I would like to start going to Bottineau again for groceries since they are cheaper there than here. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in doing a car pool with me and help pitch in for gas. Dates and times can be worked out.

is cheaper, and butter usually...With the dollar the way it has been lately, unless your going for specialty items that you can't find here, I don't see a huge savings unless your closer to go there than winnipeg...

Going to Bottineau for groceries and stuff, you do have to be careful and know you're pricing, but on the overall do find it considerably cheaper than shopping up here. But I know we will purposely leave just enough gas to get there and fill up down there. WAAAAAY cheaper, think when worked it out long ago it figured out to roughly $1 give or take a litre. My parents live near the border so quite often pop down there for a couple hours and get some groceries.

ScarletAngel said "is cheaper, and butter usually...With the dollar the way it has been lately, unless your going for specialty items that you can't find here, I don't see a huge savings unless your closer to go there than winnipeg... "

believe it or not it's actually way cheaper even with the dollar. I went to superstore yesterday, spent $150 and got barely anything, whereas i can spend $200 in Bottineau and get a cart full. Theres a BIG difference. Even with paying for gas it's still cheaper than here, but I just thought I would see if anyone was interested in car pooling.

it all depends on what you want to buy down there. What is your shopping list like usually?  
 
Edited by ScarletAngel, 2012-06-15 14:40:59

Be interested to see acutal pricing first. I would love to have a targeted shopping list and compare item to item. I noticed when we went there we bought what was on sale just like if it was on sale here so it isn't a good comparison. I would like to see a list that we set out to buy then compare here. I didn't find a whole lot of savings unless it was processed meals like hamburger helper. Plus factor in the over 3 hours just to go shopping plus wear and tear on a vehicle and gas.....Is it really worth it to shop even bi-weekly there? Our shopping foods contain mostly fruits/veggies/meat.

you can check out a lot of the prices on thier walmart site. www.walmart.com i think its probably a good idea to stock up on dry goods down there and then buy the fruits and veggies here. i have also found a few good deals in the states for my daycare. a kids tent that CT has on sale this week for $30, i got at walmart in grand forks for $12! we like to go down there at least once on our holidays and stock up on stuff that we dont have here. its also just a nice get away and we stay in a hotel. i found these biscuits(powder in a bag and you add water and bake) at meynards in grand forks that are IDENTICAL to red lobsters!! we have one bag left and ive been saving it LOL good thing holidays are coming up again!

I don't buy those boxed hamburger helpers anymore. I have recipes to make my own with no msg, lower sodium, etc. I generally don't see anything down there that I would keep in my pantry except for the Pasta-Roni. That I buy a case of to last... sooo yummy!I have yet to find a sauce that matches it. It is never for sale anywhere in manitoba that I've seen. They have angelhair & an alfredo one. Other than that...just weird specialty items or treats like Gardettos...mmmmm I love those gardettos...and oil filters for my car...those are usually cheaper too. maybe cereal... oh and kraft flavored mayo's. They have a horseradish mayo, and a chipotle one. Amazing...  
 
Edited by ScarletAngel, 2012-06-15 15:40:41

as someone that goes over regularly, unless you live close by the savings are not that huge compared to brandons prices, compared to small towns prices though its not bad just not worth the trip from brandon just for groceries

ScarletAngel said "I don't buy those boxed hamburger helpers anymore. I have recipes to make my own with no msg, lower sodium, etc. I generally don't see anything down there that I would keep in my pantry except for the Pasta-Roni. That I buy a case of to last... sooo yummy!I have yet to find a sauce that matches it. It is never for sale anywhere in manitoba that I've seen. They have angelhair & an alfredo one. Other than that...just weird specialty items or treats like Gardettos...mmmmm I love those gardettos...and oil filters for my car...those are usually cheaper too. maybe cereal... oh and kraft flavored mayo's. They have a horseradish mayo, and a chipotle one. Amazing...     Edited by ScarletAngel, 2012-06-15 15:40:41"

ScarletAngel  
 
Would you share your homemade hamburger helper recipes? Sounds very interesting. I really hate all the processed stuff that is out there!!  
 
Thanks in advance.  
 
