How much does food cost in Canada? A record of the frugal life struggles of an engineer living in Canada

Introduction

Nice to meet you! I'm Chiro, a System Solutions Department the Canadian office I've been in Canada for eight years and this is my second year working at Beyond. My kind boss has invited me to come to Japan on a business trip, but I didn't want to leave Canada, so I kept lying about going, and two years have passed.

My normal job is to operate and maintain the servers during the nighttime hours in Japan. In Canada, in addition to responding to alerts, I am also in charge of many tasks that can only be done during the nighttime hours in Japan (to minimize the impact on services)

I speak English in my everyday life, but once I step inside the office I speak Japanese, so my life is a mix of Japanese and English, but I quite like it. I'd like to show you a little bit of my life in Canada!

Main topic

This is a personal matter, but I actually got sick last month... I was so miserable that I couldn't get out of bed, and as a result of using Uber Eats and ordering food delivered, my food expenses last month came a whopping $617 65,000 yen in Japanese yen (By the way, the average monthly food expense in Canada seems to be between $200-$300.) I also went on a trip just before I got sick, so I spent a lot there, but with rent, internet, daily necessities, medicine... before I realized it, my expenses were greater than my salary!

Eh, aren't you using too much?

I got so worried that I had a dream about becoming homeless (I'm the type of person who dreams about things that worry me right away), so I've decided to do my best to save money this month

However, I have a weak willpower and I'm sure I'll just click on Uber Eats at any moment, so I thought that if I made it a project to write a blog, I might be able to continue, and I also thought it would be interesting to share the real eating habits of a Japanese person living in Canada, so I decided to write a blog!

frugal living

I feel like ①②③ all mean the same thing, but for now I'm going to cook for myself!

Here's my work day schedule:

*(I don't know about other offices, but the lunch times for engineers in the Canada office vary depending on the day. If we have work to do or are on duty, someone has to keep an eye on the alerts, so we all discuss it each day and take turns going to lunch. But it's usually between 12:00 and 14:00. On days when we don't have any other plans or aren't on duty, we're free to go when we're hungry.)

By the way, I don't eat breakfast, I only eat two meals a day, sometimes one

So let's get started. Read on with enthusiasm

A week of saving money

Day 1

Today is my day off. My fridge is almost empty, so I went out to buy some groceries

There's a Walmart right near my house. The quality isn't the best (they sometimes have rotten stuff so be careful), but it's cheaper than other supermarkets, so it's perfect for someone like me who wants to save money!

They have a small selection of Japanese ice cream, seasonings, instant noodles, etc

　

Hontsuyu $7.97...!? What a bold price! With tax it's almost 1,000 yen. I don't buy Japanese ingredients at Walmart because they're cheaper at Chinese supermarkets

I bought cabbage, potatoes, celery, tomatoes, pasta, milk, pork, and brownies, and the total came to $33.17! (I have no idea if that's expensive or cheap, as my sense of money is so messed up.)

As an aside, prices in Canada have really skyrocketed in recent years. I remember a few years ago, a certain supermarket was selling a pack of chicken breast for $40 (other supermarkets were around $15-20), which caused quite a stir. Apparently, it was because it was "premium chicken breast." I wonder how they managed to sell it at that price

On my way home, I rewarded myself for my shopping by buying an anpan (sweet bean bun) and a sweet potato anpan (sweet potato bun) for $5.60 (hey!)

Lunch

When I returned home from shopping, my dear and kind roommate (a Filipino grandmother) had made me lunch

It's my favorite Filipino dish called sinigang, a sour soup with lots of vegetables. I saved money on food and it's my favorite food, so I'm lucky!

Dinner

Consommé soup made with ingredients bought today + bread as a treat

Day 2

Lunch

My roommate made me a tuna sandwich as usual, plus some leftover bread as a treat

Dinner

Hot milk

 

Today, after work, I went shopping for lunch the next day. When you think of Asian supermarkets in Toronto, you think of T&T!

