S/O - Food Shopping

oceana919

Because I'm bored, tired of feeling like a bouncer at a nightclub (IDs please), and the bread/milk post got me thinking...

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?

2) Name brand or store brand?

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?

**Mutley**

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?
Mixture of both.
Always organic -The Dirty Dozen  <-- link

2) Name brand or store brand?
Depends on the item.  We generally buy the store brand though.

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?
We try to buy local for produce and meat.  We go to the Farmers' Market reguarly.  We are very lucky to live in an agricultural area where local food is truly local.  There is a different level of support when DH knows most of the famers and butchers because he went to school with them or their children.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?
Not really

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?
Most things - haha

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?
Raspberries!
Good brie
Fresh bread

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?
Nugget Market

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?
fresh fruit

Acrosthec

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?
We buy organic milk, but everything else is regular.  I live in a small town and we don't have a huge selection of organics, but milk is something we really look for.  Neither of us drink enough milk to justify buying it if it's just going to go bad in 10 days, even a half gallon.  Organic milk stays fresh longer.

2) Name brand or store brand?
Usually name brand unless it's just a basic cooking ingredient, though I don't pay attention to the brand names, I just naturally shy away from the grocery store brand (Great Value).  I'm not sure why, just habit from shopping with mom for years.  FI is especially particular about his name brand condiments, lol.

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?
If we're in town on Saturdays (rare) we'll go to the Farmer's Market and buy locally grown veggies, eggs, etc.  Otherwise, we go to Wal-Mart (the best of the three grocery opportunities...can't even call them stores...in our small town).

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?
No.

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?
I'll be honest, we don't really look too hard at prices.  Our grocery bill every month is right around $150-200 for the two of us, and as long as it's not WAY expensive, we don't stress about buying a special treat now and again.  That said, we also eat a ton of sandwiches and other easy/cheap meals like chicken or fish dishes with rice and basic veggies.  We steer away from high priced items like steak and special seafood dishes (crab, lobster, etc.).  Anything we think is crazy expensive for what it is, we won't get.

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?
For special occasions we will buy a couple good cuts of steak.  We will also always pay higher for our organic milk and the bread we eat (it's the only kind of bread we can compromise on...he likes white, I like wheat, so we buy Nature's Own Whitewheat.  Only 1 point for 2 slices if you're doing WW, and it looks/tastes like white, so he enjoys it.  Yay compromise!)

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?
Refer to the answer for #3.

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?
We rarely have a steady list, but some things we always keep stocked:  chicken, brown rice, bread, peanut butter, turkey, cheese, milk (and chocolate milk), and at least one frozen pizza for those days we don't feel like cooking anything.

oceana919

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?
For women with endo and other conditions that can be influenced by hormonal changes, some docs actually recommend going organic. For things that have hormones added (meats, eggs, milk), I try to get organic when I can. If organic produce is on sale or equivalent price to regular, I'll go with that as well. I don't sweat it if I can't get it or it's too pricey to get, though.

2) Name brand or store brand?
I have no problem buying store brand (or whatever the cheapest brand is) so long as the taste is reasonably equivalent, or it's basic stuffs that don't make a difference (baking ingredients, spices, etc.).

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?
We try to go through local vendors for our produce and meats as much as possible. We hit a local grocer (all local vendors) biweekly for the bulk of our meat and produce purchases, and I fill in the blanks at the grocery store in between when needed. We hit farmer's markets on occasion as well. I just find that you get better tasting food at better prices when you go local.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?
I love Archer Farms (Target). Everything I've tried from them has been delicious. Some of it can be pricey, but most of it is equivalent, if not cheaper, than your name brand stuff. I'm a big fan of their pasta, couscous, yogurt, cheeses and kettle chips.

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?
Basic ingredients (sugar, flour, baking soda, etc.), "everyday" spices (cinnamon, salt, pepper, etc.), oils, canned goods, etc.

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?
We get fresh whole grain bread biweekly - the taste is a lot better and the whole grain is better for you. We also get Boars Head lunchmeats and cheeses over the storebrand - there are no preservatives or additives, so the flavor is a lot better and they are better for you nutritionally. I also refuse to buy store-brand mac & cheese - it's Kraft or nothing, baby.

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?
Our local grocer, SuperTarget, Whole Foods, farmers markets.

