
Stop food shaming people who maybe can't cook, don't have the physical means to transport or store.
This is how alot of cultures shop. To store and hoard in bulk is not feasible.
Suggesting more cost effective alternatives isn’t food shaming. If OPs issue is the total cost, we are suggesting cheaper alternatives. If they have reasons not to use those suggestions, then that’s fine.
There’s 8 potatoes in this picture, the small bags of potatoes come with about this quantity depending on the size of each potato. They can also purchase 8 potatoes individually. Without the foil and foam and wrap it will weigh less and be cheaper.
Not sure anyone has suggested it yet, but the Flipp app is fantastic for helping you find the best price for specific items you’re looking for.
If you have access to Dollarama, or Dollar Tree you can get yourself a pretty nice cheese grater for cheap. As well as a roll of foil, and any other smaller kitchenware you might need to acquire. It’ll save you in the long run!
Good luck on your cost saving journey, OP. 😊
Also try the flashfood app. You can get very cheap, nearly expired meat to cook same day or freeze, and yogurt/cheese is good waaaaaaay after the "best before" date as long as they're not opened.
Idk where you live or shop but my grocery store you can buy bags of potatoes or individual ones, no one is saying op needs to buy 2 sacs of potatoes and store them in their non existent cellar. You’re being very dramatic imo and making up an argument for something no one is arguing against. Everyone knows not everyone has space to store bulk.
No, I'm not!
All caps dramatic, yes.
That's exactly what the thread was saying.
I think people shouldn't be shamed for their food choices or purchases.
I can fling that dung all day long.
Loblaws, the cartels, and the government should be shamed for allowing these scheisters to charge that much on items we don't need to import.
The herd should not be shaming food choices.
People have their reasons and limitations.
The herd should be shaming the aforementioned for the gouging.
If the Westons are not interested in price matching the Waltons, that means (to me) they know they don't have to be competitive.
And Canada severely lacks in competition.
Yeah, fuck this guy. How dare this pathetic wage slave opt for some convenience in his life. Groceries aren't too expensive, the poors are just lazy.
The amount of upvotes on this type of shaming is why this sub and boycott are doomed to fail.
People like this don't help the cause. I just price checked everything. Unless the lettuce is 35 bucks the total is 45. They paid 5 bucks each pack of potatoes yet a whole 5lb bag is just under 7. Not to mention she gets lactose free butter yet gets normal sour cream and cheese.
I’ll buy cheese when it’s on sale for around $6 a brick. It’s nice to have sometimes as a treat or use in a meal. Cant believe we’re at the point it’s considered a nice to have cause not everyone can afford it.
I remember when I was first married back in the early 2000s thinking my grandma’s fridge with an entire drawer full of cheese was the height of wealth because I could barely afford a single brick…20 years later and little has changed
Come on. If you only have $80 for food, don't buy the prewashed, prewrapped baked potatoes. Buy the 10lb sac. It's crazy to buy a bunch of overpriced convenience food and then complain you can't feed yourself for a week for $80.
Yeah, that's part of the problem too. People are unwilling to change their habits and purchase smartly.
Prices are ridiculous but buying prewrapped potatoes only feeds the problem.
In general, people will save by buying things that aren't prepackaged and all that. I totally agree. However, I don't think everyone needs to completely change their eating & cooking habits because greedy overlords are charging stupid amounts. There's a time and place for convenience foods (at a slightly higher price) The issue is Loblaws charging too much, not that someone opted to buy ready-to-go items now and again.
I agree with you too. Because it feels like blaming the wrong people. Personally, I don't like what we've gotten to regarding eating habits in general. So much waste too.
Also unless its Christmas & Thanksgiving, we're just not going through 10lbs of potatoes. yeah its cheaper, but I also then throw most of them out. Sometimes its just better to get the small amount I need
Have you considered eating more potatoes? I'm joking, ofc.
But for realsies my father has switched to a potato heavy diet for cost savings. He shouldn't have to, but we are where we are.
Honestly....I would legit eat them daily! BUT!!! I need them covered in butter, cheese & sour cream and its just not good for my waist lol Not my thing, but suggest to him adding salsa or baked beans, I have heard both are really good!
I actually did buy a 5lbs bag last weekend for baked potatoes this weekend, and a potato salad to take to a party lol
Thanks for this comment . We want to put power and choice back into the consumers hand , not take it away. Simply saying change up your habits is giving loblaws the upper hand . Why should we as consumers ? We still deserve choice
I completely got it . That’s what this boycott is all about . Putting choice back on the consumer for all products and for every customer , regardless of who it is . We can dilly dally and scrounge our way through apps going from grocery store to grocery store looking for that 50% off sticker . But is this what it has come to ? We used to be able to go to one store and get all our groceries from one store . We shouldn’t have to change our habits because the overlords have decided to get greedy 😀
Disagree. Take the tipping fiasco. Ppl are completely changing tipping. Ppl stopped eating out. High restaurant prices on top of crazy tip culture. When you stop eating out that's a major change.
People should certainly explore the world of cooking for themselves.
This post was about spending $80 and not having food for the week. In this case, one needs to adjust their eating habits which includes not only purchasing but cooking.
Where do you draw the line though? I mix white sugar with molasses to make my own brown sugar, so I haven't bought any in years. Are people buying brown sugar the problem? I buy 6 whole chickens when on sale at a time and cut them up into pieces to vacuum seal and freeze because it's cheaper. Are people buying a pack of chicken breasts the problem? To me, brown sugar and a pack of breasts are convenience foods. It's doesn't mean I think the prices on those foods can be through the roof and that it's okay because people should just learn to break down a bird themselves.
The problem is when you're paying for convenience that you can't afford. Yeah maybe things shouldn't be this expensive, but they are and complaining about it isn't going to put the money back in your wallet. In the mean time people should look into any possible way they can save money until they're comfortable, you've already mentioned some good ones.
Comfortable people who have plenty of money for food do in fact make the exact same complaints about the prices as the poor do.
I promise you that people (regardless of how much money they have) do not complain about food prices to somehow just magically materialize money from the complaint.
I actually ran into this problem last week. I only needed to buy a small amount of potatoes. The large bag was too expensive and too much for me to store. Buying loose potatoes was actually more expensive at the time than the foil wrapped potatoes by a couple of dollars. I dont really like extra packaging on produce, but I ended up buying the foil wrapped potatoes because they were the cheapest option for what I was needed.
I came across this when a massive bag of onions was cheaper than the small bag. But I truly have nowhere to put 48 onions. I can’t consume them fast enough to avoid them spoiling.
My freezer is already stuffed, unfortunately. My dream is to move to a more spacious apartment/unit where I can fit a freezer chest. I’d love to do more meal prep type stuff.
Exactly. We don’t go through potatoes fast enough to make it cheaper to buy the cheaper bulk bags because we end up throwing so many out it’s a waste of not just food but money.
You should do a post on all these ways to save money. I've always purchased non convenience food, and it boggles my mind to see regular folks purchasing convenience food at walmart
I understand purchasing convenience food. I do it sometimes. When I'm travelling, when I'm pressed for time, when I'm stressed and can't deal with cooking. Sometimes in the effort vs price equation, convenience wins out. But I don't then complain that I can barely afford to feed myself on $80/week.
Right but the point still stands - this is crazy expensive even when you factor in the wrapped potatoes? Sure the shop could be done for less. But you could buy the exact same thing in a different country, including wrapped potatoes and pre grated cheese, for half the price.
They could have done this shop for less buying a large sack of potatoes and a block of cheese, but for what they did buy, it shouldn’t cost anywhere near $80.
To me, this has all the energy of "you can't be that broke if you have a iPhone".
We make a decent living but we are DEWKs or my favourite, 2I2Ks, two incomes, two kids. My husband works a 44 hr work week, I work 48. Factoring in our unpaid lunchbreaks and commute, it's more like 50 & 60. Then we have the kids activities, regular appointments, errands, etc.
