Shopping

Groceries can be one of the largest costs in anyone’s monthly budget. Below are some resources and tips to help you save on groceries.

Where to shop

The Sustainable Food Working Group put together a map of food stores in Edmonton here.

Some highlights:

• Getting Groceries on Campus: Check out the WECAN Grocery Program to sign up for low cost meat and produce grocery orders that can be picked up monthly from our office.

• Groceries on a Budget: Real Canadian Superstore or No Frills. No Frills can be accessed by bus from campus (Number 4 or 94 to Capilano/Bonnie Doon or the 7 Downtown/Jasper Place) and offers low cost fresh and non-perishable items. Further from campus, Real Canadian Superstore (‘Superstore’) offers a larger selection for the same low cost plus home goods, a pharmacy and clothing.

• International Foods: While Superstore offers a lot of international items, look at H-Mart, a short 10-minute walk from campus, or T&T in multiple locations for hard to find items. Smaller specialty grocery stores for different cuisines are also on the grocery map.

• Local Products: Save on Foods and Farmers Markets like the Old Strathcona Farmers Market offer a lot of food grown and made locally. Shopping local is great to support our community and eat fresh, but can have an increased cost for some products so try looking out for deals.

• Need food that reminds you of home? International Student Services has a great resource page here about navigating food options in Edmonton.

Apps and reward programs

There are a lot of apps and rewards programs created to save you money. 

• Sign up for the rewards program at your regular grocery store. Most stores have free member cards that give you special offers or points that you can use to pay for your groceries. Those savings add up!

• Flashfood App- This app allows stores to sell products at a lower cost (usually 50% off) to sell them faster- it saves you money and stops food waste.

• ReeBee or Flipp App- These apps list digital coupons and help you compare prices. You can even use them to price-match products at stores that offer lowest cost guarantees.

• Checkout 51 App- This app is like reverse couponing. You can check out the deals in the app, purchase food from anywhere at regular prices and then send in a picture of your receipt to get cashback on certain items.

• Too Good to Go App- This app allows restaurants to sell surplus food at reduced prices. It is a great way to try local food providers while saving money and reducing food waste.

General Tips

• Shop Seasonally: Try buying fresh produce that is in season to bring down the cost. If you’re buying out of season, compare the fresh cost to the frozen or canned versions. Check out the seasonal produce guide in the Student Financial Support Cookbook.

• Transport: If you’re finding it difficult to get to the store or want to try some new shops, see our Grocery Bus Program.

Cooking

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to cook, how to cook it, or how much it might cost. These links will help you cook something you enjoy with ease.  

Recipes

• Student Financial Support released a cookbook that is available as a free download.

• Leanne Brown’s Good and Cheap is a great recipe book with simple, low cost ingredients. Each recipe has the cost per serving. If you’re just starting cooking, her recipe book From Scratch is also a great place to start.

• Budget Bytes is a website full of low-cost easy recipes and tips.

• Canada's Food Guide has tips for a balanced diet including recipes. It’s available in over 30 languages.

• Check out the campus food banks own recipe selections.

Cooking Information

• YouTube and Google can answer almost any cooking questions. Search up what you're looking for- recipes, how to wash produce, knife lessons- and look through to find a video you like. Try following channels you like to see all the tips they share.

• Look at the Blue Flame Kitchen to find cooking instructions and tips- basic and advanced. They also have hundreds of recipes.

Equipment

• Wondering what equipment you need in your kitchen? Start with a few basics and go from there using this guide by Budget Bytes.

• Wondering where to get equipment? Here is a list of options.

  • Convenient: Real Canadian Superstore has home goods, kitchen equipment, cosmetics, clothing and groceries so you can pick up everything at once. Walmart also has multiple locations and offers low price essentials.

  • Low Cost: Dollar stores are all over and offer a decent selection for very low costs. Try looking at a Dollarama.

  • Low cost and familiar: Ikea is familiar to a lot of people around the world and has a lot of low cost basics. UofA International runs trips to Ikea at the start of the semester, or you can use public transport or Uber.

  • Second hand- Thrift stores like Goodwill or Value Village have gently used kitchen equipment for a low cost and you can feel good about reusing.

Other Resources

• See our Campus Kitchens Program to cook a meal with other students on campus.

• Edmonton Food Bank has tips on their website including cooking videos using some common hamper items.

• Student Service Centre in the Administration Building on campus can help answer your financial questions through counseling, workshops, bursaries, and more.

• Call 211 for social and community supports in Edmonton.

• Money Mentors has an office in Edmonton and has free resources like money management workshops and financial guidance to help you.

• For pet owners, here is a resource from the Edmonton Humane Society that outlines pet food banks and other pet care needs around the city