First Apartment Question

[Conrad]

Make a list of what you need, don't stray and buy anything that's not on the list. Best way to avoid overspending.

[Churchill]

man you guys make me feel bad. my food bill is redic

[Kirb]

I spend about 120ish per trip, about two trips per month.

Don't waste money buying frozen meals. They're a waste and they don't fill you up.
Frozen vegetables are good, because they last long, but if you know what you're going to cook, always grab fresh veggies if possible. How well can you cook?

I typically buy a bunch of ground beef and chicken for cooking with various veggies and I make cheap meals like Chicken with Dumplings, Chicken Pasta, meatballs, meatloaf, stirfry etc.

(Although I know from my friend studying in Montreal that they really rip you off on meat prices up there.)

I'm not sure if they have it up there, but the foster farms frozen boneless chicken breasts in the freeze glaze is infinitely superior than taking fresh chicken and freezing it, because it doesn't get freezer burn and you can keep them in there as long as you like. Then just take a few and microwave them for 1 minute, enough to get them softer but still frozen, and they're absolutely perfect for cubing and slicing with a sharp knife.

If you make pasta, a cheap way to get a decent tasting sauce without making it from scratch is to buy a decent brand name sauce and then extend it with a can of diced tomato and a can of stewed sliced tomatos, then add some spices of your own and a bit of merlot.

Try to ONLY buy stuff when it's on sale, and like others have said, don't ever go shopping on an empty stomach.

If you're running low on money, hotdogs can be a lifesaver. They're pretty cheap, and if you know how to dress them well with onions/jalepenos/sliced avocado, they're delicious.

Another low budget lifesaver is of course, ramen. Don't eat it plain, though. Boil some water for it on the stove, slice up some mushrooms and green onion/scallions, and crack open an egg into the ramen with about 30 seconds to go, and stir to break it up. Then just add the flavoring.

Rice also makes a great side for pretty much anything you cook, medium-grain or long-grain doesn't really matter unless you're making a curry.

Don't be afraid to make leftovers, when I make a meatloaf there's generally enough for my roommate (she can't cook orz) and I to eat for two meals.

400 bucks is more than enough to spend for a month. Spend some of those extra dollars on some decent cookware and spices/sauces/oils, they'll last you a long time.

[Ksandra]

my best advice is stock up on deals if/when you can.

when it comes to dry foods/canned goods if you see any of those like 10 for 10 deals (or whatever is normal for Canada), then just buy all ten. And use them bit by bit. I do that for a lot of things like canned tuna/vegetables/cereal/etc.

Also cutting coupons is always good, BUT I usually stick to things like toilet paper n' stuff. Things you KNOW you're going to use. Otherwise you might be tempted to buy something you won't end up using.

[toonces]

What everybody said, also read the grocery shop weekly flyer you might find stuff crazy cheap a certain day, so if you are close to a grocery store planning around this can save big bucks.

Now to save you more money, Dollar Store! (Cleaning supplies and house supplies are great to buy here) Detergent believe or not the big pharmacies sometimes sell them cheaper than walmart.

[Ragns]

Now to save you more money, Dollar Store! (Cleaning supplies and house supplies are great to buy here) Detergent believe or not the big pharmacies sometimes sell them cheaper than walmart.

Since the OP is from QC I guess it should also be good to plug the Dollarablog where they reviews a bunch of dollar store products.

[Sylvrdragon]

THIS x1000

Fucking never go shopping when you're hungry. You'll want to buy every last thing you see.

Slightly unrelated, but the same rule applies to downloading porn. Never porn-surf horny. Plan what you wanna fap to beforehand and stick to just that.

[Ratatapa]

Rata, seems like Maxi/Super C are the way to go around here. I can't really stand either though because it's always full of those welfare smelly fucks.

I go to IGA, great sales during the "super semaine IGA". Only happens once a month but totally worth stocking on some things during that time.

Edit: Don't go to metro, ripoff extraordinaire.

Well i live in boisbriand (don't know if you know the place) but the only thing for now is IGA, SuperC will open in 2-3 months

The nearest SuperC and Maxi are at 10KM Car from home so i have no idea if i will save enough money to do 20km car for savings or just go full time to IGA

[Mytiwar]

The nearest SuperC and Maxi are at 10KM Car from home so i have no idea if i will save enough money to do 20km car for savings or just go full time to IGA

No lol, wouldn't save enough, especially with the price gas is going for right now.

but if Super C opens in 2-3 months you can do like me and lick the ice in the freezer until then. If it's dirty enough, it even tastes something.

[toonces]

oh yeah also anotehr tip, If the super goes for example 3 for 5 dollars you save 1.25, you can actually just buy 1 item, and still get pro-rated the price (Ontario and NS, no clue about QC land). This can save you money and not get suckered to buy more than you need.

and frozen pizza, stock that shit up when is on sell, stock that shit up! (nobody cares about the sodium levels! )

[Ratatapa]

No lol, wouldn't save enough, especially with the price gas is going for right now.

but if Super C opens in 2-3 months you can do like me and lick the ice in the freezer until then. If it's dirty enough, it even tastes something.

Well what i can do the best is go full time to IGA and theres a maxi near my GF work, so i can ask her to buy stuff and bring it home then

[oldoldman]

Oh god this, keep two full packs of the stuff, when one is empty, on next shopping trip buy one, guarantee you won't run out, and it's something you WILL end up using, so not a shitty purchase (pardon the pun)

Or use my strategy, poop at work.

[toonces]

TP goes on sell alot in canada for some reason just buy the 24 or 48 packs on sell.

[Vacht]

OK i just moved in my first appart ever, and everything is set to go. The only problem for me is Grocery, as stupid as it sounds i never did Grocery in my life since i lived with my folks all the time.

So how do you actually do your Grocery when you live semi alone? i mean do you budget high brand and etc? i have a budget of 300-400/month of Grocery and that mean any time of grocery exemble Ketchup (that i know i won't have to buy each month)

I am currently Living Alone with my Girlfriend coming like 4-5days/7

If anyone from Quebec reads this and can tell me which Grocery is pretty cheap for a first timer would also be appropriate

(Kinda fell lame to ask this)

When i moved out i only bought brand name things when the generic tasted gross, which is usually the case. But learning how to cook simple meals can hel your budget a lot. Cooking with raw ingredients can sometimes save you cash, and its healthier. You just have to do some research.

[Mjd]

Some things I've learned over time:

Planning out your meals.

Making your lunches for work.

Over budget for everything.

Always be expected for the unexpected.

Check your bills. My cable charged me for 2 modems last month.

Magic erasers are awesome for marks on walls.

Make spare keys for friends or family if they are near.

[ODF]

Bon dsl j'vais éditer, j'avais écris ca dans un subway sur un cel.

En général aller au métro c'est vraiment le bon choix au niveau de la viande, par contre pour sauver tu vas effectivement sauver en allant au Super C et au Maxi. Vue l'endroit ou tu vis j'te dirais de tout simplement aller au plus proche =) Souvent ailleurs qu'au métro la viande passe de rouge a terne trop vite, tu veux pas nécessairement savoir pourquoi.

Moi je vis sur la rive-sud de mtl alors j'dois souvent me déplacer a brossard pour aller dans des poissonneries spécialisées, en fait la seule raison d'aller vivre a montréal serait pour les épiceries spécialisées qui sont trop souvent rare hors de la ville.

Bref, metro ftw, par contre pour tous ce qui n'est pas périssable tu vas payer beaucoup trop cher, même moi qui a un revenu qui peut me permettre de m'en fouttre j'fais attention par principe.

Bonne chance =)

[ODF]

I spend about 120ish per trip, about two trips per month.

Hm ? 2 times a month ... am I strange to go to the grocery each 2 days ? I hate when my meat is not fresh and I hate to freeze my food. Also, fruits will never last 2 weeks.

There's one hot cashier where I go, it might just be that =D

[Siniroth]

As long as you're not overspending excessively nothing wrong with going that often. Especially if there's a hot cashier