Canadian Mustachians Challenge!

[CentimentalFreedom]

Hey Mustachians!!

I got the opportunity to speak to a wonderful grandfather of 11 grandkids who was from Nunavut. Somehow we ended up talking about finances and I remember a blog post that Mr. MMM had posted about being able to live the Mustachian way ANYWHERE....

So here it is... what about Nunavut where a loaf of bread is (according to him) $12, 2 litres of milk is  (also according to him) $15, etc.

How would we live the MMM way there? (I'm too new to this and complete kerfuffled as to how)

[Zikoris]

A few ideas:

When you fly out (most people do, at least occasionally), bring minimal stuff with you and max out your luggage allowance with dry goods on the way home.

Ship stuff to yourself, or get someone to do this for you. I used to get dry veggie burger mix and dried vegetables and fruits like this.

Try to buy the things that are affordable. When I lived in the north, there were always hunters and fishers coming around selling stuff. Not applicable to me as a vegetarian, but you can save a lot of money if you eat these things.

Northern stores will order cases of things for you if you ask and pay in advance. I used to get cases of shelf-stable soy milk and veggie burgers/dogs like this. Useful for things that you eat a lot of.

Flour is a lot cheaper than bread in the north - learn to make bread (or bannock).

Be really vigilant about food waste.

[totoro]

Eat country foods:
http://www.livehealthy.gov.nu.ca/en/healthy-eating/country-foods

Use free online shipping for non-perishable foods including Costco:
http://rungloriarun.blogspot.ca/2013/10/where-to-shop-online-if-you-live-in.html

http://www.thenorthernshopper.com/cost-fees.php

Give up a lot of the fresh stuff.

[greatreader]

That's a tough one... definitely learn to bake and cook a lot of your own stuff. Learn to fish and hunt, or buy protein off people who do. Raise chickens, if possible. Be really vigilant about sales and price matching - if those are even an option up there - and buy a ton when things are on sale.

I have a question about the other side of the equation, though. Don't folks up north get a supplemental payment from the government to help address the expense of living way north? And don't many (or most) jobs up north pay more than the same jobs in the south, to cover the increased cost of living? I'm genuinely not sure... not trying to make a statement with those q's.

[Zikoris]

That's a tough one... definitely learn to bake and cook a lot of your own stuff. Learn to fish and hunt, or buy protein off people who do. Raise chickens, if possible. Be really vigilant about sales and price matching - if those are even an option up there - and buy a ton when things are on sale.

I have a question about the other side of the equation, though. Don't folks up north get a supplemental payment from the government to help address the expense of living way north? And don't many (or most) jobs up north pay more than the same jobs in the south, to cover the increased cost of living? I'm genuinely not sure... not trying to make a statement with those q's.

Yes, the further north/more remote, the bigger the payment. Nunavuters cash in big on this one! Also, it's fairly common for a lot of employers to provide housing (free or reduced cost) for their employees. This applies to most government stuff - nurses, teachers, police - but also to Northern store managers, and anything related to resources. You also have a lot less other stuff to spend money on, so you tend to come out ok.