It's on my way home from work, so I sometimes stop by here to do some shopping

It's a bit pricey, but the selection is good and the store is clean. Today I came to buy some udon noodles on sale. The selection was so good that I was tempted, and I ended up buying some instant noodles... I wonder why I thought to go and check out the instant noodles section..

 

What I bought: Frozen udon noodles, carrots, instant noodles, pork $20.56

Some of you may have noticed, but I've made a mistake here. "But you just bought pork yesterday..." That's right! I wanted to buy onions, but for some reason I ended up buying pork again!!

I ended up with a lot of wasted pork on hand. It's frozen, so I'll probably use it someday, so it's fine..

Feeling depressed about how useless I was, I went home and made some fried udon noodles for lunch in preparation for going to work the next day

Day 3

Lunch

Onion-free fried udon noodles I made yesterday

I forgot to take a photo of my lunch that day... (I prefer dashi soy sauce to sauce when it comes to yakisoba noodles.)

Dinner

Consommé soup + brownies made on the first day

Day 4

Near our Canadian office J-town , which is a collection of Japanese shops. It is a mecca for Japanese people, with a supermarket that sells Japanese ingredients, a butcher shop, a bookstore, and restaurants.

I had to go to J-town today, so I was excited. It's so convenient to have J-town so close to my office!

Shiso (6 pieces for $3.40) is available year-round at the fish shop in J-town. When I was in Japan, I would over-harvest the shiso that grew in my garden every year, but now that I'm in Canada, it's a luxury item. I needed it, so I bought it

And I'm in luck! At the store I went to after the fishmonger, natto, which usually costs about $4, was on special today for just $1.98!! I couldn't help but buy two packs. Thank God ♡

I also bought two packs of natto and Ajinomoto, for $9.47

And since I got a bargain, I rewarded myself with a bubble tea for $8.49 (hey!)

Lunch

Cup ramen + bubble tea + brownie bought on the second day

Dinner

Natto rice (raw egg + pickled plum + seaweed)

*Canadian eggs are not sold with the intention of being eaten raw. Therefore, they are processed differently than Japanese eggs, and their expiration date is about one and a half months. I have overcome many hardships in the past to get to where I am today. If you want to eat them raw, you can, but I don't recommend it

Day 5

Lunch

Consommé soup made on the first day

Dinner

eating out

Today I had dinner with a beautiful woman I love. We went to Congee Queen ! I love this restaurant! Everything I ate was authentic Chinese, delicious, and very filling, and relatively inexpensive. It was so much fun and delicious that the time flew by. I'm so happy :)

Huh? Saving money? Entertainment expenses are necessary expenses, aren't they? (defiant)

Day 6

I ate out yesterday, so I'm cooking for myself today (obviously)

Speaking of saving money, there's that! Bean sprouts!! Today I'm going to make Korean bean sprout rice (konnamulbap). I'm using soybean sprouts instead of regular bean sprouts. Just turn on the rice cooker and mix in the sauce. It's easy, delicious, and highly recommended, so please check out the recipe and try it out. *You might get a strong garlic smell after eating it

So, I'm off to do some shopping today. Today I'm going to resist temptation and buy only what I need (is this a red flag?)

The green onions I was looking for were only $2 for two bunches! So cheap!

Bean sprouts are sold by weight, so you can buy just the amount you want for just $0.83! Cheap! Speaking of saving money, bean sprouts are the best. I bought the other vegetables I wanted and was about to pay, but...chocolate bread was cheap! (Don't do that)

You bought the chocolate bread, didn't you? But! It was $2.59 for 12 pieces, right? $2.50÷12=0.21, which means $0.21 per piece, which rounds up to $0. So, it's essentially free... can't we just do that? Lol

I was excited to eat chocolate bread with milk, but on my way home I suddenly realized, "Oh, I forgot to buy milk." It's strange how I always write out a shopping list properly, but I can't go shopping properly

Today I bought 2 green onions, shimeji mushrooms, daikon radish, and chocolate bread for a total of $9.22!

