{"id":24196,"date":"2016-01-26T07:19:32","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T12:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/?p=24196"},"modified":"2025-01-23T06:10:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T06:10:17","slug":"big-city-grocery-shopping-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalskyweb.co\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/2016\/01\/26\/big-city-grocery-shopping-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Big City Savings Tips To Survive Grocery Shopping : The Grocery Game Challenge 2016 #4 Jan 25-31"},"content":{"rendered":"

OPTIONS ARE ENDLESS IN THE CITY<\/span><\/h2>\n

Many people who live in the big city choose not to drive, can’t drive or can’t afford to drive. This means rolling their shopping cart into a large parking lot to load groceries only to whiz home around the corner is not an option. <\/em><\/p>\n

Many of us take for granted the luxuries of living in a smaller city while shopping especially when it comes to parking and space. You’ll get more of that than you will living in the big city where space is at a premium.
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Related:<\/strong> How a small town family saves money on groceries<\/a><\/p>\n

The smartest tip that I can share with you today about shopping in any city<\/span> is to be ORGANIZED<\/strong>. Without organization you risk having a less than ideal shopping experience. I find when we have things planned out it’s almost always smooth sailing. Unless of course we have a tired toddler, dirty nappy or it’s feeding time.<\/p>\n

Download my Free Printable Tools<\/a> to get you started on the organizational train.<\/p>\n

With millions of people who live in Toronto<\/a> and the Greater Toronto Area you will certainly find just about every grocery store on the market. In Toronto alone I counted 15 No Frills grocery stores which isn’t much if you consider how big Toronto really is. Some small cities have 2 with nowhere near the million mark population. So you see many neighbourhoods in the big city rely on the small shops to provide groceries to the residents who don’t drive or opt to use alternate transportation.<\/p>\n

\"big-city-savings-tips-to-survive-grocery-shopping-1\"<\/p>\n

No matter if you live in a big city, suburbs or in the country there will always be pros and cons when it comes to surviving the grocery shopping game. For instance, living in a big city you are bound to find just about any ingredient that your heart desires. That’s not so much the case if you live outside a big city. The key is to do research to figure out the best way to get in, get out and save money while getting the best deals and freshest product.<\/p>\n

When you live in a big city and your only form of transportation is your feet the last thing you want to do is bulk shop, even though it will save you money in the long run. Stockpiling for most people in a big city like Toronto or Vancouver may not be an option especially if you have to lug you groceries home on the bus or subway. Many smart shoppers will purchase collapsible grocery carts which is great because you can buy more and use less energy taking your groceries home.<\/p>\n

If you are worried about losing your cold items to melting what I would suggest is to purchase a cooler bag or a bag you can wear that will keep your dairy and other items cold until you get home. We have a cooler bag with straps in our house but right now we use it for toddler food and bottles on the go. Nothing is odd living in a big city so if there is something that makes life easier people jump on it even if that means lugging around a cart.<\/p>\n

Non-traditional buildings<\/span><\/h2>\n

In the summer when my parents came to visit last year I took my parents to downtown Toronto to see some of the local attractions. While we were wandering around looking for somewhere to eat we ended up inside of a hotel\/mall which took us to a high-end grocery store. I can’t seem to remember the name but the shop falls under the umbrella of a big box grocery store.<\/p>\n

What we noticed was that it was much smaller and crowded with product everywhere even though it was meticulous. Keep in mind in the big city you may have to pay for parking at the grocery store if you decide to drive especially in the downtown core as not all grocery stores have store specific above ground parking. You’ll end up paying premium prices just to get your groceries. This is what luxury big city living is all about even if you are living it on a tight budget.<\/p>\n

Meal Planning<\/span><\/h2>\n

Meal planning is critical when you live in a big city because of the amount of food you can cart home during each shopping trip. If you are taking the subway consider the stress of trying to transport home bags and bags of groceries. Meal planning will allow you to shop for the groceries you’ll need so you get in and out of the big city grocery shopping nightmare alive.<\/p>\n

Living Space<\/span><\/h2>\n

If your place is anything like mine when I was living in the big city, you don’t have much space. I didn’t have arge cupboards to store stockpiles of food. I’m pretty sure my wife thought I was going to starve her every time she came to visit me in the UK. The only option I had was to get what I could store and shop daily or every couple of days. One option is to build shelving on the wall so you can stock up if your space is limited.<\/p>\n

24-hour grocery stores<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you are in proximity to a 24-hour grocery store<\/a> it may be wise to visit later in the evening when the crowds die down. Even where we live now the 24-hour grocery store is still very busy at night but nothing near what it is during the day. You may also score some great deals if the grocery store has any price reductions at night on short expiry products.<\/p>\n

Cost more money<\/span><\/h2>\n

You may think that living in a big city means you will pay the same prices as every other grocery store. Not the case. Always make sure you read the local flyers for a specific grocery store before you go in as not all shops are created equal when it comes to marketing. In the big city they know the people will come so the prices always seem to be a bit higher. Keep in mind transportation costs into the big city costs more money as well.<\/p>\n

Longer line-ups<\/span><\/h2>\n

Get ready to battle big city long line-ups but if you’re handy with a self-checkout or you can shop when the stores have less traffic in the evening. You may just be able to avoid the task of standing in line reading Hollywood magazines or talking to strangers about what they are cooking for dinner.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong> Self-checkout<\/a><\/p>\n

