Grocery Shopping

S

SKing

Silver
Nov 22, 2007
3,750
183
63
OK, so I'm trying to get my monthly "gastos" down and my food bill seems to be a very large one. I'd just like to take a poll in Santiago, where do you guys shop? How many are you buying for? How much do you spend monthly?
I still find myself spending 10,000rd a shopping trip, even though I feel like I'm just buying what we need. I managed to lower it to 30,000rd last month instead of 40,000rd but I'd like to see if I can get it down to 5,000rd-6,000rd per week.

Basically 2 adults and 3 kids (and none of them eat much) and I usually shop at Bravo and La Sirena (Duarte) with the occasional hop to Nacional. I mean, any tips...special days of the week to shop? Better, cheaper place to buy fruits, and vegetables? We did bring the bill down significantly when Bertania told me to stop buying that "porqueria" juice and gave me a list of fruits and now she makes all the juices but still....30,000rd/mo??? Thats a food bill for several months for some families.

And they don't take coupons here :-(

I had stop smuggling in the Tombstone frozen pizzas from NY but I think I will start that up again because the only frozen pizza they like now is one from Bravo that sets me back almost 500rd each. And the Tombstone full-size here is only $4.99, sometimes on sale for 3/$10.

Any tips?

SHALENA
 
P

PeterInBrat

Gold
May 29, 2006
10,265
200
0
Not sure if this will help. Here are some sample menu planners I've done up for a summer camp I used to work for. Some meals are expensive and some are very cheap.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...9DQ2N3bjdHZTFldGNOYWpKM3c&usp=drive_web#gid=0

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...JmQUxVZVBWQkxrWWI5RVVFcGc&usp=drive_web#gid=0

Do you ever make homemade Mac and Cheese? That's always popular with the kids.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlL6yHkghAxFdE5sYlQweFhLZW54TVJfc2tyV2pLWmc#gid=0

Here are all of the recipes I've written down. You'll have to cut them back for a family of four:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...B1QW1Ca3U0amNpM3NpS2FaMnc&usp=drive_web#gid=0
 
M

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
SKing said:
OK, so I'm trying to get my monthly "gastos" down and my food bill seems to be a very large one. I'd just like to take a poll in Santiago, where do you guys shop? How many are you buying for? How much do you spend monthly?
I still find myself spending 10,000rd a shopping trip, even though I feel like I'm just buying what we need. I managed to lower it to 30,000rd last month instead of 40,000rd but I'd like to see if I can get it down to 5,000rd-6,000rd per week.

Basically 2 adults and 3 kids (and none of them eat much) and I usually shop at Bravo and La Sirena (Duarte) with the occasional hop to Nacional. I mean, any tips...special days of the week to shop? Better, cheaper place to buy fruits, and vegetables? We did bring the bill down significantly when Bertania told me to stop buying that "porqueria" juice and gave me a list of fruits and now she makes all the juices but still....30,000rd/mo??? Thats a food bill for several months for some families.

And they don't take coupons here :-(

I had stop smuggling in the Tombstone frozen pizzas from NY but I think I will start that up again because the only frozen pizza they like now is one from Bravo that sets me back almost 500rd each. And the Tombstone full-size here is only $4.99, sometimes on sale for 3/$10.

Any tips?

SHALENA
Click to expand...

Same situation here. If we buy what we need, the bill is around 40k per month and only if I push and restrain a lot we can get it down to 30 /32 k. Nothing luxury.

In Santo Domingo we have the feria ganadero where they sell cheap fruits, vegetables and meat (i think). I think you are in Santiago(?) I suppose they have something like that.
 
caribmike

caribmike

Gold
Jul 9, 2009
6,808
202
63
30 K for 2 adult and 3 kids sounds about right.

We are 2 adults / 1 kid / 1 dog and spend around 5 K per week for groceries (nothing fancy) in Bavaro.
 
R

Rep Dom

Bronze
Dec 27, 2011
1,237
0
0
I mostly eat fruits, which I buy from a truck... One of the reason I moved to DR is to stop to eat all the usual crap we get in our rich bankrupted countries: I radically stopped eating anything with sugar, alcohol, all sorts of chemicals...
I dont eat meat as I dont like to eat animals...

So the food bill is quite low
 
bronzeallspice

bronzeallspice

Live everyday like it's your last
Mar 26, 2012
11,009
2
38
Food is expensive in the DR and about the only things that are not are fruits and veggies(local).
 
