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Friday, February 28, 2014

This Week's Sales

Here's some deals around Canada that you can price match at Walmart.
 SuperMarche Feb 24-Mar 2 Mont,Que
 English cucumbers .69 ea
Asparagus .99/lb
Oasis 8X200ml $1.99
Country Natural Sausages 300g $1.99
Grape Tomatoes .99
Spinach .99
 Lococo's 28-Mar 6 Niagra Falls,Ont 
Asparagus .99/lb
Seedless Cucumbers .69
Anjou Pears .69/lb
 Oceans Brampton,Ont 28-Mar 6 
Strawberries $1.59/lb box
Fresh Pork Ham .99/lb
Napa cabbage .59/lb
Spaghetti Squash .39/lb
Red Grapes .99/lb
Spinach 3 bunches for $2(.67ea)
 Quality Greens 24-Mar 3
Spartan apples .49/lb
 Seasons Brampton,Ont 28-Mar 6 
Fresh Pork Loin center and rib $1.29/lb
Chicken Leg .99/lb
Zucchini .59/lb
Korean Cabbage .59/lb
 Jumbo Head Lettuce .79 ea
Spinach 3 bunches 3/$2
Red Globe grapes .99/lb
 Yummy Market Feb 21- Mar 6 Brampton,Ont
 Pork Boneless Centre Cut Rib End Chops or Roast $1.99/lb
 Blue Sky Toronto,Ont Feb 28-Mar 6 
2lb carrots 2/$1.50
Crown Broccoli .69/lb
Fresh Chicken Wings $1.69/lb
 Garlic 5(3s)for $1
Roma Tomatoes .79/lb
 No Frills Brampton,Ont 28-Mar 6 
Chicken drumsticks or Thighs $1.88/lb
Mushrooms 227g .88
Iceberg lettuce .88
Roma tomatoes .88/lb
18 pack large eggs $2.88
Country Harvest or Mealtyme Bread 675g $1.88
 Sobeys Brampton,Ont 28-Mar 6 
18 pack large eggs $2.99
 Food Port 28-Mar 6 Milton,Ont 
Chickens $1.88/lb $4.14/kg
 T&T 28-Mar 3 Surrey BC
Honeydew .99/lb
Roma Tomatoes .68/lb
 HMart 28-Mar 6
 Green Onions 5/$1 (FRI_SUN)
 Best Value Toronto, Ont 28-Mar 6
Chicken Drumsticks $1.27/lb (Fri-Sun)
Green Onions 3/.97
Green Apples .77/lb
 Celery .97
 Nations Brampton,Ont 28-Mar 6
Strawberries $1.59/lb box
 Fresh Pork Ham .99/lb
Radicchio 2 for $1
Savoy Cabbage .29/lb
Red Grapes .99/lb
Spinach 3 bunches for $2(.67ea)
 Cataldi 26-Mar 4 Toronto,Ont 
Celery .99
 Metro Feb 27-Mar 5 Montreal, Que
 Large Eggs 2/$4
 Bonanaza Lalumiere 24-Mar 2 Mont,Que 
Bananas .49/lb $1.08/kg
Cantaloupes $1.39
Tomatoes .79/lb
5lbs carrots or onions $1.49
 Farmer Al's 26-28 Niagra Falls,Ont 
White potatoes 10lbs $1.49
 Pineapples $1.49
 IGA 27-Mar 5Montreal, Que 
Cabbage Green,red,or savoy .59/lb $1.30/kg
 Old Town Farm Market 26-Mar3 Kelowna BC 
Ambrosia apples .79/lb
 Green or Red leaf Lettuce .99ea
 FreshCo Feb 27- Mar 5 Hampton Ont 
Eye of Round Roast $1.97/lb
 Large Eggs $1.88

Costco Savings on Gluten Free and Pork Tenderloin

I had to share this week's Costco deals! A little savings on those gluten free items! These are items we have found to be good quality. As you can see I stocked up. My track record with Costco is they get something we love and then they pull it from the shelves! The spaghetti ends up being $2 a box. The bonus is that they are actual 475g boxes. One thing I have noticed with gluten free items, especially pasta, the size has shrunk......most are 340g. These 3 packs usually sell for $7.99, but they are on for $5.99. The cereal is 750g size and the regular price is $7.69, it's on sale for $5.69. The boneless pork tenderloin only goes on sale twice a year. It is $5 off per package. The best deal is to buy the smallest package. I cut it up into roasts, chops, cubed pork and I grind up some of the ends. Does your Costco have these same deals??

