Fabulously frugal: When the Halloween candy runs out
I may have told my child the ants ate all his Halloween candy.
Truth is, it was a LOT of candy, and I didn’t want him to eat the entire bucket!
OK, I probably ate some too. Possibly more than I should have. It was all gone.
So with all those sweet treats gone, what can you do for healthy, yummy snacks on a budget?
Popcorn
Here’s the deal:
President’s Choice Natural Flavour Microwave Popcorn is regularly priced at $3.99 for 480 g. This gives you six bags at $0.66 each.
OR
Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn in a jar is $4.99 for 850 g.
What a price difference! A dollar more for almost double the amount of popcorn!
And it’s super easy to DIY those bags and pop your own in your microwave. Here’s how:
- Pick up 30 paper lunch bags at the Dollar Tree for $2.
- Put ¼ cup (4 TBSP) of corn kernels in the bag and turn it on its side so the long part is flat on your counter.
- Fold the open end over three times — be firm with those folds!
- Place in the microwave, flat side down. (I shake it a bit to disperse the kernels across the bag.)
- Microwave for two min and 45 seconds. (Every ‘nuker’ is different, so this is approximate.)
- Pour into your bowl for 5 cups of delicious popcorn.
- Add your own butter or margarine, and enjoy your healthy, low cost snack!
Your jar of Orville’s kernels will make you 27 bowls of popcorn for $1 more than a box of six bags!
Best deals of the week
Eggs: Loblaws, No Name, $3.89/dozen
Mac and Cheese Dinner: Loblaws, President’s Choice, White Cheddar or Deluxe Cheddar, $0.50/box, Nov. 20-22 only.
This is a stock-up price, of course!
Pork Loin, centre cut: Loblaws, in-store butcher, $2.99/lb.
I usually cut this into chops and use small left-over bits for a stir fry!
Side note: No Frills offers price matching of identical items. You may wish to save a trip to Loblaws and price match using the flyer on your phone to get the deals. Go to this link to learn more about how to do this.
Toilet Paper: No Frills, Royale Velour $5.99/15 rolls
Not a food, but a necessity!
Chicken quarters: No Frills, in-store butcher, $1.79/lb.
Cabbage: No Frills, whole, $0.49/lb
Great for making cabbage rolls with the ground beef and tomato sauce that’s on sale at Food Basics (see below)
Canadian Bacon: No Frills, Lou’s, $2.99 /lb
Squash: No Frills, different varieties, $0.99/lb
Maybe stuffed with the on-sale burger from Food Basics? (see below)
Hot Dogs: No Frills, Maple Lodge, Chicken Wieners $1.99/lb
Makes an easy, child-approved meal with the boxed mac and cheese that’s on sale at Loblaws (see above)!
Frozen strawberries, blueberries: No Frills, President’s Choice, $2.99/600 g bag
Yogurt: No Frills, Astro, $2.49/750 ml
The two items above = breakfast yogurt and berries all week!
French Fries: No Frills, No Name $2.49/kg
Potatoes have jumped in price this week, making this a decent buy.
Frozen Veggies: No Frills, President’s Choice $2.49/750 g bag
Pasta: No Frills, Barilla, $1.25/410 g box
Apples: Food Basics, Gala Canadian Picked, $2.98/1.36 kg
Bacon: Food Basics, Selection brand, $2.98/375 g package
Lean Ground Beef: Food Basics, in-store butcher, $3.68/lb
Pasta Sauce: Food Basics, Hunt’s Original, two 680 ml cans/$3
Canned Tomatoes: Food Basics, Aylmer, two 796 ml cans/$3
Stock-up pricing on fixings for tacos:
Taco Seasoning: Food Basics, Old El Paso, four packages/$5.
Canned Beans: Food Basics, kidney or black beans, Selection brand, $1.49/540 ml can
Taco Kit: Food Basics, Old El Paso, two boxes/$5
Salsa: Food Basics, Old El Paso Thick and Chunky, $3.99/650 ml
This is not a complete list, of course, but it contains some of the best deals this week.
Happy frugal (and fabulous) eating this week!
Kingston resident Sarah Cronk offers tips on money-saving strategies and the best deals to be found in local grocery stores in her bi-weekly Kingstonist column, Fabulously Frugal. Have any questions for Sarah or things you’d like her to investigate in terms of cost savings? Let us know! Email Kingstonist Editor-in-Chief Tori Stafford at [email protected].