Cheers

This blog has lots of good ideas all around.  
 
http://tipgarden.blogspot.ca/2012/01/master-mix-hamburger-helper-pantry-kits.html  
 
 
 
I've made the Cheeseburger Macaroni Helper, the Taco Helper so far and have yet to do up the other ones.  
 
They taste pretty darn good, close to HH brand. and it's cheaper in the long run! I like that you make a bunch up, and they're ready to go. And there are next to no preservatives. I hit a sale at Sobeys the other week with pasta fo 1$ a bag, so it was super cheap to do these up.  
 
EDT:oops sorry for all the smiles.lol!  
 
 
 
 
 
Edited by ScarletAngel, 2012-06-15 16:37:32

Cheeseburger Macaroni Helper:  
 
Ingredients for the pantry kit:  
 
1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni  
 
1 sauce packet: 2/3 cup powdered milk  
1 Tbp. corn starch  
1 tsp. each:  
Onion Powder  
Garlic Powder  
sugar  
paprika  
 
To cook for dinner:  
 
Fresh Ingredients for cooking day:  
 
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)  
 
3 cups hot water  
 
1 cup shredded cheese  
 
 
 
 
Brown ground beef in large skillet, drain grease, add hot water, pasta and contents of sauce packet. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low about 12 minutes stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender. During last few minutes of cooking, stir in the cheese: cover and cook final few minutes till cheese is melted. Turn off heat and uncover. Let skillet dinner sit for about 5 minutes. This will allow sauce to thicken a bit.

ScarletAngel said "it all depends on what you want to buy down there. What is your shopping list like usually?     Edited by ScarletAngel, 2012-06-15 14:40:59"

well a big one is chicken. chicken is half the price down there. spaghetti sauces are cheaper, school snacks are much cheaper. that's just to name a few of them. canned veggies are a lot cheaper. you pay less for name brand canned veggies down there than you do no name here. coffee cream is a lot cheaper. milk and hamburger are about the same price. so thats just a few things.

Dalmation_Girl said "    ScarletAngel said "I don't buy those boxed hamburger helpers anymore. I have recipes to make my own with no msg, lower sodium, etc. I generally don't see anything down there that I would keep in my pantry except for the Pasta-Roni. That I buy a case of to last... sooo yummy!I have yet to find a sauce that matches it. It is never for sale anywhere in manitoba that I've seen. They have angelhair & an alfredo one. Other than that...just weird specialty items or treats like Gardettos...mmmmm I love those gardettos...and oil filters for my car...those are usually cheaper too. maybe cereal... oh and kraft flavored mayo's. They have a horseradish mayo, and a chipotle one. Amazing...     Edited by ScarletAngel, 2012-06-15 15:40:41" ScarletAngel     Would you share your homemade hamburger helper recipes? Sounds very interesting. I really hate all the processed stuff that is out there!!     Thanks in advance.     Cheers "

We make one and our 20 month old even loves it.  
 
fry up your hamburger and drain as normal. take a couple boxes of kraft dinner and make according to directions. add to hamburger. then add in 1-2 cans cream of mushroom soup and a bit of seasoning salt and mix together.  
 
sounds kinda wierd but its actually good!!

Thanks ScarletAngel for sharing. Will definitely be giving it a try. Can't wait.  
 
Cheers

that goes down to the states to save money on groceries is directly killing the family farm in canada.The american farmer is subsidized by the goverment so that the american people can eat cheap food,our product up here is as good as anywere in the world, support canadian product,shop in Canada,just remember how the canadian beef producer was treatd back when b.s.e hit,we were told that our beef was not safe for there market and now we turn around and support them because there product is a little cheaper, not this farmer......thankyou  

but what percentage of any product in any grocery store is Canadian product.....just asking cause I sure see product of insert foreign country. And have you researched what passes for Product of Canada according to our Federal Government like Chinese apple concentrate and Canadian water in who knows where's packaging. Product of Canada should be made with Canadian product otherwise you are only supporting those who have the most creative advertising.  

