As Canadians grapple with the high cost of living, many are searching for different ways to save money on food.
In a slightly depressing Reddit thread, one person asked Canadians, “What are your broke person cheat codes?” and received hundreds of replies.
While a lot of the comments were sarcastic…
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…there was also plenty of advice from Canadians who’ve found helpful ways to save on food costs.
The original poster, for example, said that if you use the McDonald’s app, “you can get 2 $1 cones in a cup and 2 strawberry pies for $2. So essentially 2 strawberry pie sundaes for $4.”
Following along the lines of fast food cheat codes, another person said they generally stick to buying kids meals because it’s usually cheaper.
“If I want McDonald’s nuggets, I get 2 happy meals; cost is around the same as a 6 piece combo but with 2 extra nuggets, 2 sauces, and the 2 small fries equate to a medium,” reads the comment. “For the drinks, I normally get the milk so that I have extra milk for the week. Plus, you get some yogurt and toys.”
Another Canadian says Ikea is their go-to place for cheap eats.
“Those veggie dogs are cheap, tasty, somewhat nutritious, and fill you up. Plus, lots of sugar-free beverage options if you grab the 2 dogs and a drink combo for 3$ (or whatever it costs),” reads the comment.
When it comes to groceries, one person recommended a nifty Costco hack.
“Shout out to Costco Polish Sausage and Rotisserie chicken. Deboning the chicken, then making chicken noodle soup with the carcass/bones. Probably stretched that chicken out for like 7 meals,” reads the reply.
Another person highly suggests hitting up your local Asian grocer for cheap produce.
“I can fill up a decent sized grocery bag full of fruits and veggies for under $20. It’s also significantly cheaper than the grocery store,” they said.
If you don’t have a car and want groceries delivered to you for cheap, some Canadians shared Uber Eats cheat codes.
“If you use the Uber Eats app to buy groceries from Walmart, add items to ur cart, and abandon the cart for a day or so, you will get discount codes to complete your purchase,” reads one comment.
“Here’s another one if you have the Uber Eats app, sometimes they have grocery promotions, you can get stuff delivered from the store for cheaper than going yourself,” added another.
Reddit user kerfuffles80 had several cheat codes for accessing affordable food including using the Too Good To Go app, joining local “Buy Nothing” groups on Facebook, and joining free food contests at your local corner stores.
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One Reddit user even suggests going to speaker events at universities to take advantage of their free food.
“They often have a nice cheese and fruit and crackers table and you can get a snack and a bottle of water and learn something neat while you eat. If you wait until the end, when catering is taking it down, they’ll often let you take whatever is left,” reads the comment.
“Bring a Tupperware. I’ve gone home with two solo cups full of Brie and blue cheese in my duffle coat pockets on more occasions than I care to admit.”
And a handy non-food related cheat code from Redditor instantdislike is to furnish your new place for free by keeping an eye on Kijiji’s free stuff section.
Do you have any helpful “broke person cheat codes”? Let us know in the comments.