Was planning on visiting Mexico, but some of our party insisted we go to Hawaii. Group of 15 (I know big group, 5 first timers), mainly focusing on on relaxing and taking in the sights. I've been a quite a few times so I make the call on what were doing. I know this is mainly a guide and chance is we might not be able to do it all.

• 7/25 Thursday Turo / Genki Sushi / Check In / Waikiki Beach / Tantalus Lookout for Sunset / Walmart Supply Run
• 7/26 Friday Sharks Cove / Food Trucks (not giovanis) / Teds Bakery *Hapua Pie FTW / Maybe Matsumotos for t-Shirts / Waikiki Sunset/Night / Pick Up Soccer at the Ala Wai w JT. (*this is a me only activity)
• 7/27 Saturday Cinnamons Kailua/ Byodo-in Temple / Kailua Beach Park / Nicos Kailua or Pier 38 / Waikiki Sunset.
• 7/28 Sunday Ko Olina? Sandy Beach? Sharks Cove Again? Waimanalo/Sherwoods?
• 7/29 Monday Pillbox / Lanikai / Kono's BBQ / Waikiki Sunset.
• 7/30 Tuesday Come Back Home *sad face*

Additional Stuff we might do:
Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden (near Kailua)(maybe)
Leonards (just throw it in there somewhere, make sure to place online order)
Only going to Breakfast once because we run on 7/11 Coconut Coffee and Musubis.
Sunday the 29th is the day I'm not exactly sure what I want to do.
Why Genki Sushi?...well because they closed our local one a few years ago.
Is parking that bad a Lanikai, I know residents have a strong dislike for us(tourist), but is parking impossible? Last few times I was able to find parking on Alapapa Dr.
Also is Kailua still completely under construction near the Kalapawai Market, I think the last 2 times I went it was still full of open trenches.

I've noticed there's lots of n00b questions here, and sometimes the token what's the job like? queries. When I got the job, I categorically didn't read anything on reddit. I did a seasonal at Target a while ago, and uh, I'm aware of how target does nothing but say negative things.
It's WalMart. Of course there will be bad things, but I figured most of us muddle through with not enough reason to set the place on fire this week.
I should caveat it's a one of those grocery stores, the WalMart Neighborhood Market, or whatever.
I applied for a Meat and Produce 4am shift, full-time.
In terms of application timetable... Applied on a Wednesday. Callback on a Friday. People Lead did the phone screening interview that day. In-person interview with GM on Sunday. Orientation/first day on Tuesday.
So, turnaround of about a week.
While not intrinsically required, charge your cell phone before coming in. You will be using it to clock in and out.
Your first few days will have the token boring computer training. Use the headphones. You'll retain 5% more than if you try to speedread it.
I applied for the 4am-1pm shift. Four of my shifts are this shift, and one random shift is a midshift of 9a-6p. I'm always zonked on that midshift. Because I'm insane, I go to bed around 3-5pm now. Why apply for first shift unless you're going to commit to sleeping? Sleep is important.
(Plus, gym is empty 12-2am, ha ha.)
My badge says Meat and Produce, but I haven't touched the meat section this month. In practice, my priority is definitely Produce. It also doesn't say dairy or frozen, but I sure do spend a bit of time there.
If you've done any stocking in the past, it's the typical freight-and-pick routine.
That's it. That's the job. Freight and pick.
Don't take the weightlifting requirements lightly. I moonlight as a gymrat, so I know how to move my body in space. I know how to lift to put the weight onto my glutes and spare my lower back. 40 lbs doesn't sound like much until you're doing it over and over and over again. If you're dumb enough to overload a dispose/claims bin, definitely over 60 lbs.
Use tables. Whether it's the trash can on wheels, or a cart, if you can place a heavy box on a table, do it. Work smarter, not harder.
I generally don't put heavy boxes overhead, but also. You will be lifting boxes overhead.
RPC stands for reusable product container; there's a lot of store lingo. Some I use, some I tune out. I digress.
VizPik is the program used for picking product out of the back. Target has a system where every item has a specific location in the back. WalMart, you can put it whereever in the back. While finding individual items is a crapshoot, scanning using a workphone is much preferable to hunting one elusive item.
Oh. Two months, and I still don't have a work phone. It is a pain in the ass, but I have to ask to borrow someone's workphone daily. I have half a dozen passwords memorized as a result. Don't expect a device anytime soon. You will be expected to pick regardless of whether you know anyone on shift.
Cull. I have food industry experience, so breaking the habit of "food cost" is a transition. Cull more than you think.
In terms of daily routine, let's pretend it's a good day.
Short version: Vizpik & pallet, 15, pallet, break, vizpik, 15, claims and cleanup.
Long version:
3:55 am: Clock in. Tour floor. Zone grapes and berries. Zone endcaps. Acquire TC and printer. Put up wetwall. Cull roma and slicer tomatos. Pee. Snag dry vizpik from partner; push. Put up dry pallet.
7 am: First 15 break. By this point, partner has usually finished the other half of vizpik and moved on to the RPC pallet. Grab salad pallet, and make sure salad vizpik is with it. Ferry boxbin to bailer as needed. Sweep and zone before leaving floor. Steal a work phone and pull dairy vizpik. (Partner does frozen.)
9:30am: Hour break
10:30 am: Push vizpik, push eaches in dairy, push hiland.
11:45 am: Second 15 break. Double-check claims, sweep/mop back room, double-check product backstocked. Aaaand misc tasks like airstacking bananas, watering plants, stocking flower, rotating milk, eggs, tea, and a bazillion other little things.
1:05pm: Put TC and printer batteries on chargers. Go home.
If you're lucky, a trainer or manager will help with one pallet. Which literally saves 1-2 manhours. Usually not. I've been told we're supposed to be done by 8:30 am. Which never happens unless a third person helps for an hour. Just one manhour, that's the difference maker.
To date, freight has always gotten done, even if I have to take my hour break before finishing. Vizpik is done every day. I know that sounds like a stupid "duh" to veterans, but as a task, it can feel very tacked-on your first few weeks. As long as the items are picked in the computer, management seems to not pester you. Just do the best you can getting out the product.
In terms of priority, always deal with produce's backstock and organization prior to pushing vizpik. Anyone can push product. Nobody else is going to fix organization in the produce walk-in.
So if you're haphazard backstocking, you are going to see that same problem the next day.
So yeah.
That's the job. I was already on a cut, but I've dropped another 20 lbs in the past two months. So uh. That's a factoid.
I work with one guy who has been with WalMart for 20 years. Knows his job and mildly tunes out managers. Quite autonomous. The other guy is a little younger and I'd swear he milks his 15 minute breaks to 20 minutes. But, freight gets put up. Each are different in terms of our work chemistry.
I can see this job going very badly, very quickly if I had less competent co-producers.
Invest in stocking gloves. If you don't, the cuts from cardboard and plastic will add up quickly.
It's a job. It's honest work. It passes the time. The moment-to-moment is low-stress mentally. I leave early afternoon with the sun shining bright. I'm introverted and I'm enjoying how I don't need to interact with people much. It's morning, so customers aren't douchenozzles yet. And, minimal coworker interaction, just the perfunctory.
Probably longer than most reddit user's attention span, but eh. Maybe one person will think "neat-o". Sure, it's WalMart, but everyone needs groceries. Whatever, man.

Happy Wednesday!
This is a continuation of my pattern of posting what I think are decent grocery deals with the hope that this will save some people some money. As noted previously this is heavily skewed to items that I and my family eat. There are probably additional items that are good deals but I don't know it because they aren't items I use but hopefully my list is still useful to you.
A few quick reminders:

• PC Optimum points are collected at No Frills and Superstore. 1,000pts is worth $1.
• Scene+ points are collected at Safeway, Sobeys and FreshCo. 100pts is worth $1.
• The value of Save on Foods points depends on what you redeem them for. If you redeem them for a 4L jug of milk then 1,000pts is worth about $1.50. Other redemptions might make them more or less valuable.

Superstore, No Frills and FreshCo are generally willing to price match identical products from (some) other major grocery stores if you show them the item in the competitor’s flyer while checking out so knowing what is on sale at stores that you don't visit can still be useful. I'm told that Save on Foods will also price match, though I have no first hand experience with them. There are some restrictions on this... FreshCo won't price match Safeway or Sobeys. Superstore (at least sometimes) won't price match Coop. The No Frills on 85st SW won't price match FreshCo.
Finally, thank you to everyone that has posted positive comments. It's always nice to receive positive feedback.
Walmart:

• Corn on the cob: $0.44
• Strawberries (1lb): $2.44
• Heinz condiment 3-pack (3 x 375ml): $2.97
• Wonder hot dog or hamburger buns: $1.97
• Russet potatoes (10lb): $5.97
• Honeydew melon: $4.97
• Tre Stelle Bocconcini cheese (200g): $4.47
• Jet Puffed marshmallows (400g): $1.97

Calgary Coop:

• Tomatoes on the vine: $1.99/lb + 20% bonus effectively making them $1.59/lb
• English cucumber: $1.29 (pretty good, FreshCo is better if you can use 3)
• Cal & Gary’s frozen fruit (1.5kg): $9.99 + 10% bonus cash, effectively making them $8.99

FreshCo:

• Strawberries (2lb): $4.47
• Cucumbers (3-pack): $2.97
• May 17 and 18 Loadable offer: get 400pts for every $40 spent

Safeway / Sobeys:

• May 16 to 19: Spend $125 get 1000pts

Save on Foods:

• Bell peppers (2lb): $5.99 (needs to be loaded in app?)
• $1.49 deals on May 21, 2024. Luka4life has posted an apparent leak of the deals in the comments.

No Frills:

• Watermelon (11lb): $4.94
• Sirloin tip steak: $5.97/lb
• Corn on the cob: $0.44
• Russet potatoes (10lb): $5.99
• Cosmic crisp apples (5lb): $6.99
• 10,000pts for every $50 spent on Huggies diapers, training pants or wipes

Real Canadian Superstore:

• Watermelon (11lb): $4.94
• Corn: $0.44 when you buy groups of 5
• 1,000pts for every $10 spent on bell peppers

Edit: Added $1.49 deals for Save on Foods.

1. The Early Days of the Waffle: The story of waffles begins with their humble ancestors: unleavened flatbreads. These simple flatbreads, made from flour and water, have existed for thousands of years. They were popular in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East, providing an easy-to-make and transportable source of nutrition. The Ancient Greeks contributed to waffle evolution by creating obleios, basic flat cakes cooked between two heated metal plates. However, these early waffle predecessors didn’t yet feature the iconic grid design we associate with modern waffles. In medieval Europe, flatbreads gained their characteristic honeycomb pattern. While the exact inventor remains a mystery, legend has it that a medieval knight accidentally sat on an oatcake while still clad in armor, leaving behind a grid pattern. Most likely, it was a medieval blacksmith who perfected the grid design we recognize today. The French word “gaufre” and the Dutch word “wafel” both derive from terms meaning “honeycomb.”
2. The Rise of the Waffle: During the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, waffles gained popularity as street food across Europe. Records show that waffles with their honeycomb pattern were sold in the streets of England as early as 1603. Christianity also played a role in waffle history. Flatbread became an essential part of Christian tradition, symbolizing the body of Jesus Christ during the Eucharist. Street vendors sold French “oublies” (a type of waffle) outside churches, often incorporating religious symbols into their designs. Beyond Europe, flatbreads continue to be popular in Middle Eastern countries, India, and the Mediterranean, although their composition varies across cuisines.
3. Waffles Across the Atlantic: Waffles made their way to the New World with the pilgrims. The trademark honeycomb design became a staple in America, blurring the line between breakfast and dessert. Interestingly, American waffles took a different path from their traditional Belgian counterparts. The industrialization of waffle production led to frozen waffles, which contrasted starkly with the artisanal Belgian varieties.

I tried to write down every single movie available on my flights in March 2024. I handwrote some of my notes to pass the 13 hours which is why there are ??? when I couldn't read my own writing/abbreviations. Note that not all titles were available on all flights, and my list is missing a chunk of them (especially titles beginning with "S" for some reason). Hope someone finds it useful! Maybe someone will get to creating a Letterboxd list of them all before me! [Posted this in movies and thought delta users might find it useful too]

