Peanut butter and discounted string cheese at Costco

Costco is definitely the best place to buy peanut butter. You get more bang for your buck, that's for sure. They have been selling the Kirkland all-natural peanut butter for awhile, and it's the best I've tasted so far. Plus, you can get two huge jars for less than NT$300. At Jason's, you pay the same amount for one regular-sized jar.

Also, a new variety was on the shelf at the Shihjr store recently---JIF! Now you can also buy two huge jars of Jif for less than NT$300! And it's the extra crunchy kind...mmmm....

I also found some great deals on foods that will be "expiring" in a week or so. I got NT$400 string cheese packs for NT$99. And a HUGE tub of sour cream for NT$99! I have a week to use it, but that's still a fantastic price.

Chips and Chocolate at Carrefour

New product alert---Boulder Canyon potato chips. There are a couple of varietites of these "natural" chips.


Finally, Carrefour is stocking some great American candy---including dark chocolate Kissables, which are truly a treat if you enjoy dark chocolate. Only NT$119/ bag! Get 'em before they're gone.

You can also buy a jumbo Special Dark candybar for only NT$52.

New products at the Shihjr Costco

I love the Shihjr Costco. I am convinced that they have a better selection of products than the Neihu Costco. And they've introduced some new ones recently...including...
Nature Valley Fruit Twists---which look like a grown-up fruit roll-up to me.

Icee Squeeze Tubes

Luigi's Sherbet

Several varieties of Weis ice cream. (An Australian brand...GOOD STUFF)


The best dark chocolate and pomegranate ice cream bar on the planet.



Large bags of protein shake mix in both vanilla and chocolate flavors. We tried the vanilla, and it's good stuff...mix in a few frozen blueberries, and you have a low-calorie, high-protein blueberry shake.

And taco shells! No more driving to Tianmu and hoping that they're not stale inside the box. At Costco, you can get a big box of 48 taco shells, packaged in four different bags. They last well in the freezer.

Cans of cherry coke at 7-11

I was just given the tip that cans of Cherry Coke can be purchased in 7-11 convenience stores. I guess they want to compete with FamiMart, which is stocking the bottles. I haven't seen this kind of soda in other convenience stores yet. Let's hope it will stick around for awhile!

Fromage Frais and more good chocolate at Carrefour

I like how Carrefour continues to offer new products in its stores. The only problem is that some of these products are quite short-lived, so you need to buy them when you can. I tried the "Fromage Frais" this week without knowing what it was. Later, I learned that this is a kind of low-fat cheese (this variety is fat-free) with the consistency of yogurt. It's also known as quark. Alone, it's not too tasty, but with a little fruit or sweetener, it's a yummy source of protein. And it works great in smoothies or as a substitute for ricotta cheese in lasagna. I've also read that you can use it in cheesecakes. A tub of Fromage Frais is about NT$225, I think.

Carrefour also sells the Audrey Omega-3 enriched candybars (NT$55/ bar), which I've blogged about before. They have more varieties than Watsons; I recently purchased a dark chocolate bar with mango chips. Mmmmmm.....

Light yogurt at Carrefour

This just in---light, sugar-free yogurt at the DaZhi Carrefour, in several different flavors like pineapple, peach, plain, and prune.

Each container is around NT$30...and they're quite tasty! I guess they contain some sort of sugar substitute, but for people watching their sugar intake, this kind of yogurt is a great find!

Pomelo-flavored Sprite at Family Mart

For some reason Family Mart convenience stores often introduce new products before other convenience stores. I haven't seen Pomelo-flavored Sprite anywhere else. Even if you don't drink soda often, give this a try because it does have a unique pomelo aftertaste! (too bad it isn't as healthy as a real pomelo)

"Light" Mango Iced Tea at Carrefour

Last night I noticed a new product at Carrefour---mango iced tea! And the best part is that the drink is "light," as I don't usually drink a lot of empty sugar calories. This particular tea comes in a large bottle (1.5 L), and is only NT$59!

With only 2 calories/serving, it's pretty much calorie-free! And the taste is nice and refreshing---not too sweet, but just right for a hot day.

You can find this tea and another sweetened flavor (peach) near the bakery section at the DaZhi Carrefour. The peach flavor has about 30 calories/serving.

I highly recommend mixing it with Sprite Zero for a refreshing, calorie-free drink!

A candybar with fish oil in it?

I was intrigued by this candybar that I found in Watson's today. It is supposedly Omega-3 enriched. And yes, fish oil IS added to the candybar!