V

VJS

Bronze
Sep 19, 2010
846
0
36
You can buy local produce (fruits, vegs, grains etc) at a large street market called Hospedaje - about half of supermarket price. If you just replace anything imported with local ingredients, your bill goes down significantly.
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,157
6,328
113
South Coast
We've been here 10 days and have spent about 14,000 in supermarket and veggie/fruit stands. That's high because it includes "start up" paper products, etc., but everything here costs at least as much as US, usually more. We shipped down rice and oil with our boxes, so those aren't included. Also shipped down our Tide liquid laundry detergent and some other foods, so could have been much higher. [also brought big chunks of Italian Parmigiana, Locatelli - both from Sam's Club - and Grana Padana from Trader Joe's- in my suitcase!]

This is for 4 adults - the two of us, housekeeper, caretaker; we did have a cousin with us for 6 days too, but he didn't show up empty-handed.

This country is NOT cheap to eat!
 
G

grumpy

New member
Sep 22, 2013
182
0
0
Shalena, I spend about 16,000RD$ a month for my husband and I . We shop at Bravo (although every week it seems to have less of the things I usually buy the week before), Nacional for chicken, meat, etc. and La Sirena for tea and cornmeal. We rarely buy fish anymore.
I think La Sirena is the cheapest one (the one in Av Bartolome Colon is huge and has pretty much everything, never been to the one in JP Duarte Av).

I could probably use some tips as well, now that I'm reading all this...
 
C

Casino127

Member
Jan 13, 2012
233
15
18
SKing said:
OK, so I'm trying to get my monthly "gastos" down and my food bill seems to be a very large one. I'd just like to take a poll in Santiago, where do you guys shop? How many are you buying for? How much do you spend monthly?
I still find myself spending 10,000rd a shopping trip, even though I feel like I'm just buying what we need. I managed to lower it to 30,000rd last month instead of 40,000rd but I'd like to see if I can get it down to 5,000rd-6,000rd per week.

Basically 2 adults and 3 kids (and none of them eat much) and I usually shop at Bravo and La Sirena (Duarte) with the occasional hop to Nacional. I mean, any tips...special days of the week to shop? Better, cheaper place to buy fruits, and vegetables? We did bring the bill down significantly when Bertania told me to stop buying that "porqueria" juice and gave me a list of fruits and now she makes all the juices but still....30,000rd/mo??? Thats a food bill for several months for some families.

And they don't take coupons here :-(

I had stop smuggling in the Tombstone frozen pizzas from NY but I think I will start that up again because the only frozen pizza they like now is one from Bravo that sets me back almost 500rd each. And the Tombstone full-size here is only $4.99, sometimes on sale for 3/$10.

Any tips?

SHALENA
Click to expand...
I don t know Santiago, but i am far sure there is a mercado central who sells all the fresh vegetables from around the city. In the mercado there are butchers who sells meat at very good price. 75 pesos a pound of lean no bones and fat from beef and
pork. filet $130 pesos and filet mignon at 150 and less. If you stick to the Europeen or American mentality buying in big
surface ( Wind Dixie, Public, Wallmart, Costco ect...) you shall pay the price !! Go Dominican and you will save your pesos.
Good luck.
 
malko

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
5,561
1,345
113
Me and my wife and 3 dogs. One trip a month to santiago, national or sirena, 12/15000 pesos mostly treat stuff ( filet of beef, chocolate, dogfood, soap, imported cheese, bread, wine....).
Out in our campo chicken ( 45 pesos la lb), fresh fish ( depends on type but cheap), water ( 30 pesos el botellon), local cheese ( 100 pesos more or less la lb depends on type). No more than 4000 pesos.
We eat our own veg ( potatoes, sprouts, salads, guandoule, platano, guineo, carrots, aubergine, courgettes......) and our own fruits (grapefruits, oranges, mandarines, tandarin, bananas, avocadoes, manzana de oro, strawberrys, mangoes......).
 
C

Casino127

Member
Jan 13, 2012
233
15
18
For us gringos everything imported is expensive. Local stuff is dam cheap. Tomatoes at 20 pesos la Lbs. Avocate 20p each , Potatoes at 18p, Red oignons 35p, Honey 120 for 350ml, 2 liters and half soft drink 53 p. 700ml Rhum 200p, beer 70,
bread 5p a roll, chocolate powder one Lbs 185 pesos. ect.... I find expensive gas for cars and powder milk who is imported as well as caviar and foie gras !!!
 