10 Things I Hate About You
101 Dalmatians
12 Angry Men
13 Going on 30
17 Again
2001: A Space Odyssey
27 Dresses
500 Days of Summer
80 for Brady
A Beautiful Mind
A Bug's Life
A Cinderella Story
A Compassionate Spy
A Fantastic Woman
A Few Good Men
A Good Year
A Haunting in Venice
A League of Their Own
A Room with a View
A Separation
A Simple Plan
A Simple Wish
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Abominable
Adam's Rib
Airheads
Akeelah and the Bee
Aladdin
Alice Through the Looking Glass
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
American Graffiti
American Street Kid
Amores Perros
An Inconvenient Truth
Anatomy of a Fall
Angels in the Outfield
Aquaman
Assassin Club
Asteroid City
Avatar: Way of Water
Avengers: Infinity War
Back to the Future
Bad Company
Barb and Star: Vista del Mar
Barbie
Batman
Batman Begins
Batman Returns
Batman vs. Superman Dawn
Battle of the Sexes
Beauty and the Beast
Beetlejuice
Being Mary Tyler Moore
Bend it Like Beckham
Better Luck Tomorrow
Big
Big George Foreman
Billy Elliott
Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn
Birthright Outlaw
Blackberry
Blade
Blade II
Blade Runner 2049
Blade Trinity
Blended
Blinded by the Light
Blue Beetle
Bolt
Bottoms
Brave
Brazil
Bridesmaids
Bridget Jones' Diary
Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason
Bring It On
Brown Sugar
Buoyancy
But I'm a Cheerleader
Call Me by Your Name
Carmen Jones
Central Intelligence
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Cheaper by the Dozen
Chevalier
Chicken Run
Child's Play
Children of a Lesser God
Chinatown
Cinderella
Clifford the Big Red Dog
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Clueless
Colossal
Condor's Nest
Cool Hand Luke
Coraline
Couples Retreat
Crazy Rich Asians
Crazy Stupid Love
Creed
Creed II
Crooklyn
Cruella
Chr. G
Dark Waters
Darkest Hour
Dawnland
Dazed and Confused
DC: League of Super Pets
Dear White People
Dee. Boys
Delivery Man
Desperately Seeking Susan
Despicable Me
Despicable Me 2
Despicable Me 3
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Dret ard
Dr. Doolittle
Down with Love
Dr. Seuss Horton Hears a Who
Dr. Seuss The Grinch
Dr. Grinch The Lorax
Dreamgirls
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Drumline
Due Date
Dumb and Dumber
Dumb Money
Dune
Dunkirk
E.T.
Edge of Tomorrow
Eggs Over Easy
Elemental
Enter the Dragon
E????
Erin Brockovich
Eternals
Evan Almighty
Everest
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Evil Dead Rises
Expendables 4
F9: Fast Saga
Fallen
Fantastic Beasts
Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindewald
Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore
Fargo
F&F: Hobbes and Shaw
Fast X
Father of the Bride
Feramana???
Ferner????
Field of Dreams
Finding Dory
Finding Nemo
First Man
Focus
Following
Fools Rush In
Forrest Gump
Freaky
Freaky Friday
Freelance
Frida
Friday
Frozen 2
Frozen River
Game Night
Gangster Squad
Garfield
Garfield: Tail of 2 Kitties
Get Smart
Ghostbusters
Glass
Glory
Godzilla vs Kong
Going in Style
Good Morning Vietnam
Gosford Park
Grand Torino
Gran Turismo
Gravity
Grease
Grease 2
Gremlins
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Guy Richie's The Covenant
Hacksaw Ridge
Half Nelson
Hanna
Happy Death Day
Happy Feet 2
Harlan County USA
Harold and Kumar: White Castle
Harry Potter 1-8
Haunted Mansion
He's Just Not That Into You
Her
Hereafter
Hocus Pocus
Honor Society
Horrible Bosses
Hotel Transylvania
House Party
How to Be Single
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
How to Train your Dragon
Hypnotic
I Am Legend
I Didn't See You There
I, Tonya
Ice Age: Collision Course
Ice Age: Continental Drift
Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs
Ice Age: Meltdown
Ice on Fire
If Beale Street Could Talk
In the Heart of the Sea
In the Heights
In the Name of the Father
Inception
Incredibles 2
Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny
Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom
Insidious: The Red Door
Insomnia
Instructions not INcluded
It
Jerry & Marge Go Large
Jersey Boys
John Wick
John Wick 2
John Wick 3
Joker
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Judas and the Black Messiah
Jules
Jumanji
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Jurassic Park
Jurassic World
Just Married
Just my Luck
Kazaam
Kit Kittredge
Kramer vs Kramer
Kubo and the Two Strings
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda 2
Kung Fu??????
La La Land
Labyrinth
Lady in the Water
Lakota Nation vs United States
Legally Blonde
Liar Liar
Life of the Party
Lightyear
Lilo and Stitch
Lion
Little Women
Living
Lo------
Lone Survivor
Love and Basketball
Love Again
Love Jones
Ma-d_____ ?
Madagascar
Madagascar Escape
Made of Honor
Mafia Mamma
Magic Mike's Last Dance
Malt------
Momma's Boy
Mamma Mia
Mamma Mia Here We Go Again
March of the Penguins
Mat------
Mean Girls
Meet the Parents?
Memento
Michael Clayton
Milk
Minions
Minions: Rise of Gru
Misery
Miss Congeniality
Missing Link
Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning
Mississippi Masala
Moana
Monster In Law
Monsters Inc
Monsters University
Moonlight
Mortal Enemies
Mr. Malcolm's List
Mulan
Mummies
Murder by Numbers
Murder on the Orient Express
Muriel's Wedding
My Animal
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Family
My Girl
National Lampoon's Vacation
Neighbors 2
Neruda
New Year's Eve
News of the World
Nights in Rodanthe
Nine Queens
No
No Country for Old Men
No Murches Frida??
Nomadland
Notting Hill
Ocean's 8
Ocean's 13
October Sky
Of tn age??
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Onward
Oppenheimer
Origin
Over the Hedge
Pacific Rim
Pandas
Pan's Labyrinth
ParaNorman
Paris is Burning
Past Lives
Paw Patrol: Mighty
Paw Patrol: More
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Perfect Strangers
Persepolis
Phantom Thread
Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game
Pitch Perfect
Pitch Perfect 3
Planes
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu
Practical Magic
Pride and Prejudice
Primal Fear
Priscilla
Psycho
Pulp Fiction
Puppy Love
Puss in Boots
Queen and Slim
Radical
RRadi--- Wwi?/
Raging Bull
Ra the Breata?
Rat Race?
Ratatouille
Ready Player One
Real Women Have Curves
Red Tails
Reforge
Renfield
Repo Man
Rocky
Ruby Gillman
Rumor Has It
Rush Hour 2
RV
Róise & Frank
Sacfint??
Saving Face
Saving Private Ryan
School Daze
Scoob!
Scooby Doo
Scrapper
Scream VI
Searching
Selena
Selma
Semi Pro
Seven
Shaft
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Significant Other
?
?
Skyfall
Smallfoot
Smoke?
Snowpiercer
?
Something's Gotta Give
?
?
Soul Surfer
Space Jam
Space Oddity
Sp Ra ????
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse
Split
Spy Game?
Spy Kids
Stone and D????
Ste W s5t?
Stomp the Yard
Storks
Sweet Home Alabama
Tag
Talk to Me
Tangled
Tee as Go!??
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Tenet
The Adia Prse?
The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster
The Baby-Sitters Club
The Best Man
The Big Lebowski
The Big Short
The Biggest Little Farm
The Bird Cage
The Blind Side
The Blues Brothers
The Bodyguard
The Boogeyman
The Book of Life
The Boss Baby: Family Business
The Bourne Identity
The Boxer
The Breakfast Club
The Bucket List
The Caine Mutiny
The Campaign
The Castle
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia 2
The Chronicles of Narnia 3
The Creator
The Croods New Age
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Side
The Dead Don't Die
The Dry?
The Equalizer
The Exorcist: Believer
The Fabulous Filipino Brothers
The Fast and Furious (#1)
The S Heartbeats?
The Has???
The Gentlemen
The Good Nurse
The Goonies
The Great Wall
The Guard
The Harvest (La Cosecha)
The H????
The Hobbit
The Hobbit 2
The Hobbit 3
The Holdovers
The Hunger Games: Ballad of Snakes and Songbirds
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games 2
The Hunger Games 3
The Hunger Games 4
The Hunt for Red October
The Huntsman: Winter’s War
The Incredibles
The Intern
The Invention of Lying
The Iron Giant
The Island
The Jungle Book
The Karate Kid
The Kids are Alright
The Lake House
The Land Before Time
The Last Out
The Last Samurai
The Lego Batman Movie
The Lego Movie
The Lesson
The Lion King
The Lion King
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship
The Losers
The Man from UNCLE
The Marsh King’s Doughter
The Marvels
The Matrix: Resurrections
The Mitchells vs The Machines
The Mummy
The Neverending Story
The Nice Guys
The Nun II
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
The Other Zoey
The Outsiders
The Peanuts Movie
The Persian Version
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything
The Place Beyond the Pines
The Popes Exorcist
The Pre--?
The Purge: Election Year
The Replacements
The Ring
The Secret Garden
The Secret Life of Pets
The Silence of the Lambs
The S --------
The ?
The ?
The ?
The ?
The ?
The Take
The Time Traveler's Wife
The True Cost
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
The Un---- Country
The Usual Suspects
The ???
The ????
The ?????
The Wedding Singer
The Wizard of Oz
The Wood
The Zookeeper's Wife
Theater Camp
Them---?
There Will Be Blood
Thurs?
Titanic
To Kill a Mockingbird
Tooooo?
Tom ??
Tommy Boy
Top Gun
Top Gun: Maverick
Toy Story 2
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 4
Train to Busan
Training Day
Transformers Rise
Trolls
Trolls World Tour
Troy
Tully
Turning Red
Umami
Us
??
V for Vendetta
V????
VeggieTales: Abe and the Amazing Promise
VeggieTales: Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas
Vindicta
Vivo
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
War Dogs
We Were Soldiers
We're the Millers
Wedding Crashers
West Side Story
Wet Hot American Summer
Where the Wild Things Are
Wildhood
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Winters Bone
Wonder
Wonder Woman 1984
Wonka
Wreck It Ralph
Yes, Man
Yesterday
Young Punx: A Punk Parable
Zombieland

I tried to write down every single movie available on my Delta flights in March 2024. I handwrote some of my notes to pass the 13 hours which is why there are ??? when I couldn't read my own writing/abbreviations. Note that not all titles were available on all flights, and my list is missing a chunk of them (especially titles beginning with "S" for some reason). Hope someone finds it useful! Maybe someone will get to creating a Letterboxd list of them all before me!

10 Things I Hate About You
101 Dalmatians
12 Angry Men
13 Going on 30
17 Again
2001: A Space Odyssey
27 Dresses
500 Days of Summer
80 for Brady
A Beautiful Mind
A Bug's Life
A Cinderella Story
A Compassionate Spy
A Fantastic Woman
A Few Good Men
A Good Year
A Haunting in Venice
A League of Their Own
A Room with a View
A Separation
A Simple Plan
A Simple Wish
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Abominable
Adam's Rib
Airheads
Akeelah and the Bee
Aladdin
Alice Through the Looking Glass
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
American Graffiti
American Street Kid
Amores Perros
An Inconvenient Truth
Anatomy of a Fall
Angels in the Outfield
Aquaman
Assassin Club
Asteroid City
Avatar: Way of Water
Avengers: Infinity War
Back to the Future
Bad Company
Barb and Star: Vista del Mar
Barbie
Batman
Batman Begins
Batman Returns
Batman vs. Superman Dawn
Battle of the Sexes
Beauty and the Beast
Beetlejuice
Being Mary Tyler Moore
Bend it Like Beckham
Better Luck Tomorrow
Big
Big George Foreman
Billy Elliott
Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn
Birthright Outlaw
Blackberry
Blade
Blade II
Blade Runner 2049
Blade Trinity
Blended
Blinded by the Light
Blue Beetle
Bolt
Bottoms
Brave
Brazil
Bridesmaids
Bridget Jones' Diary
Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason
Bring It On
Brown Sugar
Buoyancy
But I'm a Cheerleader
Call Me by Your Name
Carmen Jones
Central Intelligence
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Cheaper by the Dozen
Chevalier
Chicken Run
Child's Play
Children of a Lesser God
Chinatown
Cinderella
Clifford the Big Red Dog
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Clueless
Colossal
Condor's Nest
Cool Hand Luke
Coraline
Couples Retreat
Crazy Rich Asians
Crazy Stupid Love
Creed
Creed II
Crooklyn
Cruella
Chr. G
Dark Waters
Darkest Hour
Dawnland
Dazed and Confused
DC: League of Super Pets
Dear White People
Dee. Boys
Delivery Man
Desperately Seeking Susan
Despicable Me
Despicable Me 2
Despicable Me 3
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Dret ard
Dr. Doolittle
Down with Love
Dr. Seuss Horton Hears a Who
Dr. Seuss The Grinch
Dr. Grinch The Lorax
Dreamgirls
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Drumline
Due Date
Dumb and Dumber
Dumb Money
Dune
Dunkirk
E.T.
Edge of Tomorrow
Eggs Over Easy
Elemental
Enter the Dragon
E????
Erin Brockovich
Eternals
Evan Almighty
Everest
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Evil Dead Rises
Expendables 4
F9: Fast Saga
Fallen
Fantastic Beasts
Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindewald
Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore
Fargo
F&F: Hobbes and Shaw
Fast X
Father of the Bride
Feramana???
Ferner????
Field of Dreams
Finding Dory
Finding Nemo
First Man
Focus
Following
Fools Rush In
Forrest Gump
Freaky
Freaky Friday
Freelance
Frida
Friday
Frozen 2
Frozen River
Game Night
Gangster Squad
Garfield
Garfield: Tail of 2 Kitties
Get Smart
Ghostbusters
Glass
Glory
Godzilla vs Kong
Going in Style
Good Morning Vietnam
Gosford Park
Grand Torino
Gran Turismo
Gravity
Grease
Grease 2
Gremlins
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Guy Richie's The Covenant
Hacksaw Ridge
Half Nelson
Hanna
Happy Death Day
Happy Feet 2
Harlan County USA
Harold and Kumar: White Castle
Harry Potter 1-8
Haunted Mansion
He's Just Not That Into You
Her
Hereafter
Hocus Pocus
Honor Society
Horrible Bosses
Hotel Transylvania
House Party
How to Be Single
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
How to Train your Dragon
Hypnotic
I Am Legend
I Didn't See You There
I, Tonya
Ice Age: Collision Course
Ice Age: Continental Drift
Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs
Ice Age: Meltdown
Ice on Fire
If Beale Street Could Talk
In the Heart of the Sea
In the Heights
In the Name of the Father
Inception
Incredibles 2
Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny
Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom
Insidious: The Red Door
Insomnia
Instructions not INcluded
It
Jerry & Marge Go Large
Jersey Boys
John Wick
John Wick 2
John Wick 3
Joker
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Judas and the Black Messiah
Jules
Jumanji
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Jurassic Park
Jurassic World
Just Married
Just my Luck
Kazaam
Kit Kittredge
Kramer vs Kramer
Kubo and the Two Strings
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda 2
Kung Fu??????
La La Land
Labyrinth
Lady in the Water
Lakota Nation vs United States
Legally Blonde
Liar Liar
Life of the Party
Lightyear
Lilo and Stitch
Lion
Little Women
Living
Lo------
Lone Survivor
Love and Basketball
Love Again
Love Jones
Ma-d_____ ?
Madagascar
Madagascar Escape
Made of Honor
Mafia Mamma
Magic Mike's Last Dance
Malt------
Momma's Boy
Mamma Mia
Mamma Mia Here We Go Again
March of the Penguins
Mat------
Mean Girls
Meet the Parents?
Memento
Michael Clayton
Milk
Minions
Minions: Rise of Gru
Misery
Miss Congeniality
Missing Link
Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning
Mississippi Masala
Moana
Monster In Law
Monsters Inc
Monsters University
Moonlight
Mortal Enemies
Mr. Malcolm's List
Mulan
Mummies
Murder by Numbers
Murder on the Orient Express
Muriel's Wedding
My Animal
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Family
My Girl
National Lampoon's Vacation
Neighbors 2
Neruda
New Year's Eve
News of the World
Nights in Rodanthe
Nine Queens
No
No Country for Old Men
No Murches Frida??
Nomadland
Notting Hill
Ocean's 8
Ocean's 13
October Sky
Of tn age??
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Onward
Oppenheimer
Origin
Over the Hedge
Pacific Rim
Pandas
Pan's Labyrinth
ParaNorman
Paris is Burning
Past Lives
Paw Patrol: Mighty
Paw Patrol: More
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Perfect Strangers
Persepolis
Phantom Thread
Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game
Pitch Perfect
Pitch Perfect 3
Planes
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu
Practical Magic
Pride and Prejudice
Primal Fear
Priscilla
Psycho
Pulp Fiction
Puppy Love
Puss in Boots
Queen and Slim
Radical
RRadi--- Wwi?/
Raging Bull
Ra the Breata?
Rat Race?
Ratatouille
Ready Player One
Real Women Have Curves
Red Tails
Reforge
Renfield
Repo Man
Rocky
Ruby Gillman
Rumor Has It
Rush Hour 2
RV
Róise & Frank
Sacfint??
Saving Face
Saving Private Ryan
School Daze
Scoob!
Scooby Doo
Scrapper
Scream VI
Searching
Selena
Selma
Semi Pro
Seven
Shaft
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Significant Other
?
?
Skyfall
Smallfoot
Smoke?
Snowpiercer
?
Something's Gotta Give
?
?
Soul Surfer
Space Jam
Space Oddity
Sp Ra ????
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse
Split
Spy Game?
Spy Kids
Stone and D????
Ste W s5t?
Stomp the Yard
Storks
Sweet Home Alabama
Tag
Talk to Me
Tangled
Tee as Go!??
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Tenet
The Adia Prse?
The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster
The Baby-Sitters Club
The Best Man
The Big Lebowski
The Big Short
The Biggest Little Farm
The Bird Cage
The Blind Side
The Blues Brothers
The Bodyguard
The Boogeyman
The Book of Life
The Boss Baby: Family Business
The Bourne Identity
The Boxer
The Breakfast Club
The Bucket List
The Caine Mutiny
The Campaign
The Castle
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia 2
The Chronicles of Narnia 3
The Creator
The Croods New Age
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Side
The Dead Don't Die
The Dry?
The Equalizer
The Exorcist: Believer
The Fabulous Filipino Brothers
The Fast and Furious (#1)
The S Heartbeats?
The Has???
The Gentlemen
The Good Nurse
The Goonies
The Great Wall
The Guard
The Harvest (La Cosecha)
The H????
The Hobbit
The Hobbit 2
The Hobbit 3
The Holdovers
The Hunger Games: Ballad of Snakes and Songbirds
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games 2
The Hunger Games 3
The Hunger Games 4
The Hunt for Red October
The Huntsman: Winter’s War
The Incredibles
The Intern
The Invention of Lying
The Iron Giant
The Island
The Jungle Book
The Karate Kid
The Kids are Alright
The Lake House
The Land Before Time
The Last Out
The Last Samurai
The Lego Batman Movie
The Lego Movie
The Lesson
The Lion King
The Lion King
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship
The Losers
The Man from UNCLE
The Marsh King’s Doughter
The Marvels
The Matrix: Resurrections
The Mitchells vs The Machines
The Mummy
The Neverending Story
The Nice Guys
The Nun II
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
The Other Zoey
The Outsiders
The Peanuts Movie
The Persian Version
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything
The Place Beyond the Pines
The Popes Exorcist
The Pre--?
The Purge: Election Year
The Replacements
The Ring
The Secret Garden
The Secret Life of Pets
The Silence of the Lambs
The S --------
The ?
The ?
The ?
The ?
The ?
The Take
The Time Traveler's Wife
The True Cost
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
The Un---- Country
The Usual Suspects
The ???
The ????
The ?????
The Wedding Singer
The Wizard of Oz
The Wood
The Zookeeper's Wife
Theater Camp
Them---?
There Will Be Blood
Thurs?
Titanic
To Kill a Mockingbird
Tooooo?
Tom ??
Tommy Boy
Top Gun
Top Gun: Maverick
Toy Story 2
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 4
Train to Busan
Training Day
Transformers Rise
Trolls
Trolls World Tour
Troy
Tully
Turning Red
Umami
Us
??
V for Vendetta
V????
VeggieTales: Abe and the Amazing Promise
VeggieTales: Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas
Vindicta
Vivo
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
War Dogs
We Were Soldiers
We're the Millers
Wedding Crashers
West Side Story
Wet Hot American Summer
Where the Wild Things Are
Wildhood
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Winters Bone
Wonder
Wonder Woman 1984
Wonka
Wreck It Ralph
Yes, Man
Yesterday
Young Punx: A Punk Parable
Zombieland

