Grocery prices continue to pinch Canadians' wallets, which is why some have started hunting for deals through flyers and phone apps to get the most bang for their buck.
Headline inflation rose in August, but grocery prices flatlined, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from Statistics Canada. Year-over-year, food prices are still high and out of reach for many.
Many have turned to food banks to help feed their families during the cost-of-living crisis.
Meanwhile, some Canadians have taken it upon themselves to play a "scavenger hunt" through flyers to find the best deals.
Acknowledging the impact of inflation, the Canadian government has asked big grocers to take more action to address rising food costs. One of the tactics is price-matching campaigns.
Price matching is when a customer shows a lower competitor price for the same item at a grocery store and receives that item for the lower price.
Kat Cassidy, a Canadian couponer, runs multiple social media accounts under the handle "living on a loonie." She said she “fell into” the side hustle of content creation after she started sharing tips on couponing and price matching online.
"I was just a university student who was couponing, trying to save money. I had two part-time jobs (and) went to school full-time," Cassidy told CTVNews.ca in an interview. "I just felt like the extreme costs of university as well as living were just taking all of my money, and I had no money left over for the joys."
Looking for another way to save besides budgeting, Cassidy picked up a coupon at her local grocery store, which piqued her curiosity. After that, she started researching online for couponing tips and tricks.
"I found that there was a lot of U.S.-based couponing stuff, but not a lot of Canadians (sharing their couponing stories)," she said. "So I thought that I would just kind of start posting my experience and see if it would help anyone."
Cassidy uses both coupons and price matching at her local grocery store to save $50 to $100 each trip.
In Canada, she said the Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Giant Tiger, Freshco, Maxi, IGA and Save On Foods, among others, will allow customers to match the prices of items sold by their competitors.
Each store does have its own policy, so some will allow price matching, whereas others may only offer it against certain competitors."The thing with price matching that makes it a little bit tricky is that it’s a store-by-store basis because most of these stores that are price matching are franchise, so they are independently owned," Cassidy said. "So they kind of make the rules up, if you will."
This is why it's important to "familiarize yourself" with the local stores, she said.
Using paper flyers, or the Flipp app, an online catalogue of flyers, Cassidy will search for the items she needs that are on sale and will begin creating a grocery list.
If she needs crackers but her local No Frills is offering a higher price than at the local Food Basics, she can price match the item at No Frills for the Food Basics cost, without going to two different stores.
"Make sure that wherever you're price matching, you have the exact product," she said. "You're going to want to make sure you have the same weight, the same item (and) the same brand."
To make it easier for the cashier, Cassidy puts the items she wants to price match at the end of the conveyor belt, which also helps keep her organized.
"I feel like people try to do too much at once or they're just disorganized and they get to the cash (register) and they feel a little bit of anxiety come through and that's why people don't like it," she said. "I always like to say try price matching just one item your first time … and build yourself up from there."
Over the years, many say the rules and where to price match have made saving money harder.
"I’ve noticed it’s not the same, less coupons, more rules at stores … Some stores don’t price match, so it’s basically a game on what to get where, in order to save," Suzette Bellemore, commented on a post in the Extreme Couponing Canada Facebook page.
Sarah Coleman's top tip for price matching is to do it with honesty.
"When you're price matching, don't try to sneak one through, you're gonna ruin it for everybody by doing that," she told CTVNews.ca in an interview.
She's seen people deliberately go to the cashier that seems the youngest to try and save a few extra dollars. Leading with "integrity," she said, makes sure the program continues for everyone.
Another tip is using a calculator while walking around a store to figure out the best deals, she said.
Coleman promotes her tricks on her Facebook page "Counting on a Change." She got into price matching and couponing after her family became food insecure in 2009, when her husband lost his job.
"I have to admit I never once looked at the price of groceries ever," she said of her shopping habits before the layoff.
Sarah Coleman and her family in October 2022. (Contributed)
Coleman said her husband got another job shortly after his severance pay ran out after he was laid off, but it was significantly less than what he was making before.
For a few years, she said her family of six used credit cards and cash advances and even refinanced the mortgage on their home before she decided things needed to change.
One night, after much thought, she listed a prized possession for sale — a collectable porcelain doll.