Shop often <\/span><\/h2>\n

When I lived in a small UK town I would shop often because it was easy for me to walk up to the local shops and get what I needed. There were no grocery stores in our village and if I wanted to do a large shop which I rarely did I would have had to drive to the big city.<\/p>\n

I’ve also lived in the big city of London, UK and again I would shop where I could get to and from a store with-in walking distance. You may relate to my big city experience where I would buy meat from the butcher, fish from the fish guy, deli-meat at the deli and fresh bread at the bakery. The other grocery items I could find at local shops in my neighbourhood. I didn’t care for living in a big city which is why I left for somewhere smaller even though we still had a butcher and deli but no major grocery store just markets.<\/p>\n

Even today living in the Greater Toronto Area is a big deal for me and I couldn’t imagine buying or renting real estate downtown Toronto or anywhere near that chaos. I’d be just as happy living in the country and working in the city or just outside the big city making fewer trips to the grocery store if it meant peace and quiet.<\/p>\n

Like I mentioned above if you are able to get to the grocery store or market a few times a week it will help to ease the stress of pushing your way through the crowds of shoppers with more than you can handle.Cashing out with a few items at a time may leave you less frustrated rather than having bags and bags of groceries to haul home.<\/p>\n

Leftovers<\/span><\/h2>\n

Food waste is a bad habit all over the world but if you live in a big city having leftovers may be a life-saver especially if you can switch them up to create a new meal. Instead of tossing your leftovers or staring at them in the refrigerator for days until they go off utilize them to create a delicious meal that helps you stretch through the time before you need to grocery shopping again.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong> Food Waste In Canada<\/a><\/p>\n

Out-of-Town Trips<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you know you will be heading out-of-town for a road trip or you’re off to see friends or family and they live in a smaller city don’t hesitate to make a pit-stop at the local grocery stores and stock up on what you need. The few minutes it will take you will save your grocery budget in the long-run.<\/p>\n

Ethnic and Specialty Markets<\/span><\/h2>\n

You may find less variety in the scaled down version grocery stores in the big city which means you likely will have to go to a few shops to get the ingredients you need. You will come across ethnic and specialty markets just about everywhere you go in a big city.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong> International store grocery shopping <\/a><\/p>\n

Toronto has many diverse neighbourhoods in the big city where you can buy cultural foods from shops, markets and even street vendors. I have to admit I do love this about Toronto because I enjoy tasting food from all over the world.<\/p>\n

I’ve stopped in the Asian grocery store, Italian Grocery, Portuguese bakery, Cheese Factory and so on. The benefits of the specialty markets are that they are mostly family run, local products and if you get to know the owners you may find you get better deals. A happy returning customer is always important for small businesses.<\/p>\n

Grocery delivery<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you’re lucky you may find a grocery store living in the big city who will deliver the products that you picked out and paid for. The other option is to order groceries online and have them delivered to your house. Whether you pay a delivery fee depends on the company and the city you live in.<\/p>\n

Some big cities have fierce competition for grocery delivery<\/a> where they will waive the delivery fee just to get your business. Keep in mind you may find that you will pay more for the products you buy online. They have to make their money somewhere.<\/p>\n

Monthly Grocery Shop<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you plan to drive out of the big city chaos to the suburbs or a smaller town to grocery shop consider visiting a local Costco or other big box store to stock up on bulk items if they are on sale or if you have coupons to use up.<\/p>\n

My wife has a friend who lives and works in downtown Toronto who eats out often because she is single and can’t be bothered to grocery shop and cook at home. When she goes home to see her parents in a small city this is when she grocery shops and brings food back home. I’m not a lover of eating out everyday but for some people if it fits their budget and lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong> Eating In vs Eating out – the comparison<\/a><\/p>\n

Eating habits<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you live in the big city and are surrounded by a few markets but no grocery stores what you could do is see what these shops have to offer and base your diet around those products. Most often you should have no problem stocking up on dairy, produce and meats which are all staples in any diet. If you can avoid having to go into the city to get what you need it will save you time and money to shop your neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

Shop smart<\/span><\/h2>\n

In the end if your mission is to save money on groceries know what you are getting into when you head out the door. Arm yourself with the same knowledge that your suburb and small town friends use. If your goal is to shop with limited stress and challenges then certainly put some of these big city tips into action and see if that makes a difference to your shopping experience.<\/p>\n

Do you enjoy living and grocery shopping in the big city, suburbs or in the country? Where do you buy your groceries and do you have any other big city tips to add? <\/strong><\/p>\n

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January Grocery Game Challenge posts 2016<\/span><\/h2>\n

Join in the 2016 Grocery Game Challenge (GGC) fun and post your grocery shop in the comment section of each GGC blog post. Here are the rules<\/a> to get you started and where you\u2019ll also find a link for the updated 2016 GGC schedule. Please feel free to download, save and even print the schedule so it\u2019s handy. Thanks to Mary for putting this together for us again this year. If you need any help please let me know.<\/p>\n

New monthly prize:<\/strong> $10 President\u2019s Choice Gift Card for Canadian residents only BUT <\/strong>If you want to play from outside of Canada<\/strong> and have PayPal and you win I will pay you $10CDN. I use a random online generator to pick the winning ballot every month.<\/p>\n

If you missed any grocery game posts for the month I will post the line-up each week here for you so you don\u2019t have to go looking for past GGC posts for the month. This makes posting a bit easier although all you need to do is click on The Grocery Game Challenge on the homepage sidebar and you will see them all.<\/p>\n