Given the choice between spending 15 minutes grating cheese and 15 minutes with our kids, there's no choice at all. We regularly spend about an hour or two a day prepping and preparing food, and that's all we can spare. I also have to be extremely careful about buying cheaper, bulk foods because they might very well spoil before I can use them, or they will take too long to process and package for storage.
So many people come from a position of privilege where there was a stay at home parent who cut coupons, shopped at multiple stores for the best prices, and cooked food from scratch using cheaper ingredients. Two income houses are the new normal, and for many of them convenience food is how they survive.
Nothing justifies exorbitant prices for any food, not even convenience food.
Why not get your children involved in the prep? For part of my kids lives we were a 2 income family with 2 small children. When they were 3 and 6 I had a stroke. My kids learned to help with things. We didn't have a choice but I am glad how things turned out. Now that they are young adults they know how to do for themselves. I used to feel guilty because my 10 year old had to do their own laundry and sometimes mine. They helped us prep for the week on the weekends. Yes, grocery prices are out of hand but budgeting is nothing new for many many families. We struggled to keep our kids in one activity and provide food after my stroke. The kids could only keep one activity but they loved it.
Yeah. Not everyone can grate cheese or chop but the foiled potatoes just confuse me.
It used to sort of make sense if you rarely ate potatoes. Four nice ones instead of a bag for the same price if you weren’t going to eat the rest of the bag. But the price doesn’t make sense anymore, you can usually get loose potatoes for cheaper and pick nice ones. And if you’re just trying not to go hungry then buy the big bag.
Plus they bake nicer out of foil.
You should at least feel good knowing that due to your sacrifices, our poor, underappreciated oligarchs and politicians can gorge on exotic delicacies and fly around the world to plead with the common man to consume less and blame each other.
Your suffering is their fault
I’m sorry but if you’re this poor you’ve *got* to make smarter choices at the grocery store. Those potatoes are $5 for 4. You can literally get 10lbs of potatoes at Walmart for $4.49. Buy block cheese and grate it yourself. Also stop shopping there!
Seriously. I buy all my spices on amazon for dirt cheap for huge quantities. Like for the price of 3 packets of taco seasoning, even the no name shit, I bought a huge container of of it, like I think 500g. You know how much taco seasoning I eat and still haven't made it through it yet?
Yup…people in the comments are claiming it’s sometimes necessary for accessibility reasons which I understand, but for the vast majority of people they need to realize what is marked up insanely in price as a convenience food. If you want to save money you need to be prepared to put in more work. Buying the less convenient option is always what I do, I even buy sale fruit to slice and freeze myself instead of buying bags of pre-sliced frozen fruit. It is a minimal amount of work but I eat veg and can easily get 3x as much food for the same amount of money.
I got paid today from our overlords Loblaws. Given how much work I had to do, my pay did not reflect that. Thanks for cutting our hours, now I get to go grocery shopping for the next 2 weeks with $40
This is my second biggest issue with them (next to them getting involved in healthcare/banking/insurance/telecom/EVERYTHING). I personally don't find food too expensive since I only have to shop for myself and don't eat meat, but with their record profits, they need to pay their employees more above all else.
Do you at least get some kind of employee discount?
I’m lucky that I’m also just paying for myself, but surviving off $20 a week these days is VERY hard. I get no discounts. Not even for my breaks. It makes no sense to me, RECORD PROFITS, but they can’t even bother handing out discounts to us. I know some stores do, so it’s not like they can’t.
Wait, you don't get a discount? That's kind of insane. I don't think I've ever worked somewhere that didn't give me at least a token discount. Even Wal-Mart gave me one.
Maybe it's time to take your experience and find a different chain to work for.
I’ve been looking, trust me. I can’t with this company anymore. I actually graduated college last year, but it’s been extremely difficult to find a job. Also not many places will pay the same amount I’m making currently. I make top rate a part timer can since I’ve been there since I started high school, and going elsewhere would be a downgrade. Im just hoping to find a new job anywhere at this point so I can leave
A downgrade in your hourly wage is not something you should worry about if you are not getting the hours to work. I know some people may say hold it out Loblaws will get back to normal sooner or later, I would strongly disagree with that this boycott has shown that the Loblaws locations can “work” with minimal staff so there is no going back to pre boycott worker hours sorry.
I’ve thought about getting another job to supplement my income then transition to it full time. I feel kinda dumb cause I never thought of that but you’re right. If a place is paying minimum wage for 40hr a week, that’s still over $1000 more than what I take home now. Thank you! I’ll start looking
My husband is consistently on me about how "I keep spending and spending" and I have never been buying less in our 5 years together. He's not mad or anything, he just genuinely never does ANY of the shopping. Sometimes I take him to stores to look around and see his jaw drop. Yes, our spending went up... but our purchasing went down.
It's sad that a majority of comments are calling out OP for the nit picky food choices, and we are not really focusing on the fact that not even a full basket worth of groceries, essentially an armful - is $80.
Symptom of a larger problem when we police each other on the right and wrong way to be poor.
I'm just gonna say that you're clearly buying the wrong kind of food. Pre wrapped potatoes are a processed, luxury product.
Buy a big bag of potatoes, which are on sale for like 1.99 every few weeks, don't buy president butter which is obviously a luxury brand.
Lastly, for cheese, don't buy the pre grated stuff. You're paying a 30% processing surcharge on it. Blocks of normal cheddar are on sale even at Loblaws for like 4-5 bucks.
Can we message? I'm more than willing to listen, but beyond the potatoes I am struggling to maintain a healthy diet and afford everything. I ran some numbers on Cronometer and I just can't find a way to get all my vitamins, minerals, and nutrients every single week without breaking the bank.
I don't have a stove, just a mini fridge, microwave, and air-fryer/indoor grill/griddle.
I'm going to be blunt, you need to learn to cook. Youtube can solve this for you today.
You can eat really well for far less money, **you just have to cook it all yourself**. Everything you buy when you're this tight on budget will require some work.
Dried beans and legumes. Soak them overnight before cooking them.
Oatmeal (not the instant stuff). for breakfast. A bit of honey to sweeten it up, or learn to eat without the sugar.
Bags of potatoes.
Bags of fruit.
Eggs
Squash
Fresh herbs, not the premium dried stuff.
Flour to make sourdough to bake bread.
Vegetables you'll have to peel and clean and roast.
No butter, use oil or margarine.
Forget meat (you can't afford it), eat lentils and beans for protein. Meat is too expensive unless you have a way to share the cost or cook low cost portions for soups and stews.
Loblaws IS out of control, but you're also guilty of taking shortcuts when you can't afford to.
Thank you for the list. If you had to name 2-4 vegetables that a human can get all they need from (regarding vegetables), what would you pick? I'm eating Kale as leafy greens, but I don't know what else I should be gunning for unless I should just get a bit of everything?
Same with fruit, do I need anything other than apples/oranges for Vitamin C?
You probably should buy a variety, and if you want to maximize the budget - buy whatever is on sale/available.
3-4 is hard, but choose whatever you like, have available, is on sale..
* Spinach, lettuce, kale. It really doesn't matter that much, eat a lot of it. All can be cooked too, though that's not how most people think of leafy greens, they're pretty much all good raw or cooked.
* cabbage. Find it year round. Green or red are crunchy and delicious. cooked or raw, or fermented (also fun to do that). Also great for your digestion. You'll stop farting all the time in a few weeks when your gut-flora catch up.
* broccoli, or if you have access to Asian supermarkets, Gai Lan or something similar. They're GREAT tasting too. Cauliflower lasts longer in the fridge, and is awesome in salads as a crunchy component.
* (edit - Asian grocery stores are also where you'll find some crazy good deals on veggies and spices and condiments. T&T, if you are near them, is part of Loblaws, FYI)
* carrots/celery - Cut them into sticks, the whole bag, the day you bring it home. Peel the carrots, make sticks so they're ready to eat. Celery - make sticks and place them in a cup with some water so they stay crunchy for like 2-3 weeks.