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Adventures in Gluten Free Eating Part One....Flour and Pasta

Ah, the adventures of gluten freeness!!! It was last July that hubby was diagnosed Celiac and I have learned much since then! I have wasted countless dollars throwing out failed gluten free cooking and so I thought I would share what works and what didn't! To start if you are just beginning your journey be kind to yourself! If you were a scratch baker give yourself time! So, to begin ....flour. Not only will you need this if you intend to bake things, you will also need it as a thickener and coater in recipes.
Flours:
 I can't say how much I dislike the Cloud 9 nasty baking mix! Not only does it not act like flour, it's grey! That means not only are my creations the consistency of rocks they have the lovely color of rocks too! Maybe you have had success with it, but I have not! It cost $8.99 for 1.25 Kg or $7.19/kg!
Our favorite is Bob's All Purpose Gluten Free Flour(thanks Rachel and Jackie!) You can buy it at Target, as well as most groceries stores. Today I was searching for it on-line and found you can buy it at amazon.ca as well as walmart.ca. 623 g is the standard store size. The lowest price I have paid for it is $3.99 at Target. To give you an idea of how that compares to regular flour....Costco has the 10 kg of flour for $5.99. The gluten free flour costs $6.40/kg whereas the regular flour we used to buy is .59/kg!!! Sorry, didn't mean to depress but you know how I like to figure out how much things cost! (In Canada you can claim the extra cost of gluten free foods if you are diagnosed Celiac....let's not get me started on how much work that is as I just finished our taxes).
The gluten free pasta has been mostly good(yes there have been some major fails, but I am trying to look on the positive side!) The ones pictured are awesome! The Catelli and Barilla are our favorites! They run about $2-$2.50 a 340 g box and I have bought them at Walmart, Safeway and most major grocery stores. The Giovanni Spaghetti is sold as a three pack and I buy it at Costco. It normally costs $7.99. (That makes it $1.91 for a 340 g box.) Most gluten free pastas need to be stirred quite a bit more than regular pasta does. This was a major fail for me in the beginning. I treated it like regular pasta, stir every so often. The result was one huge inedible clump of spaghetti noodles that had to go right into the garbage! :(
The lasagne noodles pictured are the only ones we have tried(I haven't seen any other brands). They are $2.99 for the 340 g box. They are a great substitute for regular oven ready lasagne noodles. They don't require any extra work at all. Finally, we sometimes substitute the rice sticks for pasta. As you can see they come in 400 g packages and typically cost .99!!! By far the best deal.
So, to sum up.
1) I recommend Bob's All Purpose Flour.
2) The pastas pictured all work well....just remember to keep stirring!
 (There are some brands I have tried that take 16 minutes to cook! That seems like to much stirring and babysitting pasta...in my opinion....). How about you? Have you had any successes or failures you'd like to share? If you have recommendations for flours....please comment or email me.

Costco Salmon Deal

We popped into Costco last night and stumbled upon this deal. 6 cans of Ocean's salmon for $7.39. That's $1.23 for a 213 g can.This works out to $5.77/kg or $2.62/lb. Now, looking at it that way it may seem expensive. (Just to compare salmon fillets at their best price are $3.43/lb or $7.55/kg.) But, the reason this can be such an inexpensive meal is that it's an add in. Most of the recipes below call for just one can. That means the meat for your meal is only costing you just over $1! This is a great way to stretch your food spending. It is a healthy, inexpensive source of protein! It has the bones in which is not my favorite. I do not believe in crushing them up and eating them, sorry, doesn't matter how good that is for you....not doing it. So, I carefully removed the bones and will do so with every can I open. We have been truly unsuccessful in the search for yummy gluten free bread so hubby takes rice crackers and spreads tuna or egg salad on them for lunch. I spent sometime on Pinterest this morning and found some fun ideas to use with canned salmon. There salmon meatballs, sweet potato salmon cakes, salmon curry, and salmon slider
s. I think I will go back and buy some more. The best before date is 2018!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

