Food on a Budget
Finding Food on a Budget in Calgary
These days, food is expensive no matter where you go! I did a little shopping comparison at stores in the North East of the city I live in, and here is what I found:
Overall, smaller produce stores (like H&W Produce on 32 ave NE in Calgary) have better prices on vegetables and fruits.
While Bulk Barn is a great place to get SMALL amounts of things like grains and beans, if you require larger amounts, Superstore is the better option PER GRAM.
Walmart, Co Op, Save On Foods and Superstore all have DAY OLD produce shelves, with Walmart having the best selection. This is a great way to get a good amount of perishable food for very discounted prices. Usually there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this food, and it will end up in the bin if it is not purchased. Even if the food is quite ripe, you can cook it or freeze it quickly to preserve it.
REGULAR DISCOUNTS/DISCOUNT DAYS:
Bulk Barn- Student discount 15% off any day, 15% off on Sunday if you bring your own container
Superstore- if you participate in their points program, collected points can be redeemed for cash off, and they have some days where they offer free items if you spend over a certain amount. Most stores do this.
Save On Foods- not usually cheapest but they will match any coupon, and they have deals like 4 packages of fruit and veg for $20 or 4 packages of meat for $20.
Watch places like Fresh Co. They are not always the cheapest per gram but give the illusion that they are discounted. This is not always the case!
Farmers Markets: Just watch the prices. Try to buy directly from a farmer, as opposed to the larger stalls that have many options from overseas. Things like eggs can be bought for cheaper when buying directly from a small farmer.
Fresh Routes offers an inexpensive mobile grocery service with produce at discounted prices. here is their schedule: https://freshroutes.ca/schedule-calgary/
The Alex Community Food Centre has their “Fresh and Fair Market” The market employs circular economy practices to reduce waste and invites community members to bring their reusable containers, jars, egg cartons and shopping bags each visit. Community members share their tips, tricks and recipes to make the market a place for learning and to try out great new food.
Please read through the City of Calgary Food Resource Page for a complete listing of food access for lower income citizens or anyone that needs emergency food access.