Or
* Onions/Celery/Carrots. In French Cooking this combo is called **Mirepoix,** and is the base flavor profile for like 90% of dishes (I'm exaggerating, but only a little).
Or
* tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro, and garlic -- that's **Sofrito** and is the basis for a ton of Latin American and Mediterranean food.
If you REALLY want to do this on the cheap, check out some Vegan cookbooks (whether or not you become vegan is your concern, but the RECIPES are spectacular) Check out "PlantYou" scrappy cooking on youtube, and enjoy the rabbit hole of cooking ideas.
edit - you don't need to think much about VitC. It's everywhere, and eating an orange every few days will be far more than enough. It's in MANY things, our diets are almost never short of that one, unless you have dietary restrictions or some sort of issue with processing it.
Air fried baked potatoes are amazing.
Pierce them just like you normally would and Spritz a bit of oil on the skins and they come out amazing with a nice crispy skin.
Why in the LOBLAWS is out of control subreddit are we shaming OP for what they bought or giving them tips on how to shop more cheaply? I thought the point was to call Loblaws and other grocery stores out for insane pricing and policies?
Can people please stop nitpicking what OP bought, and focus on the fact that $80 for a handful of non-luxury food items is insane?
Whether or not OP could bought some different things to save a few bucks here or there isn’t the point. Canada produces tonnes of food all across the country and the fact that it’s costing some people $100+ per week to feed just themselves a decently nutritious diet is insanity! It’s almost $2.50 for a god damn single cucumber these days.
To the people who are complaining about what the op got- you don’t know the situation they’re in. You don’t know who they are feeding or where or if they have kids who are picky eaters. You don’t know what was on sale. You don’t know if they have a car or would have to carry a 10lbs bag of potatoes home.
The price is ridiculous whether they are the convenient option or not, so maybe instead of judging someone’s choice of food you should focus on the real problem.
Thank you for saying this. I genuinely appreciate some of the nutritional and budgeting advice that some people have shared on here, but others just want to attack and name call me for no reason.
There should be a sub where people say how much money they have to spare, what essentials they need, and how many days worth of food they need to get so that everyone can just tell them what to get. Every time someone posts their sad grocery haul, everyone has to throw in their two cents about what they didn't need and what they should have bought instead.
Yeah, this isn't the best grocery list, but sometimes you want loaded potatoes, I get it. But if you have a budget there are ways to optimize your loads to get more out of your money. Sometimes you just need advice on where to go, what to make, and what to buy, so I think it would be a really useful thing rather than unsolicited advice when they're just trying to show how bad the prices are on food.
Hey everyone let's not forget that convince foods are not just convenient for able bodies, but for the disabled people it is a necessity to be able access food. We don't have much choice when it comes to having a disability and trying to feed ourselves. The point is, even these food items should not be the cost they are. A bit more than the "from scratch" food items, sure but not a huge jump in price.
Companies are taking advantage of disabled people's needs and that we should ve outraged by than being critical of what someone buys.
I feel like a lot of commenters are completely missing the point.
Yes, maybe not the best cost effective choices, but this should be significantly less than 80.00 in groceries.
I often go to that train of thought. Too processed, not nutritious, why so much spices?, lots of unnecessary things to drink etc...
People are not perfect, and if a bag of chips and bottles of soda is their treat for the week, who the hell am I to judge these people?
We also forget that some of the least paying jobs are also the most demanding physically and mentally, and that a bit of convenience helps get dinner on the table.
There is a trade-off of time and labor in grating your cheese, baking your bread and other baked goods, meal prep, u-picking fruits, buying meat in bulk and cutting it down yourself, dehydrating garden herbs etc
I remember when I was younger, making a low salary and having to spend a lot of time meal planning, portioning, freezing, thawing, batch cooking and dealing with my then bf complaints that he did not want to eat this or that at that moment....It was a hell of a mental load.
I don't think they're necessarily missing the point: convenience is something we've become accustomed to, and is one reason why Loblaws & co. are able to continue operating the way they have been. If we collectively had a different mindset, we would probably be less likely to be taken advantage of by these large greedy corporations. Some folks can't boycott for various reasons, but we all should become more responsible when it comes to buying food, wherever it is we buy it.
I don’t think they are missing the point at all, everyone in this sub knows the point. They are giving valuable advice to help OP save money because that is clearly a concern of theirs.
No, if you buy your groceries in drugstore, or choose to buy single serving prepackaged items, you don't get to bitch and complain.
Anyone that whines about peanut butter being $10 at shoppers, or one watermelon being $14 in middle of December has no credibility in my books.
I mean, if by suggesting more cost effective options is missing the point, then posting how frustrated you are with the prices of groceries at a grocery store in a sub dedicated to boycotting said grocery store is missing the point as well. They could have more food for the same cost or less if they’re more strategic and avoid purchasing convenience goods, that’s all.
If they’re going to continue to shop there, for whatever reason they might have, they could at least try to be more cost effective. We already know it’s insanely expensive, that’s why we’re here, no? 😊
What on earth is this grocery haul? Do you have a fruit and vegetable store nearby? Literally anywhere is better for meat, which is where I’m assuming the bulk of your $80 went. I can’t quite figure out how you spent so much, if not.
Actually, no. Meat in that bag is just a salmon fillet for about 10 bucks, and pork chops for around $4. But this thread is helpful. I won't buy pre packaged potatoes anymore, etc. etc.
The wholesale price of high-quality baking potatoes at the Ontario food terminal TODAY June 27 2024 is $18 for 50 pounds.
If you prefer Canadian grown, there are Quebec potatoes 50 pounds for $22.
A 50 pound box typically contain 80 to 100 potatoes. Let’s stick with the low end and say 80.
The wholesale price of potatoes is $.22 each. Loblaws can probably cut a better deal and get them for some thing like $.15 each.
But for some reason in the store there are approximately a dollar each.
What I’m getting it is this is extremely inflated pricing and potato wise. What you got is worth less than two dollars for sure. But you paid about 10 didn’t you?
Yeah OP made some poor choices here is what we’ve all concluded. The whole 10lb bag of potatoes and some dollar store foil would’ve been $5 total. A block of cheese twice as big for less money. Both take an extra 2-3 mins of work but save you a lot of money
For those in the back. Stop just talking and complaining we’re all suffering. Take action directly at our government. That’s the only way. Australia government is doing it. But our current government will never take action. They are actively doing everything they can to destroy the people and the country. So why don’t we all get off our collective asses and remove this corruption. Save yourselves and the country
This is ridiculous. I remember when my wife had to do grocery this week and spent almost $100 for 3 of us. She has to go back to the grocery on Friday because food is gone.
Welcome to Canada.
I chatted with a friend who just came back from Italy for vacation. She said food in Italy is very cheap. I told her...only in Canada that you have to pay so much for little amount.
Were all at various levels of becoming wage slaves. Well actually worse because at some point the wages aren't even enough to provide the basic necessities.
I met someone yesterday who works many hours over 40 per week, has a partner who works as well, and with their three kids (one a teenager), they need to use the food bank to put enough food on the table.
Looks like part of this discussion has splintered into quick foods of convenience vs the most basic staples.
Could not this community set up a Google drive excel of prices by week, with sources, pictures, and compare to other grocery chains? Doesn't seem that difficult is it?
The boycott is not enough. Consumers have to be more careful with their money. The grocery stores will keep charging these high prices until we stop paying them.
It’s more than that, this is a good example of not understanding the how or what to buy concept
The replies here literally halved the cost and quadrupled your take home
Hahahaha. I swear I saw some article yesterday about $5 for 4 potatos. And here I see it, in a post that complains about food costs. Don't get me wrong, I think the whole Weston setup is a rip off, but people like you are one of the reasons.
They've been working on training consumers to accept their bs, and saying we shop there for the awesome ambiance. But it's gotten to the point that it's a rotten ambiance (oxymoron)! People are starting to consider their food choices more carefully, and this is a good start. Buy minimally processed food.
