This is just a fun post for me and I would just like to say that having been sort of a stay home dad and husband means that I do the groceries and marketing for the household and the following are what I found out.
Happy reading and in God we Trust.
Unless you are going for prime cut of beef, buying beef at the wet market is a lot cheaper than at the supermarkets but if you go for the pre-packed beef at the supermarket, the price could be around the same than the wet markets but at the wet market, you can ask the butcher for specific portion of the beef.
Whole chicken regardless whether it is the white or black chicken is cheaper at the wet market and the “freshness” is not worse at the wet market. We buy our chicken at a vegetable farm at Chua Chu Kang (CCK). The price for the black chicken is 25 to 50 cents cheaper and the white chicken is 50 cents to a dollar cheaper than Fairprice and usually “fresh” as in slaughtered either on the same day or the day before.
I get most of my fishes at CCK as well. There is a live seafood whole-seller situated at CCK’s Farm Mart. They do chilled and live seafood. I buy my Red Garoupa (Coral Trout) and Soon Hock (Marbled Goby) from them but they are dead ones, not the live ones and they are usually taken out of the tank the same day or the day before and if you are lucky, you may get one of the dying (nor quite dead yet) ones. If you think “Hey, they are dead fishes, no difference from wet market”, well, those at the wet market could be dead for up to a week as they get shipped to Singapore frozen or chilled. Anyway, my mom buys most of the other fishes and usually from wet markets at Kreta Ayer (Chinatown), Boon Keng or Kandang Kerbau (KK).
I have given up buying “fresh” oranges at Fairprice as they are not really fresh especially since I had come across oranges that had mold from the carton boxes stuck on them or the oranges are plain moldy or rotten and are still placed on the shelves. I got picture proof and so Fairprice cannot claim that I am accusing them wrongly especially after 6 feedbacks since November 2012. I buy my oranges nowadays from my neighborhood fruits stall.
A 2L tub of Meiji fresh milk is cheaper at Ang Mo Supermarket than Fairprice and Giant sometime by as much as a dollar.
Infant/child milk powder is also cheapest at Ang Mo Supermarket but up to $2 per tin depending on which brand and size of the tin you buy.
The small tubs of Emmi yogurt are cheaper at Fairprice but only when they offer it at 3 for $2.80 (I think it is $2.80).
Kraft cheeses are not the only cheeses available, other brands especially those from Australian are just as good and tasty and cheaper unless the Kraft cheeses are on offer. Check the expiry date though.
Vegetable is always cheaper and fresher at the farms and so the once a week trip to CCK and Lim Chu Kang for local and organic vegetable.
Australian Calrose rice is just as good and as nice at Thai Jasmine rice. My mother is very particular about rice and used to buy the most expensive Thai Royal Umbrella brand jasmine rice. After introducing her to Australian Calrose rice, she is now a covert. The cheapest but not necessary the worse quality Australian Calrose rice is from Seng Siong that goes for S$11 to $12 for a 5kg bag but the same rice at Giant is $13+.
Unless you are a pasta Connoisseur, locally produced pasta taste just as good but maybe the texture is a little softer but is more forgiving when it comes to cooking. Prices in most Supermarkets are similar.
If you have the time and the transportation, all DIY stuff can be found around Jalan Berseh. Definitely cheaper by a lot than Home-Fix but Home-Fix is convenient.
Mineral waters are mineral water and unless you are inclined towards the gourmet water like Evian or Perrier, locally and Malaysian produced bottled mineral water are just as good. I still have this thing about buying “Home” brand and so I stuck with Ice Mountain that is cheapest at Fairprice, 2 x 2L bottles for $1.20.
Home brands are cheap but not necessary good. I had brought some Home brand nuts before and let’s just say that nowadays I will buy Nature Garden, Tong’s Garden or Camel branded nuts. The only Home brand that I go for still are Fairprice’s soft-pack tissue paper and I stock them and wait until they are on offer before buying more.
Unless you view your bottom as extremely precious and you like toilet papers with tiny blue seashells or dolphin embossed on them, buy the “Compact” brand toilet paper. They are the most value for money (not cheapest) bottom wipes out there.
For plastic containers of various shapes, sizes and uses, the best place is at Toyogo Warehouse situated along Toa Payoh Lorong 8 industrial estate.
Fairprice Unity Healthcare probably has the most value for money pharmaceutical and supplements. I used to get generic Panadol there at $2 for 20 strips. Head down to Guardian or Watson and compare the price yourself.
That’s about enough tips for now.
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