What is your limit?

[CWS4322]

I used to go to Ogdensburg--until I ran into a Border Nazi...wanted me to pay duty on ALL my groceries (300%). I was over my 10 kg limit on chicken (we feed it to the dogs) and my $20 of dairy. The BN threatened to go through all my declarations for the past 5 years and make me pay the duty... I didn't pay the duty--I went back and the US border guards told me to try another crossing. BUT, when I went to MN in July, the US border guys in the Soo asked me about "that incident" in May.

I've been reluctant to go grocery shopping in the States since then. I know my license plate is flagged...and, this was when the Cdn $ was at par. So, I'd be a little hesitant to go on a quick jaunt across for groceries now with the dollar stronger than the US $.

 

[simonbaker]

Just a question for canadians..... why is canadian bacon called canadian bacon ?

 

[CWS4322]

What is Canadian Bacon?

It is more like ham than bacon. And, is often "rolled" in cornmeal.

 

[simonbaker]

What is Canadian Bacon?

It is more like ham than bacon. And, is often "rolled" in cornmeal.

Thank you for the information. I have never heard of rolling it in cornmeal before. We mostly have it on pizza with pineapple or on eggs benedict.

 

[pacanis]

Thank you for the information. I have never heard of rolling it in cornmeal before. We mostly have it on pizza with pineapple or on eggs benedict.

I mostly have it on whitebread with mayo and lettuce. It is my favorite sandwich. oops, I mean favourite

 

[love-cooking2]

I am unfamiliar with prices in Canada, even though I have a cousin in Markham, and so am unable to comment much on that front.
One way we have found of reducing costs is to cook everything from scratch at home.
No pre prepared meals of any description for us.
Mince meat, preferably extra lean beef, chicken and lamb neck seem to be favourite purchases; as indeed are sirloin steak and pork chops.
The mince is great when prepared with browned onion, salt, curry powder, fenugree, mint and tomato purée. Cooked for a couple of hours, it accompanies rice or pasta or even mashed potatoes for a delicious and nutritious meal.
The latter is always accompanied with mixed vegetables and all meals are served with a salad.
Fresh fruit, at least four different types follow each meal, hence my earlier comment on eating well.
The essence is always cook from scratch, even pizzas are accommodated once every month.
For the latter we start with an inexpensive base, which we buy topped with tomato purée and cheese (but have started with a plain base too, adding our own tomato and cheese). Then a couple slices of finely strip cut Danish salami are added along with mushrooms.

 

[buckytom]

i am amazed at how frugal everyone is!

i asked a few of my co-workers this question recently and almost everyone came in between $400 and $700 per week after doing some calculations.

i asked everyone to include food to be cooked at home (most everyone eats lunch out), dinners out, and other regularly consumed items like bottled water, tp, paper towels, and garbage bags.

gas and tolls are seperate, and we don't really drink alcohol anymore so it's not going for that.

for the three of us - dw, my boy, and i - we spend about $150 per week at the grocery store; dw and i each budget $100 for spending money for lunches and other stuff each week; and we eat out or get takeout from restaurants about 2 to 3 times a week - add another $150+.

so i guess we come in around $600/week. no wonder i'm broke.

fat and broke.

i really don't know how you guys do it for under $200/week.

 

[love-cooking2]

i am amazed at how frugal everyone is!

i asked a few of my co-workers this question recently and almost everyone came in between $400 and $700 per week after doing some calculations.

i asked everyone to include food to be cooked at home (most everyone eats lunch out), dinners out, and other regularly consumed items like bottled water, tp, paper towels, and garbage bags.

gas and tolls are seperate, and we don't really drink alcohol anymore so it's not going for that.

for the three of us - dw, my boy, and i - we spend about $150 per week at the grocery store; dw and i each budget $100 for spending money for lunches and other stuff each week; and we eat out or get takeout from restaurants about 2 to 3 times a week - add another $150+.

so i guess we come in around $600/week. no wonder i'm broke.

fat and broke.

i really don't know how you guys do it for under $200/week.

If you mentioned frugal to my wife, she'd strongly disagree saying I am the most wasteful person.
I would say the same of her.
We would both be right as I am as far as food is concerned, but less so elsewhere. She is the complete opposite.
I suppose a bit like Jack Spratt and his good lady!
I work from home so eating out during the day is not an issue, even when I worked from an office, I rarely ate lunch.
Eating out is rare for us, as we don't feel restaurants come anywhere near our standard of food and certainly in most cases are grossly overpriced.

 

[buckytom]

what area of the world are you from, lc2?

i live just outside of and work in nyc, so some of my $ is just due to the cost of the local economy.

lol about jack sprat! you and your wife are well suited, then.

my wife and i are polar opposites in almost every way EXCEPT food. we both love to eat all the same things, although she is a bit more spartan in her meals cooked at home, but that's for health reasons.

you know, i'm almost addicted to eating out. i would love to work from home, but i would have a hard time giving up the wonderful variety of meals available to me.

