What Did I Buy with a $100 PC Gift Card?

It’s that time of the year when employees receive gift cards. And I am happy that the company I’m working at didn’t do away with this benefit.

The weather becoming warm in December becomes the norm. So when I received the $100 PC gift card, I spent it all for the next two days. I already made a list of “needs and wants” even before getting the card.

My purchases seemed to balance health and treats.

My Grocery

I’m going to divide my purchases into needs and wants. You can check the list at the end of the post. Let’s start first with the reasoning behind why I buy some things regardless of health benefits.

It’s holiday so I’m going to treat myself.

Health is my priority that’s why I didn’t miss buying vitamins: Iron and B12.

Oral health is just as important as other parts of the body so I bought hello Toothpaste with activated charcoal. I stopped using Davids Toothpaste because it’s pricey and I can only buy it online (well.ca).

I’ll probably buy Davids Toothpaste and KMH Touches Dental Floss online next year once I am about to run out of supplies.

Can you spot on the photo some of the processed food? The only fresh food I bought is a mango!

Let’s start with Pringles. I think the last time I had it was in September when I went on an out-of-town-end-of-summer trip. Original flavour is always the best.

Next is the Loacker Vanilla Wafers. I’m not fond of sweet biscuits and wafers but sometimes I treat myself some Celebration Milk Chocolate Butter Cookies or any Celebration cookies or wafers on sale.

My go-to noodles when I crave for something warm and quick to cook is the masala noodles from India. Unfortunately, I can’t find it anymore at Superstore. I diverted my attention to Korean noodles.

I managed to quit watching K-dramas to sleep on time then here I am trying different Korean food.

May the Neoguri Noodles with Soup Mix Mild Seafood Flavour wouldn’t go to waste. How mild is mild?

I can’t tolerate spicy food no matter how delicious it is as others claim. How can I relish the taste when my face turns red and stuff my stomach with water.

My curiosity with Korean food started when I visited an H-Mart grocery store after going on a Banff day-trip via Flixbus.

I was able to find an affordable natto, a Japanese food. It’s basically a fermented soybean. You should give it a try.

I first tried natto in a sushi restaurant in Tokyo. It doesn’t taste awful at all . . . just well sticky.

At this time of the year, I have the luxury to try vegetarian or vegan processed food. Still not as healthy as raw food but these are treats for myself.

I’m using the PC Green Tea to make kombucha (fermented tea). Somehow, I couldn’t go wrong giving Davids Tea Matcha as a gift for my co-workers and myself.

The PC Pancake Mix and Siwin Vegetable Dumplings are my occasional not-so-unhealthy treats. Lastly, I was curious about the PC Evaporated Coconut Milk that I grabbed it not knowing what to use it for. At least it’s on sale and plant-based and free (because of the gift card).

All of these fit in my backpack and tote bag. And I finished eating the Pringles Original in two days. Cue the commercial. Once you snap . . .

Related Post: Where to Buy Flip Flops for less than a Toonie

The next day, I went back to finish my mission: use $21.24, the outstanding balance.

That was easy. I first planned to get the PC Cheesecake but I settled on Yukimi Strawberry Mochi and my childhood Filipino snacks: Cheese Ring and Bow Bawang Cornick.

I don’t like to spend on salty junk food and if I do I’ll go for No Name Lightly Salted Rippled Potato Chips. As for Grace Coconut Water, I choose whatever brand is on sale.

This time I bought fresh food like broccoli and bananas. For later use, I blanched the broccoli for two minutes, drained, and washed with cold water. After letting it cool off, I stored it in a Ziploc and put it in the fridge.

Tofu and broccoli are perfect for ramen or udon with miso soup. See, I don’t always resort to instant noodles.

The last but not the least is Earth’s Own Naked Oat Original. This is going to be a regular purchase although I have to pay a bit more compare to other plant-based milk.

It only has four ingredients: gluten-free oats, water, sea salt, and natural enzymes. Is this the reason why it tastes better?

That’s it. I think I didn’t miss to mention any item on my receipts.

Related Post: Things I Only Buy in Dollarama

The Needs and Wants List

The total of my two-day grocery shopping is $101.62 and I paid $1.62 out of pocket.

Am I that good with estimation? Certainly not. My trusty calculator on my phone gets the credit for making sure I don’t go over the budget. And also my well-thought-out grocery list.

As mentioned before here’s the complete list of everything I bought.

The Needs List

1. Earth’s Own Naked Oat Original
2. Broccoli
3. Banana
4. Rooster Medium Firm Tofu
5. PC Green Tea
6. Siwin Vegetables Dumpling
7. Mango Red
8. Davids Matcha Vanilla
9. LB Mild Iron Vitamins
10. LB Vitamin B12
11. Colgate Bamboo Toothbrush with Charcoal
12. Hello Toothpaste with Charcoal
13. Life Floss Wax Mint

I like using toothpaste and toothbrush with charcoal because it claims to whiten teeth; although, I can’t tell because I drink tea which stains enamel.

The Wants List

1. Grace Coconut Water
2. No Name Lightly Salted Rippled Potato Chips
3. Cheese Ring
4. Boy Bawang Adobo Cornick
5. Yukimi Strawberry Mochi
6. Neoguri Udon Noodles
7. PC Pancake Mix Plant-Based
8. Plant-Based Evaporated Milk
9. Pringles Original
10. Loacker Vanilla Wafers

I bought 23 items and the needs list outnumbered the wants list. OK, the treats are now justified. I may now wait another two to three months to buy these junk food again.

Because I still have two Nong Shim Chapagetti in my pantry, I didn’t buy any. But I hope you’ll give it a go. It will grow on you by the second pack. It comes with 4 pack.

What’s also your favourite among my list? Do you have any recommendations for Korean noodles? Not spicy please!

Showing Receipt on the Way Out

If I remember it correctly, it started in summer. It has now become a habit not to stash my receipt right away so that I can show it to a Superstore staff who then sign or scribble something on it.

Is this a common scenario in Loblaw’s store or it depends on the location.

I do my grocery in a downtown Superstore where a lot of homeless people hang out especially in summer. A shelter is just across the street. It’s a nice location for apartment building, condos, cafes, and malls.

The added security such as security guards and staff in the turnstiles entrance/exit has brought order in the store. Even public washrooms are available for public again. Before, we had to ask for the key in the customer service.

Sure these safety measures are additional costs to the company but the positive outcome makes people feel safe to shop and comeback in the store.

Tax Break

You probably heard by now about the two months tax break starting December 14, 2024 to February 15, 2025. I did, but I read about it just now because I decided to add it on my blog post.

I don’t think I’ll save that much because I don’t spend a lot on groceries especially in winter. Often, I joke around that I’ll resume my active activities in spring just like a bear.

For my two-day grocery shopping I paid only $1.85 tax for goods namely two vitamins, toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. These are essentials right? A healthy nation equals a healthy economy?

Happy Holidays!

By the time I publish this post I have eaten my favourite Filipino childhood snacks: Cheese Ring and Bow Bawang.

I was enjoying my favourite treats and extra day off at work.

Enjoy quality time with your loved ones or give yourself the long overdue self-care treat and rest. May we all get the most out of the tax break.

I wish everyone a healthy, peaceful, and prosperous Christmas and New Year!

MORE POSTS: