barry has a couple of quickies for you.

quickie #1: a couple of weeks ago i found out that pharos pizza and spaghetti house did not close in january as i reported in december '08, but was granted an extension and will now be open until late june. SO if you didn't go already to reintroduce yourself to their popeye pizza and greek salad, don't wait til june GO NOW!

8708 109 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T6G 1E9‎
(780) 433-5205‎

quickie #2: bananas at no frills in vegreville were .36/pound on monday. i think superstore on 51 avenue has bananas for.76/pound. you do the math.

barry lets you in on a little secret (update).

i’ve heard a lot of shocked gasps from friends after my last post (barry lets you in on a little secret) and even some commentary of bus trips to vegreville (enjoy your trip down ukrainian lane, ruby) mixed in with disbelief of how little my monthly grocery bill is. to prove to you that this isn’t some hunger-induced dream, i’ve photographed my whole bill for you nonbelievers to show you the truth of these ridiculously low prices; it’s not just no-name or president’s choice products covered either, robin hood baking goods, duncan hines, bick’s, dole and beatrice are some of the other brands included in this crazy scheme.

finally, here’s a recipe for you to show you just how cheap cooking at home can be.

lemon-rosemary roasted chicken.

1 fryer chicken (not on my bill because no frills ran out. luckily my uncle bought four of them and i bought one off him (full-price) for $3.78.)
1 lemon (i bought 3 lemons for $1.00)
fresh sprig of rosemary (i had this on hand)
1 onion, quartered (90 cents)
salt, pepper and oil.

1. wash chicken inside and out. pat dry and put in a roasting pan.

2. cut up lemon and stuff into chicken as much as you like. add rosemary sprig and onion as well.

3. rub top skin of chicken with mazola oil, then salt and pepper.

4. roast chicken in oven at 350F until done. juices should run clear, and skin should be crispy.

this dish cost me $5.01. if i had steamed a package of broccoli and seasoned it, and then roasted my yam with seasoning and oil, my dinner would have come to $7.20 and served 4 people. i could have prepared my duncan hines devil’s food cake mix and had dessert for 4 for 99 cents. yes, i’m well aware of how much you hate me right now.

barry lets you in on a little secret.

i almost didn’t write this blog, for fear of family reprisals, but the ridiculously low prices made it impossible not to. how much do you spend on groceries for a month? $150.00? $200.00? uh-huh. that’s plain ridiculous. i just bought my groceries for the month, seen below as the giant pile of food, and spent (drum roll please) $72.89. this includes: a whole wild salmon for $2.28, a turkey for $10.78, a litre of buttermilk for $1.00 and broccoli florets that serve eight for $2.00 – the same price for a jar of bick’s dill pickles.

this food madness is brought to you by no frills grocery store – a delightful low-brow version of the real canadian superstore – and cannot be found in our city. no, within the edmonton area you need to head on down to leduc, fort saskatchewan or vegreville to find this gem, but believe me, it is well worth the trip.

YAY:

• food that is cheaper than borscht. (by the way, i bought a beet for 18 cents.)

MEH:

• it’s a bit of a trip to get there, but make a day of it and go visit rumor board shop in leduc or go for a trip down ukrainian lane to vegreville, or do whatever it is that you do in fort saskatchewan.
• the selection might not be as vast as in edmonton, but it’s pretty decent.

NAY:

• the prices are so good that sometimes the shelves can get a little bare.