Wondering if you should get the 8 or 13 meal plan?
Here's a guide on how I got [insert title].
TLDR: Go to Windsor and get 3+ burritos/sandwitches, fill up the cup with pasta, and a fruit
Requirements:

• Willing to repeat meals
• Mainly Windsor
• Personal Preferences:
  • Food doesn't mix into each other
  • Doesn't overflow the box
• Following food court rules
  • container has to close
  • 1 box, 1 fruit, and 1 cup per swipe

Top Container:

• 2 burritos OR 2 Sandwitches
  • Get the stupid big burrito wraps from the burrito bar. You can put ANYTHING into a burrito so I usually just made them into salad wraps.
• Microwave the vegtables from the salad bar to shrink their size, chicken is typically frozen so highly reccomend.
  • Try to not break the burrito
  • Make sure it fits in the top lid

Bottom Container:

• 1 burrito or 1 Sandwitch
  • If getting sandwitch, it only works with the bread used for meatball sandwitches (other ones are too big)
  • Can replace ham with hamburger or fried chicken if available
• Fill up the rest with whatever you want
• Recommendations:
  • Waffles (doesn't mix with other foods)
  • Burrito bar foods
  • Chips/Cookies/Deserts
  • Nothing wet or liquidy

Cup (COFFEE CUP):

• Coffee cups hold hot items without melting or deforming, unlike its plastic counterpart.
• Reccomendations:
  • Butter Chicken
  • Fries
  • Pasta
  • A drink (like a normal human being)
  • Waffles + Ice cream combination
  • Cereal (for breakfast the next day)
• you can also force a fork/spoon in the mouth of the cup lid to act as a plug + store the utencil

If you repeat this for a week straight, you will have 1 meal swipe left.

• Recommendations:
  • Sushi Boss / OneBowl (Can store in fridge/freezer)
  • Any other place that accepts meal swipes
• If you can save on 1 meal a week, you'll be able to have lots of food as backup. (At one time I had 5 sushi boss bowls in the freezer)

Fruit: Get what you want
Feel free to ask any questions on how to maximize the amount of food from the food court.

Safeway: 4x reward point items denoted with asterisk (*)
Beef T-bone steak $7.99/lb
Hass avocados or mangoes 10 for $10
Foster Farms 93/7 ground turkey buy 1 get 1
Pork sirloin chops $1.97/lb digital coupon no limit 6lb packs
Strawberries 1lb, Blueberries Raspberries Blackberries 6oz 3 for $10
Lucerne Eggs AA Large 18ct $2.97/ea digital coupon limit 1
Yellow peaches or nectarines $2.47/lb digital coupon limit 4 lbs
Extra Jumbo raw shrimp 16-20ct $4.87/lb in a 2lb bag digital coupon limit 4
Signature select breakfast sausage 12oz $3.97/ea digital coupon limit 4
Lucerne milk or open nature almond beverage 1/3 gallon $1.97/ea digital coupon limit 4
Sargento shredded or sliced cheese 5-8oz $1.97/ea digital coupon limit 4
Lay's potato chips or poppables 5-8oz, Miss Vickie's chips 8oz $1.97/ea digital coupon limit 4
Ben & Jerry's buy 1 get 1
Gatorade 8pk 20oz $5.99
Cheerios or Cinnamon Toast Crunch 9-12oz $1.99/ea when you buy 4
*Fage Greek Yogurt 10 for $10
*Delimex frozen Taquitos 21-23oz $6.49
Mandarins 3lb bag $5 digital coupon
Signature select thick bacon $5.99/lb in a 3lb pkg digital coupon
Yoplait yogurt 4-6oz $0.49/ea digital coupon limit 12
Lucerne sour cream 16oz $1.99 digital coupon limit 4
Philadelphia cream cheese 8oz $2.49 digital coupon limit 4
Home Run Inn or Gino's East Deep Dish Pizzas $5.99/ea <-- I will vouch that I like both of these
Lucerne butter 16oz $3.97/ea digital coupon limit 4
Dawn dish soap or EZ Squeeze $2.97/ea digital coupon limit 2
Tide detergent 63oz $7.99/ea digital coupon limit 1
Bounty Paper Towels 6pk or Charmin TP 9 mega rolls $11.97/ea digital coupon limit 1
Deli Chicken Tenders $5/lb Friday only
Deli Chicken nuggets 20ct $5 Friday only
Ground Beef 80/20 $2.50/lb Friday only
M&Ms party size 34-38oz $14.99 digital coupon limit 1
Lucky:
One time digital coupon $10 off $50+ order Fri Sat Sun
Butterball ground turkey 85/15 $2.99/lb Fri Sat Sun
Wild Snowcrab clusters $6.99/lb F S S
Fresh deli French bread loaf $0.99/ea F S S
Clementines 3lb bag $2.99 F S S
Eggo Waffles 8-14oz 2 for $5 F S S
Kraft Mac n Cheese $1/box F S S
Sunnyside farms sliced, shredded, or block cheese 8oz $1.99 F S S
Assorted meat sale. Beef London Broil, Ground 85/15, Boneless bottom round roast, or Pork Tenderloins buy 1 get 1 mix n match
White baby bella mushrooms 16oz or Naturesweet, Cherubs, Constellations, or Glorys 10oz buy 1 get 1
Red, Yellow, Orange bell peppers or English cucumbers buy 1 get1
Strawberries 1lb, raspberries blackberries 6oz buy 1 get 1
Avocados 4ct or Lemons 2lb bag buy 1 get 1 mix n match
Wonderful pistachios 14-15oz buy 1 get 1
Baby carrots 2lb or Celery hearts 16oz buy 1 get 1
Ruffles, Tostitos, Fritos, Cheetos buy 2 get 2 mix n match
7up products 12pk or 8pk buy 2 get 2 mix n match
Mix n Match buy 5 save $5 on assorted things like soda, frozen veggies, cookies, cereal, juice, etc.
General Mills family size cereals $3.99/ea digital coupon
Mission tortilla chips 2 for $5
Takis and Soda 2 liter promo buy 2 get 2? mix n match
Monster energy 12pk $19.99
Sunny Select Apple juice 64oz 2 for $7
Nob Hill:
Foster Farms whole chicken $0.97/lb digital member deal limit 4
Raley's canned vegetables or beans $0.97/ea digital coupon limit 4
Pringles $1.47/ea digital coupon limit 4
Barilla pasta $1.27/lb digital coupon limit 4
Barilla pasta sauce 24oz $1.97 digital coupon limit 4
Pillsbury cookie dough, monkey bread, crescent or cinnamon roll ready bake stuff $2.97/ea digital coupon limit 4
Honey Bunches of Oats or Fruity Pebbles cereal $3.47/ea digital coupon limit 4
Dave's Killer Bread $4.97/ea digital coupon limit 4
Personal sized watermelon $2.77/ea digital coupon limit 4
Raw shrimp 41/50ct $2.97/lb in a 2lb bag digital coupon limit 2
Chobani Flip, Creations or Fage Greek yogurt $0.97/ea digital coupon limit 10
Sunnyside farms 1.5qt or Baskin Robbins 14oz ice cream $2.77/ea digital coupon limit 4
Frito-Lay party size chips $3.47/ea digital coupon limit 4
Evergood sausages 12oz $3.47 digital coupon limit 4
Red Mangoes or Hass Avocados 5 for $5 Monday only
Raley's deli ham or American cheese $5/lb Monday only
Johnsonville Brats or Italian sausage 16oz $5 Monday only limit 4
Raley's Frozen Blueberries 32oz, Raley's honey 16oz, Eggo Waffles 25.8-29.6oz $5/ea Monday only limit 4
Fritos, Cheetos, La Fortaleza tortilla chips 2 for $5 Monday only limit 4
Raley's Minced Garlic 32oz, Kraft Mac n Cheese 5pk, Delgrosso pasta sauce 26oz $5 Monday only limit 4
Smart & Final:
Foster Farms whole chickens $1.49/lb
General Mills cereals $2.49/ea when you buy 4
Frito-Lay Party Size 12.5-17oz $3.99/ea when you buy 3
First Street Premium Ice Cream 48oz $3.99/ea when you buy 2
Artesano Bread 20oz $2.49/ea digital coupon limit 4
Best Foods Mayonnaise 20-30oz $3.99/ea digital coupon limit 1
Capri Sun 10ct $2.99/ea digital coupon limit 4
Marie Callender's Meals or Pot Pies $2.99/ea digital coupon limit 4
Barilla Pasta 16oz $1.49/ea digital coupon limit 4
Gatorade 8pk 20oz $6.99/ea digital coupon limit 4
Valbest Chicken leg quarters $0.89/lb in a 10lb bag
Evergood smoked sausage 24oz $8.99/ea
Dino nuggets 56oz $9.99/ea
Jennie-O Turkey Franks 3lb $6.49/ea
First Street Frozen vegetables 2.5lb assorted $3.79/ea
First Street bottled water 35ct 16.9oz $3.99/ea when you buy 3
Coca-Cola 24pk 12oz cans $13.88 when you buy 2
BULK M&Ms 62oz $14.99
El Super:
White Onions 3lbs for $0.99 Weds only
Seedless watermelons 3lbs for $0.99 Weds Sat Sun only
Green Cabbage 3lbs for $0.99 Weds only
Pineapples 2lbs for $0.99 Weds only
Bananas 2lbs for $0.99 Weds only
Mexican squash 2lbs for $0.99 Weds only
Roma tomatoes $0.69/lb Weds only
Papayas $0.79/lb Weds only
White Potatoes $0.89/lb Weds only
Small Hass Avocados 3 for $).99
Cucumbers 3 for $0.99
Limes $0.89/lb
Gatorade 28oz 3 for $5
Cheetos or Fritos $2.99/ea when you buy 2
Honey bunches of Oats cereal $2.99/ea
Jans Jasmine Rice 4lbs $3.99/ea
Whole chicken breast $1.99/lb Sat Sun only
Chicken leg quarters $0.87/lb Thurs only
Pork neck or trotters $1.99/lb Thurs only
Mangoes 2 for $0.99
Oranges 2lbs for $0.99
Cantaloupes 2lbs for $0.99
Corn 2 for $0.99
Radishes 2 for $0.88
Carrots $0.69/lb
Tomatillos $0.89/lb
Strawberries 16oz 2 for $3