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?
Fresh fruits and vegetables (I love cooking with them), couscous, whole wheat pastas, steak, fresh dill (it's been sooooooooooo good this summer), fresh cheeses (parmesan, feta, mozzarella), spices (I make a lot of homemade spice mixes and meat rubs to grill with).  

My favorite dish this summer has been plain whole wheat angelhair tossed with lemon juice, garlic, white wine, and dill, and sprinkled with some sort of crumbled cheese. Mostly eat it plain, but occasionally, I'll throw some shrimp or grilled chicken on top. Mmmmmmmmm.

hetshup

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?
The dirty dozen, most meat and milk.


2) Name brand or store brand?

Mostly store, but somethings are worth the premium price

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?

I try to do all local. Our farmers markets leave something to be desired. I'm hoping MD is better

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?

HEB Central Market

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?

TP, and pretty much everything else

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?

Fancy butter, bacon and milk

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?

Trader Joe's. But it's not an option, so I guess HEB

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?
Dates

jeanacorina

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both?
Mixture of both. When presented with the choice and a negligable price difference, I'll choose organic.

Any particular reason why?
Well, I know organic is better for us, and I'm slightly paranoid about waxy coatings on my apples. However, we're not QUITE to the point financially where we don't have to worry about what things cost and if we're within a budget.

2) Name brand or store brand?
Depends what it is. I'll try out store brands, but if the taste suffers a lot, I'll stick with name brand from then on.

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?
We buy local when given the choice and a negligable price difference, much like buying organic. I do buy all of our produce from a local produce stand instead of at the grocery store.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?

I like Target's Archer Farms brand. They have some good stuff!

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?

I refuse to pay more for cheese, I guess. I ALWAYS choose store brand, because frankly, it's cheese. It tastes good even if it's crappy cheese. If the price ever went up drastically, I'd stop buying it. I'm sensitive to lactose anyway, and I'm not going to pay a bunch of money for a stomach ache.

I also won't pay a bunch for bottled water or soda. We have a filter, and we can drink as much filtered tap water as we want. We don't need sugary drinks or water in plastic. I'm a firm believer in drinking water for every meal and in-between. Other beverages are empty calories.

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?

We occasionally splurge on non-dairy ice cream for me. I LOVE ice cream so much, but it hurts my stomach and it ruins the pleasure of eating ice cream. So, once in a while, we'll go to Whole Foods and buy coconut milk ice cream. My favorite is the Mango flavor.

We also pay more for Sun Chips as opposed to buying regular chips. At least they're more than fried, greasy potatoes. And the bag is biodegradable!

If we do get potato chips, I insist on Zapp's, which is a local brand and VERY good. No crazy ingredients I can't pronounce. Just potatoes fried in oil. They're a little more expensive than other chips, too.

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?

We shop at Target most of the time, because we were trying to rescue a litter of kittens behind a Wal-Mart, and the manager told us we couldn't park behind the store to watch the traps because we were a "liability" in case we got hurt from trapping kittens.

Since we couldn't watch the traps (and shoo off the mom cat if she went close), we drove circles around the store, and the mom cat was trapped without any kittens, which is the WORST thing that could happen. The kittens disappeared (luckily they looked old enough that they weren't nursing- the tom cat we saw probably moved them). I blame the asshole Wal-Mart manager for contributing to the cat overpopulation problem in Baton Rouge. So we don't shop there (not that they care, but still- I vote with my wallet).

Also, I LOVE Whole Foods, even though we rarely get anything but ice cream (and my yearly Tofurkey). It's like Disney World to a vegetarian, and I hope one day we can afford to try out some stuff from there.

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?

Hmm, I like to buy fruit in season... I get especially excited over peaches and strawberries. I also get excited for good mozzarella cheese (when we actually buy it, usually for certain recipes), and Archer Farms pasta sauce! Delicious!

Oh, and sometimes we buy pie. And I love pie.

Josh gets excited for chips and soda. He's a pretty simple guy.

deburnin

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?

Mix of both. Mostly because of how much more organic can be. That and we usually make dinner at his mom's house and she's really picky about what she'll eat. If she so much as hears organic or healthy she doesn't want it... I hope once I graduate grad school and get a full time job (and we close on the house) we'll start buying organic more consistently. 

2) Name brand or store brand? 

Which ever is cheaper, which is pretty much always store brand.

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?