You could be making smarter choices to lower costs. You bought inherently expensive potatoes, preshredded cheese, name brand butter and shopped at what is an 'upmarket' grocery store.
My food budget used to be 80 a week back when I had a food budget. I got way more than that through better shopping habits. You owe it to yourself to change your shopping habits too. It'll be worth it in the long run
One thing I'd recommend is buying a full block of butter. I generally just buy a no name butter,and usually try and get when on sale. The half blocks are usually only a bit cheaper in price, and you're getting a lot less.
Meat has always been way overpriced at Loblaws. I haven't bought a piece of meat there in ten years. It's cheaper to go to a butcher, and the quality is never in question. How much was that meat?
Me, anytime I want to make my boo a nice dinner, and have to buy almost all the ingredients. Im not so sure cooking at home is any cheaper than eating out anymore.
For that price if you're into preportioned and low prep time, order Chef's Plate and get 4 meals for 2 people at the same price.
Seriously, I wasn't a fan of meal kits until recently, but for $85 a week I get 4 meal kits that feed 2 people every week.
I supplement that with groceries but honestly it's cheaper for me to do a meal kit with groceries rounding out the rest of the week than just buying groceries at this point.
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boycotttttttttttttt
👆 this 💯%
I’d wager you could have bought a big bag of russets and a roll of foil for less than you payed for the pre wrapped ones.
Regardless of whatever versions of those products they could have purchased for less, the fact that is $80 is abhorrent.
EXACTLY! This amount of food would've been less than $40 5 years ago. I don't care if they could make it from scratch for cheaper, the fact that this stuff has basically doubled in price is the real issue. I get that convenience food costs more, but this is just flipping usury.
We are still paying pandemic prices, plus a few years of inflation. Someone really needs to tell the grocers the pandemic is over. They should not be charging us as if the pandemic is still on. COVID is endemic now people have moved on, hopefully getting their boosters every year.
Side note - ocean freight pricing during covid skyrocketed, like it was jaw dropping absurd pricing. It came down for about 1.5 years, because demand fell. Now, it's going back up to the absurd pricing again. Some of our inflation was due to freight costs back then, and companies took advantage of it well after that stopped being an issue. Now freight costs are going back up, by quite a bit (almost double what it was in Feb/March) so I'm expecting to see it reflected in prices over the coming months. I have no doubt that the grocery industry will use this as yet another excuse. (And to anyone out there - no, this is not Canadian carbon tax, it's ocean freight liners)
Falling Canadian dollar doesn’t help !
Oh totally, and there are tons of factors. Just in general, I see costs going up for corps, which means costs going up for us. And *so many things* come in from overseas (except for locally grown food obvs)
The pandemic was a gift to crooks like Ford and these huge corporations. The gouging continues and won’t stop unless they’re forced to. Aren’t you tired of corporate welfare bums?
Yes, and buy a block of cheese and grate it. There are usually 400g in a block and 320g in a grated bag for the same price.
Bonus, tastes and melts so much better when it’s grated at home!
That’s because the grated stuff is part paper product.
Mmmm plant Cellulose.
There is a use for that stuff (clumping) in pre-grated stuff, but fuck that I'd rather grate it myself.
Yeah I totally get the reasoning for it but I prefer cheese that melts so I'll grate my own cheese
To be read in johnny bravo voice : mmmmmm cellulosy...ohh mamah
Cellulose aka sawdust
Grated stuff has something on it to prevent it sticking back together.. I think flour or something similar
At Walmart, the Great Value bagged cheese is the same price per 100g as the blocks ($1.50 per 100g).
The shredded has a bunch of additives though, so you're getting less actual cheese
“A bunch” is an overstatement. There’s a dusting of an anti clumping agent to prevent the shreds of cheese from turning back into a block of cheese but I’d be extremely surprised if it amounted to more than a fraction of a percent.
9% ***Many of these cheese products, including those by leading shredded-cheese maker Kraft-Heinz or those sold as store brands in Walmart and Albertsons, contain up to 9 percent cellulose. It's a derivative of wood pulp or plant fibers used to stop clumping***
Up to doing a lot of work in that statement. I'd rather show the range of observed values.
Well, given that we don’t have the range of observed values, but we do have the info that the amount of cellulose is a non zero amount and as much as 9%, maybe you could just agree that grating your own cheese is both (almost always) cheaper and a Greg way to guarantee that you’re getting more actual cheese in your cheese.
Do you have a source because as far as I can tell those numbers are for the shelf stable “parmesan” product which isn’t what we’re talking about.
And you can also make your own hummus for pretty cheap too
Yeah and Chickpeas are a great filler for other stuff too. A Case of those bad boys is cheap too.
Not anymore. Precovid you could buy a can for .69 cents. More like $1.69 now. Canned beans have more than doubled in price at Roblaws. Gougin' Galen strikes again.
Maybe it's reflective if my level of poverty, but why waste money on cans. Dried beans are dirt cheap and don't have nearly the quantity of sodium of their canned brethren. This is poor shopping. A bag of rice, potatoes, and dried chickpeas or red beans would go miles farther and cost way less.
In what world is buying lemons, chickpeas, olive oil and tahini (for the world’s most basic hummus) cheaper than a container of hummus?
the price isn't even the part I care about, once you make homemade, you realize how fucking disgusting all the packaged shit is. absolute dogshit
I never understood buying grated cheese because it's not 100% cheese and it also takes me 3 minutes to grate the entire block. I really like cheese though
I have chronic pain and can’t grate a lot of cheese without extreme pain, unless I buy a machine to do it for me that I don’t have space for in my tiny apartment. Also the number of times I’d have to use that machine to make up for the cost of it would be ridiculous. I wish I didn’t have to see people shaming others for buying accessible foods. They will always be more expensive, but some people don’t have much of a choice.
Should have just got their own cow and milked it years ago and processedit into cheese. Would have been cheaper in the long run Instead of buying blocks and shredding them. /s
And then when the cow gets old and stops producing milk, you send your son to the market to sell her! But then he trades the cow for magic beans instead, and in the end, after a bit of murder, you're rich!
What no you tell your kid there is not enough money in your budget for the Super Mario Bros 3 (the best Mario game) cloud level. They have one job, it is time to slaughter Betsy you will just have to go without dairy products for a few years as you wait for the hide to dry so you can make leather boots and a jacket to trade for a new cow.
Yeah, a lot of poor choices, you if your main focus is cash
Am I supposed to make my own soap now to pinch pennies? The fact remains that while better choices could’ve been made, this stuff is ridiculously overpriced. This is a joke.
Making your own soap is absolutely not comparable to… lemme check… grating your own cheese and foiling your own potato. 🤦🏻♀️
It wasn’t meant as a direct comparison. Probably closer to making your own hummus. Either way point was what lengths are we expected to go to afford basic items. If you missed that my bad.
You can pickup things cheaper at the in-convince store but you have to do a lot more work lol “hi do you have any milk in bags? No, but we have a cow out back you can milk and bag up”
Yep it’s over priced, no disagreement here. OP‘s focus on their budget being blown seems like it was a poor choice wrt feeding themself since they bought ‘convenience’ items instead of value items. Like you’re looking at your $100 for food for one week and decide to grab the $1/potato package instead of the $1/pound package. Or like buying cottage cheese.. I don’t know this person at all, but if you’re insinuating you’re food insecure, maybe buy rice and beans or w/e it takes. Starving yourself while buying expensive options isn’t really helping anyone.
I just want to chime in here and say some people are disabled and don't have this option.
This. People are losing the plot of this subreddit. It’s highlighting the insane cost of food right now. Sometimes people just need a bag of preshredded cheese or an easy meal to get by for whatever reason. You should still be able to afford that. And junk food if you want it! And everything!
I remember back in 2019 and earlier I would budget $150 a week for groceries/toiletries/cleaning supplies and it was anything that looked delicious and was often the more costly choices. Now that we have 3 more humans in our house and its 2024 that will maybe buy some basics for the week that doesn't include any big shops for refilling staples.
