It has been a quiet weekend. I’ve indulged in the benefits of being unemployed and am almost done watching season four of Bones. This week, I aim to be more productive and keep exploring and maybe work on some nursing stuff. Josh has been working, getting the crew houses and hangar ready for the large number of crew we have here now. There are people everywhere! It’s fun…other than the fact that I have to sleep on couch cushions. Ha. Just kidding, we want the pilots to have a good night sleep before their morning flights. They need it more than I do.
A few weeks before Josh went to Iqaluit, the Edmonton Journal ran an article about expensive food prices in Nunavut. Knowing that grocery prices were considerably more than what we pay in Edmonton, we packed as many canned and dry goods as we could squeeze into our luggage. After being here for almost two weeks, I have decided a few things about the food prices.
Expensive is a relative term. It has not taken long for us to adapt to the fact that everything we buy is more expensive than what we paid in Edmonton. Food is expensive, but not as expensive as I expected. I do not get chest pain or anxiety attacks when looking at the prices, like that Edmonton Journal article implied. Mostly, I just try and forget about how cheap I could buy that item for back home and am thankful that we live in a northern community where so much food is very accessible. I think the grocery prices would be worse farther north.
Frugality leads to starvation. There really is no other option to ‘eat cheap.’ The less expensive brands are still expensive. We could cut back to two meals a day instead of three, but I get cranky when I’m hungry, so that is a very bad idea. Ha ha. You just have to accept the prices! Initially, I refused to buy fresh produce, because who really wants to pay ten dollars for a head of wilted lettuce. Honestly! So, we opted for frozen veggies to complete our nutritional needs. But the tastiness of frozen peas and carrots doesn’t last for very long. So today I bought fresh vegetables and just tried to avoid looking at my receipt. And yes, my salad tasted delicious!
Let’s eat out. One of the perks of having to buy expensive groceries is that we eat out more often. Some of the pubs and little diners have very affordable menu selections that make cooking at home more expensive than eating out. Granted, they’re not necessarily the healthiest choice, but they are an alternative to the high grocery prices. One of these little restaurants is the Grind & Brew, right on the waterfront just past the museum. (That is how they give directions here; they don’t seem to use street names.) It is an all day meal kind of place that serves coffee, breakfast sandwiches, delicious pizza and lunch specials, and a wide variety of supper meals. They also deliver and their food is tasty and quite healthy.
Here are some examples of prices that we’re paying in Iqaluit. Keep in mind that the federal government just reinstated their Nutrition North program to subsidize flight costs and make healthy foods more “affordable” until October 2012.
1 Block of Butter $7.65
3 Onions $ 6.79
5 Bananas $ 4.56
2 lb Carrots $4.49
500 g Ground Beef $7.09
2 boxes of Cheerios $21.33
4L Milk $11.65
5 lb Potatoes $7.79
1 bag Frozen Peas $5.79
1 dozen Eggs $3.45
So as you can see, it is more expensive, but not horribly so. I thought we would be surviving this summer on Kraft Dinner and beans to compensate for the grocery prices. But we’ve decided to just accept it, watch for sales and enjoy.
Bon appetite.
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