00:00With food prices on the rise, many Ontario residents are turning to budget-friendly grocery stores to keep their costs down.
00:05So today I'm comparing items at No Frills and Food Basics to see if one is actually cheaper than the other.
00:10I'm going to be comparing this list of common grocery items.
00:14And to make sure the comparison is as accurate as possible, I'll look at products with the same weight and quality on the same day, May 5th, 2023.
00:21So right when I walked in, I headed to the bananas.
00:24No Frills and Food Basics both had them for 59 cents a pound.
00:27Grabbing six bananas weighing at about 2.3 pounds would cost me around $1.36.
00:32Next on the list is Red Onions.
00:34No Frills had a 10-pound bag priced at $7.99.
00:36Food Basics, on the other hand, had a sale on their 3-pound bag for $3.88.
00:41So in this case, No Frills came out cheaper at around 80 cents a pound, compared to $1.29 a pound at Food Basics.
00:47I then headed to the bread section, and there were so many options to choose from at both retailers.
00:51But I decided to stick with a basic loaf of whole wheat bread.
00:53It was so great to see that No Frills' no-name brand had an in-store feature for $1.99.
00:58Food Basics' selection brand, however, was priced slightly higher at $2.29.
01:02Then I went looking for some extra lean ground chicken.
01:05There weren't that many options to choose from, so I decided to look at two different halal brands weighing at about 450 grams each.
01:12The Sufra brand at No Frills was $8, while the Sabiha brand at Food Basics came to $6.49.
01:18That's a whole $1.51 difference.
01:21Next, I went to the dairy section looking for eggs.
01:23I wanted a dozen large eggs of the home brand.
01:25Both No Frills' eggs and Food Basics' selection eggs were priced at $3.69.
01:30Alright, I love cheese, and my fridge will definitely confirm that.
01:33A 400 gram block of No Frills' no-name brand cheddar was priced at $5.99.
01:38The selection brand cheddar was priced the same.
01:41But lucky for me, Black Diamond was having a sale on their cheddar cheese that day for $4.44.
01:46Another staple at my house is butter.
01:48Once again, both the No Name and Selection brand butter had the same price tag at $6.49 for a 454 gram stick.
01:55However, I do want to note that the Lactantia brand butter was going for $8.49 at Food Basics, whereas at No Frills' it was $0.20 cheaper at $8.29.
02:04Okay, lastly, I wanted to look at spaghetti because it's such an easy weekday meal.
02:09A 900 gram pack of no-name brand spaghetti was going for $2.29.
02:13Food Basics was a little cheaper.
02:15This selection brand cost $1.79.
02:17Okay, so I came home and tallied everything up, and I'm actually really surprised at what I found.
02:22The totals are so similar.
02:25After adding up the eight items that I looked at without taking taxes into consideration, No Frills' total bill came to a whopping $33.81.
02:36Now, Food Basics, on the other hand, came in just a little bit cheaper, actually $0.81 cheaper at $33 on the dot.
02:43When it comes to comparing the no-name brand versus Selection's brand, many items were priced the same.
02:48There were some differences, though.
02:50For example, No Frills' had their bread $0.30 cheaper, and Food Basics' had their pasta $0.50 cheaper.
02:55So overall, I don't think one grocery store is necessarily cheaper than the other, but I do have key takeaways from this whole shopping experience.
03:02One, I think shoppers should become very familiar with the staple items they use in their household, and which grocery store sells them the cheapest.
03:09This way, it'll save time and money when it comes time to purchasing them.
03:13Number two is look at weekly flyers and take advantage of sales.
03:16These little savings on each bill will really add up over time.
03:20Well, thanks so much for watching, and if you have any tips on how to save money at the grocery store with these crazy food prices, let us know in the comments.
03:27With Nursing Canada, I'm Ashna Barkhada.
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