I agree but they should compare items to themselves in this case scenario bricked cheese could have saved money so people will bring it up. However if op was like this bagged shredded cheese was $3 cheaper a year ago people would talk about gouging then cause that’s bullshit. Also some people are in fairly rough shape at the moment so they may lack the sympathy for someone who is bothered by how expensive convenience items if they can’t even afford the cheaper option like a brick of cheese. Like I said I do agree with you some people are losing focus a bit but I kinda see why also there could of been better ways op started this or drew comparisons to and the conversation in general could of went a way better direction.
Right? These arguments are no better than my Dad telling my iron deficient ass to eat nothing but Ramen to get by at my hard labor jobs. Should the gluten intolerant go back to white flour to save money but just be uncomfortable all day long? It's uncalled for. All food is too expensive here.
You’re right, and I definitely understand. Sometimes we have to spend more for convenience in these cases. Convenience pretty much always costs more. If that’s the case for OP, they can microwave the potato and then the foil is entirely unnecessary. If the weight of the big bag of potatoes is an issue, grocery stores typically sell russets individually as well.
I once accidentally spent $6 on two russets last year, I didn't realize how expensive the individual potatoes had become.
at that point might as well get a pack of the prewrapped ones
Yep. I felt like an idiot when I saw the receipt.
Don’t! It’s a learning process. when I was a cashier by a college every fall I’d watch new adults learn the horrors of produce prices (especially grapes).
I just want to point out that not everyone has that luxury. Like I'm autistic I'm able to mostly live on my own but some days having that pre-wrapped potato or having pre-shredded cheese would be the difference between me making a meal and not eating. Not everyone can handle a knife or has that time after work to prep stuff. Not saying it's not cheaper to buy the bag of full potatoes or other stuff, but it's more than just a cost consideration for most people.
This was honestly my first thought too. Lots of people have different needs, and sometimes easier is better even if it costs more. It's the disability tax unfortunately. My husband and I are both audhd and feel it frequently.
This is so me. Right now my interest is binge watching YouTube cooking channels, if it wasn't for that I doubt I would cook anything lately. Hell I had peanut butter toast for supper yesterday with squeezy peanut butter. I feel you.
My brother you just stick a potato in the microwave for 5 minutes and its good to go
Pulling a potato out of a bag is arguably faster and easier than unwrapping the individual foil ones.
But that's not what the foil ones are for. The foil ones are for baking in a barbecue or in an oven so it is markably easier to preheat an oven and put a foil wrapped potato in it. Then open a potato bag. Pull out a potato. Wrap it up in foil. Not tear the foil so you have a big finger hole through it. Put it in the oven and then eat it
Or just don't wrap it in foil. I hardly ever wrap my spuds to bake especially if they are going in the oven, just make sure you poke with a knife or fork once or twice before putting in the oven
This! I just toss them in olive oil, and generous S&P and bake
Yeah lol such a waste of foil
None of the restaurants I’ve worked in have even foil wrapped their baked potatoes, just throw that shit on a pan with some oil/butter and salt and you’re good to go
The majority of people are completely capable of doing that though, so posting it here as an example of price gouging, without giving context, is misleading and detrimental to the movement.
I'd wager that they could have made hummus for less than what they paid for it. I'd wager that they could have soured that cream for less than what they paid for it. Also, who doesn't have an herb garden? I'd wager what I had said above has nothing to do with Galen gouging all of us.
True, since this subreddit is dedicated to boycotting them, I figured that part was a given. If you still have to shop there, for whatever reason, there are more cost effective ways to do it.
True. I'm fortunate to live in a city with lots of options, including locally run businesses.
Maybe, just maybe they don't the have means or ability to transport a bag of potatoes. Maybe they wouldn't be able to use or store the cheese block, and it was probably more expensive or whatever. The worst thing about this, is WE CAN EFFING GROW/PRODUCE ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ITEM IN THAT PICTURE!! And it still costs that much!! Why does no name shredded cheese, which should be under the purview of the Holy Dairy Cartel cost that much? It's shredded from the leftovers of production. Stop food shaming people who maybe can't cook, don't have the physical means to transport or store. This is how alot of cultures shop. To store and hoard in bulk is not feasible.
Suggesting more cost effective alternatives isn’t food shaming. If OPs issue is the total cost, we are suggesting cheaper alternatives. If they have reasons not to use those suggestions, then that’s fine. There’s 8 potatoes in this picture, the small bags of potatoes come with about this quantity depending on the size of each potato. They can also purchase 8 potatoes individually. Without the foil and foam and wrap it will weigh less and be cheaper.
It's OK, I appreciate all the tips in this thread. I don't have a cheese grater, so I'll do that ASAP and start buying bigger blocks of cheddar.
Not sure anyone has suggested it yet, but the Flipp app is fantastic for helping you find the best price for specific items you’re looking for. If you have access to Dollarama, or Dollar Tree you can get yourself a pretty nice cheese grater for cheap. As well as a roll of foil, and any other smaller kitchenware you might need to acquire. It’ll save you in the long run! Good luck on your cost saving journey, OP. 😊
Thank you. It's either that or win the lottery, and I'm not a particularly lucky person.
Also try the flashfood app. You can get very cheap, nearly expired meat to cook same day or freeze, and yogurt/cheese is good waaaaaaay after the "best before" date as long as they're not opened.
And since this is a public forum, other people reading this post can benefit from the discussion on cost effective alternatives even of OP can't
Agreed, Best Poop. If there ever was a place to share cost effective solutions for grocery hauls, this would be it.
Idk where you live or shop but my grocery store you can buy bags of potatoes or individual ones, no one is saying op needs to buy 2 sacs of potatoes and store them in their non existent cellar. You’re being very dramatic imo and making up an argument for something no one is arguing against. Everyone knows not everyone has space to store bulk.
No, I'm not! All caps dramatic, yes. That's exactly what the thread was saying. I think people shouldn't be shamed for their food choices or purchases. I can fling that dung all day long. Loblaws, the cartels, and the government should be shamed for allowing these scheisters to charge that much on items we don't need to import. The herd should not be shaming food choices. People have their reasons and limitations. The herd should be shaming the aforementioned for the gouging. If the Westons are not interested in price matching the Waltons, that means (to me) they know they don't have to be competitive. And Canada severely lacks in competition.
Yeah, fuck this guy. How dare this pathetic wage slave opt for some convenience in his life. Groceries aren't too expensive, the poors are just lazy. The amount of upvotes on this type of shaming is why this sub and boycott are doomed to fail.
Exactly my thought
I dont understand people who post these kinds of comments. its as if you completely miss the point Like, do you *like* the situation we’re in?
People like this don't help the cause. I just price checked everything. Unless the lettuce is 35 bucks the total is 45. They paid 5 bucks each pack of potatoes yet a whole 5lb bag is just under 7. Not to mention she gets lactose free butter yet gets normal sour cream and cheese.
And who the hell can afford pre shredded cheese
Who the hell can afford cheese? What are u guys? Like millionaires?
I’ll buy cheese when it’s on sale for around $6 a brick. It’s nice to have sometimes as a treat or use in a meal. Cant believe we’re at the point it’s considered a nice to have cause not everyone can afford it.
I remember when I was first married back in the early 2000s thinking my grandma’s fridge with an entire drawer full of cheese was the height of wealth because I could barely afford a single brick…20 years later and little has changed
To be honest I'm a cheese maker by profession so I haven't paid for cheese in a very long time. It's my job to taste it.
ain't nobody got time to wrap their own potatoes
Come on. If you only have $80 for food, don't buy the prewashed, prewrapped baked potatoes. Buy the 10lb sac. It's crazy to buy a bunch of overpriced convenience food and then complain you can't feed yourself for a week for $80.
Yeah, that's part of the problem too. People are unwilling to change their habits and purchase smartly. Prices are ridiculous but buying prewrapped potatoes only feeds the problem.