borderview said "that goes down to the states to save money on groceries is directly killing the family farm in canada.The american farmer is subsidized by the goverment so that the american people can eat cheap food,our product up here is as good as anywere in the world, support canadian product,shop in Canada,just remember how the canadian beef producer was treatd back when b.s.e hit,we were told that our beef was not safe for there market and now we turn around and support them because there product is a little cheaper, not this farmer......thankyou   "

 
Farmers Feed The World!!!!! not Walmart, Safeway, Sobys & Superstore, etc  
 
But as hypocritical as this seems, when ever I am in Botno, I DO stock up on International Delight { Irish Creme flavor} LOL  
 
Edited by rkd5.9, 2012-06-15 17:36:54

when i am in grand forks i always stock up on excedrin migraine. does anyone know if bottineau walmart sells it?

We go once or twice a month, but we're only 25 minutes away.  
 
We don't get any meat down there, and try to stay away from the dairy. American food standards aren't as stringent as Canadians standards. Cheese is the exception though because its way cheaper.  
 
The oddest thing I've noticed, and in part is cause of the American culture regard food, is the price of pop. A 12 pack of pop is around $4.25, which isn't a whole lot better than here. But a cube (24 pack) is just just under $6 I think.

We go to Bottineau to get a lot of different sugar free products that are not carried up here for some reason. The Blue Bunny various ice cream products that are made with Splenda are sooo good. The Banana Split flavor is the best. They also have Klondike sugar free ice cream bars as well as other brands. The soft dog food is a lot cheaper down there too. An interesting item that is waaay cheaper is the make off pads. Up here at Super Store, they are over $4. Down there, they are about $2.69. There are more different kinds of jam down there too that are sugar free. My friend and I go down together and split the gas. Heinz ketchup in the 1 litre bottle is only $2. So I will be continuing to cross border shop.

sugar free jello instant pudding, so good and when I contacted kraft about it they said they had no plans to bring it north of the border

Here is a fantastic site that will give you recipes with everything made from scratch. It is my favorite for this purpose. You will find copycat recipes for almost anything here, including mixes (spice mixes, cake mixes, etc), homemade soups & mixes, mac & cheese, cheese for the mac & cheese, etc. I am not sure if I put my McCain cake recipe on here or not...I don't remember if I did. We much prefer it over the bought version any day.  
 
http://chickensintheroad.com/?s=hamburger+helper

For one it is not helping Canada's economy, two there is not that much differences in price going across the border, there is also stoping and paying tax at the border, I personally I only go down for the Bottineau races.

Dean Coupland said "For one it is not helping Canada's economy, two there is not that much differences in price going across the border, there is also stoping and paying tax at the border, I personally I only go down for the Bottineau races. "

see you don't check prices much....

Terry9366 said "    Dean Coupland said "For one it is not helping Canada's economy, two there is not that much differences in price going across the border, there is also stoping and paying tax at the border, I personally I only go down for the Bottineau races. " see you don't check prices much.... "

as I am reading about the sugar free items down there, we are now planning a trip. Hubby has diabetes and there is not much here to buy.  
 
If the products were here, we wouldn't think of going down there.

they don't charge an arm and a leg for the sugar-free/ diabetic products. you can go to Walmart.com pick Bottineau and search sugar free in the groceries and see what they offer in-store

We go here and there. The main goal isn't really to save money (although we do), but it's just a different and interesting day trip. We like the variety of certain products.

Flutterby said "Here is a fantastic site that will give you recipes with everything made from scratch. It is my favorite for this purpose. You will find copycat recipes for almost anything here, including mixes (spice mixes, cake mixes, etc), homemade soups & mixes, mac & cheese, cheese for the mac & cheese, etc. I am not sure if I put my McCain cake recipe on here or not...I don't remember if I did. We much prefer it over the bought version any day.     http://chickensintheroad.com/?s=hamburger+helper "

I know you didn't post the site for me lol but i went and took a look and she has some great recipes on there!!! now i'm in a baking mood LOL

For those of you who are judging me or anyone else for going to the states for shopping...where in my post did I put "can i have your input on what you think of my shopping in the states" ????  
I asked if anyone was interested in car pooling. I didn't ask your opinion on the Canadian economy or my shopping down south.  
Why is it that someone can't start a thread without it causing a big debate.