A trip to the grocery store in Canada can be stressful due to the high cost of food, which has prompted many Canadian shoppers, like Kaylee Leitch, to devise a cost-cutting strategy.
Leitch, a marketing manager who lives in Sorrento, BC, recently took to TikTok to document the “bargain hunting missions” she goes on with her husband to find cheap grocery deals.
Her trip involves visiting her local No Frills and Walmart to search for items on the stores’ clearance shelves or priced down for last-chance discounts.
“The goal is to go one to two times a week and pick up as many clearance or on sale items as we can so we can stock our fridges, our freezers, and inevitably have backups for when we need them,” Leitch explains in her video.
@kayleitch Only buying on sale or clearance items at Walmart and No Frills 🛒 #groceryshopping #groceryhaul #groceryprices #groceries #nofrills #walmart #loblaws #onsale #clearance #salmonarm #friday #comegroceryshoppingwithme #canada #canadianmom #toddlermom #fiance #bargain #bargainshopping #fyp ♬ original sound – Kaylee Leitch | mom vlogs
At the end of the TikTok, she pans to her large grocery haul, noting that some of the things she bought weren’t on sale. However, when subtracting those non-sale items from her bill, the total amount she spent was around $120 on discount products.
A few sale items she picked up included $3 salad kits, a block of cheddar cheese for $5, and cartons of fruit juice for $1 each.
Leitch told Daily Hive that her bargain-hunting trips to her local grocery stores started last November when she and her husband moved to the small BC town and bought their first home.
The high cost of living got the couple thinking about ways to cut spending. Stocking up on sale items was a key strategy “given the neverending increases in grocery prices,” she noted.
Bargain hunting tips
Leitch doesn’t go into her bargain-hunting missions blindly: she does some planning before searching for deals, usually creating a “loose menu” for her family’s meals for the week.
“I always have staples on my list like bread, eggs, milk, and cheese. Depending on pricing, once I get to the store our menu for the week may change,” she said via email.
For instance, if she sees burger patties are on sale, she might adjust her weekly dinner menu to include burgers instead of another more expensive meal option.
refrina/Shutterstock
Leitch explained that she doesn’t choose a specific day of the week to look for sales but advises doing a big morning shop before the weekend because it tends to “be the best time to find deals and clearance items before they’re picked through.”
She also looks for pantry items like canned goods, pasta, stocks, and other non-perishables, as well as toddler-friendly snacks for her young daughter.
“[We] try to stockpile as many canned and shelf-stable goods as possible when they are on sale,” she noted.
Some of her favourite clearance items to look for include pasta sauces, canned soups, meat products (which she freezes), and bread or wraps. These are things she either uses often or can be used to cook a variety of meals.
Where to find grocery deals?
Because Leitch lives in a small town, she admits her grocery store options are limited. Her most budget-friendly choices are the local Walmart and No Frills.
There’s also BC-based grocer Save-On-Foods in her community, which Leitch says is normally more expensive than the other stores.
However, once every month the grocer holds a “$1.49 Day” sale on certain items, where Leitch says she sometimes finds deals on veggies, meats, and pantry goods.
The BC woman also occasionally visits Costco to stock up on household items like cleaning supplies, toilet paper, and paper towels.
Leitch notes that her bargain-hunting strategy involves more than one trip to the grocery store during the week.
“I find shopping two to three times a week is best for finding deals and clearance items,” she explained.
“While it’s not as efficient if you’re not going in for specific items each time, hopefully, you’ll have the staples you need in your pantry the next time you need them, and you won’t have to go back to the store and pay full price for them.”
Canadians are finding thrifty grocery solutions
Leitch isn’t the only Canadian who has shared her money-saving grocery solutions on the internet.
In March we shared the story of Nova Scotia’s Melanie Seamone who keeps her weekly grocery bill under $25 thanks to strict budgeting and a well-stocked pantry.
Some Canadians, like Brandi Dustin, choose to drive down to the US to grocery shop.
@kade1613 Grocery prices in Canada have become crazy, so I go to the states to shop. Here’s everything I got! #justinflation #trudeauneedstogo #inflation #savecanada #pierrepolievreforprimeminister ♬ original sound – Brandi Dustin
The BC resident says she lives in a more rural part of the province, so the grocery closest to her within Canada is about 45 minutes away.
However, she lives next to the US border, where the closest supermarket on the other side is about 15 minutes away.
Others have taken up extreme-couponing. Nichole Schaubroeck of Manitoba has been couponing for the past 10 years.
In a previous interview, she told Daily Hive that her diligent couponing practices have helped her cut her grocery bill by thousands of dollars.
She now posts her couponing tips on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube under the username @couponcutiecanada to help fellow Canadians save more on groceries and essentials.
Some Canadians are also taking part in the Loblaw boycott initiated by the Loblaws Is Out of Control Reddit group, an online community of frustrated shoppers. Among other demands, they’re calling on the grocery giant to lower prices, remove “member-only pricing,” and commit to ending price gouging.
Valérie Tristant of New Brunswick recently told Daily Hive that she’s seen significant savings on her grocery bill after boycotting her local Loblaw-owned stores.
Do you have any strategies you’ve implemented to save money on your grocery bill? Email us at [email protected] and we may get in touch to speak with you for a story.