We Don't Have That In Canada, eh.
hhorncastle
Posts: 84 Member
I was just saying to my peeps that we need to start an MFP drinking game - every time I say "Hey, we don't have that in Canada", we all chug 8 oz of water. I'm afraid I might drown my friends.
Looking at their food diaries, it amazes me the number of things that we really just don't have here. My father lives in Oklahoma. He came to visit this past summer and I swear I thought he was going to stroke out in the grocery store. He couldn't believe how expensive things are here!
So, it's not just that we don't have things, it's also that the things we DO have are pretty damn spendy. My new healthy lifestyle may be saving me money now that I'm avoiding the drive-thrus for lunch, but I'm certainly making up for it at the grocery store.
I live in a semi-remote, not-huge city (Thunder Bay, Ontario. About 90 km northwest of the middle of nowhere.) Here: http://g.co/maps/8abap So, there are some things we might have in Canada (Whole Foods, for example) but we certainly don't have that in Thunder Bay.
No Target, no Kohls, no Sam's Club. A large tray of boneless skinless chicken breasts (about five breasts, maybe) costs well over $20. No Skinny Cow chocolate bars and a box of Skinny Cow ice cream treats is over $8.
It's frustrating trying to do this on a budget. I'd love to hear what creative ways you all - especially fellow Canadians - have found to have a chicken breast food diary on a Top Ramen budget.
Looking at their food diaries, it amazes me the number of things that we really just don't have here. My father lives in Oklahoma. He came to visit this past summer and I swear I thought he was going to stroke out in the grocery store. He couldn't believe how expensive things are here!
So, it's not just that we don't have things, it's also that the things we DO have are pretty damn spendy. My new healthy lifestyle may be saving me money now that I'm avoiding the drive-thrus for lunch, but I'm certainly making up for it at the grocery store.
I live in a semi-remote, not-huge city (Thunder Bay, Ontario. About 90 km northwest of the middle of nowhere.) Here: http://g.co/maps/8abap So, there are some things we might have in Canada (Whole Foods, for example) but we certainly don't have that in Thunder Bay.
No Target, no Kohls, no Sam's Club. A large tray of boneless skinless chicken breasts (about five breasts, maybe) costs well over $20. No Skinny Cow chocolate bars and a box of Skinny Cow ice cream treats is over $8.
It's frustrating trying to do this on a budget. I'd love to hear what creative ways you all - especially fellow Canadians - have found to have a chicken breast food diary on a Top Ramen budget.
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You may not have that in Canada but you have something more important.. Tim Hortons!!! The closest my closest Timmies is 10+ hours away. I would kill for a large double double!0
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I live in a semi-remote, not-huge city (Thunder Bay, Ontario. About 90 km northwest of the middle of nowhere.) Here: http://g.co/maps/8abap So, there are some things we might have in Canada (Whole Foods, for example) but we certainly don't have that in Thunder Bay.
Think you're limited there?
Try spendin 30yrs in Dryden....
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You guys are getting Targets where Zellers where.0
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Yeah... my parents still have a party line, and my grandparents road isn't even paved yet. They don't have cable either (this is in a community in Nova Scotia).
Yesterday I went looking for spray butter (for an awesome recipe I found on here) and it doesn't exist here anymore! Also, being gluten free we have fewer options than our American neighbours which sucks!0 -
I live in a semi-remote, not-huge city (Thunder Bay, Ontario. About 90 km northwest of the middle of nowhere.) Here: http://g.co/maps/8abap So, there are some things we might have in Canada (Whole Foods, for example) but we certainly don't have that in Thunder Bay.
Hey...I live here too! I am a bulk shopper...when things go on sale I buy them in large quantities...as a result, we have two large deep freezers...but I also must admit, I travel a lot and probably stock up at Sam's Club in Duluth about five times a year! I always buy $40 worth of fresh produce, eggs, milk, etc. at Safeway at least once a week to earn a minimum of 52 airmiles per trip. I have gone on several vacations thanks to those airmiles! 1200 off season to Virginia Beach, New York, Toronto...! lol..0 -
I buy my chicken bone in skin on and clean it up myself, that is cheaper. I also use beans alot. If you are cooking with ground turkey/chicken/beef, use half the amount of meat and the rest canned beans (or dry beans you've boiled if you want to be really thrifty, I just don't feel I have the time) Use cheap seasonal veggies, frozen are always a good bet :-) I tend to make everything from scratch that I can, including bread, rolls, pasta, ground meat, sausage etc. You can play around with the recipes to make them healthier and you can usually make homemade stuff cheaper than store bought. We have pizza every week and I can make it healthier with low fat cheese, lots of veggies and thin homemade crust for probably $5 for a large pizza.