As of right now, national vendors. But we want to start going to farmer's markets.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?

Nope.

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?

Pretty much everything. I'm willing to try and get over that for organic and locally grown though.

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?

Organic food.

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?

What ever is convenient. 

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?

The ingredients for the new meal the BF and I make every week. It doesn't always turn out good, but it's always fun cooking together and making something new. 

oceana919

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_food-shopping?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:9601c738-c71b-4419-9ab7-1415063e49ccPost:28be1eae-08af-43df-b6a6-f25a2eaaa2d3">Re: S/O - Food Shopping</a>:
[QUOTE] 8) Favorite things on your grocery list? Hmm, I like to buy fruit in season... I get especially excited over peaches and strawberries. I also get excited for good mozzarella cheese (when we actually buy it, usually for certain recipes), and Archer Farms pasta sauce!
Posted by jeanacorina[/QUOTE]

Ooooh, I wish you were down here. The strawberry harvest has been delicious this year. They've been selling pints at $1.99, and it's one of the few things I can eat without my stomach rebelling.

Peaches were going at the farmers market for $0.39/lb the other day. Fresh peach bread, here I come. :)

Also a huge fan of fresh mozzarella. I watch for it to go on sale and snatch it up whenever I can. A few slices of french bread, some fresh mozz, fresh basil, a little bit of olive oil.....::drooooooooooooooool::

**Mutley**

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_food-shopping?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:9601c738-c71b-4419-9ab7-1415063e49ccPost:da0bbdfa-b42e-4f48-8ed6-b7fa55815180">Re: S/O - Food Shopping</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: S/O - Food Shopping : Also a huge fan of fresh mozzarella. I watch for it to go on sale and snatch it up whenever I can. A few slices of french bread, some fresh mozz, fresh basil, a little bit of olive oil.....::drooooooooooooooool::
Posted by oceana919[/QUOTE]

And a glass of great red wine...  <a href="#" title="Click to view a larger photo" onclick="return gSiteLife.LoadForumPage('ForumImage', 'plckPhotoId', 'ace4947f-04f2-4b7d-8e4e-b5cf168d6cc7', 'plckRedirectUrl', gSiteLife.EscapeValue(window.location.href));"> <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/12/14/ace4947f-04f2-4b7d-8e4e-b5cf168d6cc7.medium.gif" alt="" /></a>
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jeanacorina

I'm hungry now.

noelle24

1) Almost always regular.  I'd like to shop organic, but it's too expensive around here.

2) I grew up buying name brand, and old habits are hard to break.  I've started buying store brand for basics (flour, etc.) and for things where I honestly can't taste a difference.  Sometimes though, I CAN taste a difference and go with name brand

3) I mostly shop at the chain grocery store.  We got a local CSA this summer, which I'm loving.  I'd like to switch to local meat and produce, but I need to take the time to research it first.  Maybe after my move.

4) Nope.

5) There's not much I'll refuse to pay higher for a name brand.  There are cases where you "get what you pay for".  I feel paper towels and TP fall into this category.  At the same time, however, I don't justify going out and buying the most expensive, gourmet brands. 

6) Good cheese (it makes all the difference.. bad cheese just tastes like rubber), paper towels and TP (it's not a bargain if you need to use twice as much to soak everything up!).

7) The chain store up here does just fine by me.

8) Fresh veggies and fruit

ekathleen684

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?
Regular- no reason.

2) Name brand or store brand?
Depends on the item. If I can go store brand and not lose out on taste I will.

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?
Would Michigan made be considered local or nation? I try to buy locally if possible.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?
Not really.

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?
I'd rather not pay higher for anything if I don't have to

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?
Aluminum foil, tp, goldfish..Those whale crackers are NOT the same.

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?
Kroger or Meijer- whichever is more convient to the house I'm at.

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?
Goldfish. If I can find Goldfish for under $1.75- I'll buy bags of it. It's amazing how much they've gone up in the past year. They were on Krogers 10/$10 and now they're $2.19 ON SALE...sheesh. I also love giant blocks of cheese

KD+BC

First, my ID --- born in 1984. I'm good right?

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?
I like to buy organic produce when I can. Organic meat is hard to come by around here and when it's available it's hella expensive.

