Food Shopping (Boston, Somerville, Medford: find a job, neighborhood, buying)

[grez]

Hi,

Me and my wife are relocating to BOS due to my postdoc position (from Europe). At the beginning we gonna have to live from my not so big scholarship and I wonder what is the cheapest place to purchase food and basic products? Big chain stores like TARGET/COSTCO or local ma and pa stores ?

thanx

[lukec]

You are not going to find any budget chain stores in Boston. There may be a couple of chain supermarkets. But if youre looking for a Costco or a Target in the city, good luck.

If you are bringing a car, your best bet is probably driving to Somerville. There's a few cheap outlet stores there.

[goyguy]

The regional chains called Foodmaster and Market Basket sell at a lower profit margin than the "fancier" supermarkets such as Shaw's and Stop & Shop. Although the stores are smaller and not as showy, with a somewhat smaller selection, you can save a lot compared to what the bigger stores charge. Both Market Basket and Foodmaster have locations in Somerville.
Purchasing non-perishables in bulk might mean making the occasional excursion to Costco or BJ's, both of which have stores in the area (BJ's in Medford, Costco in Everett.)
Neighborhood grocers, just like convenience stores e.g. 7-Eleven, rarely offer bargains any more. Their wholesale costs are higher since they're not buying at the volume the bigger stores do.

[miu]

You can save a ton of money right off the bat by never buying food and beverages from restaurants. Make your own coffee in the morning. Pack your own lunches. Keep a diary of your daily expenditures.

With the basic grocery stores like Stop n Shop, one can save by only buying what's on sale. And when making chicken, buy whole chickens, not chicken parts. Or buying a whole pork shoulder to roast, not smaller packages of the more expensive per pound cuts.

BTW why won't your wife be working?

[mmyk72]

If you buy basic items onsale and freeze the meats and stock up on nonperishables, it really cuts the cost vs buying just in time. Look at the weekly ads and plan according to what's on sale.

Depending on where you live, it may not be worth driving out of your way to shop for groceries. Aside from MB, Asian grocers have fantastic selection of fruits and veges at much lower prices. The quality is now much better than 4-5 yrs ago due to more competition from new store additions. The ones I go to are close to Chinatown in Boston. Outside Bos, there is KimMan in Qunicy, Super88 on Allston, Hmart in Burlington but to me, I prefer Cmart in Bos for the prices and selection. These stores tend to be more chaotic and you may be the few non-Asian inside the whole place but don't let that scare you.

In general, unprocessed basic food items in the US is downright cheap. I'm talking about whole chicken, eggs, milk, valuepaks of beef, pork, drumstick, loafs of bread, flour, etc. You definitely save a lot of money doing your own cooking vs buying frozen or store prepared entrees. Save restaurant meals for special occasions.

BTW, I don't think warehouse stores (BJ, Costco) save you money on basic food purchases and you have to pay 45 in annual membership. I know people who make out well from buying wines, medication, etc but basic food items are not that discounted compared to buying on sale. There are a few exceptions where Costco prices are unbeatable but everything comes in gigantic sizes that you may not need.

[grez]

Originally Posted by miu

You can save a ton of money right off the bat by never buying food and beverages from restaurants. Make your own coffee in the morning. Pack your own lunches. Keep a diary of your daily expenditures.

With the basic grocery stores like Stop n Shop, one can save by only buying what's on sale. And when making chicken, buy whole chickens, not chicken parts. Or buying a whole pork shoulder to roast, not smaller packages of the more expensive per pound cuts.

BTW why won't your wife be working?

Working permit to postdoc spouses usually takes about 3 month to get, plus nobody promisses us finding job fast.

[miu]

I worked with five young women from Ireland one summer at a local restaurant. It took them between a month to two months to get their work permits. There is plenty of work in the F & B business and she'd get fed a free meal at work.

Otherwise, what work skills does she have? Where are you coming from? Perhaps she could sell things on eBay or other internet site.

Anyway, if you keep a log of your daily expenses and avoid places like Starbucks and buying lunch from a restaurant, you should get by until your wife can work.

[DobermanBoston]

Originally Posted by goyguy

The regional chains called Foodmaster and Market Basket sell at a lower profit margin than the "fancier" supermarkets such as Shaw's and Stop & Shop. Although the stores are smaller and not as showy, with a somewhat smaller selection, you can save a lot compared to what the bigger stores charge. Both Market Basket and Foodmaster have locations in Somerville.

This can't be overstated. The difference in price between the Somerville Market Basket and the Shaw's that's 1/2 a mile up the road is something like 35% for the exact same groceries.

[grez]

Originally Posted by miu

I worked with five young women from Ireland one summer at a local restaurant. It took them between a month to two months to get their work permits. There is plenty of work in the F & B business and she'd get fed a free meal at work.

Otherwise, what work skills does she have? Where are you coming from? Perhaps she could sell things on eBay or other internet site.

Anyway, if you keep a log of your daily expenses and avoid places like Starbucks and buying lunch from a restaurant, you should get by until your wife can work.

HHH... my wife is not realy a F&B material (short tempered I'd say )
I guess she will try to find a job at biotech