This Week's Price Matching Deals

We have found a bit of a rhythm with the Canada wide price matching. Once a week we go in the morning. It's an ordeal(this week we were there 3 hours!)but we are getting better at it! The nice thing is my sister in law and I enjoy each other's company and enjoy this kind of shopping! We have a very competent teller who makes the process much less stressful! Our Walmart is asking that the address of the flyer we are using be shown somewhere on the flyer. They also want to be able to read the flyer in English. This week I needed to finish my food coop shopping and I stumbled upon an unexpected gift! When we were all done when we saw the grapefruits pictured below. 1 bag for .77! I immediately took a picture. As you may or may not know Walmart honors the Scanning Code Practice of Canada. This states that if the item scans incorrectly you get the first item free, up to a $10 savings. So, the grapefruits rang up as $4.97. I got one free and 3 more at .77!
Lalumiere Montreal,Quebec 10-16 
Chicken thighs .99/lb
 Schneiders bologna 375g $1
Pears .79/lb
Bananas .45/lb
Roma tomatoes .89/lb

 Linter marche Montreal,Quebec 13-19
 Cucumbers .59
 Kiwis 4/$1
Duncan Hines cake mixes .99

 Super C Montreal,Quebec 13-19
Broccoli .88
Ham pork shoulder picnic.88/lb
Aylmer tomatoes .88
 Maxi Montreal,Quebec 13-19
 Limes 5/$1

 IGA 13-19 Montreal, Quebec
 Asparagus $1.49/lb

 Food basics 14-20 Toronto Ont
 Dozen eggs 3/$5(14-16only)
 Roast outside round $2.88/lb

. Fortinos 14-16 Toronto Ont
Eggs 18 $2.49
Country harvest bread $1.99

 Catalidi 12-18 Toronto Ont
Nectarines .99/lb
 Red globe grapes .99/lb
 Cauliflowers $1.99
 Super marche 10-16 Montreal, Quebec
Oranges 10/$2.99
 Blackberries 2/$2
Celery .99
Red grapes .99/lb
 Chicken thighs .99/lb

 Yummy Market Toronto, Ont 7-20
 Bananas .49/lb
 Delicious apples .49/lb
 Best Value FoodMart 14-20Toronto,Ont
 Omega 3 Eggs 2/$4.97 limit 2
 Old El Paso Soft tortillas 2/$3
 Wonder Bread 675g $1.27 limit 2
 Fresh Pork chops $1.27/lb(fri-sun)
 Chicken drumsticks $1.27/lb(fri-sun)
Pork boneless loin $1.87/lb
Bamboo tree rice paper 340g .97
Lactancia cream cheese 250g $1.77
 Avocadoes 2 bags for $2.97($1.49 each)
Roma Tomatoes .77/lb(reg$1.59)
 broccoli crowns .77/lb

 Nations 14-20 Toronto Ont
 Allen's fruit cocktail 8X200ml .99pk
 Pork Picnic shoulder .89/lb
 Fresh Chicken Drumsticks $1.29/lb
 Red grapes .99/lb
Unico Chickpeas or Red kidney beans 540ml .79

 Btrust 14-20 Toronto Ont
Jumbo Pineapples $1.68

 Price Chopper 13-19 Toronto Ont 
Fresh Split Chicken Breasts $1.88/lb
Fruitopia/Five Alive 1.75L .88

 Highland Farms 14-20 Toronto Ont 
Astro Yogurt 650-750g 3/$5
 Europe's Best Fruit 500-600g $3.99

