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inotu-unotme · Joined: 26 May 2013 Posts: 197

For people who actually live in Mexico...

Places like walmart and a few other chain stores still don't have those 'deals' like you find in the states.
You know the type of deals where its totally obvious your getting more food for the money?
We find food hits our bank account pretty hard.

Where do you shop for staple food items that help you come out ahead financially?

There is a costco in the area and we were thinking about buying things from there like tp, fruit, vegetables, butter, oil, soap and a few other things we eat all the time.
The costco is not super close to where we live so we have to make a special trip out there.

Please feel free to name drop where you shop, we have most of the large chain stores.

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:23 pm Post subject:

I have found that most stores charge roughly double (and sometimes a LOT more than double) for the same things you can get at a tianguis or traditional market. When I lived in Mexico City there was a Chedrahui nearby that I use d to compare prices. In general, shop where Mexicans shop, not at chain stores. You might find some deals by watching what is on sale and stocking up. If you have a Waldos in your area that is a good place to find paper products, cleaning products and all kind of plastic stuff - buckets, planters, etc. And they have periodic sales where you get a percent off if you buy a specific amount. For example, this last week they had a promotion where if you bought 300 pesos worth of stuff you got 100 pesos off. Needless to say I made a couple of trips and now have a years' supply of toilet paper, Jabon zote and a few other things.

inotu-unotme · Joined: 26 May 2013 Posts: 197

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 11:25 pm Post subject:

Do you have traditional markets where you live? If you do, that will be your best bet.

MotherF · Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 12:42 pm Post subject:

When I first moved into the town I live in now there were no supermarkets. There are now, but I've long since gotten just to not buying things there.
I buy everything perishable at the market. I buy what's in season--though there was a government program to get more greenhouses in the state so most veggies don't seem to go out of season anymore, only fruits. We only eat meat at home like once a week--then it's often just something with some chorrizo added in, it's so much cheaper to not eat meat.
I buy many of my dry goods in bulk from a market vender as well, flour, oats, amaranth, raisins, nuts, jamaica. beans, garbanzos, lentils, dried chiles, chocolate, etc.
I got to the ISSTE store for other things. You do not have to be afiliated with ISSTE to shop there, but if you are, you can get a discount card.
There I buy, pet food, cereal, rice, cleaning products, toilet paper, peanut butter and milk. Those things all seem to be cheaper than in our bodega and soriana.
They have shorter hours though, so I have to go on the weekend. If I need something during the week I usually go to bodega. And at those times I'll pick up something they sell there that I can't get other places. Like a cake mix or something.

notamiss · Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 7:11 pm Post subject:

We live in an almost semi-rural village in Mexico City. We shop at our once-a-week village market for some fresh vegetables and fruit, and some prepared foods (chiles rellenos, tortas de papa, guisados de verduras, etc.) In between market days, if we need additional ingredients for day-to-day meals, we buy them at the abarrotes, carnicerías, or pollerías in the village.

Once a week on average we also shop at Costco and Mega Comercial (located next to each other). Occasionally at Chedraui or Aurrera if we happen to be close to one of those stores.

I can’t compare our shopping to “deals” like in the States because I’ve never lived there, so I don’t know how much cheaper they might be.

MotherF · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 1:26 am Post subject:

I am from the states, but I've never lived there as an adult, so I'm not really sure about what you mean by "deals" either. Confused

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 4:59 pm Post subject:

inotu-unotme · Joined: 26 May 2013 Posts: 197

The ISSTE store is what I was thinking of but i don't know the exact location.
they say they have good deals there on everyday things.
my fiance has a card - i didn't know we got a discount.
i'll make sure he finds out whats going on with that.

i'm super cheap and have always had to be careful with money.
by deals i mean at walmart in the states where if you want dish soap you can get the walmart brand 15 oz for $2.00.
or you can pay for the name brand for 15 oz for $5.00.
there just seems to be an obvious cheap choice if thats what you choose to do.
but theres seems to be no such thing in mexico.
all the prices and brands seem to be ironically close.

and i totally agreee that meat is weirdly overpriced so we rarely eat it.
i'm really wondering if the costco in mexico has 'costco' hotdogs.
and i know this may seem non important but i'd love to get turkey lunch meat.
we end up getting this ham type stuff all the time and there does not seem to be anything else available.
i just miss turkey lunch meat.

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 4:07 pm Post subject:

Both WalMart and Bodega Aurrera have their own store brand and they do seem to be cheaper. I rarely buy processed/frozen/canned/jarred food though so it doesn't effect me much. Maybe the real issue is that you are trying to shop as you did in the US instead of taking advantage of fresh fruit and veggies that are in season, which can be dirt cheap. If you have the space, why not plant a garden. I had a nice garden this year and produced tomatoes, zuchinni, corn, cucumbers and a few other things. I probably saved 3000 or 4000 pesos over the course of 6 months with about 200 pesos worth of seeds. Not sure about turkey lunch meat, but you should be able to get turkey ham pretty much anywhere (jamon de pavo).

notamiss · Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:27 pm Post subject:

Where are you living that they don’t have turkey lunch meat? Here it’s in all the supermarkets, even down to the mom-and-pop corner stores.

MotherF · Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:01 pm Post subject:

I live in a TINY place and we have Pechuga de pavo in the Bodega Aurrera and one or two "carnes frias" place. But it isn't very popular with the locals who almost always get turkey ham. The pechuga is not great, but at least it's not dyed pink like the ham.

If you do plant a garden you should try chayote, super easy to grow and it's a climbing vine so you don't need a big place it can grow on a balcony. He really helped me through a tight patch a few years ago when my husband wasn't receiving any income--but I ate so much of it then that I later torn out the vine I got so sick of it. Laughing

Just ask a Taxi driver for the location of the ISSTE store. LaLa and Alpura Milk is almost 2 pesos cheaper a liter there, but our local Aurrera has Liconsa milk which is government issue and cheaper still. I buy Green Option toilet paper at the ISSTE store, which none of our other stores carry and laundry detergent is cheaper there--but it's hit or miss if they have the kind I want, so when they do I usually stock up.

BadBeagleBad remember that it can take a couple of years to change eating, cooking, shopping habits. I eased into it because I lived alone my first few years here and ate out most of the time as I had a lot of dispossible income pre-family. But I do seem to remember it taking a couple of years for me to not be hungry at noon, crave a typical Mexican meal, and I did a lot of reading to learn how to make things from scratch, and I would still kill for an awesome sandwich even after living here 15 years!

MotherF · Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:38 pm Post subject:

Isla Guapa · Posted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 4:04 am Post subject:

inotu-unotme · Joined: 26 May 2013 Posts: 197

Thanks for the ideas...

It seems like the stores only carry what my fiance calls turkey ham.
If you ask at the store for turkey they will show you the turkey ham.
I actually don't mind it.
But, a different type of lunch meat would be nice sometimes.
I still need to check at the costco but my hopes aren't high to find different lunchmeat.
And there are thousands of kinds of hotdogs - and I'll eat those.
But, the hotdogs seem to have a taste I find odd - like the ones by fud.
And the american brands cost almost $7.00 for a package - so that ain't going to happen in my lifetime.
Some of the prices for import foods I just won't pay.

I have heard some people on forums saying you can order turkey lunchmeat.
I don't know - I have to see about that.

The garden actually does not seem like a bad idea.
But, we live in an apartment with no front yard or back yard.
My parents have a hard time understanding we don't have a back deck or something.
Most people barbeque on the sidewalk in front of their place.
We live so close to the ocean extra land is hard to come by in apartment living.
So, no garden room for me.