2) Name brand or store brand?
Certain things must be name brand like canned soup but most everything else can be store brand. Secret: the dairy FI works for is also the store brand for the stores they deliver to, just different labels but exact same stuff only quite a bit cheaper!

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?
Local when I can though I will admit that I tend to buy whatever is available at the grocery store. They usually have local produce though.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?
Wegman's brand.

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?
Most things.

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?
Higher quality meat. Wegmans doesn't have the best meat but there is a small store close to our house that has really good meat. It's usually about $0.50 more per pound but totally worth it.

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?
Wegmans (I pity those who have no Wegmans)

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?
Hmmm...probably sweets

noelle24

Wegman's.... how I miss thee.

KD+BC

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_food-shopping?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:9601c738-c71b-4419-9ab7-1415063e49ccPost:53eb3257-2eec-46b9-9e0f-ee90e27cebe4">Re: S/O - Food Shopping</a>:
[QUOTE]Wegman's.... how I miss thee.
Posted by noelle24[/QUOTE]

I don't know how people survive with out Wegs!

jemmini6

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why? if it's not super expensive, we might choose organic, but i rarely seek it out.

2) Name brand or store brand?
we usually get name brand for the items that i can taste a difference, particularly soda.  i don't care what you say, dr. thunder does NOT taste like dr pepper...

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?  honestly, we go with whatever is cheapest/most convenient.  i like the idea of buying local and all, but at this point, we just aren't willing to go out of our way/pay more to do so.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?  not particularly

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for? water.  we usually always buy the cheapest store brand of bottled water.

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for? see #2.  i also happen to be a dr. pepper adict, so if i'm out, i'll pay whatever the store we are at charges for a 12-pack.  although normally we try to stock up at Costco.  48-packs of diet dr. pepper for $9.

7) Favorite place to grocery shop? there is this little neighborhood-size store called Marketside (it's by walmart) that we go to literally every day.  they have some awesome specialty stuff that walmart doesn't.  we also will go there for the fresh stuff.  if we buy it during our "normal" grocery run, it goes bad before we use it, so we just go there as we need it.

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?  hmm...i don't really have a "favorite" per se.  we do get this one boxed dinner thing that is actually really good.  it's wanchai ferry orange chicken (not the frozen one).  and it's quick/easy to make so we get that a lot.

loves2shop4shoes

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why? 

We buy organic milk because it stays fresher longer.  We also buy organic eggs and grass fed, free range, hormone-free meat.  For produce, it's a mix.

2) Name brand or store brand?

Name brand 95% of the time.  I guess I'm just a snob like that.

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?

Local vendors.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand? 

No.

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for? 

Non-edible things like Ziploc bags.  I don't care if you made it in a more environmentally friendly way, I'm not paying double for it.

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for? 

Fresh produce, fish, and good meat.

7) Favorite place to grocery shop? 

Whole Foods.  In an emergency, I'll shop at Trader Joe's.

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?

Cheese!  If it wouldn't make me enormously fat, I'd eat cheese all day, every day.  I recently got addicted to Jarlesberg Lite.  SOOOO AMAZING.

...and now I'm hungry.

oceana919

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_food-shopping?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:9601c738-c71b-4419-9ab7-1415063e49ccPost:a8ffad78-d36a-4906-b80a-efccf7703428">Re: S/O - Food Shopping</a>:
[QUOTE]1) I recently got addicted to Jarlesberg Lite.  SOOOO AMAZING. ...and now I'm hungry.
Posted by loves2shop4shoes[/QUOTE]

OMG. We were at BJs this weekend and they had packages of Jarlsberg Lite in deli thin slices for sandwiches.

Grilled Jarlsberg Cheese sandwich with ham and paprika. ::swooooooooooooooooon::

noelle24

My favorite light cheddar is Kerrygold Aged Cheddar Reduced Fat.  It tastes better to me than a lot of full-fat cheddar.  I highly recommend it.