 No Frills 13-20 Toronto Ont
 Blackberries 170g $1
mushrooms 227g .97

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Price Matching in Pictures


 First picture paid $33.42 should have paid $59.96.
Second picture I spent $46.66. I should have paid $110.55.
A total of $170.51 worth of groceries for $80.08! That's almost 47% savings!
Walmart's Canada wide price matching is a great way to save big on groceries! Last month we came in almost $100 under budget! This month looks good so far! As you can see there's lots of fruits and veggies! We are having fruit smoothies every morning!
I must say I am highly encouraged by our decreasing grocery bill. You heard me right, decreasing! If you don't already know we are a family of 5, 4 of us still living together. We have 2 teenagers(read: mom what can I eat?) and my husband has celiac disease. We like to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. We try and limit our processed food, something that has become even easier since hubby's diagnosis as he can't eat that anyways! You have probably already heard these tips for lowering your grocery bill but sometimes they are worth repeating.
1. Menu plan.
Yes, I've talked about it lots here. It's one of the biggest ways to slash your grocery bill. I do practice what I preach. Every week I menu plan(right Linda?)rarely do we ever miss.
A.Menu planning means going through the fridge, freezer and pantry and figuring out what you have on hand.
B. Going through the flyers to see what's on sale.
C. Sitting down and making a plan that fits your family's schedule and preferences. Some like to plan weeks, or months at a time. I find I can't stick to a long plan, I need to do it once a week. Do what works for you.
D. To make it easier try having theme nights, say pasta night, soup night, vegetarian night, pizza night
2. Try and eat less meat. 
Our portions are usually much higher than recommended. Meat is usually the central thing, and the other things are considered sides. Why not use meat as a add in? Suggestions:
1. spaghetti sauce, with some meat
2. tortillas with meat and beans or just beans
3. casseroles
4. stir fries
5.eggs
3. Keep track of what you spend
This year I will continue my habit of taking pictures of all I buy. I have found this super helpful in seeing exactly what we are eating. Also, I will continue to keep my receipts. I have added in a new habit of writing on my calendar my total spent each day. Instead of waiting till the end of the month to tally grocery receipts I do it minimum once a week.
4. Shop once a week
Shopping once a week is a great way to reduce your grocery bill! Being in the stores less often automatically means you spend less. I have found with the price matching once a week is just perfect.
Last year was a big adjustment for our family as we learned to eat gluten free. This year I hope to follow all the tips above and reduce or grocery bill. I will keep you updated. How about you? I love hearing from you. Go ahead and email me or comment here.


 

Friday, February 7, 2014

This Week's Sales

Last time we were at Walmart our teller said things had changed. It was not fun. Now that we know the new rules hopefully today's shop will go smoother.
New rules are:
1. They want the .ca website in the flyer(if you can prove it's Canadian(address on the flyer) even though it's .com you're ok). I tried to explain that rebee is a Canadian flyer site....
2. Don't want to see another language in the flyer, but might take it if English is clear
3. Can only save the regular price less the savings. So, for example the Danone yogurt listed below has to be an original price of $3.69 or less. If their price is $4 you can only save the $1.70 meaning you will pay $2.30!
4.Want to see the date on the flyer, not from the screenshot of the rebee app. Remember I told you how on the iPad I could take a screenshot and it would put the date nice and clear on the bottom? Well, they don't want that.
So, a few bumps in the road, but hang in there if your Walmart is changing things up. It's totally worth the hassle for the amount saved on groceries!