Please note this is the original submission I sent Refinery29. In the current post,they have given me a second credit card with a 100$ balance, as well as generational trauma from World War II and cut context for other things. I am trying to get that fixed.
Per previous discussion in comments here: The espresso machine is a Bezzera, which ranges from 2-5K. We got ours on sale for 1.7K, it’s a work house and we use it everyday, still hurts that we spent that money on a coffee maker.
I do understand mortgage is debt but when you compare it to rent to a lesser value condo in Vancouver it feels like not debt at all, which is how I tend to think of it. Yes I owe my mortgage but also I get my house instead of renting-which may not have become clear.
Please see in full the diary, below (edit for formatting via mobile)
Occupation: Sr Business Analyst
Industry: Tech
Age: 30
Location: Vancouver Island, BC
Salary: 92,000$ (Spouse makes 60,000$ for a combined income of 152,000$ before tax)
Net Worth: ~ 1.2 Million ( house is valued at 989,000$ currently, we have a combined 150,000 in pension, and ~60,000 in various company stocks, and GICs)
Debt: 3,000$ in a zero interest credit card for a 10 month period. We balanced transferred and pay 400$/month. Debt was acquired in Q4 2023 when we had to buy Snow Tires, and do a full break replacement as well as Christmas. 480,000$ in a mortgage, we refinanced in September 2023 for five years fixed rate at accelerated biweekly, however I don’t consider our mortgage debt due to the equity we are gaining, and that our mortgage for a five bedroom, 3 bath single family home is less than rent for a two bedroom condo in Vancouver
Paycheck Amount (Every 2 Weeks): 2,555$ after taxes. (Just mine). Spouse makes 2,308$ after taxes. Our pay periods are alternating.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses Mortgage: 1450$ biweekly (100$ extra to the principal).
Utilities: ~200$ (includes water [paid quarterly], hydro [paid bimonthly], gas, sewetrash [paid quarterly] phone [highly discounted due to work plans for spouse and myself] and car gas) Loan Payments: 400$/Credit Card
Car Insurance: 84$
Life Insurance: 167$ combined (67$ me, 100$ spouse)
Health & Dental Insurance: 60$ deducted from pay (coverage for myself and spouse from my employer. Spouse also has coverage for both of us deducted from pay)
Retirement Contribution: 400$ (Employee matches me), (Spouse has a defined pension through work and contributes ~200$ month)
Union fees: 70$ Spouse
Subscriptions: Crave 22$/month (Recent splurge for Binge watching the Rookie), Playstation Plus 100$ (annual bought on Black Friday Deal), Amazon Prime 80$ (Annual), BCAA 120$ (annual) Gym 30$/month (we both have one so 15$/pp)
Note: My spouse and I have completely commingled finances. I will be tracking both as it’s essentially I spent whatever they spent
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
There was always the expectation. My father was very clear, we were very smart. There was no way we’d be wasting our potential. He wanted me to be a lawyer, but unlike other immigrant parents, I got to choose my major and went into social sciences and got my masters in history. I deferred my PhD too much so I got dropped by the program.
I chose my university by where I got a full first year scholarship and then after that took about 15k in student loans for my undergraduate. My parents paid my rent and I got a part time job for food.
For my masters, I had a student line of credit and 5 k student loans otherwise it was all my savings and scholarships. With the line of credit, I had a total of 30K in student loans and paid it off in about four years.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Save. We talked about how you get a dollar allowance and half of it goes into long term saving with 25% in short term and 25% in spend.
Investing came after I was eighteen. Family would like us to invest in property, however I don’t really want to be a landlord, but also we wouldn’t get to really enjoy profit of owning a rental property due to other family circumstances.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
Ice cream parlour I was twelve and my parents made me get it for responsibility. I lasted three weeks because I hated it.
Did you worry about money growing up?
I grew up thinking we were not rich, because we didn’t get big plane vacations (I didn’t count flying from Toronto to Vancouver every summer as a vacation since we were just seeing family but staying in a house my parents owned) and I had only been to Disney twice.
But we had a big new build house in the rich end of town, my mom stayed home to raise all of us. We had to work for things (like going to see a movie opening night or a new CD) but we always had money and got what we wanted. In retrospect, my family was/is fairly well off.
Both my parents grew up poor, with parents working multiple jobs and different shifts to make ends meet, the strive/drive to not have that childhood, and for my father to be able to retire his parents really impacted mine and my siblings and cousins lives. My father showed me the apartment he grew up in Chinatown a few years back. It’s light years away from the house my grandparents owned when I was a kid and how I grew up.
Do you worry about money now?
Of course. Inflation is real and we are actively planning a wedding for the next year, as well as a baby in the next few years. We also need to buy a second car, so we’re saving for that.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
Fully financially responsible? Twenty five. I lived in a family property where I didn’t pay rent in one of the most expensive cities in Canada, so even though I paid all my bills (food and phone), I didn’t have to pay rent. I in fact made money, as I rented rooms out and used the income for house utilities, and paying my student loans down faster. When I moved in with my spouse, I just paid condo fees until we bought our house two years ago which gave me plenty of time to save.
Our financial safety net is family, and our savings. I know my family would bail us out. My spouse’s father would as well. Conversely, we are my spouse’s mother's safety net and we have to keep all our plans in mind that we will be subsidising her.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain. Yes, I received 50K from my parents once they sold my childhood home, as did both of my siblings. I have also received 10K from one set of grandparents which paid off my car and part of my student loans when I was 21. I will be receiving another inheritance when probate is done for around ~100K. My spouse also has received inheritance which allowed them to buy their first condo in their early twenties when the market was much better. That condo, 50k, and the subsequent upgrading helped us afford our house.
Day 1
10 AM: I drive to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Not how I want to start my Sunday morning but y’know. Normally I’d walk since it’s about 20 minutes but I have a UTI. I’m “lucky” that despite not having a dr because of the health care shortage, my work pays for the Maple app so I could get a dr to write the prescription and order the lab work at 1 am. I’ll do the lab work later this week when I can get an appointment but will take the relief now. Insurance makes the antibiotics free, but I also buy hydrogen peroxide because we’re out and we have a dog that thinks everything is meant to be in her mouth. We’ll buy a bigger one at Costco later. I also bought some oral wound mouthwash because we were out. I come home and my spouse made us breakfast.
Total: 15.90$ paid with debit.
1-2:30 PM: We do our taxes. I have a mini meltdown when I realize the part time bakery job I had for a few months didn’t take off income tax last year, so I owe 800$. Luckily, my partner is getting a refund so we net out positive 400$. The bakery took off income tax in 2022, so unsure why they didn’t in 2023. I made us lunch.
3-6:30 PM: We walk the dog, and watch the Rookie. Some time during that time period, a venue emails us back and is surprisingly affordable at 3k. I also get told that the tattoo artist I want to book with, has not chosen me.
6:30-7:30 PM: I explain what lazy girl dinner is to my spouse and make a lazy girl dinner. After not really grocery shopping since Feb for things besides fresh veg, we need to do a big pantry shop and neither of us want that. We debate about buying a food saver and if we should wait for a sale. My spouse is more frugal than me and has determined we should.
8-9:30 PM: We start season 3 of The Rookie, and then after two episodes we go to bed
Day One Total: 15.90$
Day Two
5:45-8 AM: Wake up and start work. I get up to date with what’s happened on the weekend and check that my automated reports. Sometime before 6:30, I get the kettle on for my spouse’s pour over before I go back to my meetings. There’s a twenty minute gap where I get changed and do my skin care and brush my teeth. I’d love to be a skin care person but honestly I’ve spent too much money on product that I don’t use and that just goes bad. Washing my face and using sun screen is a win.
I also make sure that Spouse’s lunch is in his bag and I get our travel mugs ready. Before, we used to go to Starbucks every day. Starbucks used to do free refills on coffee and tea if you were a rewards member if you bought a coffee or tea so it would cost us $5/day (2.5/pp), and we could get refills all day. While that’s 20$/week, 80$/a month and yes, we could have saved it but back then, that 80$ wasn’t turning the dial anywhere significantly for us—a privileged view.
But now, after COVID where I stopped drinking tea after one day working from home having like 10 cups and thinking I was dying, and Spouse has bought a good grinder and we recently splurged on a stupidly expensive espresso machine we call his Engagement Espresso since it costs the same price as my stupidly expensive ring, we bring our coffees.
8-8:30 AM: We drive to work. Prior to buying our house, we were both work from home and lived in a city with amazing transit. We only needed the one car. Since buying the house and moving to a city where public transit is a joke (the one bus goes past our house every 1.5h), Spouse changed jobs and is in office every day and I have to go in 3 days a week. We need a second car or the e-bike rebate to come through. We debate this in the car, since I’m done at 1 pm, and Spouse works normal hours, I either have to take the bus home, or go to the gym for three hours. Today though, I drop Spouse off. I will pick him up later as he has a half day because of the dentist
8:30-12:30 AM/PM: Work. I find a tech manager and ask them to get me more triple a batteries. Work won’t provide or let me expense batteries for my mouse, despite them replacing my usb mouse with a battery one. The poor admin had to tell me the decision is that we’ll all supply our own batteries. Luckily the tech managers have to have batteries on hand and give them out freely.
I ask my boss how the work from home tax forms work, and he is going to find out.
I run more meetings and work on a request for a dashboard and a business case for a new feature that I have to convince leadership to spend money on.
12:30-1 PM: I drive back to my Spouse because he has a dentist appointment.
While I wait for a spouse, I am incredibly hungry. I’m usually not hungry/don’t eat a proper meal until around 1 in the afternoon and my two granola bars I already ate at the office. I go to the bakery by Spouse’s work and buy a cheese bun for me (3.65$), and an apple pie scone (2.55$) for Spouse as a snack. Spouse points out he won’t be able to eat until after his appointment.
Total: 6.20$ debit
1-1:30 PM: I drop Spouse off, and the car stops working. The engine won’t catch. I try multiple times and then run into the dentist to dramatically announce to Spouse and the receptionists that the car won’t start. Spouse asks me what he wants me to do about this, since he’s about to go into an appointment. A very kind receptionist tells me it might be the alternator. I don’t know what that is.
I go back to the car to Facetime my father. He also asks what I think he can do to help since he lives 3000 km away. Weirdly, and sexistly, I thought a man who grew up at race tracks, in a racing family, or the man who has collected and worked on sports cars for forty years might be able to help.
Spouse texts me to remind me we have BCAA while my father also tells me that. I finally get the engine to catch and drive the very long way home, going the speed limit and getting stuck in traffic, construction and a bus. It takes me 20 minutes to get home instead of 10.
1:30-2:30 PM: I walk the dog, mail a (late) birthday card and then start researching what an alternator is. The car is over a decade old and until the house, the most expensive thing I ever bought at 12K back in 2015. We have the funds for the cost, but it’s my first car and the fact it might be the end of its life is scary.
Alternators can cost between 400-800$ repair with labour, so that’s fun.
My dad calls me back and apologises for asking me what he could do away. He advises me that there’s probably a bald spot on the alternator and advises me to go to the mechanic to check or replace it, if the car doesn’t start again.
I call the mechanic to book an appointment, and to also get the snow tires off and to buy new rims for the snow tires. The mechanic lets me know that the alternator part is 500$, and an hour of labour so with taxes we’re looking at around 700$
That future appointment next week (we’re going down a highway this weekend which requires snow tires) will cost ~1.5K, assuming we replace the alternator.
I make lunch and sigh.
2:30 PM: The car starts thankfully. I drive incredibly slow. I pick up Spouse by idling the car. We get an email back from a venue saying they cost 75,000$ minimum. The timing is hysterical.
Due to the nature of the dentist, Spouse owes 618$, as they haven’t flipped it under my insurance. They split it in half, as he has a follow up in two weeks. After the next appointment they will flip the whole amount under me and we’ll get reimbursed for the whole amount.
Total 309$/credit card.
3-10 PM: We walk the dog, make dinner (Spouse makes white sauce pasta, with chicken and peas) and watch The Rookie. There are thirteen episodes in season three, and we will be busy every night this week besides Friday and Sunday, and I would like to finish season three so we can start season 4 next Monday. I don’t want to pay for more than one month of Crave. We have five episodes left
Day Two Total: 315.2$
Day Three
1 AM: 100$ is automatically transferred from our account to the credit card debit. We have an auto transfer of 100$/every Tuesday to a Visa where we balance transferred both our cards. We have an offer for 0 interest for 10 months, so we did that for some of the bigger expenses (snow tires, break replacement and general Christmas) and are on track to pay it back within the next 6 months. That visa is our emergency card that we just have in the back end and utilise for promos like this. It allows us to keep our two cards balances manageable and lets us pay in an easier way than taking big chunks out of our various savings.
Total: 100$/direct deposit
5:45-9 AM: Work. Meetings, reports, trying to convince a colleague that the process does include them and refusal to follow it means that their requests won’t be done. Spouse has another half day so I can go into the office at my leisure—if the car starts
9-9:20 AM: The car starts, I get into the office and refresh a data flow before a meeting with a new stake holder. It takes longer to drive into work today because the tourists are starting to come and their van builds or campers are not exactly highway speed and with a two lane highway, if you don’t merge over fast enough you’re stuck.
10:05-10:20 AM: Meeting done, car starts again and I drive home for more meetings. The least amount of time in the office is preferable for me.
10:30-11AM : Meeting with my manager where we discuss future salary and promotion. I am due for a promotion in the start of Q2, which would push me to six figures. I’ll believe it when I see it but, I’m really excited at that possibility for my family.
11:15 AM: Spouse leaves for work, we discuss what groceries are needed, as well if he’ll go to Home Depot tonight to buy more clover seeds for the yard, as we need to reseed before it starts raining. I eat a muffin and my dog and cat decide to try and eat each other.
11:15-1:30 PM: Work runs late. There’s some issues with the data and we can’t figure it out. We call it a night, and I’ll record the video presentations tomorrow, once we fix the data.
1:30-4 PM: Nap time! It’s bad for me, but honestly I don’t sleep well during the night so naps are what keep me alive.
4-6 PM I prep dinner (smash burgers and fries), and get chores done and walk the dog.
6-7:30 PM: Spouse comes home, we eat dinner. Groceries come to 96.83 for two 7 pound pork loins, two packs of bacon, chicken nuggets, coffee, pop, 8 pack of peppers, milk, tomato, pickles, rice, avocado, mushrooms, sour cream and lettuce.
Not too bad, we average about 300$/month in groceries because we can buy bulk and have a second freezer.
For the month of March we are currently at 123.61$ for groceries and there is twelve days left. We went on a small weekend away, so we ate out a fair bit but even then our current food budget is 272.27$ today.
Total: 96.83/ debit
7:30-10 PM: Spouse makes a coffee and plays video games with his friends. They do it every week. I have a shower, fold and put away laundry and read in bed.
Day Three Total: 196.83
Day Four
1AM: Our biweekly accelerated mortgage payment comes out of 1450$. I’m tracking it here to be honest on our spending but I tend not to think of it as money spent because in my head it’s already money gone. To pay for a house equivalent in Vancouver, the mortgage would be over 6k. Renting a two bedroom condo would be 3K. It feels like the mortgage is just cheaper rent, even though each time I own more of my house.
5:45-9 AM: Work. I find out the limits of how many people I can invite to a Teams Meeting as well as that the Thursday before Good Friday is a catholic holiday when a few people ask me to reschedule a training forum for over a thousand people. Sometime in there I make us coffee, make sure Spouse has lunch packed (leftovers). Spouse has walked the dog and has the recycling and compost out for pick up. I drop Spouse off at work.
10-11:45 AM: I leave the office for home and more meetings. I walk the dog and go record training videos. I get an email that Amazon is doing their big spring sale. I send a link to a robot mop and vaccum that’s on a big discount to Spouse. We want one, but I’m not in charge of the research on it. I send links to play grounds to my friends with toddlers
11:45-12:30 PM : I shove lunch in my mouth, last night’s left overs. I’m running late, and decide to get myself later by collecting all the random dishes and mugs that just show up places and start the dishwasher. I get to the lab ten minutes early but need to buy gas on the way home.
I tell my team I’ll be MIA for a bit and leave the work phone in the car.
I buy 15.6L of gas for 30$ at 1.879/l it sucks. I don’t fill up because we’re going to my in laws this weekend and there’s a Costco Gas Bar there.
Total: 30$/credit card
12:30-1:30 PM: Work goes long again.
1:30-2:30 PM: Nap!
2:30-4:30 PM: Walk the dog and drive to the gym. I usually go three times a week but with last week’s weekend away and this week’s weird half days from Spouse, today’s the only day. I make it up by doing both upper and lower body and a 30 minute circuit.
4:30-7:30 PM: I pick up Spouse and we go to Costco. We pick up nachos, ham, cheese buns and some other items. We debate buying our friend’s kid a toddler set of clothes and decide no. We end up buying work pants for Spouse, and a garden hose. It comes out to 116.90
I order our Costco dinner of hot dogs and fries for a grand total date night of 6.41$
Total: 123.31/ credit card
8-9 PM: Dance class! We bought a series of six lessons of introduction to ballroom back in December for a new date night idea. We paid 60$/pp and this is the fifth lesson tonight.
9 pm: We’re home, we let the dog out. Spouse spends an undetermined amount of time watching ballroom videos while I sleep.
Day Four Total: 1603.31$ or 153.31 excluding the mortgage payment.
Day Five
5:45-9 AM: Work. All the meetings. Thursday is the meeting day. I debate with a friend what’s the earliest call we’ve had. 4:30 am still wins. I pack lunch for Spouse and his coffee and he leaves. I end up cleaning up cat puke as the cat decides to drink milk from Spouse’s cereal and vomit it up on camera in a meeting.
9-9:30 AM: I make myself a matcha and walk the dog.
9:30-1 PM: Work and I treat myself to a lunch of a cheese bun and ham sandwhich. We used to eat it every Sunday while growing up but the cost of ham has been outrageous. The deal at Costco yesterday was 1.5$/100 g which is really good.
1-1:30 PM: I seal the wooden deer Christmas decoration we bought last year. It sits outside our front door and needs to be weather proofed, and I’ve been putting it off for five months. But the weather is good and we have newspapers. We have left over wood sealer after the sign we bought a year ago so I use that. The dog and the cat both don’t like my wooden deer.
1:30-4 PM: Nap!
4-5 PM: I basically just watch youtube and drink a root beer. I have no energy.
5-6:30 PM: Spouse comes home, we walk the dog and I make dinner (Kraft Dinner and nuggets–I swear we eat veggies but today is not that day). We discuss the possibility of our dog at our wedding as a flower girl, and if she’ll be in a tutu or a cheongsam like me. I am now researching if they make dog cheongsams and if she can match us. The cat, despite all my heart wanting it, won’t physically be there because he will have an anxiety attack and probably die.
6:30-10:30 PM: Board game night! We go to a friend’s to repeat the same scenario we’ve lost two weeks in a row.
10:30-11 PM: I pack Spouse’s breakfast (oatmeal and frozen berries), lunch (spicy tuna and mayo) since he’s trying to go to the gym before work, and feed the animals before we go to bed.
Day Five Total: 0$
Day Six Friday
5:45-9 AM: Work. I have a deep focus block which means I can get the script for the training I have to run. Public speaking is not my strong suit and it’s a group of a thousand people so I’m not looking forward to it. Spouse almost makes it to the gym. I get an email that my new work phone has shipped. I’m surprised because they wouldn’t order us any for the past four years, but I guess my new iPhone will show up next week. I might give my old work phone to my mother in law, since she smashed the camera on the phone we bought her last year.
9-9:30 AM: I walk the dog, make a matcha and make a todo list for what we have to get done before we leave to my in laws tomorrow. I text my mother in law happy birthday, and hope that she got the card in time. She did.
9:30-11:30 AM: My last meeting for the week ends and I’m debating calling it a day so I can nap. Instead I make lunch (cheese bun and ham), text my other mother in law our plan for Saturday, and unload and reload the dishwasher and go back to work for at least another hour.
12:30-1 PM: I shower and do skin care
1-3 PM: Nap! Somewhere in this time FedEx comes and since I’m sleeping, we have to pick up on Monday. I’m not too sure what it is, I assume it’s our custom address stamp from Etsy because that’s the only thing I’ve bought recently but not too sure. I just realized in retrospect, this might be my new work phone.
3-5 PM: I prep dinner (nachos), unload the dishwasher, pack my overnight bag and confirm all our venue tours by email. I start a load of laundry and do a quick clean. I feel like this is not the best image of our diet. I swear we generally eat healthy but we both have been feeling really blah over the past two weeks so have been going for quick and easy over healthy and balanced. I do have three whole peppers and two whole avocados in the nachos though.
5-7 PM: Spouse comes home, we walk the dog, have dinner, and plan out next week. We have a big Wednesday next week (mechanic, I have a nails appointment, dance class), and we are having our friends over for Easter so we need to prep for that. We pack the car so tomorrow is a very easy start.
Spouse also gets paid today. We’re lucky that we’re on alternating pay periods, we used to be on the same and it always felt stressful. Spouse also lets me know his union has secured a 3% cost of living raise to start in Q3. I really like his union for negotiating a base 2% year of cost of living raise, with potential addition raises depending on inflation. It’s a bit away but that’s still good news.
7:30-10:30 PM: We finish The Rookie Season 3 and head to bed. Crave reminds me that I have 10 days until I’m charged again. Sadly, I think we’ll have to pay for 2 months.
Day Six Total: 0
Day Seven Saturday
8:30-9:30 AM: Wake up. No one (except the dog) slept well so we’re not in a morning mood. Spouse makes coffee and walks the dog, while I finish packing the car and give the cat a lot of attention. Our first venue tour is at 11 and the one that is the most expensive (8-10K), but also the one we probably want the most. We live about an hour away but the highway is two lanes and one accident can back everything up for hours.
10:40-1 PM: We visit our dream venue. We stay way longer than expected. Basically if the quote is under 10K, we’ll get it. Just waiting now.
1-2 PM: We get to our in-laws and have a lunch of egg salad sandwhichs. We need to buy gas. My in laws drive us to a pottery painting store.
2-4 PM: We paint pottery. My mother in law only wanted to do this for her birthday. They’ll pick it up in a week after it’s been thrown. I paint a vase (28$), Spouse paints an Easter egg (18$), father in law paints a mug (30$), and mother in law paints a plate (50$)
Total:143.36/credit card
4-5 Pm: We see another venue. It’s an instant no. My in laws decide they want to try Korean fried chicken. We call ahead for take out to get two fries and 16 pieces of half and half. It comes to 50.83$ that my in laws pay for.
5-10 PM: We come back and see that our dog has pooped in their house and also has gotten into their pantry and eaten an entire bag of dog food. It is not a fun night.
We spend the night drinking wine and discussing the wedding and watching TV.
10PM: We go to bed. That’s the end of this week, but tomorrow we will be buying gas and probably lunch for my other mother in law as we will be touring another venue.
Day Seven Total: 143.36$

