(Photo from Agence France-Presse)
Two of my girl friends and I went on a different kind of bonding trip recently. Off went our strappy sandals and on came our boots and sturdy walking shoes to check out fruits and vegetables in the Balintawak market in Quezon City.
Both Jenny Angoluan and Analy Pinaroc are busy moms with husbands and children who love vegetables and fruits, and with prices skyrocketing, the three of us thought it would be fun to see how the prices differ. Jenny’s husband waited two hours in the car for us, but loved the veggies.
Here’s the price list. Feast your eyes!
Tomatoes (1 kilo) – P25
Kalamansi (1 kilo, big size) - P20
Carrots (1 kilo) – P30
Potatoes (1 kilo) – P28
String beans (per super fat bunch) – P10
Lettuce (1 big head) – P15
Saba (biggest size) – P1.80 per piece
Coconut (biggest size) – P15
Squash (medium size) – P20 per piece
Pechay (1 kilo) – P20
Broccoli (per kilo) – P40
Pineapple (medium size) – P15
It felt like extreme frugality, honestly. But the savings were great. Buying veggies and fruits there from 10 to 11 in the evening could be a twice a month event for vegetables that don’t go stale easily like squash, okra etc. Go with your best mommy friends and choose the most patient daddy. Be prepared to feel like a rabbit in the next couple of days.
July 16th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Did you re-weigh your purchases at home?
My wife’s tita always mocks us for buying our daily dozen in groceries. She proudly compares the P10/kilo difference of bangus and tilapia at the palengke compared to the air-conditioned hypermarket.
One weekend, we celebrated my wife’s bday at a dampa. Again, her tita insisted that we buy the ingredients at Blumentritt because it was so much cheaper than the ones at dampa.
When the restaurant was weighing the liempo, it was, as i somehow expected, half a kilo short. It was not even “isang guhit” short, it was a bloody half kilo!
I had the last laugh. Ha!
July 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
[...] Balintawak Market in Quezon City: Tomatoes (1 kilo) – P25 Kalamansi (1 kilo, big size) - P20 Carrots (1 kilo) – P30 Potatoes (1 kilo) – P28 String beans (per super fat bunch) – P10 Lettuce (1 big head) – P15 Saba (biggest size) – P1.80 per piece Coconut (biggest size) – P15 Squash (medium size) – P20 per piece Pechay (1 kilo) – P20 Broccoli (per kilo) – P40 Pineapple (medium size) – P15 Source: MoneySmarts [...]
July 16th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Wow! Thanks for this tip. In these hard times, creative budgeting/ spending is required to be able to make ends meet. How timely! Kudos!
July 16th, 2008 at 10:15 am
bagsakan prices there. it’s about P70 taxi ride from where I live (only P12 bus with a little walking)
I can’t find suitable parking space though whenever I pass by and the overpass on EDSA is so dugyut!