Shoppers (Markham Ont) 1-7
Large white eggs $1.99 limit 2
Nations(Hamilton,Ont) 7-13
 Zucchini .59/lb
Red Peppers .99/lb
Avocadoes $1.99/bag
Valu-mart 7-13(Scotland,Ont)
Russet, yellow or red potatoes 10lb $1.99
Danone Or Astro original yogurt 650-750g $1.99(save $1.70)
 FoodyMart Hwy7 (Markham Ont) 7-13 (not sure if they will honor this flyer at my Walmart as they don’t like another language on the flyer!)
 English Cucumbers 2/$1(reg $1.29 each)
Large brown eggs $2.38(reg$2.99)
 Red Path Sugar 2Kg $1.57(reg $2.99) FEB 8 ONLY
Green Bartlett Pears .78/lb(reg $1.39/lb)
Zucchini .48/lb(reg.99/lb)
Fresh Chicken breast boneless skinless $2.58/lb(reg $3.99/lb)
 Roma tomatoes .68/lb(reg $1.29)
Pat Mart(Markham Ont) 7-13 (not sure if they will honor this flyer at my Walmart as they don’t like another language on the flyer!)
 Bananas .49/lb
Green onions 3/$1
Nations (Markham Ont) 7-13 
Skinless bone in chicken breasts $2.19/lb
 Zucchini .59/lb
Red Peppers .99/lb
 Avocadoes $1.99/bag
4L Heinz vinegar $1.99(reg $2.99)
Yummy Market (Markham Ont) 7-20
Bananas .49/lb
Golden Delicious apples .49/lb
Pork Center cut, rib end, or roast bone in $1.69/lb
 Carrots 2lb bag .99
10lb white or yukon potatoes $1.99
Stewing beef $2.99/lb(save $2/lb)
Whole grade A chicken $1.99/lb(reg $2.99/lb)
 Cataladi (Markham Ont) 5-11
Broccoli .99ea
Green grapes $1.49/lb
Celery .99ea
Barilla pasta 454g .77
 Perfect Supermarket(Miss,Ont)7-13
Cantaloupe $1(reg$1.99)
Chicken Drumsticks $1.58/lb(reg $1.99/lb)
Lemons 3/$1(reg 2/$1)
Red grapes $1.38/lb(reg $1.59/lb)
 IGA (Surrey BC) 7-13
Cauliflower $1.69
SuperValu and Shop Easy(Surrey BC)7-13
Pineapples $1.99
Old Town Farm Market 5-10(Kelowna BC) www.oldtownfarmmarket.com
Orange Peppers .99/lb
Lakeview Markets 3-9(Kelowna BC) www.lakeview-market.com
Green Peppers .98/lb
 Spartan apples .58/lb
Quality Greens 4-10 (Kelowna BC) www.qualitygreens.com
Organic Brocolli .99/lb
1L Chocolate Milk .99
Large green peppers .99/lb
 Ambrosia apples .79/lb
 Safeway 7-13 (Kelowna BC) 
7-9 only 
2L milk 2/$4 limit 4
Ribs Side Pork Fresh $1.99/lb limit 4
 London Drugs 7-12 (Kelowna BC)
Queen of the Ocean Tuna 170g/ Seawave Pink Salmon 106g .79
Rice Krispies 640 g or Cornflakes 680g $2.99
Uniprix (Montreal, Quebec)Feb 6-12
Oasis Juice 960ml .89(limit 3)
Marche Richelieu (Montreal, Quebec)Feb 6-12
Smoked Pork Shoulder Picnic $1.29/lb($2.84/kg)
Marche Ami (Montreal, Quebec)Feb 6-12 
Cantaloupe 2/$4
No Frills 7-13(Hamilton,Ont)
 Beatrice Sour cream 500ml $1
 Independent 7-13(Hamilton,Ont)
 Pork side ribs $1.49/lb(save $4.40/lb)
Cantaloupe $1.99ea
10lb bag of white,yellow,or red potatoes $1.99ea

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Lococo's and Farmer Al's

I have heard from some of you and it seems price matching is going well! Great! Thanks for letting me know. Here's some more deals. They are short dates so you'll have to hurry. I don't have any say as to when you get this delivered into your mailbox if you are signed up for that. It might be a good idea to go right to the blog to get the latest info.

Today is the last day to take advantage of Lococo's 2 day sale. Sign up for their weekly emails and you will always get the sales on time!
 Red peppers .99/lb($2.18/kg)
 Chicken Legs .99/lb($2.18/kg)
 Farmer Al's flyer started Wednesday and runs till Friday
 Chicken thighs and drumsticks are .99/lb
 Split chicken wings $1.69/lb
Romaine .49 ea
Celery .49 ea
 Eggplant .49/lb
 Yellow zucchini .49/lb
 Red Seedless grapes .99/lb
Lean ground beef $1.99/lb(not positive they will price match this as it says 10lb lots)