Last post here: https://www.reddit.com/MontereyBay/s/CAVt4gBIMJ
We had an amazing trip thank you for all the suggestions! Here's how the trip panned out:
Drive down:
First stop in pescadero at arcangeli grocery for yummy artichoke garlic sourdough. We were going to go to Harleys farms for fresh goat cheese and baby goats, but we weren't able to make it before they closed.
Next stop pie ranch. Unfortunately, we were also too late for any fresh pies or baked good. But bought some frozen chocolate pies which ended up not being that great. Would love to stop by here at an earlier time to get some fresh baked stuff.
Stopped at shark fin beach which was where I found some of my first shells and found a ceab in some little tide pools! Hold on to the end to see what I did with the shells.
On our way to the air bnb in carmel belly we stop at iliolis and grabbed a pizza. The air bnb was great and secluded but it was really far out there and not super convenient. This is the one thing I would change, I would have gotten a room at one of the cute hotels in carmel-by-the-sea. Much more central and easier to go back to the room if you need to.
Saturday
Headed out to point lobos for opening at 8 and and tide pools. Saw so many hermit crabs and a pool full of sea urchins.
Headed to carmel by the sea and got breakfast at one of the cafes ( I can't remember which one) I stopped at the three major bakeries there and got deserts for later that night. The lobster tail we got from one bakery and the cookie/croisannt from another one were my favorite.
Walked through the town and headed to the beach. Walked out on the beach for a little bit and then looked for the cottages.
Stopped in at the mission carmel and then grabbed lunch at one of the delis someone recommended (blanking on the name). Headed to lovers point beach for lunch, had to fight off a seagull from stealing my food and saw my first beechy squirrel which has 0 fear of humans.
Headed back to point lobos to check out some more beaches since we paid for the day and then back to our air bnb for a nap.
Dinner at sur at the ranch
Sunday
We had planned a horseback ride in carmel valley but the guy canceled on us the night before. Holding my breath to see if he actually refunds my deposit. We found a place near by us that we are going to reschedule that activity at a more reputable place. So we pivoted, took our time and headed out to breakfast at from scratch, which turned out to be closed. 222422 So we headed to the butter house, which had 106 ppl on their waiting list and a 2 hour wait. However, someone working there heard us asking to confirm that was correct and told us it was open seating at the bar and there were open seats. We got right in! French toast was delicious but biscuits and gravy were a little disappointing.
Headed to the monterey bay aquarium that a reditor gifted us tickets for! So grateful. Neither of us had been before so it was really cool to check out. Walked down cannery row and got some souvenirs for the kids.
Started the drive home and stopped at a farm stand where I spent $8 and got so much produce!
Stopped at the rip tide outlet and found some amazing deals. My husband lovingly let me know it was time to start wearing hats due to my.chemo hair loss and I got 3 hats for $30 all together that are normally $30 each.
Stopped at a beach just before shark fin cove and shell hunted for teeny tiny shells and sea glass for at least an hour.
Last stop was the famous taco bell in Pacifica. I felt gross after... but was so hungry!
What did I do with the shells? I took teeny tiny glass bottles and put the teeny tiniest of the shells and sea glass into the bottles. Gave them to my kids and told them if a day ever comes that I'm not here to be able to go to the beach with them, they can bring these glass jars and I'll be there with them.

Timeshare presentations: When you get off the plane, so many hotels are going to asking for you to sit for a timeshare presentation. The timeshare resort that you are apart of is going to tell you to not accept any invitations. But accept one. 20-50$ is typically a holding place for your appointment. Let’s talk about the art of negotiating the deal though. Most offer at least 150$-250$ for sitting through the presentation and they inform you that the presentation is going to be 60-90 minutes. This is very important. Here’s what i did…
I negotiated 200$, a taxi ride to and from the appointment, and a cab ride to Costco. And breakfast.
During the appointment, Keep a stop watch. Don’t buy anything. Take a look at the rooms, and boom 90 minutes will past so quickly. No matter what you get offered, there is always a cheaper one, and if you keep saying no they will offer you a sampler that typically includes a free trip for 10% of whatever they asked you first. If initially offer is 40,000$ then the sample is about $4000. Same for 20,000$, to 2000$ sampler. Depending on the hotel you accept at. At the 90 minutes mark, be really straightforward and leave. lol, that’s the easiest way to do it.
Cab rides: It’s either uber or calling a cab. On the Uber app, getting to Costco from Cabo azul is going to be cheapish. Getting back from Costco is going to be almost double.
Food: Walmart and Costco prolly the easiest places to get groceries for things that you are used to. Walmart delivery is here, so though I went to Costco first, I did do the Walmart delivery. Deliveries are not allowed to bring it to your room or even to come in from the gate, so after you make your order from Walmart, there’s a additional instruction section where you can put to leave it at the gate, include your room number so that they guys at the gate will bring it up to you. Make sure you write it in Spanish, and if you don’t know Spanish, use google translate.

Looking for advice. We normally like to cook and eat healthy foods but currently have almost no time or energy outside of caretaking. We’ve both lost weight because we have no appetite. We’ve had too many breakfast shakes and frozen pizzas in the last few weeks. We are mostly vegetarian but we do eat chicken and some seafood.
Looked into blue apron and the like but we are very low on money right now because of treatment costs. Even something like blue apron would probably take too much energy to be honest.
Thanks in advance, any advice is appreciated.

I’m new to the whole bulking and what not, I’m a wildland firefighter so money can be tight but I need to take nutrition more seriously. I need to eat a lot of protein with low fat but I’m worried about getting my vitamins and minerals. Produce is a bit expensive and the fire season looks slow so I’m on a serious budget. What can I buy in bulk? I’ve already got tuna fish, rice, and frozen vegetables but I feel like there’s better ways to keep the weight off and still eat enough. I’m in Soldotna so we’ve got a three bears, Walmart, and Freddie’s but no Costco

I bought a 2-pack of frozen pie crusts to use for quiches. Sadly, this brand of crust is much sweeter than my usual brand and it's clashing with my savory quiche.
I still have one crust left and want to use it for a breakfast-appropriate quiche, not a sweet pie -- is there any way for me to cut the sweetness somehow? Or should I just go for something with sweet notes like maple bacon so it won't clash as much?