"I sold something that I really loved and they brought me 20 bucks," Coleman recalled. “I went and bought groceries with it.”
Years later, when Coleman’s family got back on their feet, she said her daughter surprised her with the same doll.
Sarah Coleman is pictured with a grocery haul in St. Thomas, Ont. (Contributed)
Having been directly impacted by food insecurity, Coleman said she wants to share her story and help others who are in the same position she used to be in. She also works as a manager of operations at her local food bank in St. Thomas, Ont., where she regularly organizes workshops on couponing and price matching.
Ultimately, Coleman said she wants to Canadians to know how much price matching can make a difference.
"It took me about two hours and I saved $180 in that two hours, so that's $90 an hour," she said. "So for people to say, 'Oh, it's not worth the time.' I'm like, ‘When have you earned $90 an hour?’"
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Several students have launched an encampment at McGill University as they call on the institution to cut financial ties with Israel.
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
Iraqi authorities on Saturday were investigating the killing of a well-known social media influencer, who was shot by an armed motorcyclist in front of her home in central Baghdad.
As students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at universities across U.S. dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, some universities shut down encampments after reports of antisemitic activity among the protesters.
The 75-year-old British monarch will slowly ease back into public life after a three-month break to focus on his treatment and recuperation after he was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer.
The first criminal prosecution of a former president began in earnest with opening statements and testimony in a lower Manhattan courtroom. But the action quickly spread to involve more than half a dozen cases in four states and the nation's capital. Twice during the week, lawyers for Trump were simultaneously appearing in different courtrooms.
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
TikTok is in the crosshairs of authorities in the U.S., where a new law threatens a nationwide ban unless its China-based parent ByteDance divests. Here are the places that have partial or total bans on TikTok.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning new image of the glowing gas ejected from a dying star, which in this case happens to resemble a 'cosmic dumbbell.'
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Taking place in May in Malmo, Sweden, the 68th annual competition will see acts from 37 countries vie for the continent’s pop crown in a feelgood extravaganza that strives — not always successfully – to banish international strife and division. And you don’t have to be in Europe to watch, or to help pick the winner.
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
The federal and Quebec governments are spending close to $100 million to boost the country's manufacturing capacity for semiconductors, which are vital in technologies ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum computing.
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Take an illustrated look back at the culinary history of Winnipeg.
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Mookie Betts went 3 for 5, including a triple and an RBI single, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Saturday.
Canadian football observers thought it could happen, and on Saturday, it did. Towering offensive lineman Giovanni Manu – who was born in Tonga and grew up in Pitt Meadows, B.C. – became the first player from the University of British Columbia ever to be selected in the NFL draft.
William Nylander has joined the Stanley Cup chase.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Ford’s electric vehicle unit reported that losses soared in the first quarter to US $1.3 billion, or US$132,000 for each of the 10,000 vehicles it sold in the first three months of the year.
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
As the Lower Mainland's Filipino community gathered in South Vancouver for Lapu-Lapu Day on Saturday, one of the festival's organizers set its sights on creating a future focal point for such gatherings.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
The special teams unit has become a strength for the Canucks, particularly in the first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators which the Canucks lead 2-1 heading into Sunday's Game 4.
Brad Marchand became the Bruins' all-time leading playoff goal-scorer and added an assist as Boston suffocated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in the teams' first-round playoff series.
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
It was a long-awaited reunion at the Calgary International Airport Saturday as Ossama Zaqqout hugged his parents, who had just arrived after fleeing the war in Gaza.
A blue SUV and a motorbike collided Saturday afternoon in the Beltline.
One Siksika Nation resident has been charged and an arrest warrant for a second man has been issued in relation to an April 24 homicide in Gleichen.
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
The Ottawa Police Service says a 47-year-old woman is facing charges following a series of hate crimes in the downtown area last week.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) asked drivers to expect delays after a single-vehicle collision on Highway 15 near Brewers Mills Road Saturday morning.
Several students have launched an encampment at McGill University as they call on the institution to cut financial ties with Israel.
Montreal says public transit trips were up between 15 and 20 per cent among people age 65 and over in the six months after it made the service free for local seniors.
Quebec provincial police say a 51-year-old woman has died after a head-on collision in the town of Lachute, roughly 50 kilometres west of Montreal, early this morning.