Lunch

Kongnamulbap (with pork) + Chicken meatball soup (I made these meatballs last month and froze them)

Dinner

Bukkake Udon (Grated Daikon Radish + Plum + Shiso)

By the way, this cat that appears on screen almost every time is my roommate's cat, and every time I eat, he sniffs to see what I'm going to eat, and watches me intently until I've finished. Even when I ask him if he wants some, he doesn't want any, but when he stares intently at me while I eat, it makes me feel indescribable. Cats are strange... Maybe it's the same feeling I get when I sometimes watch mukbang on YouTube?

Day 7 (final day)

Today is Saturday and there is no one in the office, so I decided to go for some strong smelling natto and kimchi

Our Canadian office shares an office with a local Canadian company, so when I go to the kitchen I meet people from all kinds of backgrounds. For this reason, I usually try not to bring lunches with strong smells like natto. But on weekends, there are no other people there except Beyond employees, so I take this opportunity to enjoy a strong-smelling lunch. Lol

Lunch

Natto pasta + kimchi that had been sleeping in the fridge

Dinner

Leftover bean sprout rice + leftover chicken meatball soup

Weekly savings results

A week that seemed both long and short has come to an end!

I immediately calculated the amount I spent on shopping over the past week (including eating out as a treat)

And then..

Total $129.86!

Huh? Not quite...? But I didn't use all the ingredients, so I'll just roughly calculate the amount I ate. I calculated a little more, taking into account the ingredients and seasonings I already had

Hmm...? Not so cheap...?

Well, I guess it's because I ate out. If I didn't eat out, it would be a little over $50

In fact, the total amount of rewards I've bought here and there is just over $16, so I can cut that amount down!!

I regret spending money on the treat a little. I guess it's like regretting something after regretting it..

Well, compared to last month, I think our food expenses were pretty average for Canada

A side note (dining out in Canada)

Eating out in Canada is very expensive. For example, if you eat ramen in Canada, a bowl of ramen will definitely cost you $22-$5, plus 13% tax and a 15-20% tip, bringing the total to about $30

Even though it's so expensive, I can't stop eating out because the food in Canada is so delicious! Canada is said to be a small planet, and people from all over the world gather here, so the appeal is that you can easily enjoy a variety of authentic dishes from around the world. If you want to travel around the world, you should come to Canada (although I'm sure that's not what you're talking about)

Since coming to Canada, I have been shocked by so many delicious things, and even now, after eight years in Canada, there are still many more. My happiness level has skyrocketed since coming to Canada :)

summary

I've shown you a pretty realistic picture of my eating habits, but what do you think?

I really wanted to show you how I've been trying my best to live a wonderful, frugal life for a week, but I gave in to temptation so much that I feel like this article just showed off how useless a person I am :'(

But I used to pay over $30 for a bowl of udon with Uber Eats, so I think this was a huge savings compared to ordering Uber Eats! Right?

Wow, I'm so great! Cooking for myself after work is hard, but I did a great job! Be kind to others and even kinder to yourself

I still need to save money, so I will continue to try my best to avoid Uber Eats

Prices are high in Canada and taxes are extremely high, so you need to be careful as you can end up spending a lot of money if you're not careful. On the other hand, there are many good aspects to Canada, such as free medical care and no taxes on certain necessities

Despite all the complaints, Canada is a great place and I love living here

Well, I'm living a relaxed life like this, but if there's anything you'd like to know about the situation in Canada, please let me know. I'd like to write about it on my blog again, if I feel like it! Lol

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

Beyond Japan is offering a three-month business trip to Canada for its infrastructure business. If you would like to try some of Canada's delicious food, please apply!
https://recruit.beyondjapan.com/entry

I'm also interested in other blog posts! If so, here !

There are many other Canadian topics posted, so please check them out!