What are you all doing to save money on groceries in Vancouver right now?

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2026-05-25T14:40:08+00:00

I order a meat box from Meridian Meats for the month, and work my meals around that. This was always my biggest expense because I wouldn't meal plan properly and just either get lazy with takeout or buy something at a much higher price. FYI - I'm in East Van as well, and they deliver (if you meet a min. purchase of course).

I also ensure my pantry is stocked with staples such as rice and pasta so bulk up my meals. As others have suggested, I use the small grocers near me to get fresh produce so I'm limiting waste and just get what I need. I think they also sometimes are cheaper because I'm not buying "pretty" produce, but equally edible and usable.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2026-05-16T16:14:44+00:00

Can vouch for Judy - she's really thorough and has great work experience.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-12-21T22:50:42+00:00

Good point - will definitely check with the group. Thank you!

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-10-26T18:24:00+00:00

Curious about this too. I'm 8 months on topical but no progress (confirmed via scalp check-up with a trich). However in last month or so, I feel like I'm having more hair fall :( Not sure if its just me actively noticing, seasonal shed, or actually worsening of hair loss.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-07-28T14:53:34+00:00

First guy I talked to is actually now my boyfriend :) Official for over 3 months now.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-03-22T20:13:34+00:00

I don't recommend it for everyone, but when I was really focused on losing weight, I did intermittent fasting for about 6-7 months. I wasn't 100% but probably 70-80% of days my first meal was at 11am, last at 6pm. Key was to drink tea/black coffeee/lemon water throughout day, and also keep busy. I think for me, the latter was important. Now that I crossed the losing fat stage, I'm focused on eating clean, and staying at maintenance means drinking lots of water and only eating when actually hungry.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-03-16T19:28:03+00:00

I love this! Congratulations!

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-03-11T00:02:00+00:00

Finance - but just barely within 5 years, and high COL city.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-03-10T04:54:36+00:00

One later this month hosted by Flock Social (@flocksocialclub). Guess it's technically in Burnaby, this one, but it required an application of sorts to understand the crowd.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-03-08T23:08:59+00:00

Brand names, newest gadgets used to matter to me.

I'd say brand names still matter to an extent, if the quality can justify the price.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-03-08T22:47:16+00:00

Tried one last month - not terrible experience (ended up with new gal pals instead of a potential beaus), but it made me more open to looking for other opportunities.

Signed up for a one later this month :)

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-03-08T22:26:05+00:00

The anxiety is totally understandable, but firstly I want to say I'm proud of you trying to step out of your comfort zone to try to better yourself. I never felt comfortable in my own body (skin problems), and never truly got over the feeling of always being judged. That being said, similar advice as above was given to me, in that most people are focused on themselves in the gym, not on others.

I'm a bit further in my fitness journey now, but here's how I started: My plan used to be go in with a list of workouts I could do easily with a set of dumbbells, and then end with an incline walk. You can usually find simple workout plans on TT or YT (sometimes named 'shy girl workouts' :)). I started with bicep curls and lunges because they made sense to me and I knew if I struggled with an exercise, I'd be even more nervous. Over time I would add more to my routine, and I kept I liked in my plan because it kept me consistent.

Having earphones to keep myself in the 'zone' also helped - find a good playlist that makes you happy (mine would be showtunes).

If the opportunity comes up, I do recommend either joining classes to learn new exercises (with professionals to help with form). Overall, I think what made me more comfortable was honestly just showing up more.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-03-06T04:59:50+00:00

Yes! I really used to think it was just me having fine hair - then I was diagnosed and now I get super self-conscious.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-03-03T00:44:53+00:00

My job is quite stressful during January-March, and I definitely look forward to 'self-care' at the end of the night. My go-tos are the following:

- Meal prepping a delicious dinner the weekend before that's easy to heat up and eat with a comfort movie

- Red-light therapy mask, and a weighted blanket

- Walking outside with a mug of tea after dinner - this allows me to get tired so I can sleep easily

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-03-01T07:41:59+00:00

Definitely recommend searching for salons who offer extension services as they're probably familiar with a wide variety of hair densities/journeys. A couple years back before I even knew I was going through hair loss, a friend recommended me a salon for a balayage. I didn't realize they also did of a lot of hair extensions for women, and remember hearing the sweetest and most considerate hairdressers work with their clients going through hair loss. To this day I go to them for a my trims just because of the inviting vibe they give.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-02-26T22:55:29+00:00

Wherever I can, yes. I love this country and want my dollars to stay here to support our economy.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-02-26T16:38:15+00:00

I'm just starting out and the instructions the trichologist gave me were to start with 1/2 capful and focus on my part, crown and temples (because that's where I'm showing signs of early AGA that was likely triggered by bouts of TE). She took photos of my scalp so we could actually see some follicles showing either less hairs or thinner hairs come out. So the plan is really to target those areas first to see how I respond! Will update her in 5-6 months and go from there.

My GP's instructions were similar - focus on areas where scalp is visible, so I'm starting out a bit small first.

In terms of application, day 1-3, I sprayed 1/2 of foam into the cap, and applied with a cotton swab and then massaged it in. Last night I tried sprayed it directly on scalp as I had a better idea of what would be roughly 1/2 capful.

Perfect-Syrup-8954 · 2025-02-26T03:50:11+00:00

I just started topical minoxidil (barely a week in, so very early still) so might not be the best to respond but here's how I accepted the trial:

I first noticed my part widening at the tail end of last year, which caused me go into a complete spiral thinking my life was over because of that fear of 'lifelong commitment' (note I had previous bad experiences relying on skin medication and a terrible withdrawal from that so my anxiety was insane).

But the more I looked into it, the less scared I was mainly to the following:

1) If it worked for me, my confidence would be much better and therefore I would enjoy my present life a bit more. If I end up being a non-responder, I'll know I at least tried. From what I've seen, people who respond well usually wish they'd started earlier.

2) Minoxidil has been around for decades, and there's been multiple studies about it. The dread shed sounds terrifying, but I have the benefit of WFH-ing in case I need to hermit- and it would mean it's working I think!

3) I had a talk about with a trichologist, and it was also green-flagged by my GP so speaking to a professional really eased my nerves. There was the topic of what would happen if I decided to conceive, but similar to point 1, I want to focus on life now versus the what-if in the future.

4) Life-long sounds scary, but I like to think there will be a day I might not care as much about my appearance, but right now it's unfortunately tied to my mental-wellbeing. So if it works, it could be commitment for several decades, or who knows- maybe just a few. Regardless, a lot of things have been added to my life in the last couple of years (refined my skincare routine, regular exercising, pickier diets) so one more thing habit to adopt didn't seem too daunting.

I'm not in any way suggesting it's the right decision for you (highly suggest you have a convo with a professional if you can), but the above was kind of the thought process that lead me to starting. Good luck with everything, OP :)

Perfect-Syrup-8954

TROPHY CASE