Kris Knoblauch is five months into watching Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl go to work.
Two years and $8 million worth of beds, couches, dishes and dressers later, the Ukrainian Newcomer Free Furniture Warehouse is closing its doors.
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
A Toronto-based restructuring firm says several bidders have offered to buy all or part of SaltWire Network and The Halifax Herald, the two insolvent companies that operate Atlantic Canada's largest newspaper enterprise.
Halifax’s professional soccer team kicks off its sixth season against Ottawa on Saturday with a sold-out crowd of 6,500 fans on the Wanderers Grounds.
“This is the largest year we’ve had”: annual provincial strongman competition sees record levels of participation and support with 55 athletes taking part
The trial for the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg is set to get underway on April 29.
A Winnipeg scale model builder is using his craft to showcase a large piece of Canadian history in miniature form.
With heavy wind gusts expected along Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg this weekend, the provincial government is warning residents and property owners about potential ice pileups.
'Feel through the Deepness to see,' an art installation by artist Rita McKeough, will be calling the Dunlop Art Gallery home for the next two months.
Regina's annual model train showcase rolled into town this weekend at the Caledonian Curling Club.
The team of Commissionaires at The Regina Public Library’s downtown branch have received one of the organization’s top honours.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
A driver has been arrested and a pedestrian has been seriously injured following a hit-and-run crash in Cambridge.
Rainy weather for the second year in a row once again did not deter attendees from a special fundraising event.
Workers at group homes run by LutherCare Communities in Saskatoon are escalating their strike action.
On Saturday, in a display of cross-cultural solidarity, members of the Indigenous and Palestinian communities gathered in Saskatoon for an event steeped in prayer and dance.
The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) and Saskatchewan Coroners Service are investigating after a woman’s body was found at a recycling facility Friday morning.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for several communities in northeastern Ontario on Saturday afternoon – primarily the Greater Sudbury area and West Nipissing.
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
The Municipality of French River has been under a flood watch since Thursday evening and many residents told CTV News that they fear the already high water levels combined with the rain forecasted in the coming days may cause more widespread flooding.
A 24-year-old man who died Friday in a car crash on Highway 401 has been identified as Omar Barzak from London, Ont.
London’s Victoria Park was filled with colours Saturday afternoon as those attending Holi threw coloured water and powders into the air in a celebration of spring and unity.
At an event in which she was celebrated for her advocacy of women’s issues, Karen Vecchio was in no mood to speak about her removal from her role of chair of Federal Parliament’s Status of Women Committee.
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Police in Meaford are investigating after a senior drowned Saturday morning.
Despite the poor weather, a festival celebrating all things maple syrup drew thousands of people to Elmvale on Saturday.
A former graduate of Holy Names Catholic High School in Windsor will soon be moving to New York after being selected during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Playing bingo in April made a local resident $100,000 richer -- and will keep him in his home.
Campus police are investigating after homophobic slurs were carved into the door of the University of Windsor’s Campus Pride Centre earlier this month.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
J.T. Miller had a goal and assist and the Vancouver Canucks edged the Nashville Predators 2-1 to re-take the lead in their first-round playoff series.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
An emaciated dachshund is now recovering thanks to a Good Samaritan who found the pup near a biking trail in Kelowna, according to the BC SPCA.
Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.
The Brooks Bandits got down to business Friday, defeating the Okotoks Oilers 8-2.
An Alberta political scientist said the NDP leadership hopefuls remained fairly even following the first of the party’s debates.
It was a busy Wednesday evening for fire crews in Lethbridge County after multiple grass fires were sparked near the Kipp rail yard.
St. Joseph’s General Hospital Elliot Lake says it is moving towards “normalcy” by transitioning to a mask-friendly policy.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for several communities in northeastern Ontario on Saturday afternoon – primarily the Greater Sudbury area and West Nipissing.
About 100 delegates from around the province travelled to Timmins, Ont., for its annual general meeting and convention at Cedar Meadows Resort and Spa.
Legendary sportscaster Bob Cole was a Newfoundlander through and through, and his daughter says his connection to the province was 'everything' to him.
Cenovus Energy has been ordered to pay a $2.5-million fine for its role in the largest offshore oil spill ever recorded in Newfoundland and Labrador.
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
