The other day I realized that I needed to buy another package of butter before the upcoming rain and snow in California. I also had run out of fresh cilantro. I stopped by our local market.up A box with four cubes of Danish Creamery butter was priced at $8.99. Cilantro was $1.79 a bunch. I was glad that was all I needed. You will pay much more for food in a resort town or village. However, the convenience is excellent, especially when it’s snowing.
I do most of my shopping in the city at Aldi. I love the simplicity and low prices there. I stock up on necessities, and transport the food in reusable bags up to the cabin. This week I baked an apple crisp, reheated taco leftovers, and made rose hips tea with honey. Making a family sized casserole, and enjoying single portions of it works for me. It’s inexpensive, healthy and convenient.
The glamorous grocery stores in LA have Starbucks coffee shops, fancy displays, and everything you could possibly need. You pay for all of that, though. Shopping at the discount stores saves me nearly fifty percent. Over time, this really adds up, since food to prepare at home is a need for all of us.
Where do you buy your groceries?
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You live in an idyllic part of the world, Stephenie. I'm not a fan of snow but it looks gorgeous in your photos.
ReplyDeleteI've never been inside a Starbucks (or a McDonalds!)
I'm very lucky, my partner does most of the food shopping and cooking. We buy most of our groceries from Lidl, a German discount shop very similar to Aldi. We live in a proudly multicultural town where Punjabi is the second most spoken language after English and have a wealth of Asian corner shops and market stalls selling everything from 10kg sacks of basmati rice to fresh tamarind and every Indian spice you could ever need.
Have a fabulous weekend. xxx
That sounds fantastic, Vix. You describe it so well. The snow makes everything look and feel so clean. This was just a dusting that we had the last couple of days. I had never heard of Lidl. What a nice partner you have!
DeleteMy husband hates low-cost supermarkets as he likes to have a choice from a big range of products and, since we do the shopping together, we therefore go to a regular supermarket. I am quite happy to have less choice and a quicker shop! We are lucky enough to have a proper old-fashioned butcher in our village, so that is where we buy our meat and a friend runs her family's grocery store in the nearby market town, so we buy a lot of our fruit and veg from there.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a nice variety, Tracy. Our butcher shop has gotten extremely expensive, so I find better bargains at Aldi and Stater Brothers in California. Growing as much fruit as I do helps a lot, too. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteNo Aldi in Canada. We do have a store called No Frills and it lives up to it's name. I tend to use Superstore because it still had a deli and bakery. I do like Save On Foods for bakery and deli and only shop their flyers as they are a bit expensive (if you've been to the UK along the lines of Waitrose).
ReplyDeleteIt's the time of the year that we are in Spain. Tend to use Lidl, the Aldi here isn't that great, a bit depressing to be honest. Mercadona and Carrefour are also good but I save them for a big shop.
Greetings, 50 and counting, thank you for the visit, all the way from Canada. Our Save On is a drug store. How wonderful to be in Spain during the winter. I haven't heard of those shops, so thanks for your input. It must be fun to be a snowbird.
DeleteI used to shop at an Armenian grocery store for most of my fresh produce and meat/fish, etc., as their prices were very reasonable and at Ralphs. Since the pandemic, I mostly shop at Ralphs because I can order online and pick up from the parking lot. I keep my grocery spending low by shopping mostly from their sales and buying store brand items where possible. I stock up when things go on sale and that works well for me. Glad you are stocked up for the expected snow storm!
ReplyDeleteI used to shop at Valley Produce, Bless. I think that's the name of the Armenian grocery store you mentioned. That's great that you can pick up your groceries from Ralph's in the parking lot. I think Aldi offers the same service. Stocking up on items that are on sale really helps! Yes, we are preparing for the storm...
DeleteI like batch cooking too - it saves on fuel and on time and many dishes do improve in flavour after a reheat.
ReplyDeleteI do my food shop all over - Morrisons is my local shop but with an easy drive I have Sainsbury, Aldi, Home Bargains, B&M, M&S, Tesco, Asda . . .
For choice it is Aldi, M&S and Morrisons but I use others from time to time, just for a change really. xx
That's very true, Joy. I love the flavor of casseroles when they have been reheated. I hope to visit all of those stores someday in my travels. One of my favorite things to do when I am in a new country is to experience their markets and items on the shelves that we don't have here in America.
DeleteWe do almost all our grocery shopping at the local military commissary. That was what my mother did as well. The savings over the local markets make the 24 mile round trip very worthwhile, especially since I do a big shop just twice a month. I hate shopping so I don't go any more often. If they are out of stock in an item I learned how to "punt and plan accordingly" as my mother used to say when we lived over seas and the commissary was the only choice. For fresh produce, if the garden is not growing, I use the local Ralphs or the farmer's market.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like an excellent place to find bargains, Anita. I like to shop twice a month, too. Growing our own food sure helps. It's convenient to pick what you need in the backyard.
DeleteWe have a supermarket duopoly here - just 2 and they control prices throughout the country. And they own the supermarkets which have different names. Although we now also have one Costco. Everything, therefore, is expensive. However, each supermarket has things like petrol discounts, discounts where you accrue "points" to buy nice things elsewhere, even airfare. I go to a small one that has a 5% discount once a week for pensioners.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the discount helps, ratnamurti. It seems like a lot of people in Australia grow their own food, as well. I used to shop at Costco, and it did save me money. It's just a lot of initial outlay, because of buying in bulk.
ReplyDeleteWe do 90% of our food shopping at Aldi. We'd started buying meat at a butchers but it's more than three times the cost of aldi so we switched back to aldi. I'm picking a few different greens out of the garden but already planning my raised beds.
ReplyDeleteI do most of my shopping at Aldi, too, Cherie. That's wonderful that you are growing so many greens in your garden. It really saves money on food when you can grow your own at home.
DeleteMy husband doesn't mind shopping, so I let him do most of it. We belong to a food Co-op and have an abundance of farmers' markets where I live in CA; I do feel blessed with the choices we have. Having grown up in the desert, I appreciate all the fruits and vegetables that are available, although we do have dwarf lemon trees in pots.
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Marcia. I love all of the fruits and vegetables that are available here, too. It's wonderful. Thank you for commenting.
DeleteI am a dedicated Waitrose shopper
ReplyDeleteIt’s a “ posh” UK supermarket
Since my husband died I have had little interest in shopping or food, and I find Waitrose will have food items that tempt me to eat
Siobhan x
I'm sure they do, Siobhan. Food can be very comforting. My condolences about your husband.
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