I live in Calgary and I feel groceries here are pretty expensive compared to other areas of Canada (I've lived in Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) I do know what you mean about seeing things we don't have here, I see things mentioned sometimes that I would love to try, but can never find. I keep saying, one day I'm going on a road trip! :-)0 -
Stock up on sale items!!! Use your freezer for marked down meats (freeze them right away and they are great!), and get awesome snack foods and stuff whenever you happen to go to the US.
There's not much that we can do about produce/fruit, but (example), if strawberries are on sale at store A, take the flyer and price match them to Wal-Mart.....usually I base my meals on what is on sale that week and/or what I need to use up from my freezer to make room for more stuff!
Also, use coupons!!! No, we can't "extreme coupon" like some other people may be able too, but it can help your budget A LOT if you stumble on a great deal! I went to a store and they had packages of Maple Leaf Prime Portions marked down to $6.00 (4 in a bag), I had a $5.00 coupon, so each breast was $0.25. I got all three packages lol! We have lots of chicken now!0 -
Yup, things are certainly more expensive here! We are getting Target, but it's not for a few more years still. I'm in Toronto, so we probably have more here than what you have.. but it's still expensive.
On the flip side of that, I'm married to an American.. and I've heard that they are definitely lacking in more ethnic foods. We have so many different types of food available at the grocery store in my city from all over the world.. not nearly as much "Mexican" stuff as down there, though.
I'm from Newfoundland, and things are even more expensive there than they are in Ontario.. it's VERY pricey, but I guess you save on rent if you live outside of St. John's.0 -
I totally know what you mean! My BFF is from the states and when i used to go an visit her I was AMAZED at the selections of everything! There was an entire asle just for JELL-O. flavours you can only dream about!
I shop at Costco- its the canadian version of sam's, and superstore or no frills, We are getting a super wal-mart in January, so excited about that. they tend to have really good deals on meat and whenever things are on sale i stock up! I am going to buy a couple of turkeys and this week, the small ones and when I cook them, (like you would a chicken) I will set aside a couple of portions and freeze them. Great for stretching your dietary budget!0 -
Also, I'm glad to see this topic. A lot of people here talk about how "cheap" it is to eat more healthily, which is very UNTRUE for Canadians.
I wish we had trader joe's :frown:0 -
Haha, I live in Toronto Area, Canada as well, we don't have those either!
I went to the states over a long weekend for shopping.
and I decided to walk into Target, since I've never been in any of them.
I just couldn't believe how much cheaper everything was. Yogurt was like 50% off over there!0 -
People always think I am weird because I always say "ah man, we have this in Canada"
I want milk in a bag
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we buy a box of frozen chicken (ice dried i think it's called?) Sunrise Farms. It's about $32 but wayyy cheaper than the fresh ones. I just thaw them before using. Also, Costco!0
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I don't think it's overly expensive to eat healthy in Canada - and I can do without all that "Skinny Cow" crap.
I get chicken breasts when they are "buy-one-get-one-free" - or hit up Costco. I make my own food and eat mostly organic. It's doable.
- a Vancouverite0 -
My boyfriend would drown in four seconds. Sometimes I think we grew up on different planets.
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lol, too funny! It is amazing how different our two countries are with some things. I am in the great vancouver area, in the city/ somewhat country so I don't feel very deprived, however it is extremely expensive to try and feed my family of four a healthy well balanced diet. I also try and shop at costco ( you can get 3 loaves of whole grain bread for like $5!!) and buy the frozen chicken, frozen fish. I still use lean ground beef but try to also buy ground turkey. Thankfully we have a deep freeze so when meat is on sale we stock up!! We just got a Walmart Supercentre and they always seem to have meat on sale.0
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You guys are getting Targets where Zellers where.
Not in my hometown! It's staying a Zellers! Which, by the way... bites... because that store has the WORST customer service of any store I've ever been to!0 -
Food may be cheaper in some locations in the States, but I live in Miami, and healthy food is very expensive when you are limited in shopping at Publix and WholeFoods. I moved down from Toronto and I feel like there were more selection and more options available in terms of number of grocery stores available in Toronto. Also vegetables are so much cheaper in Toronto then they are in Miami.......Target (at least in Miami) is a place that I would not go to buy grocery (expecially if you are into getting healthy fresh food items)......0
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A lot of my protein comes from beans and legumes. Also from whole grains.
I'm on the upper Sunshine Coast of BC. Wanna talk about isolated?0 -
No Costco in Thunder Bay and our Zellers are turning into Walmarts. I think I've gotten lazy with my meal planning and will have to get back to shopping sales and stocking up. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only frustrated Canuck!0
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All you guys are all complaining about being "isolated" - I live in Prince George, BC! That's north, but here we don't consider it all that north. I grew up about a half hour drive outside of PG in the sticks. Yeah, groceries don't come on the cheap here, but when I'm looking for chicken to cook with, rather than buying a 5 pack of chicken breasts at Superstore for over $20, I just go over and get a rotisserie style barbecue chicken that's already cooked for $7 and use that meat for whatever I'm cooking up over the next couple nights, then use the rest for sandwiches for lunch, and finally boil the bones for stock.