 

[CWS4322]

I have not eaten out since August 2010. And that was because my dad took me out for dinner the night before I left. We do not eat out. I work from home, so don't need to pack a lunch. We cook from scratch--and when I say from scratch, I mean that we make all our own sauces, our own breads (I have French bread in the oven right now) and we also rehydrate dried beans (no canned kidney beans here). Between the two of us and the five dogs, we spend about $40-45/week during the winter. In the summer, when the garden is producing, we spend $20-25, if that. We buy meat, dairy, eggs, rice, pasta, and flour. The DH is toying with the idea of milling flour...and we're getting laying pullets when I get back from MN--so eggs will no longer be s/thing we buy from a store...

 

[blissful]

CWS--we cook and shop a lot alike, though, I think you have more energy than I do. I make breads on and off, just depends on the day.

We picked up 20 lbs of rice for less than $0.50/lb. I made a big batch and then the next day made pork fried rice, with onions, multi-colored peppers, peas, carrots, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. We have some left over and it might last through today.

I'll make some chicken fried rice with the rest of the plain rice and freeze the leftovers for another day.

 

[Saphellae]

I am hesitant to scoot over the border, even though we are very close to a crossing. We're just two people - how much cheaper will it be to stock up, when you factor in gas and time?
I would so love a massive producing garden..

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

This is an interesting site that gives the global cost of living index for major cities http://www.xpatulator.com scroll down the box on the right to find your nearest city.
Ps petrol is £1.32 a litre in the UK

 

[CWS4322]

I am hesitant to scoot over the border, even though we are very close to a crossing. We're just two people - how much cheaper will it be to stock up, when you factor in gas and time?
I would so love a massive producing garden..

There are definitely things that are MUCH cheaper in the US--dairy (not cheese--but milk, ricotta, cottage cheese, sour cream, buttermilk) and eggs (often 89 cents/dozen). Chicken, turkey. Other things are not--potatoes, paper products. Of course, the Canadian government knows that those things that have "control boards" (like milk, eggs, and poultry) are cheaper and has limits on how much of those each person can bring back. The Price Chopper in Ogdensburg has a loyalty points program. For every XX you spend on groceries, you get a per gallon discount at a local gas station (up to 20 gallons) so filling before returning and using the loyalty points offsets the cost of the gas. But, you also need to take the bridge fee into account if you have to cross a bridge.

 

[taxlady]

Just a question for canadians..... why is canadian bacon called canadian bacon ?

Why ask us, we don't call it Canadian bacon, you guys do. We call it back bacon or pea meal bacon.

 

[simonbaker]

Why ask us, we don't call it Canadian bacon, you guys do. We call it back bacon or pea meal bacon.

Just wondering. I do not know much about Canada. I find it to be interesting & would like to know more about it: Food favorites, currency, & different dialect.

 

[kadirecipes]

oh ok, let me think 2000 Bath ($60) for 2 weeks for just 2.

 

[taxlady]

There are definitely things that are MUCH cheaper in the US--dairy (not cheese--but milk, ricotta, cottage cheese, sour cream, buttermilk) and eggs (often 89 cents/dozen). Chicken, turkey. Other things are not--potatoes, paper products. Of course, the Canadian government knows that those things that have "control boards" (like milk, eggs, and poultry) are cheaper and has limits on how much of those each person can bring back. The Price Chopper in Ogdensburg has a loyalty points program. For every XX you spend on groceries, you get a per gallon discount at a local gas station (up to 20 gallons) so filling before returning and using the loyalty points offsets the cost of the gas. But, you also need to take the bridge fee into account if you have to cross a bridge.

No cows in Canada are allowed to be given growth hormones, so you won't find it in Canadian milk. In the U.S. it varies by brand and possible by state.

 

[taxlady]

Just wondering. I do not know much about Canada. I find it to be interesting & would like to know more about it: Food favorites, currency, & different dialect.

Okay, but maybe we should start a thread for that. There are a number of Canadians on this board.

Food favourites, just like in the U.S., tend to be regional. We have most of the same fast food chains as you guys. We also have Tim Horton's and Harvey's, which are Canadian.

Currency: We use Canadian dollars. It's usually worth a bit less than the U.S. dollar, but is currently worth more. We have a $1 coin that we call a loonie and a $2 coin that we call a toonie. We don't have paper ones or twos any more.

we don't much use the $0.50 piece

Our paper money comes in colours by denomination, like in Europe, but it's all the same size, like in the U.S. It's about the same size as U.S. paper money.

Our English is more like U.S. English, than like British English. Again, there are regional variations. We spell in a hybrid of U.S. and British. E.g., colour, aluminium, but tire (not tyre) and some more that I can't think of.

 

[pacanis]

Land of the silver birch, home of the beaver... where still the mighty moose wanders at will, blue lake and rocky shore, I will return once more...