Grocery shopping

[Girl_Next_Door]

In general, groceries are quite expensive if you shop in supermarket. I love to check out supermarkets when I travel, so I have a rough idea on how the prices compare from Europe, US, Aust and other countries. There is no encouragement to buy in bulk as well for a lower price (like in US & AU).

Personally, I shop heavy stuff (Coke, Water, Washing Detergent, etc) via Redmart. They deliver for free if you spend more than $75 (I think) and the schedule is quite good (They can send after 8pm on weekdays). Cold storage delivers but they charge $7. Chances is, if you have to carry cartons of water, coke & detergents, you will need to get a cab and that adds another $10-20 to the overall cost (depending on where you stay).

For seafood/fish, vegs and flowers, I will try to get them on weekends in the wet market near my place. They are much cheaper and fresher. You can also purchase them based on the exact quantity that you need (large or small) instead of pre-packed quantity. You can google "wet market Singapore" to find the nearest one to you.

For specific herbs (You cant find thymes, basil, rosemary in wet markets), fresh produce & cheese, that we consume on weekdays, I will pop over to the cold storage. These are much smaller in quantity, and yes, they still cost between $50 - $100 each time I go there.

Hope this is helpful!

[Wd40]

In general, groceries are quite expensive if you shop in supermarket. I love to check out supermarkets when I travel, so I have a rough idea on how the prices compare from Europe, US, Aust and other countries. There is no encouragement to buy in bulk as well for a lower price (like in US & AU).

Personally, I shop heavy stuff (Coke, Water, Washing Detergent, etc) via Redmart. They deliver for free if you spend more than $75 (I think) and the schedule is quite good (They can send after 8pm on weekdays). Cold storage delivers but they charge $7. Chances is, if you have to carry cartons of water, coke & detergents, you will need to get a cab and that adds another $10-20 to the overall cost (depending on where you stay).

For seafood/fish, vegs and flowers, I will try to get them on weekends in the wet market near my place. They are much cheaper and fresher. You can also purchase them based on the exact quantity that you need (large or small) instead of pre-packed quantity. You can google "wet market Singapore" to find the nearest one to you.

For specific herbs (You cant find thymes, basil, rosemary in wet markets), fresh produce & cheese, that we consume on weekdays, I will pop over to the cold storage. These are much smaller in quantity, and yes, they still cost between $50 - $100 each time I go there.

Hope this is helpful!

Now I get it! Cold Storage is for westerners what mustafa is for Indians. Thats why so much support for CS

[sundaymorningstaple]

Yeah, if you mean the ones who are resistant to assimilation.

[Girl_Next_Door]

Now I get it! Cold Storage is for westerners what mustafa is for Indians. Thats why so much support for CS

I think that it is largely dependent on where you stays and your dietary preference. The NTUC near me is poorly stocked and I can get better produce from the wet market. Things that I can't get, CS is the nearest option without having to get a cab. Personally, I do like Market Place but it is not too convenient, so CS is the next best option.

[Steve1960]

We shop in Fair Price because it is convenient and buy things like detergents, cleaning products, juices, cheese etc. Maybe not the cheapest but within easy walking distance.

Then we buy all our meat, seafood, fish and vegetables at the local wet market.

Infrequently Cold Storage for the odd UK home comfort

Seems to be a good combination.

[nutnut]

It's probably the brands you are buying that's the problem, detach from the brands and you will find it cheaper (oh and booze and meat!)

[ameraussie]

Hi there,

we've just moved here and did our first food shop. It was a medium shop, certainly not a week's worth - no meat or alcohol, just basics.

It was a bit of a shock $370.

We went to Cold Storage in Jelita. Please can anyone give me advice on better/ cheaper places to shop.

Thank you

To the OP, I live in your area and strongly recommend staying away from Cold Storage Jelita. If you don't have a car, I suggest taking the bus up to Fair Price Bukit Timah in Bukit Timah Plaza for a big weekly shop. Great selection, plenty of room to move a trolley around, and free home delivery of your non-perishable goods if you spend over $200. I shop at Cold Storage Jelita only as a last resort and have seen many identical items on a 100% markup over FairPrice. We are not big meat eaters and don't eat a lot of processed food, which can be expensive here. But the kids eat plenty of cheese, and I'd say we spend about $350 a fortnight there (including about 12 beers) for a family of four. Taxi home with the cheese and veggies costs about $7 (or what you'd pay for an online delivery).

For produce, I either shop FairPrice or Ghim Moh market. There's a great market stall on the corner with marked prices. Some things are cheaper than Fairprice, some things are about the same. But it's convenient if you live in the area, and you can grab a nice snack from the hawker market while you're there.