Otherwise, I head over to a little place here called Shoppers Wholesale, similar to Costco in that you can buy huge bulk items, but you don't need a membership, and I go get chicken there, which is half the price that it is in Superstore, and it's the best meat and produce in town.0 -
Not quite the same...but I'm always upset when I can't use the recipes from here becaus do live in Australia and everything is different!!
I locust find canned pumpkin anywhere to try the low cal brownies 0 -
Heh...I live in small town Saskatchewan where my town only had ONE grocery store...so yeah prices are a bit higher. I try to load up on groceries when I'm in the city (Thank God I live close to the city) or when I'm visiting my mom who lives in a bigger place. And at least it's better than my hometown (all of the 300 people living there and one grocery store with NO selection whatsoever). Also, Thank God for my dad and his farm....where I get 90% of my meat; all my chicken (full chickens) and ground beef and sausage and bacon, etc all come from there.
I don't really have much advice other than stock up on sale items. And try to coupon. Just the basic stuff like that really.
ETA: But I will admit...I LOVE my Timmies...that I have to wait to get in the city. But I was just there tonight so it was yum, yum, yum...got Candy Cane White Hot Chocolate and my boyfriend got Vanilla Spice White Hot Chocolate...amazing good>
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That's actually a good thing! As much as I want to get my hands on Kashi go lean and Skinny cow ice cream, I also know I'm better off eating real food (as in un processed like chicken, produce...).0
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Yeah you're not gonna have everything when you live all the way out there. I'm sure there are small towns in Montana that don't have everything. But please stop spreading this myth that it's like that everywhere in Canada! Say "we don't have that in Thunder Bay".
Here in Toronto we pretty much have everything you could imagine. Come visit sometime!0 -
We have expensive but "ok" selection here in Oak Bay, BC but we did have to give up the huge affordable boxes of chicken breasts due to their high sodium content. For some reason they're injected with salt water. Probably to plump them up, make them juicy and make them weigh more I guess.0
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I don't think it's overly expensive to eat healthy in Canada - and I can do without all that "Skinny Cow" crap.
I get chicken breasts when they are "buy-one-get-one-free" - or hit up Costco. I make my own food and eat mostly organic. It's doable.
- a Vancouverite
Exactly! I'm pescetarian, hubby isn't but eats it maybe once a week. We average 150$ a week for the two of us, and most of what we eat is either: make it yourself from scratch or organic (75%). I'm not looking for stuff out of a can (I'd rather use a little olive oil and cut in my calories somewhere else) or out of a box either. Hubby always picks up meat on sale (and he goes organic too) so it's all about buying smart. Bulk up on cereal if it's on special, same with chicken, and frozen veggies and fruits are always a great option. They're flash frozen at their ripest so they've kept their nutrients. Just make sure they don't have added 'stuff' in there!0 -
Yeah you're not gonna have everything when you live all the way out there. I'm sure there are small towns in Montana that don't have everything. But please stop spreading this myth that it's like that everywhere in Canada! Say "we don't have that in Thunder Bay".
Here in Toronto we pretty much have everything you could imagine. Come visit sometime!
I lived in Toronto for 10 years and most of my family is still there. My BFF will never let me forget the time she came to visit me here and her carry-on luggage was a cooler with chicken breasts, cheese and (long before MFP) Krispy Kreme donuts. LOL. My mother used to tease me about trying to eat my way across the GTA when I went to visit (Red Lobster, Dippin' Dots, Harvey's.. whatever) but maybe next time I'LL bring a cooler and hit the grocery stores instead. :happy:0 -
Heh...I live in small town Saskatchewan where my town only had ONE grocery store...so yeah prices are a bit higher. I try to load up on groceries when I'm in the city (Thank God I live close to the city) or when I'm visiting my mom who lives in a bigger place. And at least it's better than my hometown (all of the 300 people living there and one grocery store with NO selection whatsoever). Also, Thank God for my dad and his farm....where I get 90% of my meat; all my chicken (full chickens) and ground beef and sausage and bacon, etc all come from there.
I don't really have much advice other than stock up on sale items. And try to coupon. Just the basic stuff like that really.
ETA: But I will admit...I LOVE my Timmies...that I have to wait to get in the city. But I was just there tonight so it was yum, yum, yum...got Candy Cane White Hot Chocolate and my boyfriend got Vanilla Spice White Hot Chocolate...amazing good>
Dog River? :bigsmile:0 -
You may not have that in Canada but you have something more important.. Tim Hortons!!! The closest my closest Timmies is 10+ hours away. I would kill for a large double double!
There's a Tim Horton's on nearly every block here (Metro Detroit). My friends mock me for the fact that I love hockey, say "eh", and basically live in Tim Hortons. My brother told me to hop a border. 0
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