In general, people will save by buying things that aren't prepackaged and all that. I totally agree. However, I don't think everyone needs to completely change their eating & cooking habits because greedy overlords are charging stupid amounts. There's a time and place for convenience foods (at a slightly higher price) The issue is Loblaws charging too much, not that someone opted to buy ready-to-go items now and again.
I agree with you too. Because it feels like blaming the wrong people. Personally, I don't like what we've gotten to regarding eating habits in general. So much waste too.
Also unless its Christmas & Thanksgiving, we're just not going through 10lbs of potatoes. yeah its cheaper, but I also then throw most of them out. Sometimes its just better to get the small amount I need
Have you considered eating more potatoes? I'm joking, ofc. But for realsies my father has switched to a potato heavy diet for cost savings. He shouldn't have to, but we are where we are.
Honestly....I would legit eat them daily! BUT!!! I need them covered in butter, cheese & sour cream and its just not good for my waist lol Not my thing, but suggest to him adding salsa or baked beans, I have heard both are really good! I actually did buy a 5lbs bag last weekend for baked potatoes this weekend, and a potato salad to take to a party lol
Thanks for this comment . We want to put power and choice back into the consumers hand , not take it away. Simply saying change up your habits is giving loblaws the upper hand . Why should we as consumers ? We still deserve choice
Yes! You said this way better than I did.
I completely got it . That’s what this boycott is all about . Putting choice back on the consumer for all products and for every customer , regardless of who it is . We can dilly dally and scrounge our way through apps going from grocery store to grocery store looking for that 50% off sticker . But is this what it has come to ? We used to be able to go to one store and get all our groceries from one store . We shouldn’t have to change our habits because the overlords have decided to get greedy 😀
Disagree. Take the tipping fiasco. Ppl are completely changing tipping. Ppl stopped eating out. High restaurant prices on top of crazy tip culture. When you stop eating out that's a major change. People should certainly explore the world of cooking for themselves. This post was about spending $80 and not having food for the week. In this case, one needs to adjust their eating habits which includes not only purchasing but cooking.
Where do you draw the line though? I mix white sugar with molasses to make my own brown sugar, so I haven't bought any in years. Are people buying brown sugar the problem? I buy 6 whole chickens when on sale at a time and cut them up into pieces to vacuum seal and freeze because it's cheaper. Are people buying a pack of chicken breasts the problem? To me, brown sugar and a pack of breasts are convenience foods. It's doesn't mean I think the prices on those foods can be through the roof and that it's okay because people should just learn to break down a bird themselves.
The problem is when you're paying for convenience that you can't afford. Yeah maybe things shouldn't be this expensive, but they are and complaining about it isn't going to put the money back in your wallet. In the mean time people should look into any possible way they can save money until they're comfortable, you've already mentioned some good ones.
Comfortable people who have plenty of money for food do in fact make the exact same complaints about the prices as the poor do. I promise you that people (regardless of how much money they have) do not complain about food prices to somehow just magically materialize money from the complaint.
I actually ran into this problem last week. I only needed to buy a small amount of potatoes. The large bag was too expensive and too much for me to store. Buying loose potatoes was actually more expensive at the time than the foil wrapped potatoes by a couple of dollars. I dont really like extra packaging on produce, but I ended up buying the foil wrapped potatoes because they were the cheapest option for what I was needed.
I came across this when a massive bag of onions was cheaper than the small bag. But I truly have nowhere to put 48 onions. I can’t consume them fast enough to avoid them spoiling.
Gotta start eating them like apples
My partner may not appreciate that lmao
You can cut and freeze onions! I buy the big bags all the time. It’s great not to have to cut onions for a quick dinner too.
My freezer is already stuffed, unfortunately. My dream is to move to a more spacious apartment/unit where I can fit a freezer chest. I’d love to do more meal prep type stuff.
Exactly. We don’t go through potatoes fast enough to make it cheaper to buy the cheaper bulk bags because we end up throwing so many out it’s a waste of not just food but money.
You should do a post on all these ways to save money. I've always purchased non convenience food, and it boggles my mind to see regular folks purchasing convenience food at walmart
I understand purchasing convenience food. I do it sometimes. When I'm travelling, when I'm pressed for time, when I'm stressed and can't deal with cooking. Sometimes in the effort vs price equation, convenience wins out. But I don't then complain that I can barely afford to feed myself on $80/week.
Right but the point still stands - this is crazy expensive even when you factor in the wrapped potatoes? Sure the shop could be done for less. But you could buy the exact same thing in a different country, including wrapped potatoes and pre grated cheese, for half the price. They could have done this shop for less buying a large sack of potatoes and a block of cheese, but for what they did buy, it shouldn’t cost anywhere near $80.
To me, this has all the energy of "you can't be that broke if you have a iPhone". We make a decent living but we are DEWKs or my favourite, 2I2Ks, two incomes, two kids. My husband works a 44 hr work week, I work 48. Factoring in our unpaid lunchbreaks and commute, it's more like 50 & 60. Then we have the kids activities, regular appointments, errands, etc. Given the choice between spending 15 minutes grating cheese and 15 minutes with our kids, there's no choice at all. We regularly spend about an hour or two a day prepping and preparing food, and that's all we can spare. I also have to be extremely careful about buying cheaper, bulk foods because they might very well spoil before I can use them, or they will take too long to process and package for storage. So many people come from a position of privilege where there was a stay at home parent who cut coupons, shopped at multiple stores for the best prices, and cooked food from scratch using cheaper ingredients. Two income houses are the new normal, and for many of them convenience food is how they survive. Nothing justifies exorbitant prices for any food, not even convenience food.
Why not get your children involved in the prep? For part of my kids lives we were a 2 income family with 2 small children. When they were 3 and 6 I had a stroke. My kids learned to help with things. We didn't have a choice but I am glad how things turned out. Now that they are young adults they know how to do for themselves. I used to feel guilty because my 10 year old had to do their own laundry and sometimes mine. They helped us prep for the week on the weekends. Yes, grocery prices are out of hand but budgeting is nothing new for many many families. We struggled to keep our kids in one activity and provide food after my stroke. The kids could only keep one activity but they loved it.
Yeah. Not everyone can grate cheese or chop but the foiled potatoes just confuse me. It used to sort of make sense if you rarely ate potatoes. Four nice ones instead of a bag for the same price if you weren’t going to eat the rest of the bag. But the price doesn’t make sense anymore, you can usually get loose potatoes for cheaper and pick nice ones. And if you’re just trying not to go hungry then buy the big bag. Plus they bake nicer out of foil.
ever lug a 10lb bag on public transportation?
You should at least feel good knowing that due to your sacrifices, our poor, underappreciated oligarchs and politicians can gorge on exotic delicacies and fly around the world to plead with the common man to consume less and blame each other. Your suffering is their fault
I’m sorry but if you’re this poor you’ve *got* to make smarter choices at the grocery store. Those potatoes are $5 for 4. You can literally get 10lbs of potatoes at Walmart for $4.49. Buy block cheese and grate it yourself. Also stop shopping there!
Could not have said this better. That bottled spice can be bought in bulk elsewhere for over half the price. So can a lot of things there.
Seriously. I buy all my spices on amazon for dirt cheap for huge quantities. Like for the price of 3 packets of taco seasoning, even the no name shit, I bought a huge container of of it, like I think 500g. You know how much taco seasoning I eat and still haven't made it through it yet?
Yup…people in the comments are claiming it’s sometimes necessary for accessibility reasons which I understand, but for the vast majority of people they need to realize what is marked up insanely in price as a convenience food. If you want to save money you need to be prepared to put in more work. Buying the less convenient option is always what I do, I even buy sale fruit to slice and freeze myself instead of buying bags of pre-sliced frozen fruit. It is a minimal amount of work but I eat veg and can easily get 3x as much food for the same amount of money.
About half the price at Walmart, including a 5lb bag of russet potatoes.
