Okay, theres been a lot going on recently in in this ole Trucking Life. Weve had major fallouts with advertising companies, driving tests, snakes in gardens and even a large trucking company trying to hejemacate Lyndon in the classroom.
Well now Lyndons all hejamacated its time to do some clevver stuff.
So heres the science bit.
Lots of people are asking about the cost of living in Canada and that is a very valid question, for a lot of people coming out here trucking may be taking a cut in pay so the main concern is, "are we going to be able to afford to live".
The answer to that is "yes you are", i'm sure there are hundreds of people out there who will disagree with me but i say that food shopping over here is cheaper than shopping in the UK. The reason people disagree with me is because they dont shop the way we do, the secret is to shop like a canadian not like a brit.
If you want to buy Kellogs cornflakes, british makes of soup and basically anything that needs to be imported then you are going to pay a fortune. However if you are willing to try Presidents Choice or even dare i say it, "Sans Nom" or "No Name" (that was french) products then you can save a fortune. Okay i admit some products are disgusting but some are really nice, its just a case of try it and see.
One example of cheap and nice is a Canadian delicacy called simply "KD". Its proper name is Kraft Dinner, its bought in dry form for about 50c, boil the pasta elbows, mix the sauce, put it together and that is Kraft Dinner, it is basically maccaroni cheese except that the sauce is sort of orangey.
With meat i have found that beef is cheap, pork is even cheaper, lamb is about the same as UK and chicken is expensive, hams and salamis are generally cheaper and cheeses are also cheaper.
You have to really search around for instant gravy and the pasta sauces have a weird tang to them. One food which we dont like is Piorgies, strange little pasta shells with mashed potato and some other flavour in, we tend to give them a miss.
Down here in Lethbridge we have loads of large supermarkets, some are better than others so you have to shop around for the weekly bargains, some supermarkets send out weekly flyers which come straight out to your mailbox, they are worth a look.Here is my opinion of the various shopping places.
Safeway - Not my favourite, good bargains on the flyers but poor choice, dark shop and no fresh meat dept, quite expensive generally, this is my last resort.
Walmart - Same as UK, cheap, well lit, good choice, sells clothes and homewares too, great for cheaply kitting your house out when you first come over. In Lethbridge it is being extended so at the moment there is no fresh meat dept.
CostCo - Good for bulk buying but not the cheapest. In UK you need a cash and cary card, over here you just buy a card for about $40 i think, i already had a card from UK as i worked for Wincanton. Fantastic choice of fresh meat and very well presented but like i said not the cheapest.
Canadian Superstore - the bees knees, cheapest around, grocery choice is a little limited but great choice in fresh and frozen meats, we do most of our shopping here, i dont reckon you can beat it. Store is well lit, well spaced out, great choice, cheap prices and the salami selection is out of this world. The roasting beef and the AAA steaks are unbeleiveable, this is the place to shop.
Well now Lyndons all hejamacated its time to do some clevver stuff.
So heres the science bit.
Lots of people are asking about the cost of living in Canada and that is a very valid question, for a lot of people coming out here trucking may be taking a cut in pay so the main concern is, "are we going to be able to afford to live".
The answer to that is "yes you are", i'm sure there are hundreds of people out there who will disagree with me but i say that food shopping over here is cheaper than shopping in the UK. The reason people disagree with me is because they dont shop the way we do, the secret is to shop like a canadian not like a brit.
If you want to buy Kellogs cornflakes, british makes of soup and basically anything that needs to be imported then you are going to pay a fortune. However if you are willing to try Presidents Choice or even dare i say it, "Sans Nom" or "No Name" (that was french) products then you can save a fortune. Okay i admit some products are disgusting but some are really nice, its just a case of try it and see.
One example of cheap and nice is a Canadian delicacy called simply "KD". Its proper name is Kraft Dinner, its bought in dry form for about 50c, boil the pasta elbows, mix the sauce, put it together and that is Kraft Dinner, it is basically maccaroni cheese except that the sauce is sort of orangey.
With meat i have found that beef is cheap, pork is even cheaper, lamb is about the same as UK and chicken is expensive, hams and salamis are generally cheaper and cheeses are also cheaper.
You have to really search around for instant gravy and the pasta sauces have a weird tang to them. One food which we dont like is Piorgies, strange little pasta shells with mashed potato and some other flavour in, we tend to give them a miss.
Down here in Lethbridge we have loads of large supermarkets, some are better than others so you have to shop around for the weekly bargains, some supermarkets send out weekly flyers which come straight out to your mailbox, they are worth a look.Here is my opinion of the various shopping places.
Safeway - Not my favourite, good bargains on the flyers but poor choice, dark shop and no fresh meat dept, quite expensive generally, this is my last resort.
Walmart - Same as UK, cheap, well lit, good choice, sells clothes and homewares too, great for cheaply kitting your house out when you first come over. In Lethbridge it is being extended so at the moment there is no fresh meat dept.
CostCo - Good for bulk buying but not the cheapest. In UK you need a cash and cary card, over here you just buy a card for about $40 i think, i already had a card from UK as i worked for Wincanton. Fantastic choice of fresh meat and very well presented but like i said not the cheapest.
Canadian Superstore - the bees knees, cheapest around, grocery choice is a little limited but great choice in fresh and frozen meats, we do most of our shopping here, i dont reckon you can beat it. Store is well lit, well spaced out, great choice, cheap prices and the salami selection is out of this world. The roasting beef and the AAA steaks are unbeleiveable, this is the place to shop.
Hi Lyndon, i find Save On as best all round price wise,quality also good. Chease's blody expensive here,i mean proper chease not square red things in plastic
ReplyDeleteHi Lyndon, i find Save On as best all round price wise,quality also good. Chease's blody expensive here,i mean proper chease not square red things in plastic
ReplyDeleteThanks again Lyndon because this is the type of information we are looking for, the basic cost of living (not surviving).
ReplyDeletehi lyndon,great to see british expats have;nt got to your blog yet.Some great info on here for the wife while im in the southern states getting fatter on $8.99 eat as much as you like. any way hope to see you soon Dave(scaniamad)
ReplyDeleteHi Graham
ReplyDeleteto be honest we dont eat a lot of real cheese, Jan and Luke like the processed stuff thats ready sliced, coz its easy to slap on toast, by the way some of the breads we get over here are fantastic, i guess its beacause of all the different nationalities.
Hi Paul & Alison
ReplyDeleteIm trying to put a bit of everything into the blog while its a bit quiet so if you want to know anything specific then leave a comment or email me
Hi Lyndon, I'm glad everything is working out for you and your family.
ReplyDeleteI am also really glad you changed that bloody joke lol ;)
Mal has flown to Saskatoon today and will be on the road in about 3 weeks so listen out for Flying Welshman if you have a CB.
Take care and good luck on your first trip
Hi Dave
ReplyDeleteBritishexpats (Travelera) cant touch the blog coz its nothing to do with them, all they have done is remove the link that was in the signature of my posts.
And yes, hope to see you round the J buffet table one day, I'll be the one balancing the pork chop on top of the Salisbury steak and a drumstick in each pocket.