It's your friendly neighborhood deal hunter back at it again with your weekly grocery deals.
Here's a sneak peek at some of this week's deals - Sales for May 16th to May 22nd, 2024.
This week's got some seriously good finds to keep your wallet happy and your fridge stocked. Here's what caught my eye:

Farm Boy

• Chicken breast (boneless skinless): $5.99 per lb - This is a standard price for boneless, skinless chicken breast.
• Wild-caught Argentinian shrimp (23-30ct): $7.99 340g/bag - This is a good price for decent-sized, wild-caught Argentinian shrimp.
• Mini cucumbers: $5.00 for 2/6-packs - Same great price on mini cucumbers as before!
• Canadian Fiddleheads (fresh daily): $5.99/lb - This is a cool find! Fiddleheads are a fun seasonal item, so why not try them out?
• Hothouse tomatoes: $1.49/lb - This is a good price for hothouse tomatoes!
• Eggplant: $1.49/lb - This is a fantastic price for eggplant! Usually, it's closer to $2 a pound or more.
• Zucchini: $1.49/lb - This is a good price for zucchini! You might find it cheaper, but it'll take some effort.
• Green onion: $0.77 per bunch - This is a great price for green onions! It's almost surprising to see them under a dollar.
• Blueberries: $2.99 full pint (473g) - This is a fantastic deal on blueberries! Definitely worth picking some up.

Food Basics

• Ground chicken (lean, Zabiha): $3.88 450g/pack - This is a great price for lean ground chicken!
• Fresh 100% Quarter Pound (¼ lb) Lean Ground Beef Burgers: $4.00/4-pack: These beef burger patties work out to $4 per pound, which is a good deal! Especially considering the buns are also on sale. This is basically $10 for 8 delicious homemade burgers!
• Asparagus: $1.98/lb - This is an excellent price on asparagus! Especially since it's priced by the pound, not by the smaller bunches.
• Sweet peppers: $2.98/4-pack - This is a nice price for sweet peppers!
• Sweet potato and sweet purple potato: $1.28/lb - This is a fair price for sweet potatoes. It's neat that the purple sweet potatoes are included in the same deal.
• Coleslaw kit (Green Giant): $5.00 for 2 340g kits - This is a great price for coleslaw salad kits!
• Mini potatoes: $2.98 5lb/bag - This is a good price for a 5lb bag of mini potatoes!
• Strawberries: $1.67 454g/shell - This is an amazing deal on strawberries! Here's hoping they taste great too!
• Cherries: $5.98/lb - This is a decent price for cherries. The commenter recommends making homemade yogurt popsicles with them, although they do admit it's a bit of work to pit them.
• Brick cheese (Selection): $4.44 400g/bar - This is a nice price on brick cheese! Under $5 for a whole bar!
• BBQ Sauce and Mustard (Selection): $1.00/each - This is a nice find! Especially if you're planning on making burgers this week, stocking up on condiments at this price is a good idea.

Freshco (price matcher)

• Frozen burgers (Compliments): $9.99 1.13kg box (8-pack) - While this comes out to about $3/lb for beef, it's important to remember these are frozen, processed burgers. They contain ingredients like bread crumbs and flour, and have a higher saturated fat content than fresh patties. Read the label and make an informed choice!
• Wild-caught Argentinian shrimp (23-30ct): $6.99 300g/bag - This is a good price for wild-caught Argentinian shrimp!
• Sweet peppers: $2.99/4-pack - Another great deal on sweet peppers!
• Mushrooms: $2.99 454g/shell - This is a fantastic price on mushrooms! Stock up while they're on sale.
• Green beans: $1.99/lb - Awesome price for green beans, just like last week!
• Royal Gala apples: $1.49/lb - This is a good price for Royal Gala apples, but you might be able to find them even cheaper if you wait for a sale.
• Blueberries: $2.49/full pint - Another fantastic sale on blueberries!

No Frills (price matcher)

• Beef burgers (No Name): $9.99 1.36kg/12-pack - These frozen burgers are similar to the Compliments brand we saw earlier, but they're smaller and have more sugar and weird ingredients like "onion extract" and "corn syrup solids" than the Compliments ones. They also don't mention the saturated fat content.
• Fresh Chicken Drumsticks: $1.87/lb - This is a fantastic price on fresh chicken drumsticks! At only $1.87 per pound, it's a great time to grab some for your favorite recipes.
• Ground chicken or turkey: $8.00 870g/pack - This is a decent price for ground chicken or turkey, at about $4.20 per pound.
• Ground beef (lean): $6.00 450g/tube - This isn't a great price for ground beef since it comes in a tube.
• Steelhead trout fillet: $9.99/lb - This is the standard price for steelhead trout.
• Asparagus: $2.99/lb - This is an okay price for asparagus, but No Frills sometimes has better deals.
• Green beans: $2.99/lb - Same with the green beans, No Frills has offered lower prices in the past.
• Cucumber: $0.99/each - This is a good price for cucumbers.
• Mini-cucumber: $3.99 11-pack - This is a fair price
• Watermelon (9lb average): $2.99/each - This is a good price for a watermelon.
• Ataulfo mangoes: $5.64 5lb/case - This is a good deal on Ataulfo mangoes, which should come out to about 8 mangoes.
• Pineapple: $2.99/each - This is a good price for a pineapple.
• Brick cheese (Armstrong): $5.49 400g/bar - The price of cheese seems to be going up a bit everywhere.
• Black Diamond Cheese Slices, 22 Slices, 410 g: $2.49 - Save 36% - $3.88 at Walmart.
• Dry pasta (Italpasta): $1.25 750g/packs - This is a good price for dry pasta. Stock up if you're planning on making a pasta salad.

Real Canadian Superstore (price matcher)

• Beef rib-steak (ungraded): $7.88/lb - Not the best deal. You're paying graded prices for ungraded meat.
• Golden Pompano (frozen): $2.88/lb - This seems to be a store-specific deal. Has anyone tried this fish before?
• Dressed Tilapia (frozen): $2.88/lb - This means the frozen tilapia comes with the tail and fins already removed.
• Potatoes: $5.50 10lb/bag - This is a great deal on a big bag of potatoes!
• Corn: $0.40/ear - This is an incredible price on corn! It might even be a loss-leader for the store, so stock up if you can.
• Watermelon (11lb average): $3.99/each - This is a good price for a large watermelon.
• Pineapple: $3.00/each - This is a good price for a pineapple.

Sobeys

• Chicken thighs (boneless skinless): $5.99/lb - This is an okay price for boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but there might be better deals out there this week.
• Beef striploin steaks (AA): $8.77/lb - Scene Member Price - This price is only available to Scene members.
• Beef sirloin tip roast or marinating steaks (AAA): $8.99/lb - This is a tough call. Sirloin tip is leaner but might be less tender than the striploin. The higher AAA grade might make it more tender though. It depends what you're looking for.
• Lobster (live): $10.99/lb - Scene Member Price - This is a good price on live lobster, but only for Scene members.
• Asparagus: $2.44/lb - Good price! This is a good price on asparagus!
• Green beans: $2.67/lb - Good price! This is a good price on green beans!
• Bok choy: $0.99/lb - Amazing price. I don't get how other places charge $2/lb+ for choy, and then you have Sobeys of all stores swooping in to steal the show! This is an incredible price on bok choy! Sobey's is undercutting the competition with this amazing deal.
• Asian pears: $0.99/lb - Awesome price! This is a great price on Asian pears!
• Brick cheese (Cracker Barrel): $5.77 400g/bar - This Cracker Barrel brick cheese seems a bit pricey compared to other options.

Walmart

• Ground beef (lean): $3.97/lb - This is a fantastic price for lean ground beef! Time to fire up the grill and make some delicious burgers!
• Asparagus: $2.97/lb - This is a fair price for asparagus. It's not the biggest discount, but it's still a good option if you're looking for some.
• Corn: $0.32/ear - This is the best deal on corn this week! At only 32 cents an ear, you can't beat this price.
• Potatoes: $4.97 10 lb/bag - This is a good price for a big bag of potatoes. Stock up on your favorite starchy side dish!
• Coleslaw kit: $2.77 397g/kit - This is a good price for a decent-sized coleslaw kit. Perfect for a quick and easy side dish.
• Strawberries: $1.84 454g/shell - This is an amazing price on strawberries! Stock up while they're this cheap.
• Pineapple: $3.97/each - This isn't a bad price for pineapple. Remember, pineapples take a long time to grow, so appreciate the good deals when you see them!
• Brick cheese (Armstrong): $4.94 400g/bar - Another sale on Armstrong brick cheese for around $5!

Costco

• Gain Cold Water Liquid Laundry Detergent with Oxi: $17.49 - Save $3.80
  
• Finish Quantum Ultimate Plus Dishwasher Detergent Pack of 96 tablets: $17.99 - Save $6.00
  
• Ecos Earth Friendly Liquid Laundry 225 Washloads : 16.99 - Save $5
  
• Purex Cold Water Ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent 250 wash loads : 17.49 - Save $4.50
  
• Cashmere Premium 2-ply Bathroom Tissue 40-pack: 19.99 - Save $5
  
• Cascade Power Clean Dishwasher Detergent 115 ActionPacs : 18.49 - Save $4.50
  
• Finish Quantum Jet-Dry Ultra Rinse Agent 315 washes : $9.99 - Save $4.50
  
• OxiClean Max Efficiency Stain Remover 275 loads : $16.99 - Save $5.50
  
• Dawn Ultra Platinum Advanced Power Dishwashing Liquid 2.66 L : $10.99 - Save $3.00
  

P.S. Let me know if you find any other amazing deals at Costco – always happy to share the savings!
🙏 Loving the content so far? Share the love with a friend! If you know someone who might enjoy this, it would make my day if you could forward it their way.🙏
Reference: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RJ5pfn7QZOA8YTP-TxjcjSwQI4Bd6OghyF9igf_1Xtw/edit?usp=sharing

To preface this, my husband is absolutely wonderful and is so supportive of our BF journey. However, we are on vacation right now at his parent’s house and when we left to come here, I brought one brick of frozen milk (40-45oz) in a cooler as a carry on bag for our flights. In the almost 3 weeks that we’ve been here, we’ve used that entire brick in between BF sessions, but have pumped enough to now have almost 2 full bricks of frozen milk (each probably 40-45oz again). The cooler we traveled with is only big enough for one brick. Therefore, I am starting to plan for what to do with the second brick since it won’t fit in the cooler we flew with.
I mentioned this morning that I was starting to plan for what to do with the extra brick of frozen milk and my husband’s first response was “Why don’t you just throw it away?” Y’all. The way I glared at him must have told him that wasn’t a good idea. I told him I would rather pay to ship it or even donate it before we throw it away. We are NOT throwing it away.
On the way to breakfast, I researched sites like Milk Stork and others like that. I found the best option for what we need and brought it up at breakfast. He said “Okay, maybe this is just my male brain not understanding but why do we need to pay to ship all this milk if you’re still producing it?” How do I explain to him this liquid gold and why I don’t want to just throw out 40-45oz of perfectly good milk?

(As always, flyers are out Wednesdays, most store sales for the new flyer start on Thursdays)
Adonis

• Crab section (thawed) - $7.77 per lb -- Interesting! Could be fun for making neat meals!
• Coho salmon fillet - $7.77 per lb -- Wow! That's a great price for salmon!
• Sea bass (fresh, free cleaning) - $7.99 per lb -- Fair price for fresh fish.
• Basa filet (thawed) - $4.99 per lb -- Nice! It's not fresh filet, but it's a good price,.
• Chicken thighs (boneless skinless) - $5.99 per lb -- Not amazing, but ok for boneless chicken.
• Grain-fed veal blade roast - $5.99 per lb -- Interesting! It's a more tender cut, more delicate flavour, which might be nice!
• Beef eye of round - $6.99 per lb -- Good and fair price for eye of round. It's possible to find it for less, but it's a hunt. This is a regular Adonis deal.
• Rib-eye steak - $17.99 per lb -- Makes me think of a post I saw this week of a standard prime rib roast in Calgary sold at $55/kg, 27/lb or something. Which is crazy!
• Red greenhouse tomatoes - $0.99 per lb -- Awesome! Great price for tomatoes, but I found the other produce prices advertised were a little lackluster.
• Apricots (fresh) - $4.99 per lb -- Low-ish price for fresh apricots.
• Brick cheese (Cracker Barrel) - $5.77 400g bar -- Not under $5, but still worth snagging a bar if it means skipping a trip elsewhere.
• Cheese Counter - Canadian feta - $1.99 per 100g -- Nice! $2/100g for feta is good.
• Cheese Counter - Tuma - $2.29 per 100g -- Interesting! "Tuma cheese is renowned for its delicate mild milk flavour, and its smooth, velvety and firm texture."
• Cheese Counter - Akawi - $2.29 per 100g -- Ahh, this is a lovely cheese. Not cheap, but it's good stuff!
• Cheese Counter - Fior de latte - $2.29 per 100g -- Good price. This is the stuff you need for a Caprese salad!
• Pâté (Bretagne) - $5.00 for 2 150g packs -- Great price! These regularly go for $4 or so.
• Deli - Chicken breast (Solmaz) - $1.79 per 100g -- Nice!
• Deli - Smoked ham (Olymel) - $1.49 per 100g -- Excellent!
• Deli - Turkey breast (Alzahraa) - $1.49 per 100g -- More great deli!
• Deli - Prosciutto (Negroni) - $2.79 per 100g -- Ah! Nice! Different brand, same great prosciutto price!
• Walnuts and mixed nuts (Cedar) - $4.99 454g bag -- Nice! That's cheap!
• Almonds (Cedar) - $5.99 454g bag -- Good price for almonds!
• Pistachios (roasted, salted, Cedar) - $12.99 454g bag -- Pistachio prices are a little funny. $10/lb is really the price to aim for, but this isn't far off. And it's not uncommon to see 200-250g bags for $7-8 or more.
• Produce Price Rating: Medium, but always has well-priced chicken, the deli meat sale rotations are always fantastic, and just the overall variety of goods is refreshing. Personal favourite store.

