The 2 litres of milk is about average for what we pay at the chain grocery stores in Ottawa and the green onions seem to be reasonable. I pay $6 for a dozen eggs but they are from a local farm. The eggs I get are “regular” eggs (as in not organic) since their organic eggs are double in price. My CSA share this year is $100 more that what I paid last year and no explanation was given. I renewed my share this year since I still feel it’s a good investment and I don’t have to go to the grocery store as often. During the growing season I go mainly to top up missing ingredients however I would like to get back into going to a farmers market instead. We don’t have any outdoor veggie vendors in the Byward Market anymore so that is putting a wrench in my plans. We have a small market downtown conveniently located a block away from where I live but the veggie stalls sell what I already get in my share. There’s a farmers market about a half hour walk south that I can get to and they have a wider variety of products available.
I guess the word “independent” makes a difference. For my milk pay 6.09 for 3 litres at No Frills The no name butter is fine with me and its 5.29 but i do have a stack of quality butter bought on sale for baking. Fibre One cereal is 12.00 for 3 boxes at Walmart. I only buy fresh veggies and fruits on sale and just last week bought a very nice, big cauliflower for 3.99. Eggs were 8.09 this week at Costco.i dont really run around shopping but am lucky that can have family members do some for me.
It’s interesting, because much of my produce is cheaper and better quality at my independent grocery stores.
I shop at Fiesta Farms when I’m in Toronto, Remark when I’m in LondonOnt, Briwood Market when I drive to St Thomas once every few weeks.
I shop at chain grocery stores 2 or 3 times a month for the products that are not sold at my independent grocery stores. The Fibre One price is the current price at Sobeys, Loblaws and Metro in LdnOnt. I found it on sale at Superstore for around $6.50/ box 2 weeks ago, so I picked up 3 boxes.
The small independent green grocers in Toronto, located in some of the older neighbourhoods, and along Yonge St, charge less than the chain grocery stores or the independent grocery stores charge for produce. I’ll post the prices for produce at my small local green grocer when I visit this weekend.
Different stores with different margins and different ways of making their bottom line.
I don’t shop at Walmart or Costco. I was a Costco member from 2006- around 2015.
I admit, we like unsalted butter wrapped in sticks, so we are paying $7.99-$8.99 for the unsalted PC, Gay Lea or Lactantia unsalted butter wrapped into 4 sticks.
No Name salted butter and No Name unsalted butter, and other generics, that is sold as one block would be cheaper.
Inflation. The farmers who have market gardens are facing the same inflation we are facing. Gas prices have gone up, and it’s a lot of work packaging and delivering CSA boxes to people in the city. Lots of labour costs, and I think it has become more difficult to find workers who do a good job.
I can’t use CSAs because I can’t use most green vegetables, brassica and mustard family vegetables at our house. They interact with some medications. Also, we have a very small fridge and a packed chest freezer.
A CSA box makes a lot of sense if you can tolerate many types of vegetables, or if you have a big family, or can change your meal plan based on what arrives.
I grow my own vegetables, which I can rely on from around June until Oct, so that’s where my penny pinching takes place. I buy the vegetables I can’t grow well from the local orchard or the farmers’ market, or the grocers I’ve mentioned. Several of the farmers where I buy my seasonal vegetables run CSA box programs. I see it as paying a premium to get exactly the types of veg I need or want each week, and me being particular helps that farmers’ business so that farmer can keep offering CSAs to everyone else.
I’m able to buy bacon, peameal, sausages, and other pork direct from one local farmer, which also helps keep costs down.
Not get me wrong, I do shop at an independent groceries and farmer markets but watch my prices. I guess maybe because i live about 40 minutes north of toronto in a very diversified community with many ethnic stores where the prices are competitive
I’m a price checker by nature. I do watch my prices, but I do splurge on the $8.99 butter.
I never ever buy boneless chicken breasts. Always quarters, thighs or whole birds. I make soup from the bones. I use the schmaltz for roasting potatoes.
I think most of us budget in different ways.
There are some more competitive stores in London, but the produce quality is often worse. The No Frills in North London has worse produce than the Sobeys or Superstore in West London. Meanwhile, some No Frills in Toronto have fantastic produce. The Food Basics in West London is pretty bad, and it replaced a Metro that had been a very nice store for 40 years.
The FreshCo at College and Bathurst in Toronto is pretty depressing compared to the Metro in Little Italy or the T & T on College near Spadina.
It really depends on the management and staff at each individual grocery store.
I’m also immune compromised, so I cannot wait in a long line at the always busy local No Frills in London. It’s too busy for me, and I don’t enjoy the experience. I head to Superstore or Sobeys at 9 pm on a Friday night when it’s empty.
And possibly crackdowns on the labor force…
Let’s fasten our seat belts, we’re in for a bumpy ride…
My friend’s daughter does price match here in the gta. I didnt think was still available.
Superstore price matches in LondonOnt.
I don’t ask the stores to price match. I don’t buy products I know are significantly cheaper at other stores that I frequent.
I price check, where I keep a running list in my head, of which store is charging less for my staples.
I get stuck in line behind people who price match at Superstore fairly frequently. I’m okay with that the one or 2 times a month I visit Superstore. I hate making other people wait behind me.
tariffs on stuff coming from Mexico into the US supposedly start today… the bumps have begun.
very impressive!
Mexico is the largest single source of U.S. horticultural imports. In 2023, Mexico supplied 63 percent of U.S. vegetable imports and 47 percent of U.S. fruit and nut imports.
And on Canadian goods.
Am I allowed to say I am not happy?
What I’m wondering is we Canadians have to pay tariffs in Mexican stuff. Produce has to travel thru U.S.
Good question. Hopefully not.
However, imports are a small percentage of all US foods “the United States imports about 15 percent of its overall food supply.” https://www.ncesc.com/geographic-faq/where-does-most-u-s-food-come-from/
So, doing the math - Fruit & Nuts .47 x .15 x .25 = .017 may increase just under 2 percent
and Veggies .63 x .15 x .25 = .023 also increase a bit more than 2 percent
Those are relatively small increases compared with the cumulative inflation increases of the past 4 years.
And Mexico exports almost 90% of what it grows (to USA and other markets).
89 percent of Canadian wheat goes to the US.
The Canadian economy is going to be hurting in a big way. We already have a lot of poverty.
This is going to destroy the auto sector in ON. Much of southern Ontario makes parts that are used in the automotive industry in Michigan.
There’s a saying, that when the USA sneezes, Canada catches a cold.
We have not yet experienced the impact from the 40 to 50% of undocumented farm workers who plant and harvest our crops in California and the Southwest.
We are tough as long as we stick together. I went shopping and saw so many people checking labels. Thats all I’m going to say.
Supply lines arrangements won’t change rapidly… too much depends on consistent delivery.
My favorite greenhouse grown snacking tomatoes are Canadian imports and I hope they continue to be available; but they’ll cost $1 more per pint.
Do you believe those automotive parts will suddenly be made in USA? Not likely in my opinion. The increased cost will be factored into what folks pay for cars.