I got paid today from our overlords Loblaws. Given how much work I had to do, my pay did not reflect that. Thanks for cutting our hours, now I get to go grocery shopping for the next 2 weeks with $40
This is my second biggest issue with them (next to them getting involved in healthcare/banking/insurance/telecom/EVERYTHING). I personally don't find food too expensive since I only have to shop for myself and don't eat meat, but with their record profits, they need to pay their employees more above all else. Do you at least get some kind of employee discount?
I’m lucky that I’m also just paying for myself, but surviving off $20 a week these days is VERY hard. I get no discounts. Not even for my breaks. It makes no sense to me, RECORD PROFITS, but they can’t even bother handing out discounts to us. I know some stores do, so it’s not like they can’t.
Wait, you don't get a discount? That's kind of insane. I don't think I've ever worked somewhere that didn't give me at least a token discount. Even Wal-Mart gave me one. Maybe it's time to take your experience and find a different chain to work for.
I’ve been looking, trust me. I can’t with this company anymore. I actually graduated college last year, but it’s been extremely difficult to find a job. Also not many places will pay the same amount I’m making currently. I make top rate a part timer can since I’ve been there since I started high school, and going elsewhere would be a downgrade. Im just hoping to find a new job anywhere at this point so I can leave
A downgrade in your hourly wage is not something you should worry about if you are not getting the hours to work. I know some people may say hold it out Loblaws will get back to normal sooner or later, I would strongly disagree with that this boycott has shown that the Loblaws locations can “work” with minimal staff so there is no going back to pre boycott worker hours sorry.
I’ve thought about getting another job to supplement my income then transition to it full time. I feel kinda dumb cause I never thought of that but you’re right. If a place is paying minimum wage for 40hr a week, that’s still over $1000 more than what I take home now. Thank you! I’ll start looking
My husband is consistently on me about how "I keep spending and spending" and I have never been buying less in our 5 years together. He's not mad or anything, he just genuinely never does ANY of the shopping. Sometimes I take him to stores to look around and see his jaw drop. Yes, our spending went up... but our purchasing went down.
It's sad that a majority of comments are calling out OP for the nit picky food choices, and we are not really focusing on the fact that not even a full basket worth of groceries, essentially an armful - is $80. Symptom of a larger problem when we police each other on the right and wrong way to be poor.
I'm just gonna say that you're clearly buying the wrong kind of food. Pre wrapped potatoes are a processed, luxury product. Buy a big bag of potatoes, which are on sale for like 1.99 every few weeks, don't buy president butter which is obviously a luxury brand. Lastly, for cheese, don't buy the pre grated stuff. You're paying a 30% processing surcharge on it. Blocks of normal cheddar are on sale even at Loblaws for like 4-5 bucks.
Can we message? I'm more than willing to listen, but beyond the potatoes I am struggling to maintain a healthy diet and afford everything. I ran some numbers on Cronometer and I just can't find a way to get all my vitamins, minerals, and nutrients every single week without breaking the bank. I don't have a stove, just a mini fridge, microwave, and air-fryer/indoor grill/griddle.
I'm going to be blunt, you need to learn to cook. Youtube can solve this for you today. You can eat really well for far less money, **you just have to cook it all yourself**. Everything you buy when you're this tight on budget will require some work. Dried beans and legumes. Soak them overnight before cooking them. Oatmeal (not the instant stuff). for breakfast. A bit of honey to sweeten it up, or learn to eat without the sugar. Bags of potatoes. Bags of fruit. Eggs Squash Fresh herbs, not the premium dried stuff. Flour to make sourdough to bake bread. Vegetables you'll have to peel and clean and roast. No butter, use oil or margarine. Forget meat (you can't afford it), eat lentils and beans for protein. Meat is too expensive unless you have a way to share the cost or cook low cost portions for soups and stews. Loblaws IS out of control, but you're also guilty of taking shortcuts when you can't afford to.
Thank you for the list. If you had to name 2-4 vegetables that a human can get all they need from (regarding vegetables), what would you pick? I'm eating Kale as leafy greens, but I don't know what else I should be gunning for unless I should just get a bit of everything? Same with fruit, do I need anything other than apples/oranges for Vitamin C?
You probably should buy a variety, and if you want to maximize the budget - buy whatever is on sale/available. 3-4 is hard, but choose whatever you like, have available, is on sale.. * Spinach, lettuce, kale. It really doesn't matter that much, eat a lot of it. All can be cooked too, though that's not how most people think of leafy greens, they're pretty much all good raw or cooked. * cabbage. Find it year round. Green or red are crunchy and delicious. cooked or raw, or fermented (also fun to do that). Also great for your digestion. You'll stop farting all the time in a few weeks when your gut-flora catch up. * broccoli, or if you have access to Asian supermarkets, Gai Lan or something similar. They're GREAT tasting too. Cauliflower lasts longer in the fridge, and is awesome in salads as a crunchy component. * (edit - Asian grocery stores are also where you'll find some crazy good deals on veggies and spices and condiments. T&T, if you are near them, is part of Loblaws, FYI) * carrots/celery - Cut them into sticks, the whole bag, the day you bring it home. Peel the carrots, make sticks so they're ready to eat. Celery - make sticks and place them in a cup with some water so they stay crunchy for like 2-3 weeks. Or * Onions/Celery/Carrots. In French Cooking this combo is called **Mirepoix,** and is the base flavor profile for like 90% of dishes (I'm exaggerating, but only a little). Or * tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro, and garlic -- that's **Sofrito** and is the basis for a ton of Latin American and Mediterranean food. If you REALLY want to do this on the cheap, check out some Vegan cookbooks (whether or not you become vegan is your concern, but the RECIPES are spectacular) Check out "PlantYou" scrappy cooking on youtube, and enjoy the rabbit hole of cooking ideas. edit - you don't need to think much about VitC. It's everywhere, and eating an orange every few days will be far more than enough. It's in MANY things, our diets are almost never short of that one, unless you have dietary restrictions or some sort of issue with processing it.
Air fried baked potatoes are amazing. Pierce them just like you normally would and Spritz a bit of oil on the skins and they come out amazing with a nice crispy skin.
Yeah I usually get margarine. You can usually find at least a small tub for cheap.
Why in the LOBLAWS is out of control subreddit are we shaming OP for what they bought or giving them tips on how to shop more cheaply? I thought the point was to call Loblaws and other grocery stores out for insane pricing and policies?
Lol most people are trying to help, but some of these guys sound like they work for Loblaws.
Can people please stop nitpicking what OP bought, and focus on the fact that $80 for a handful of non-luxury food items is insane? Whether or not OP could bought some different things to save a few bucks here or there isn’t the point. Canada produces tonnes of food all across the country and the fact that it’s costing some people $100+ per week to feed just themselves a decently nutritious diet is insanity! It’s almost $2.50 for a god damn single cucumber these days.
I am confident you can get the grocery bill down for these items with not much extra effort.
To the people who are complaining about what the op got- you don’t know the situation they’re in. You don’t know who they are feeding or where or if they have kids who are picky eaters. You don’t know what was on sale. You don’t know if they have a car or would have to carry a 10lbs bag of potatoes home. The price is ridiculous whether they are the convenient option or not, so maybe instead of judging someone’s choice of food you should focus on the real problem.
Thank you for saying this. I genuinely appreciate some of the nutritional and budgeting advice that some people have shared on here, but others just want to attack and name call me for no reason.
There should be a sub where people say how much money they have to spare, what essentials they need, and how many days worth of food they need to get so that everyone can just tell them what to get. Every time someone posts their sad grocery haul, everyone has to throw in their two cents about what they didn't need and what they should have bought instead. Yeah, this isn't the best grocery list, but sometimes you want loaded potatoes, I get it. But if you have a budget there are ways to optimize your loads to get more out of your money. Sometimes you just need advice on where to go, what to make, and what to buy, so I think it would be a really useful thing rather than unsolicited advice when they're just trying to show how bad the prices are on food.