[Deleted User]

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?
regular - it's way cheaper

2) Name brand or store brand?
it depends on the item (like mac & cheese - only the blue box please) and if a name-brand is on sale (couldn't pass up 39cent spaghetti-o's today), but mostly I buy the store brand

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?
mostly national just because we don't have a lot of local vendors in the desert (we have dairies that provide milk, etc to all the stores here)

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?
Wal-mart or Smith's

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?
basics - things I can get at the dollar store

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?
I will pay more for bread and cheese...I buy the Nature's Own white wheat, too (stock up when it's on sale - it freezes pretty good) and I'll stock up when I find 2% milk sliced cheese on sale (it also freezes quite well and also only 1 WW point per slice)

I'll also pay for the name brand of paper products, but I also stock-up when there are sales and coupons

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?
Wal-mart or Smith's - depends on what I need and what's on sale at Smith's; I also will usually get some fruits/veggies/bag salad at 99cent only store - they've got great produce

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?
FI loves salisbury steaks and cheesy weenies (Hilshire Farms cocktail links); for me, usually my favorite things on my list are the biggest sale items

MissOnnaleese

Side note: Bf and I live with his dad, sister, her bf, and Bfs little brother. [We're here to save until we start building a home] Therefore Bfs family picks everything out and is the COMPLETE opposite of what I would buy.

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?
Regular

2) Name brand or store brand?
Name brand ALWAYS. Bfs dad & family always buys the name brand, even if the product is the same exact thing they will spend whatever the difference for name brand.

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?
National vendors.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?
Nope except for ketchup I can only eat a certain one, everything else tastes odd

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?
Everything in my opinion. Bfs family will pretty much pay higher for anything.

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?
Ketchup, except the brand I use is always on sale and cheap

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?
We shop at a local grocery store

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?
I love to buy fruit

loves2shop4shoes

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_food-shopping?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:9601c738-c71b-4419-9ab7-1415063e49ccPost:49adc6fe-a8ce-4e65-a3a4-dacb265b0132">Re: S/O - Food Shopping</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: S/O - Food Shopping : OMG. We were at BJs this weekend and they had packages of Jarlsberg Lite in deli thin slices for sandwiches. <strong>Grilled Jarlsberg Cheese sandwich with ham and paprika.</strong> ::swooooooooooooooooon::
Posted by oceana919[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div><img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-surprised.gif" border="0" alt="Surprised" title="Surprised" /> Brilliant!!!!  ::swoooooooon::</div>

zipis1

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?
Generally I buy non organic, a great deal of which is due to cost. But also because I don't feel that organic is so much better than non. It has its benefits yes, I don't deny that, especially in regard to oil. But nutritionally? Not concerned (especially when it comes to eggs. There are no hormones in eggs because it'd be a waste of money for the chicken farms to give hormones to their hens as they've been bred to be efficient without the use of them). Really though, it comes down to price in the end for me. Sometimes organic gets bought when it's cheaper.

2) Name brand or store brand?
Depends on what's on sale and if I have a coupon :P

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?
Mostly the national ones, but I do hit up the farmer's market from time to time.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?
Kroger I guess. Or Ralph's brand.

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?
Almost everything. I'm cheap.

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?
Maple syrup and tissues. I bought Value Syrup once and it was essentially water. Never again. And tissues have to be Puff's with Lotion or my nose will not forgive me.

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?
Ralph's. It's the store of my childhood and I get attatched :P Von's is a close second. HATE Albertsons because their jingle annoys the crap out of me

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?
Milanos cookies. They're just fantastic. Oh! And strawberries and coconut milk for coconut rice. Mmmmm...

BCRockies

1) Do you shop organic or regular, or mixture of both? Any particular reason why?
Mixturebut mainly regular - we live in a remote part of BC that it's hard to get a lot of organic foods. I'm playing with growing my own vegetables this year and I'm growing organically.

2) Name brand or store brand?
I always pick store brand to start but there are some items I've realized that I'd rather splurge on.

3) Local vendors or national vendors/brands?
Local when we can but the majority is national as it's more accessible and cheaper.

4) Do you have a favorite store brand?
President's Choice

5) What is something(s) you refuse to pay higher for?
Cheese - we already pay an arm and a leg for it that I have to get the best deal for. Unfortunately, this is the grocery a 25 minute drive away compared to the one 3 mins out my front door.

6) What is something(s) you are willing to pay higher for?
Soap of any variety. The budget brands just don't clean my dishes or clothes just as well.

Bread. We're hooked on the local bakery's bread and anything else just doesn't taste the same.

7) Favorite place to grocery shop?
The Great Canadian Superstore and the lcoal farmer's market.

8) Favorite things on your grocery list?
Anything for baking; especially at Christmas. I mail treat boxes to all of BF's family every Christmas and I love the fun of searching and making new recipes.