Audrey's Omega-3 Milk Chocolate and Pineapple Chip bars boast a healthy dose of Omega-3s. So if you're really craving chocolate, at least get some that has fish oil in it!!

I tried it, and it was surprisingly good. I've only seen this bar at Watson's, and it's about NT$55.
There were two different flavors. Also, Watson's is having a "buy one, get one 50% off" deal on select Cadbury candybars, including the dark chocolate "Old Gold" bars that are full of antioxidants! (and sugar and fat...) :)

Cherry Coke at Family Mart convenience stores

No need to drive to Wellman's and pay a lot of money for cherry coke now...you can find it at Family Mart convenience stores for NT$25/ bottle. Personally, I am not a regular soda drinker, but once in awhile, I love a few sips of real cherry coke.

Deals at Wellcome Gourmet

Wellcome Gourmet stores have more imported foods than normal Wellcome stores. At the Miramar store, I found some great buys---including Sugar Free chocolate bars for $85 each (I have some diabetic friends who can only have sugar-free products, and this price is reasonable for a large chocolate bar).

I also found mini marshmallows, which are harder to find, for NT$49/bag.

Wellcome Gourmet carries a large selection of canned beans, olives, potato chips, and pasta sauce. The prices aren't dirt cheap, but if you need something in a pinch, you can probably find it there.

Now if they would only start carrying natural peanut butter...

Nature Valley Granola Bars on sale at Geant

If you're a fan of Nature Valley Granola Bars, then get over to Geant quickly, because these varieties are on sale for NT$88/ box. Now, I've seen the Oats and Honey variety all over the place (at Wellcome, Carrefour, Geant), but I've never seen the Peanut Butter or Vanilla Crips flavors before. In fact, I used to buy the Peanut Butter bars in the U.S. and bring them back in my suitcase for my husband! So I loaded up on the granola bars tonight, and NT$88/ box isn't much more than what you'd pay in the U.S.

***Update...Wellcome stores now carry some additional flavors of these granola bars.

These bars were found at the DaZhi Geant.

New products at City Super

Even though City Super carries a lot of great products, their prices aren't fantastic. But they do introduce new products regularly, and once in awhile, these products go on sale...

If you REALLY don't have time to make your own cookies from scratch, just do the easy thing and buy them this way...all you have to do is slice and bake, and you're all set! NT$240 each. (too expensive, in my book) You can get decent cookie mixes from Costco for a much better price.

City Super also carries Olivio spreads. NT$150 each.

And don't forget the Starbucks Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha...if you can afford NT$80/ can.

More great deals at Carrefour

Did you know that Carrefour carries imported beauty products, as well as food?
I was pleased to find Palmolive Kids' hand soap---the foamy kind---for only NT$95.


You can also find Gerber Grins and Giggles body soap and lotion for babies. (I used to bring this with me in my suitcase from the States!)

And I was soooo glad when Carrefour started carrying Scope---I think it's about NT$130. All of the Chinese mouthwashes I've tried have tasted terrible, so I will pay just about anything for a bottle of Scope.
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Now, on to the food:

I am constantly finding cheap imported food at Carrefour, probably because nobody is buying it (except me), and they need to get rid of it!
Anyway, right now, you can find some great deals, including:


Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix- NT$95

Progresso Soups


Fruit Roll Ups- NT$99

Wild Blueberry Muffin Mix- NT$98

Betty Crocker Pancake Mix- NT$128

Old El Paso Cheese and Salsa Dip- NT$135



O' Organics Soy Milk (on sale)- NT$59


And here's an amazing deal for you---Graham Crackers and "wheat thin" crackers for only NT$19 a box! That's a steal!!!

The Organic baby food is on sale---the carrots, at least---for NT$29/ jar.

And cake mixes are NT$79---they also have French Vanilla, which is hard to find elsewhere. (for such a cheap price!)


And I thought I'd throw in one of the Folgers Cafe Latte mixes...these are also on sale for NT$95/ container.

Trust me, folks...if you look, you'll find cheap imported foods...you just have to be willing to look for those yellow tags that indicate that the item is on sale!!!!!!!

New candy at Family Mart convenience stores

Just yesterday, I spotted Wildly Cherry M&M's at a Family Mart convenience store. According to candyaddict.com, this particular flavor of M&M's won't hit retail stores in the U.S. until March! So are we one step ahead of the U.S.? Try them while you can! (NT$30/ bag)

Also available are DARK CHOCOLATE SNICKERS bars. Again, I've only seen these at Family Mart stores, but I'm sure they'll appear on other store shelves soon.