Happy Cheapskate | Bulk store vs. grocery store
I've been lucky. I never had to make my own Christmas cake. I've been blessed with an alarmingly dutiful mother, the kind who cares for sick relatives and knits sweaters for new babies.
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Aside from raising a daughter who doesn't deserve her, her other greatest achievement is her Christmas cake.
Moist, heady, sweet. Light and heavy at the same time. Not too much alcohol and, happily, completely devoid of those gnarly bits of hard fruit that have all the appeal of the shot in Uncle Lloyd's turrs.
My friend Deirdre usually gives me a cake, too, her blonde one as drool-inducingly good as my mother's dark.
If you are one of those generous bakers who bestows a cake on a miserable friend or relative, thank you. And keep 'em coming!
My quest this week was to see if bulk store ingredients were really cheaper than regularly priced or bulk-style goods in the grocery store. The short answer: Not always.
I visited the Bulk Barn on Topsail Road and the Dominion stores on Stavanger Drive and at Quidi Vidi Lake.
Some highlights:
- Dominion was the cheaper place for all-purpose flour, but only if you buy a back-breaking 10 kilogram bag. Otherwise, flour, sugar and peels are pretty comparable.
- I found the weigh scales at Bulk Barn accurate. Those in the grocery stores were not.
- The Bulk Barn is tonnes of fun to shop in, with great weird stuff (Organic black beluga lentils? Excellent!), lots of variety and heaps of seasonal goodies.
For easy comparison, the prices are adjusted based on the cost of 100 grams.
I hope the chart below helps.
| Bulk Barn (100 g) | Dominion: Regular size (100 g) | Dominion: Bulk size or bin (100 g) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour, all purpose | 22¢ (Five Roses) | 24¢ (Robin Hood, 3 kg bag) | 15¢ (Robin Hood,10 kg bag) |
| Sugar, white | 13¢ | 16¢ (Lantic, 2 kg) | 13¢ (Lantic, 10 kg) |
| Sugar, yellow | 22¢ | 30¢ (2 kg bag) | N/A |
| Walnut pieces | $2.56 | $2.25 (No Name, 400 g) | $2.49 (loose bin) |
| Cherries, red, glace | $1.14 | $1.78 (No Name, 225 g) | N/A |
| Raisins,Sultana | 42¢ | $1.11 (No Name 375 g) | 79¢ (loose bin) |
| Raisins, Golden | 98¢ | 87¢ (No Name 375 gr) | N/A |
| Mixed peel | 99¢ | 88¢ (No Name 225 gr) | N/A |
| Dried fruit regular | 81¢ | 89¢ (450 gr) | N/A |
| Coconut, unsweetened medium | $1.08 | 92¢ (400 gr) | 89¢ (Loose bin) |
| Apricots, Turkish | $2.83 | N/A | $1.49 (Loose bin) |
About the Happy Cheapskate
Like most of us, I hate getting ripped off. Or worse, feeling ripped off.
There are some things worth a higher price to me. I'll fork over cash for a brand name pair of running shoes. I bought cheap ones before and they hurt.
I'll pay for premium chocolate on occasion, but Cadbury rocks my world.
I refuse to pay for a frozen food product that has been bleached, battered, covered in oil and salt and made out to be something nutritious.
The Happy Cheapskate is all about value. Join me as I search for it.
If there's anything you'd like me to look into, email me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