Farm Boy

• Chicken breast (boneless skinless) - $5.99 per lb -- Fair price for chicken breast.
• Wild-caught Argentinian shrimp (23-30ct) - $7.99 340g bag -- This is a good rate on decent shrimp!
• Fresh sausage deal - $5.99 500g packs -- Nice little sausage deal here. Fresh sausage avoids the preservatives!
• Mini cucumbers - $5.00 for 2 6-packs -- Good price for mini cucumber.
• Fiddleheads (fresh daily) - $5.99 per lb -- Neat! These are fun to see on the shelf. Try a fun seasonal item!
• Hothouse tomatoes - $1.49 per lb -- Good price for tomatoes!
• Eggplant - $1.49 per lb -- Great price for eggplant! Often $2/lb or more!
• Zucchini - $1.49 per lb -- Good price zucch! You can find them for less, but you'll have to hunt for it.
• Green onion - $0.77 per bunch -- Nice! It's crazy to be happy about green onions for under $1…
• Blueberries - $2.99 full pint -- Ad is for 473g pints. This is a great deal! Worth snagging some!
• Produce Price Rating: High

Farmers Pick (can be a little late on their flyer) (https://www.farmerspick.ca/flyer-specials)
Food Basics

• Ground chicken (lean, Zabiha) - $3.88 450g pack -- Great price for ground chicken!
• Pork side rib - $2.98 per lb -- Good price for pork rib!
• Pork tenderloin - $2.98 per lb -- Great price for tenderloin. More often found for $4/lb.
• Fresh beef burger patties - $4.00 4-pack -- These are 1/4lb patties, meaning we're clocking in at $4/lb, which is honestly pretty good! Season them up and grill! There's also Selection 8-pack of buns on sale for 1.77. So, that's basically $10 for 8 burgers. That's value!
• Asparagus - $1.98 per lb -- Excllent! This is a great price! And it's not even the 340g bunches, no, this is per lb!
• Sweet peppers - $2.98 4-pack -- Nice!
• Sweet potato and sweet purple potato - $1.28 per lb -- Fair price for sweet potatoes. It's fun to see purple ones get lumped into the same bracket.
• Coleslaw kit (Green Giant) - $5.00 for 2 340g kits -- Great price for salad kits.
• Mini potatoes - $2.98 5lb bag -- Good price for mini potatoes!
• Strawberries - $1.67 454g shell -- WOW! Cross our fingers they're nice AND cheap!
• Cherries - $5.98 per lb -- Decent price for cherries. I like making homemade yogurt popsicles with fresh cherries. Bit if a pain in the ass to pit, but so worth it.
• Brick cheese (Selection) - $4.44 400g bar -- Nice! Sub-$5 bricks!
• Salametti (Matro) - $6.49 300g chubs -- May include other varieties
• Baby genoa (Mastro) - $8.99 600g chub? -- Hard to read the ad, but this is a good deal for a big chub of genoa!
• Mortadella (San Daniele) - $8.99 750g chub -- Works out to $1.20/100g, which is a substantial savings compared to the deli counter or buying it presliced and packed!
• BBQ Sauce and Mustard (Selection) - $1.00 each -- Nice! I personally love mustard and a good BBQ sauce. Might be nice to stock up for that burger night!
• Chips (Irresistibles) - $1.00 150g bag -- I usually don't point out chips and seed-oil-snacks, but this is a great deal!
• Produce Price Rating: Low to medium low

FoodLand

• Beef top sirloin steaks (AAA) - $7.99 per lb -- Great price for AAA steaks. Top sirloin isn't the best place to get a steak cut, but it could be fine. Have a look in-store and judge for yourself.
• Shrimp (31-40ct, Compliments) - $6.99 per lb -- Good price for shrimp, but note that these are small.
• Bar scallops (80-120ct, Compliments) - $6.99 per lb -- These are quite small, but they could be interesting to thaw, pat dry, and sear quick on high heat for use in salads. Or perhaps as a top to a risotto?
• Cucumber - $0.99 each -- Scene Member Price.
• Corn - $5.00 for 5 years -- $1 an ear!?!#@! Are they mad?! Do they not watch the news about boycotts and how consumers are pissed? And then you're going to charge them $1 for an ear of corn? My goodness…
• Produce Price Rating: Medium-high to high.

Freshco (price matcher)

• Bacon (Schneider's) - $3.99 375g pack -- Good price for brandname bacon. Sale also extends to some of their wieners and bologna.
• Frozen burgers (Compliments) - $9.99 1.13kg box (8-pack) -- This stretches us down into a $3/lb mark for beef. Which is pretty good all things considered, but know it's a processed meat. Read the ingredients: beef, water, bread crumb, soya flour, and salt and seasoning. You're paying for recovered meat mixed with bread crumb and flour. And the nutritional info on the pack reads 73% daily value of sat-fat in one 142g burger. A 152g fresh patty lands you at 60%. Know your food!
• Wild-caught Argentinian shrimp (23-30ct) - $6.99 300g bag -- This is a good rate on decent shrimp!
• Sweet peppers - $2.99 4-pack -- Nice!
• Mushrooms - $2.99 454g shell -- Great price!
• Green beans - $1.99 per lb -- Awesome price for green beans!
• Royal Gala apples - $1.49 per lb -- Good price for a nice apple variety. However, you can also sometimes score these for $1/lb if you wait and dig around for the sale.
• Blueberries - $2.49 full pint -- Nice! Another great blueberry sale!
• Produce Price Rating: Low to medium low (more on the medium side)

Giant Tiger (*note the VIP prices; sales begin today) (price matcher)

• Hotdog wieners (Olymel) - $2.47 375g 5-pack -- Sigh… Good price for wieners, but still… Don't overdo it. These are categorically terrible for you!
• Ambrosia apples - $2.88 3lb bag -- Great deal on a tasty apple variety that hits that $1/lb mark!
• Blueberries - $2.88 full pint -- Man! So many blueberry deals! Where are these coming from?!
• Romaine lettuce - $2.88 3-pack -- Nice! Fair price for romaine hearts.
• Baby spinach - $1.97 140g bin -- Good price for 140g. The prices of these bins are the weights are all over the place. Some places charge $4 for the same bin. And then some others charge $4 for 300g bins. Treat carefully!
• Canned tomatoes (Primo) - $3.00 for 2 796ml cans -- Good price for nice tomatoes. Funny enough, in this week's flyer, they advertise the Great Value (housebrand) tomatoes for 1.77 being 50c, but if you buy two Primo cans they work out to 50c less than the Great Value (confused yet? Lol)
• Fireworks - various -- LOL I just wanted to mention they got fireworks and firecrackers hahaha
• Produce Price Rating: Generally on the low side.

Green Fresh Supermarket (Vanier) (check https://greenfreshottawa20.wixsite.com/greenfreshottawa)

• Produce Price Rating: Usually very competitive, catering to Asian cuisine. Warning: their newest sales start on Fridays - so this is a late advertising of their sales.

IGA (price matcher)

• Hotdog wieners (Lafleur) - $5.00 for 2 packs 375-450g -- More hot dog prices for our analysis. I'm noting these to get a sense of what the heck is going on with these….
• Lobster (cooked or live) - $7.75 per lb -- Scene Member Price. 9.75/lb regular. Awesome deal!
• Tomahawk steak - $13.99 per lb -- That's pretty good for a fancy steak cut. I like thick cut steak because you can get that and crust without overcooking the meat. Pro tip: always salt and set your steak uncovered to dry in the fridge. That's what gets you a top-notch crust!
• Veal loin rack - $13.99 per lb -- This is more interesting than a value proposition. Expect a decent-sized rack to run you a pretty penny, but it should cook nicely. Remember to let it rest after it reaches the desired internal temp. Be patient!
• Whole chicken (fresh) - $1.99 per lb -- Great price!!
• Eggs (Nutri, Burnbrae) - $5.79 18-pack -- Not a ground-breaker price. Maybe it's just nice see some price stability in egg prices.
• Corn - $4.00 for 10 ears -- Excellent deal at 40c an ear!
• Cherries - $4.99 per lb -- Awesome!!! Cherries can easily reach into the $8-9/lb range.
• Bologna (Lesters) - $5.49 675g chub -- This is a good price for a chub. It's not fancy deli, but it beats the prices by 2-3x or more given you're paying 81c/100g.
• Deli - Cooked ham (Olymel) - $1.99 per 100g -- Speaking of deli prices, consider this unholy monolith slab of ham versus that slice-it-yourself bologna. This "hamalgum sibling" is 2.5x the price of the bologna by Lesters… Just saying…
• Produce Price Rating: Medium

Independent

• Pork back rib - $3.99 per lb -- Meh price for pork rib… $3/lb is good, but $4/lb doesn't seem worth it when it's largely bone anyway! I'd rather buy the duck they have for $4/lb….
• Atlantic salmon - $9.99 per lb -- Average price for pink fish.
• Beef striploin steaks (AA) - $7.88 per lb -- Good enough price for steaks, but FoodLand had AAA grade for the same price.
• Duck (fresh, grade A) - $3.99 per lb -- Good rate for duck.
• Asparagus - $2.99 per lb -- Meh rate. There's better.
• Strawberries - $2.49 454g shell -- Good price for strawberries.
• Butter (Lactantia) - $5.99 454g bar -- Sigh… I wish butter would come down in price…
• Produce Price Rating: fairly high with few exceptions

Loblaws

• Pork back rib - $3.99 per lb -- Meh price for pork rib… $3/lb is good, but $4/lb doesn't seem worth it when it's largely bone anyway! I'd rather buy the duck they have for $4/lb….
• Atlantic salmon - $9.99 per lb -- Average price for pink fish.
• Beef striploin steaks (AA) - $8.88 per lb -- Ben là là! Same AA steak, $1/lb more…
• Beef boneless blade roast (AA) - $8.99 per lb -- Ok price for beef… It's kind of meh… Consider visiting local butchers to see what they have going on.
• Duck (fresh, grade A) - $3.99 per lb -- Good rate for duck.
• Sweet potatoes - $3.99 5lb bag -- Great price for sweet potatoes
• Mini-cucumbers - $1.99 6-pack -- "Save $2". Ya, we know Loblaws. I've been saving $2 on these packs for months now at other stores.
• Blueberries - $1.99 full pint -- Great price for blueberries!
• Mango - $0.99 each -- Fair price for mango considering I've seen Loblaws charge much more for them. Also, I expect we'll see some nice sub-$1 deals in the future.
• Butter (Lactantia) - $5.99 454g bar -- More $6 butter.
• Produce Price Rating: fairly high with few exceptions

Provigo

• Pork chops - $2.49 per lb -- Good price for pork chops.
• Chicken breast and thighs (boneless skinless) - $4.99 per lb -- Good price chicken.
• Atlantic salmon - $8.99 per lb -- Good price for pink fish.
• Corn - $5.00 4-pack -- What?! How can we have these disparities… Maxi has theirs for 33c an ear. That's $1.30 versus $5 for 4 ears… Insane difference in price…
• Watermelon (9lb average) - $3.88 each -- Nice price for watermelon.
• Mango - $0.99 each -- That $1 deal again. "Save $2". Meaning regular price was $3. Insanity.
• Deli - Mock chicken (Gaspésien) - $1.29 per 100g -- Good price for deli, but it's mock chicken. I would refer back to the IGA deal on Lesters bologna. Buy whole chubs, slice it yourself, and save.
• Produce Price Rating: fairly high with few exceptions

Maxi (price matcher)

• Ground beef (medum) - $8.88 1.1kg -- About 2.5lb of beef, which clocks this in at about 3.50/lb. That's pretty good!
• Corn - $0.33 per ear -- Awesome price for corn! It's crazy. Provigo had their 4-packs for $5. Which
• Mini-cucumbers - $0.88 6-pack -- Very nice! A regular "good deal" is $2.
• Coleslaw kit (Florette) - $1.88 340g kit -- Great deal for a salad kit.
• Potatoes (Imperfect) - $4.88 15lb bag -- Excellent!!
• Mini-carrots - $4.88 2lb bag -- This is a good deal given a 2/3lb bag can be $2-3.
• Watermelon - $2.88 each -- Nice price for watermelon, but no weight advertised.
• Kiwis - $4.88 600g pack -- Pretty good. Can be as low as $4, but this is a fair price.
• Apples (Cortland, Empire) - $5.88 4lb bag -- Ok price for what should be over-winter apples. Mind the bruising.
• Fancy cheese deal - $18.00 for 3 -- Check the flyer and in-store for more details.
• Sriracha (Flying Goose) - $3.88 730ml bottle -- Nice! It's a different brand, but the price is right. I wonder what the difference is.
• Silk plant bev - $6.88 for 2 1.75-1.89L jugs -- Good deal.
• White vinegar - $2.88 for 2 4L jugs -- This might be good to get in advance of some pickling plans.
• Produce Price Rating: Generally medium low pricing! This store can post some impressive deals at times.

Metro

• Pork back rib - $2.99 per lb -- Good price for pork rib. It's that magical $3/lb mark. It's hard to find rib for less. And, I wouldn't pay over $3/lb.
• Beef top sirloin steak or roast (AAA) - $6.88 per lb -- Great price for AAA grade beef! They also have "platinum angus medallions" for 8.88/lb.
• Fresh sausage - $4.99 per lb -- Great price for fresh sausage. You can spend $1/lb more and get organic stuff by Dubreton.
• Cucumber - $0.77 each -- Awesome!!!
• Cauliflower - $2.99 each -- Decent. Not amazing, but decent given a head can go for $4-5 easily.
• Portabella mushrooms (Belle Grove) - $6.99 4-pack -- Hmm, I'll have to keep an eye out for prices on portabellas. This doesn't seem that bad off the hop. I know sometimes you can get 4-6 packs for about $4-5, though. But, you have to hunt around town for deals like that.
• Blueberries - $1.99 full pint -- Great price for blueberries!
• Cherries - $5.99 per lb -- Nice! Fair sale price for cherries!
• Watermelon (15lb average) - $9.99 each -- Trying to make sense of these watermelon prices. This isn't as good as some other deals. But considering on the same page they advertise 1.49/lb for sliced watermelon, it suggests this watermelon could cost you up to $22.
• Butter (Selection) - $4.88 454g bar -- $5 butter.
• Produce Price Rating: High. Kinda like Sobeys. You can see a 50% average mark-up compared to a lot of other stores. It's nice produce, but it costs you.