Monday, February 3, 2014

Update to Canada Wide Price Matching at Walmart

A quick update about the Canada wide price matching. I don't want you to miss any of the deals, but.... I may have trouble keeping up with the picture posts. So, if you are printing the flyers to take with you because you don't have a smartphone or tablet, may i make a suggestion? Look at this list and make yourself your own grocery list. You can copy and paste right from the blog. Then go online and go to the grocery store sites that correspond with your shopping list. Only print off the pages you need. If you do have a smart phone or tablet, download the rebee app www.reebee.com and take screenshots of the pages of the flyers you will be matching. I will try to include more websites and store locations in the future. I hope your price matching is going well. I love hearing from you so feel free to email me or comment.
Lococo's Feb 3-4 only 
 sign up to get these specials emailed to you www.lococos.ca 
Schneider's Bacon 500g $2.50
 Seedless oranges .59/lb
 potatoes white 10lb bag $1.49
Sal's 31-6
www.salsgrocery.com
Europe's best Mediterranean frozen vegetables 500g .99
 Top Food 31-6 
 Green peppers .79/lb
 Bonanaza Lalumiere 3-9
Natural selections  Turkey breast 175g $1.49
 Unico Tomatoes 796ml .89
Red Peppers .89/lb($1.96/kg)
Kiwi 6/.99
 6oz(170ml) blackberries .99
Red Grapes .99/lb
 London Drugs 31-6 
 Hershey's Chocolate 2/$5 use coupon from save .ca for $2 off and combine with CH51 $4 WYB2 for free! Old Town farm Market 29-3
 sign up to get these specials emailed to you. www.oldtownfarmmarket.com
 zucchini .69/lb
 Best Value Food mart 31-6 
 bananas .37/lb
 fuji apples .57/lb
 hot house tomatoes .57/lb
IGA 30-5
 Mushrooms 227g .99
 Brocolli Crowns .99
 Green and red cabbage and rutabags .59/lb
Fresh Chicken breasts $1.99/lb
Fresh Chicken Legs back attached .99/lb
 Maxi Jan 30-5
Cucumbers english .99
20lb white russet potatoes $2.97
 No Frills Jan31-Feb6
Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $2.77/lb
 Armstrong Cheese or Saputo 500g $4.33
 pears .87/lb
 Unico beans or diced tomatoes 540-796ml .88
 Imperial Margarine 1.36kg $2.97
 Food Basics Jan 31-Feb 6 
Stewing Beef $2.88/lb
 Black Diamond 500g $4.44
 Pepperridge Farm Crackers $1.99(coupons and Ch51)
 Fresh Co Jan 30-Feb 5 
 Dempster's Tortillas 204g-340g $2
 Catelli Garden Select 640ml $1
Gay Lea Spreadables 227g $2(coupons and Ch51)
Gay Lea Real Whipped Cream $2
Tostitos Chips 220g-320g $2
Tostitos Salsa 394ml - 430ml $2
Coca-Cola or Pepsi 2L
 $1 Lay's Stax 155-163g $1
 Prime Whole Chicken $2/lb
 Ample Food Market (Brampton Ont) 31-6 
www.amplefood.ca
 Sweet Yams .58/lb
 Eggplant .68/lb
Chicken Thighs $1.28/lb
Green Peppers .79/lb
 First Choice 31-6 
 green apple .39/lb
 fresh broccoli crowns .68/lb
Fresh Value 31-6 
Garlic 3 in a bag 4/$1
 zucchini .69/lb
 Hong Tai 31-6 
 www.foodymart.com
Chicken drumsticks $1.18/lb
Andy Boy Romaine $1.88
Nations 31-6 
 Cornish game hens $2.19/lb
 asparagus $1.88 a bunch
 Starsky 30-12( Miss Ont)                                  
 Fresh Roasting Chicken $1.99/lb
 Perfect 31-6 Miss Ont
 Red grapes .98/lb
 Honey Dew $1.59 each
 Sweet Yam .58/lb
Snow Peas .98/lb
Seasons 31-6 (Brampton Ont)
 Ital Pasta 900g .88(limit 5)
 Chicken wings $1.79/lb
 Kraft Peanut Butter 1Kg $2.99 limit 2
celery .77 each
red delicious apples .58/lb
SuperKing 31-06
 Romaine .68
All Meat Deals in one spot
I just went through all the deals above and got all the meat together so you can see it at a glance. I am now color coding my shopping list to make the list pop out. I have meat (red), veggies (green), and fruit (yellow). I find it makes it easier to see.
 Fresh Chicken breasts $1.99/lb
 Chicken wings $1.79/lb
 Fresh Chicken Legs back attached .99/lb
 Fresh Roasting Chicken $1.99/lb
Chicken drumsticks $1.18/lb
Prime Whole Chicken $2/lb
 Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $2.77/lb
Chicken Thighs $1.28/lb
 Schneider's Bacon 500g $2.50
Stewing Beef $2.88/lb
Cornish game hens $2.19/lb