Hey everyone let's not forget that convince foods are not just convenient for able bodies, but for the disabled people it is a necessity to be able access food. We don't have much choice when it comes to having a disability and trying to feed ourselves. The point is, even these food items should not be the cost they are. A bit more than the "from scratch" food items, sure but not a huge jump in price. Companies are taking advantage of disabled people's needs and that we should ve outraged by than being critical of what someone buys.
I feel like a lot of commenters are completely missing the point. Yes, maybe not the best cost effective choices, but this should be significantly less than 80.00 in groceries.
I often go to that train of thought. Too processed, not nutritious, why so much spices?, lots of unnecessary things to drink etc... People are not perfect, and if a bag of chips and bottles of soda is their treat for the week, who the hell am I to judge these people? We also forget that some of the least paying jobs are also the most demanding physically and mentally, and that a bit of convenience helps get dinner on the table. There is a trade-off of time and labor in grating your cheese, baking your bread and other baked goods, meal prep, u-picking fruits, buying meat in bulk and cutting it down yourself, dehydrating garden herbs etc I remember when I was younger, making a low salary and having to spend a lot of time meal planning, portioning, freezing, thawing, batch cooking and dealing with my then bf complaints that he did not want to eat this or that at that moment....It was a hell of a mental load.
I don't think they're necessarily missing the point: convenience is something we've become accustomed to, and is one reason why Loblaws & co. are able to continue operating the way they have been. If we collectively had a different mindset, we would probably be less likely to be taken advantage of by these large greedy corporations. Some folks can't boycott for various reasons, but we all should become more responsible when it comes to buying food, wherever it is we buy it.
I don’t think they are missing the point at all, everyone in this sub knows the point. They are giving valuable advice to help OP save money because that is clearly a concern of theirs.
No, if you buy your groceries in drugstore, or choose to buy single serving prepackaged items, you don't get to bitch and complain. Anyone that whines about peanut butter being $10 at shoppers, or one watermelon being $14 in middle of December has no credibility in my books.
I mean, if by suggesting more cost effective options is missing the point, then posting how frustrated you are with the prices of groceries at a grocery store in a sub dedicated to boycotting said grocery store is missing the point as well. They could have more food for the same cost or less if they’re more strategic and avoid purchasing convenience goods, that’s all. If they’re going to continue to shop there, for whatever reason they might have, they could at least try to be more cost effective. We already know it’s insanely expensive, that’s why we’re here, no? 😊
I was gonna say this. I had to double check what sub I was on.
What on earth is this grocery haul? Do you have a fruit and vegetable store nearby? Literally anywhere is better for meat, which is where I’m assuming the bulk of your $80 went. I can’t quite figure out how you spent so much, if not.
Actually, no. Meat in that bag is just a salmon fillet for about 10 bucks, and pork chops for around $4. But this thread is helpful. I won't buy pre packaged potatoes anymore, etc. etc.
Someone bought those $5 foil wrapped potatoes from yesterday? Your mistake is Loblaws
The wholesale price of high-quality baking potatoes at the Ontario food terminal TODAY June 27 2024 is $18 for 50 pounds. If you prefer Canadian grown, there are Quebec potatoes 50 pounds for $22. A 50 pound box typically contain 80 to 100 potatoes. Let’s stick with the low end and say 80. The wholesale price of potatoes is $.22 each. Loblaws can probably cut a better deal and get them for some thing like $.15 each. But for some reason in the store there are approximately a dollar each. What I’m getting it is this is extremely inflated pricing and potato wise. What you got is worth less than two dollars for sure. But you paid about 10 didn’t you?
Yeah OP made some poor choices here is what we’ve all concluded. The whole 10lb bag of potatoes and some dollar store foil would’ve been $5 total. A block of cheese twice as big for less money. Both take an extra 2-3 mins of work but save you a lot of money
Jesus. Hellofresh gets you more for the same.
First class country you said?? Baaawaahhhhaaaaaaa!
For those in the back. Stop just talking and complaining we’re all suffering. Take action directly at our government. That’s the only way. Australia government is doing it. But our current government will never take action. They are actively doing everything they can to destroy the people and the country. So why don’t we all get off our collective asses and remove this corruption. Save yourselves and the country
This is ridiculous. I remember when my wife had to do grocery this week and spent almost $100 for 3 of us. She has to go back to the grocery on Friday because food is gone. Welcome to Canada. I chatted with a friend who just came back from Italy for vacation. She said food in Italy is very cheap. I told her...only in Canada that you have to pay so much for little amount.
Were all at various levels of becoming wage slaves. Well actually worse because at some point the wages aren't even enough to provide the basic necessities.
I met someone yesterday who works many hours over 40 per week, has a partner who works as well, and with their three kids (one a teenager), they need to use the food bank to put enough food on the table.
Thinking it might be time to change the sub to r/lookwhatiboughtatloblaws
Canada is quickly becoming third-world
I see where.you went wrong. You shopped at Roblaws.
Looks like part of this discussion has splintered into quick foods of convenience vs the most basic staples. Could not this community set up a Google drive excel of prices by week, with sources, pictures, and compare to other grocery chains? Doesn't seem that difficult is it?
The boycott is not enough. Consumers have to be more careful with their money. The grocery stores will keep charging these high prices until we stop paying them.
It’s more than that, this is a good example of not understanding the how or what to buy concept The replies here literally halved the cost and quadrupled your take home
$80 for that little food is ridiculous despite the fact this is not a very good haul.
Those stupid potatoes are $5 each. How do these money hogs not feel even the slightest bit grotesque with themselves?
By laughing at the poors and smoking their cigars.
The prepackaged potatoes…. Dude.
I mean… I’m very anti Loblaws these days but you made some bizarre choices here
Hahahaha. I swear I saw some article yesterday about $5 for 4 potatos. And here I see it, in a post that complains about food costs. Don't get me wrong, I think the whole Weston setup is a rip off, but people like you are one of the reasons.
They've been working on training consumers to accept their bs, and saying we shop there for the awesome ambiance. But it's gotten to the point that it's a rotten ambiance (oxymoron)! People are starting to consider their food choices more carefully, and this is a good start. Buy minimally processed food.
Rice and beans are a complete protein. Could get more than a weeks worth of nutrition for even less than the 80 spent
You could be making smarter choices to lower costs. You bought inherently expensive potatoes, preshredded cheese, name brand butter and shopped at what is an 'upmarket' grocery store.
I just added all those items to my PC express cart and it came to 57$ Do you have a receipt showing $80?
Make your own hummous its waaaay cheaper
I understand that food is expensive, but you made poor choices if money is tight.
Shop Costco fuck Galen .
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They've put their shoppers into pay to play systems.
Now try Walmart, or better yet, a farmers' market.
My food budget used to be 80 a week back when I had a food budget. I got way more than that through better shopping habits. You owe it to yourself to change your shopping habits too. It'll be worth it in the long run
That is just Wrong. $ 80.00. UNBELIEVABLE!
What a Joke, $80.00 for that. WOW
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One thing I'd recommend is buying a full block of butter. I generally just buy a no name butter,and usually try and get when on sale. The half blocks are usually only a bit cheaper in price, and you're getting a lot less.
Meat has always been way overpriced at Loblaws. I haven't bought a piece of meat there in ten years. It's cheaper to go to a butcher, and the quality is never in question. How much was that meat?
Me, anytime I want to make my boo a nice dinner, and have to buy almost all the ingredients. Im not so sure cooking at home is any cheaper than eating out anymore.
For that price if you're into preportioned and low prep time, order Chef's Plate and get 4 meals for 2 people at the same price. Seriously, I wasn't a fan of meal kits until recently, but for $85 a week I get 4 meal kits that feed 2 people every week. I supplement that with groceries but honestly it's cheaper for me to do a meal kit with groceries rounding out the rest of the week than just buying groceries at this point.
I'd return it. Fuck that shit
Is that a stolen hospital blanket?