No Frills (price matcher)

• Beef burgers (No Name) - $9.99 1.36kg 12-pack -- Just more frozen burger musing. Basically much like the Compliments ones we saw earlier, but 113g each, but with more sugars and funny ingredients, and the same amount of sat-fat! (And they skip mentioning that 75%-ish daily value number for the sat-fat). Like, what the heck are "onion extract" and "corn syrup solids". Do they squeeze the onion and throw away the rind? And isn't solid syrup just solid sugar? lol....
• T-bone/Wing steak - $6.99 per lb -- This might seem like a good deal, but it's ungraded beef. Why pay this price when metro has AAA-grade steaks for a smidge less?
• Picnic pork shoulder - $2.44 per lb -- Excellent price! These are AWESOME for smoking and braising for pulled pork!
• Ground chicken or turkey - $8.00 870g pack -- Not bad. Works out to about $4.20/lb or so.
• Ground beef (lean) - $6.00 450g tube -- Really a meh price for "tube meat".
• Steelhead trout fillet - $9.99 per lb -- Standard pricing for pink fish.
• Asparagus - $2.99 per lb -- Ok price for asparagus. I expect better from No Frills.
• Green beans - $2.99 per lb -- Same with the green beans, I expect a bit better.
• Cucumber - $0.99 each -- Good price for cucumber.
• Mini-cucumber - $3.99 11-pack -- Fair price on the 11-pack. Meanwhile, Maxi has the 6-pack for 88c… Sigh…
• Watermelon (9lb average) - $2.99 each -- Good price for melon.
• Ataulfo mangoes - $5.64 5lb case -- This should work out to about 8 or so mangoes. Good deal.
• Pineapple - $2.99 each -- Good price for pineapple.
• Brick cheese (Armstrong) - $5.49 400g bar -- Hmm, ya, seeing some 50c to $1 upward pressure on cheese pricing a little everywhere….
• Earth's Own plant bev - $3.79 1.74-1.89L jug -- Good price. Regular floats well into the $5-ish ranges.
• Dry pasta (Italpasta) - $1.25 750g packs -- Good price for dry pasta. Stock up a little. Maybe there's a potluck pasta salad in your future.
• Produce Price Rating: Generally quite low, selectively amazing for some items.

Produce Depot (usually a little late on the flyer) https://producedepot.ca/

• Ground beef (lean) - $4.99 per lb -- Fair rate for ground beef. Considering No Frills is selling 450g tube meat for $6, I'd buy this in a heartbeat. It's just not stock-up pricing.
• Beef New York striploin steak - $12.99 per lb -- I wish they'd mention the grade, but if it looks nice, it could make for a nice BBQ item.
• Whole atlantic salmon (fresh) - $6.99 per lb -- Now, it's not filet and deboned, but it's a heckin' deal for salmon.
• Wild-caught squid - $8.99 per lb -- Perhaps there's calamari in your future?
• Hothouse tomatoes - $1.29 per lb -- Great price for tomatoes!
• Green and red leaf lettuce - $1.69 per head -- Great price for leafy greens!
• Sweet orange peppers - $0.99 per lb -- AWESOME price for peppers!!!
• Brussel sprouts - $1.49 per lb -- Fantastic price for brussel sprouts! Often over $3/lb.
• Blackberries - $1.49 half pint -- Good deal for blackberries. Lots of blueberries going around, though.
• Red seedless grapes - $1.99 per lb -- Fantastic price for grapes! Often $4/lb.
• Peaches - $2.49 per lb -- These are from the USA. It could be a they come out a little tough. Leave them on the counter to ripen, but eat them fast after that!
• Cheese counter - Landana smoked cheese - $2.39 per 100g -- I'm partial to smoked cheese. This could make for a nice fancy burger topping.
• Deli - Genoa salami (Mastro) - $2.59 per 100g -- This isn't fantastic pricing, but fair. A 600g chub can clock in at $10-12 or so, this deli counter pricing is fairly competitive.
• Produce Price Rating: Medium-low with very competitive specials on a shortened flyer. The small flyer is nice because it doesn't uselessly feature $6 heads of cauliflower and extremely high-price items that are either a confusion on the consumer, or an insult on the injury of not being able to afford supreme quality items.

Real Canadian Superstore (price matcher)

• Beef rib-steak (ungraded) - $7.88 per lb -- More ungraded beef at graded prices.
• Pork tenderloin - $3.49 per lb -- Fair price for tenderloin.
• Duck (frozen, grade A) - $3.99 per lb -- Fairly regular price for duck.
• Golden Pompano (frozen) - $2.88 per lb -- This is advertised a lot at the RCSS. I've never seen it elsewhere. Does anyone have experience with it?
• Dressed Tilapia (frozen) - $2.88 per lb -- Dressed means tail and fines removed,
• Potatoes - $5.50 10lb bag -- Great price for potatoes.
• Corn - $0.40 per ear -- Awesome price for corn. This is probably loss-leader territory.
• Watermelon (11lb average) - $3.99 each -- Good price for a big melon.
• Pineapple - $3.00 each -- Good price for pineapple.
• Produce Price Rating: Generally medium-low pricing, selectively amazing for some items.

Sobeys

• Chicken thighs (boneless skinless) - $5.99 per lb -- Fair price for boneless chicken. There's better out there, however.
• Beef striploin steaks (AA) - $8.77 per lb -- Scene Member Price.
• Beef sirloin tip roast or marinating steaks (AAA) - $8.99 per lb -- Hmm, striploin AA versus sirloin tip AAA… Might be a toss up. Sirloin is leaner and has less marbling. But AAA might lend to a tenderness. This may be give and take, here…
• Lobster (live) - $10.99 per lb -- Scene Member Price.
• Pork chops - $3.49 per lb -- Not a great price, really, but it may be your option if you're stuck with Sobey's this week. Ad mentions it includes roasts.
• Picnic pork shoulder - $3.49 per lb -- We saw No Frills offereing this at 2.44/lb. A $1/lb more isn't great, admittedly. But, it's an option.
• Asparagus - $2.44 per lb -- Good price!
• Green beans - $2.67 per lb -- Good price!
• Bok choy - $0.99 per lb -- Amazing price. I don't get how other places charge $2/lb+ for choy, and then you have Sobeys of all stores swooping in to corner that side of the market.
• Asian pears - $0.99 per lb -- Awesome price!
• Brick cheese (Cracker Barrel) - $5.77 400g bar -- More of this elevated cheese pricing… Hmm….
• Produce Price Rating: Generally a high price store, especially for produce. Some items are 50% more than more value-oriented stores. Kinda like Metro, some of the deals can be quite good.

Super C

• Chicken breast (boneless skinless) - $4.44 per lb -- Awesome price!!
• Atlantic salmon - $9.88 per lb -- Standard sale price for pink fish.
• Pork tenderloin (marinated) - $3.44 per lb -- Good price. Not amazing. But, pre-marinated? Hmm, makes for an easy meal.
• Corn - $1.88 for 5 ears -- Awesome price!! Under 40c an ear!
• Broccoli - $1.33 per crown -- Very good price for broc, especially if the crowns are nice. A good crown can easily range over $2.
• Radishes - $0.99 per bunch -- Nice! A good addition to salads or veg trays.
• Green onions - $0.99 per bunch -- Fair price for green onion. It's hard to find it under $1.
• Mini-carrots - $0.99 340g bag -- Nice!
• Mini-cucumbers - $1.99 6-pack -- Fair going-rate now for mini cuce. A very welcome change from charging $4 for these packs.
• Mini-potatoes - $1.99 3lb bag -- Good price for mini potatoes. There's still better value in regular size potatoes most of the time. But, sometimes, these sales can negate that value proposition. Plus, these are nice a thousands ways to Sunday. They cook very quickly, and are great oven-roasted, steamed, and BBQ'ed with other veg.
• Apples (Empire, Spartan) - $3.99 3lb bag -- Fair price for apples these days, it seems. I think we'll be hard-pressed to find certain varieties for under $1/lb for a while.
• Strawberries - $1.63 454g shell -- Awesome price!!!
• Pineapple - $1.88 each -- Fantastic!
• Oranges - $2.99 3lb bag -- Good price for oranges!
• Mangos - $0.99 each -- Good price. Mangoes should clock in at around $1 each. Enough of these $2-3 mangos…
• Cantaloupe - $2.99 each -- Good price/fair sale price for cantaloupe.
• Cherries - $4.99 per lb -- Wow! Great price for cherries!!!
• Brick cheese (Black Diamond, Ptit Quebec) - $4.87 400g bar -- Nice to see we still ahve sub-$5 cheese options this week.
• Fancy cheese deal - $18.00 for 3 -- Apparently includes 20 different varieties.
• Produce Price Rating: Generally low, but can creep into medium for some items. But, there's always something decent available!

T&T Supermarket https://www.tntsupermarket.com

• Produce Price Rating: Usually very competitive, catering to Asian cuisine. Warning: their newest sales start on Fridays - so this is a late advertising of their sales.

Walmart

• Ground beef (lean) - $3.97 per lb -- Excellent rate on ground beef! Make your own burgers!!!!
• Chicken or Pork kabobs (Marcangelo) - $7.87 480-640g 8-packs -- It's basically $1 a kabob. That ain't bad for a ready-to-cook item. But, note that this translates essentially into 8/lb at worst, or 5.50/lb at best. There are WAY better deals on pork and chicken around.
• Asparagus - $2.97 per lb -- Fair price for asparagus.
• Corn - $0.32 per ear -- Best price on corn this week!
• Potatoes - $4.97 10lb bag -- Good price for a 10lb bag.
• Coleslaw kit - $2.77 397g kit -- Good price for a decent-size slaw kit.
• Strawberries - $1.84 454g shell -- Awesome price!!!
• Pineapple - $3.97 each -- Not bad. I like to see $3, and less shouldn't be taken for granted. Remember, it takes 2 years to grow a pineapple. One bad fungal disease and we should see these shoot up to $6-8 a piece. Treasure well-priced pineapple!
• Brick cheese (Armstrong) - $4.94 400g bar -- Another $5 brick cheese sale.
• Produce Price Rating: A little all over the place. Some really good prices between a lot of average pricing.

Costco (Note that these are the online/shipped prices - reduce each item by $3 for in-store pricing)

• NOTE: NEED TO REVISE - --
• Paper Towel (Kirkland) - $27.99 12-roll pack -- 2-ply; 160 sheets
• Paper Towel (Bounty) - $27.49 12-roll pack -- 2-ply; 86 sheets
• Toilet Paper (Kirkland) - $25.99 30-roll pack -- 2-ply; 380 sheets
• Toilet Paper (Cashmere) - $24.99 40-roll pack -- 2-ply; 250 sheets (on sale)
• Dish soap (Dawn Platinum) - $18.99 2.66L -- Food Basics often has this jug for $10!
• Laundry detergent (Purex) - $24.99 9.24L -- 250 loads
• Garbage bags (30 gallon; large) - $15.99 100-pack -- Amazon has Glad standard 74L bags, 100-packs for $23, sometimes less if on sale
• Countertop green bin liners - $21.99 125-pack -- Amazon has Glad Compostable green bin liners 100-packs for $18, sometimes less if on sale
• Produce Price Rating: I need to do a proper check to be sure, but I find it's pretty average. There's an illusion of getting a good deal because of the bulk. Just be careful.

Jean Coutu (new sales start Fridays)

• Produce Price Rating: I have to start checking these just in case...

Shoppers Drug Mart (new sales start Fridays)

• Produce Price Rating: Sometimes they have cheap butter, eggs, and milk on weekends.

Some additional references!

• Grocery Review Google Drive Location https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xhLvBP1smXb1eSnxAW5yyBjO2aYFLJHC?usp=sharing
• Cooking Tips and Recipes https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TCcHm9y0kWIa3x18hznKN2ix0BPcUv-m?usp=drive_link
• Google Maps list of the Grocery stores in Ottawa https://maps.app.goo.gl/YT7cZmv8vMQWU4J59

I have had my puppy Lily, a labradoodle, since she was 10 weeks old. We didn't do any formal crate training with her for the first couple of months. She has always struggled to settle and sleep around us, especially when she can see us, and any slight movement wakes her up, and she can't sleep again. As a result, we have been enforcing naps in her playpen since the day we got her. Her playpen had a crate inside with bedsheets that she naturally gravitated to and would sleep on whenever she was placed inside. At this time, the door to the crate was never shut, and we also never incentivised her to go inside. This made us think we got lucky with our puppy and that crate training would be a breeze. We were mistaken. At 16 weeks old, we started trying out naps in the crate with the door closed, and she would whine for 5 minutes and then settle in for 2 hours at a time.
Now, at 7 months old, she has been refusing to settle in her crate for prolonged periods. Sometimes, she will whine intermittently for the whole 2 hours or for 30 minutes before she sleeps. It has gotten to the point where we have reverted to our old setup with the crate inside the playpen in order to prevent her from further negatively associating with the crate. She is still whining, but now when she decides to nap, she still won't go into the crate despite us not closing it anymore. I have tried leaving her with her favorite chews and frozen kongs in the crate for the duration it takes to finish them with me supervising; however, she will whine and refuse to eat until she comes out of the crate, at which point she will grab the treat, and go somewhere else to finish it. She used to have this really high-value dental treat that she only got in her crate or pen in the morning to the point where if she saw it, she would run to her pen to get it and could be left there for a short time while I had breakfast near her. This situation has now changed, and she will still go in after the treat but will not eat it if confined. Could she associate the chews with being confined now?
Sorry for such a long post, but I'm worried I've permanently damaged her relationship with the crate. How can I re-crate train her and get to the point where I can leave her alone for at most 4 hours or even voluntarily go inside to nap on her own?

Other things on sale include:
FreshCo: Bnls/sknls chicken breasts $10 for 4 , blackberries $2.99, 400g block cheese $4.44
Walmart: bacon $2.94, green onion $0.47, mango $0.47, loaf of bread $0.94 (sale ends Thursday)
Metro: strawberries for $1.99 and frozen pizza $3.49 (name-brand and store-brand) (sale ends today, Ontario and Quebec have the strawberry sale)
Let's keep each other informed, comment if there are any other sales on in your town! Also, while Walmart and other corporations are just as bad, the focus for right now NEEDS to be on just Loblaws- this is so we can make the others come to heel. The other corporations are watching, they know what is coming if they don't lower prices, and they know we see through any PR team's attempt to thwart us. Our dollars are talking!
Food for thought- if Loblaws doesn't cave soon, the people who are now going elsewhere for their weekly groceries will most likely not return ever, due to their shopping habits changing- if it continues for a few more weeks, they will never get back into the habit of going to Loblaws stores. We can see from the hundreds of thousands of views the posts on this sub of "only" 79000 members has, that the power of our words and actions here have greater impact than they can ever control.