R

RV429

Bronze
Apr 3, 2011
1,574
1
36
Ms. King, A few of the posters have mentioned to "go Dominican" and I think that is your most sensible path to getting that bill down. Cutting out the frozen foods (pizza) and American stuff cuts out the most expensive part of your shopping cart. I like Jumbo and National but don't buy the American stuff. We get fruits/veggies from the back yard and/or truck. Tia makes fresh juice from the fruits every day or two with whatever is in season. Meals are accompanied with slice avocado (in season) and the always present rice/beans/yucca/salami and so on. Salads with fresh cukes, cabbage, tomatoe, onions. No burgers or bacon or expensive cereals. Oatmeal or chocolate or eggs for breakfast. It took me a number of years to accept the Dominican diet and now it's all I eat when in country. I feed many more for much less than the 30K.
 
bronzeallspice

bronzeallspice

Live everyday like it's your last
Mar 26, 2012
11,009
2
38
malko said:
Me and my wife and 3 dogs. One trip a month to santiago, national or sirena, 12/15000 pesos mostly treat stuff ( filet of beef, chocolate, dogfood, soap, imported cheese, bread, wine....).
Out in our campo chicken ( 45 pesos la lb), fresh fish ( depends on type but cheap), water ( 30 pesos el botellon), local cheese ( 100 pesos more or less la lb depends on type). No more than 4000 pesos.
We eat our own veg ( potatoes, sprouts, salads, guandoule, platano, guineo, carrots, aubergine, courgettes......) and our own fruits (grapefruits, oranges, mandarines, tandarin, bananas, avocadoes, manzana de oro, strawberrys, mangoes......).
Click to expand...

You have a grocery store in your backyard!:D That's the best way to live, off the land!
 
D

donP

Newbie
Dec 14, 2008
6,942
178
0
Healthy?

Rep Dom said:
It is cheap AND HEALTHY (which is the most important) when you buy local...
Click to expand...

In a country where locally grown food is hardly ever controlled for pesticides, herbicides and other contamination it is rather doubtful whether the vegetables and fruit you buy are healthy... :tired:

Farm chemicals (even those which were prohibited in other countries many years ago) are used excessively here and can be bought without restrictions almost anywhere ('our colmado' sells them, too...).

"Many countries had much higher refusal rates than Mexico based on their quantity of U.S. exports. For example, the Dominican Republic, which exported $4.5 billion to the U.S. last year, saw 895 shipments turned away, mostly for pesticides." *

*)
Although this quote is a few years old, I suspect that things have not changed much... :ermm:

donP
 
V

VJS

Bronze
Sep 19, 2010
846
0
36
donP said:
In a country where locally grown food is hardly ever controlled for pesticides, herbicides and other contamination it is rather doubtful whether the vegetables and fruit you buy are healthy... :tired:

Farm chemicals (even those which were prohibited in other countries many years ago) are used excessively here and can be bought without restrictions almost anywhere ('our colmado' sells them, too...).
Click to expand...

Good point, although I think most fruits and vegetables in Nacional and La Sirena are produced in DR too, so they probably have similar chance of being full of pesticides as the ones from a street market. If I am being poisoned either way, I'd rather pay 15 pesos for a pound of tomatos at the market than 30 at Nacional.

I think the best way to get cleanest produce in DR is to have some sort of a campo connection, e.g. friends or family, where they produce everything at small scale and you know no chemicals are used in the process.
 
malko

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
5,561
1,345
113
My homegrown stuff only gets cow pat from time to time.... no chemicals and stuff. But u loose stuff from time to time to parasites and like. ( 2nd year I ve been having problems with a "spore/fungi" attacking mandarine and orange trees).
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,157
6,328
113
South Coast
VJS said:
Good point, although I think most fruits and vegetables in Nacional and La Sirena are produced in DR too, so they probably have similar chance of being full of pesticides as the ones from a street market. If I am being poisoned either way, I'd rather pay 15 pesos for a pound of tomatos at the market than 30 at Nacional.

I think the best way to get cleanest produce in DR is to have some sort of a campo connection, e.g. friends or family, where they produce everything at small scale and you know no chemicals are used in the process.
Click to expand...

You're right about the price differences for fruits/veggies. The first day here I stopped at a stand [we're lucky, there's a big one at our corner in front of the beach] and spent 600 pesos for LOTS. Potatoes, avocados, bananas, onions, garlic, peppers, cilantro, cachuchas, yuca, etc. The avocados were 15 pesos. The next day at La Sirena they were 29 pesos. Almost everything there was close to double the price of the stand.
 
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