Let’s face it, our city is beautiful, but it’s also an expensive place to live. While many of our members are here because they live on a fixed income, and that helps with housing charges, what are some ways to save on your grocery bill?

Here are some tips: 

Grow your own food for free! Grow your own salad in one of our rooftop garden boxes, or join a community garden. Check out Gordon Neighbourhood House’s seed bank.

Plan your menu for the week. Make a list. Go to the grocery store. Stick to it.

Need recipe inspiration? Check out these 7 blogs all about eating well on a budget, and download a copy of Good and Cheap, a cookbook that is based on eating for $4/day.

Look for accessible options: Quest gets food that grocery stores have slated to go to the landfill, and sells it at a discount to people in need. God’s Little Acre is a farm in Surrey that grows produce, and, through the help of volunteers, makes it available to people with low incomes.

Eat seasonally: buying fresh produce in season is always the cheapest way to go.

Love your freezer: if you have space, buy in bulk when things go on sale, or are in season, and freeze them.

Eat less meat: vegetarian options like tofu, beans and pulses are much cheaper than meat, and are just as tasty and filling. Another option is to buy a small portion of meat, and stretch it to make an entire meal, like in a soup or a stew.