Also at Ghim Moh is a very small Giant, which is about on par with Fairprice, but not a great selection. It's good for picking up those random mid-week odds and ends.

Oh, and there's a Sheng Shiong (sp?) in the new HDB development opposite Ghim Moh Market on Commonwealth Ave, but I haven't tried that one yet, so couldn't vouch for prices.

Overall, I'd say we're spending about $200 a week on supermarket and wet market shopping, eating mostly veggies and tofu, with the occasional splurge on fish, chicken or prawns. And a beer or two every day.

Happy Shopping!

[Cebrose]

Well a big thanks for all the help and advice on food shopping. I've been here a few weeks now and already I'm shopping around a bit more. So far I've found Fairprice and the Giant at Turf City. I think my first shop was probably as suggested lots of detergents and cleaning stuff and mostly uk/ us brands that I recognised. I'm gradually trying some more local brands and weening myself off these. I think I can use CS for a few things which won't break the bank if I get my main shop elsewhere. I know other newbies will find all these contributions useful and certainly make it a bit less daunting.

Many thanks

[Pennywhistle]

@girl_next_door. Thanks for the info re: online shopping. I wonder if anyone else has used the service? I have been researching grocery costs and I think online is pretty reasonable (and convenient) and might just be the way to go with an 8 month old in tow negotiating public transport. I'm in Australia and the cost of food here is pretty insane especially compared with the US, and I don't see our prices as much different to Singapore. (mind you, i'm not there yet so can't be too sure...and that excludes alcohol and we aren't drinkers). The OP's cost for their first shop nearly made me fall off my chair!

[movingtospore]

Well a big thanks for all the help and advice on food shopping. I've been here a few weeks now and already I'm shopping around a bit more. So far I've found Fairprice and the Giant at Turf City. I think my first shop was probably as suggested lots of detergents and cleaning stuff and mostly uk/ us brands that I recognised. I'm gradually trying some more local brands and weening myself off these. I think I can use CS for a few things which won't break the bank if I get my main shop elsewhere. I know other newbies will find all these contributions useful and certainly make it a bit less daunting.

Many thanks

Beware of some of the cheapie local brand laundry detergent. Destroys the fabric in your clothes. You'll put your shirt on in a few weeks and wonder how it goes so threadbare that you can see through it.

[nakatago]

Well a big thanks for all the help and advice on food shopping. I've been here a few weeks now and already I'm shopping around a bit more. So far I've found Fairprice and the Giant at Turf City. I think my first shop was probably as suggested lots of detergents and cleaning stuff and mostly uk/ us brands that I recognised. I'm gradually trying some more local brands and weening myself off these. I think I can use CS for a few things which won't break the bank if I get my main shop elsewhere. I know other newbies will find all these contributions useful and certainly make it a bit less daunting.

Many thanks

Beware of some of the cheapie local brand laundry detergent. Destroys the fabric in your clothes. You'll put your shirt on in a few weeks and wonder how it goes so threadbare that you can see through it.

Some of the powdered detergents even have fillers (probably chalk).

Stick with the evil megaconglomerate brands (by e.g. unilever, p&g, colgate/palmolive) until you find another brand that works best for you. Note that some "brands" may not be named as such. Tide, for example, is absent.

[uscate]

Cebrose - lucky you to be so close to Turf City!! I love PasarBella - we shop there every other weekend or so for various treats - it's a great place to spend some time - sort of a EuroSing vibe....

[chaaraard]

Well I buy my food from the same place the supermarkets get it; the pasir panjang wholesale center. I.e. 1 kg of white button mushrooms can be bought for $8, whereas 200g of the same mushrooms are sold at cold storage for 5$. Go figure.

Turf city giant is good, so is giant at vivocity, pasir panjang wholesale centre. And if you have friends in bunkering they could also know other places.

[janiceliu88]

I second going local - the meat especially is insanely good, eggs are a fair bit cheaper, etc etc. Then again I live right above Tekka Market so I'm a happy camper, it's the kind of thing you need to jump right in into. But as for detergents and things like that, there are actually shops in Chinatown dedicated to selling soap, shampoo, detergents etc en masse, so those will probably be more affordable, and that's where all the older locals shop anyways. I think it was either People's Park Centre or Complex? I don't know if the savings would be significant enough to warrant a trip down, but if you happen to be in the area it doesn't hurt to look.

Also, Mustaffa is reasonable but I think there is a mark-up since it's 24-hours. And if you're looking for like, junk food (like soda, beverages chips etc) there are also ValueDollar outlets all around that do really cheap deals, that also have shampoos and the like