Food Prices – Precios de Alimentos: Jul 2014

This is our second simple food price index.  In order to offer the most unbiased inflation index the prices of the respective food categories were taken from the same stores.  The stores that we took price samples from were the stores with the best prices that we have found in Buenos Aires.

Fruit and vegetable prices were taken from “Frutería y Verdulería Ayacucho“.

Bulk, “health” food products prices were taken from “Diética Tomy“.

Meat prices were taken from “Frigorífico El Santiagueño“.

Dairy and deli prices are a sample of the prices that Carrefour offers.

Eggs were purchased at Coto.

Este es nuestro segundo índice de precios de comidas.    Para poder ofrecer un imparcial indice inflacionario de los diferentes alimentos, éstos precios fueron obtenidos en cada mercado.  Los negocios donde tomamos los precios fueron aquellos dónde encontramos las mejores ofertas. 

Droguería Industrial Lanús – Sulfato de Magnesio

A couple of months ago a family member was lauding the benefits of bathing in magnesium sulphate.  Magnesium sulphate is also known as epsom salts or bitter salts.

A couple of tablespoons into the bath water and relax!  Supposedly it draws toxins out of your body through the skin.  Sometimes people gives themselves a foot bath in a small tub with a tablespoon of salt.

It is an enjoyable experience, however, epsom salts are not that common or readily available in Buenos Aires.   In other places magnesium sulphate is often available at pharmacies.

We took a look in the yellow pages and found a supplier who sells chemicals retail.  Droguería Industrial Lanús is where we now buy our magnesium sulphate.

The past couple of months we have been bathing in bitter salts and we feel the benefits.  A one kilo bag costs $50.

Un par de meses atrás un familiar alababa los benficios de un baño  de inmersión en sulfato de magnesio, también llamada sal de Epsom o sal amarga.

Pon un par de cucharadas en la bañadera de agua caliente y relax!  Supuestamente elimina toxinas del cuerpo a través de la piel.  A veces la gente en cambio se dá un baño de pies en una palangana de agua tibia con una cucharada de sales.

La Casa de Catamarca – Dulce de Membrillo

We have never been to Catamarca but it is somewhere that we would love to visit someday.  A friend visited there last year and had a wonderful time.  The pictures of Catamarca . . . .

Helpful and friendly – “Catamarqueños” – Serviciales y amigables

The other day we visited the “Casa de Catamarca” on Avenida Córdoba 2080; they were really nice and helpful and gave us a lot of brochures.

Most people probably do not know that there is a little store in the Casa de Catamarca that sells a bunch of different products from that province.

Baskets, crafts and wool – canastos, artesanías y lana

They sell books, wine, sweets, baskets, hats and a variety of other stuff.

Most Argentine wool is produced in Catamarca; the store has a good selection of wool products for sale such as socks, sweaters, scarves, blankets and hand woven fabrics.

The “quince sugar loaf” that they sell at the Casa de Catamarca is the highest quality we have found in Buenos Aires and is being offered for the best price as well – $25.  The ingredients are quince and sugar – that is all.

Jellies. syrups….mmm…dulces y arropes

The store sells a lot of sweet stuff from Catamarca.  We are planning on returning soon to buy some syrup made from cactus and some more quince sugar loaf.  A great gift idea.

Nunca fuimos a Catamarca pero si es un lugar que nos encantaría visitar algún día.  Una amiga nuestra fue el pasado año y su estadía fue fubulosa.  Las fotos de Catamarca . . .

Argentina Regionales Total – Alpargatas – Jute Cotton Shoes

Argentina Regionales Total – Business card

A while back we came across the “Argentina Regionales Total” store and we noted how much they retail  “alpargatas” for.

The past couple of months we compared their price to other retailers in the city and no store came close to their price of $86.

They have a lot of nice merchandise in their store like all wool ponchos and nice traditional leather hats. They are friendly and relaxed without aggressive sales tactics; we prefer that type of sales philosophy.

Alpargatas – Made in Argentina since 1894 – jute and cotton – 100% biodegradable – jute y algodón

We returned and made our purchase of alpargatas;  we are going to buy some more for a gift pack we are putting together and we are looking forward to return to Argentina Regionales Total.

Hace un tiempo atrás encontramos la tienda “Argentina Regionales Total” y caímos en cuenta del precio de los alpargatas allí.

Abastecer Seguridad – OMBU – Cargo Pants

Abastecer Seguridad – Representante Oficial OMBU

Whether one is vacationing, working, tripping or using them around one’s own  place cargo pants are very useful and convenient.  A few extra pockets always come in handy.

We just bought some Ombú brand cargo pants at Abastecer Seguridad, which is an official Ombú retailer, and we are super happy with our purchase.

Indumentaria Laboral y Calzado OMBU Aire Libre

Ombú is a well known brand that is made in Argentina that has been recognized for the quality of its products for a long time.

Ombú safety footware, work clothes and outdoor wear for both men and women are all available at Albastecer Seguridad.

Así uno esté vacaciones, tabajando, viajando o dándo vueltas en su barrio los pantalones “cargo” son prácticos y útiles.  Un poco más de bolsillos siempre encuentran un buen uso.

Food Prices – Precios de Alimentos: Jun 2014

This is our first very simple food price index.  In order to offer the most unbiased inflation index the prices of the respective food categories were taken from the same stores.  The stores that we took price samples from were the stores with the best prices that we have found in Buenos Aires.

Fruit and vegetable prices were taken from “Frutería y Verdulería Ayacucho“.

Bulk, “health” food products prices were taken from “Dietética Tomy“.

Meat prices were taken from “Frigorífico El Santiagueño“.

Dairy prices are a sample of the prices that Carrefour offers.

Eggs were purchased at Coto.

Este es nuestro primer y sencillo índice de precios de comidas.    Para poder ofrecer un imparcial indice inflacionario de los diferentes alimentos, éstos precios fueron obtenidos en cada mercado.  Los negocios donde tomamos los precios fueron aquellos dónde encontramos las mejores ofertas. 

Ferretería del Norte

La tarjeta de Ferreteria del Norte – Norte’s business card

We found Ferretería del Norte in the Yellow Pages a couple of years ago when we were looking for sandpaper.

After that we bought a Skil belt sander from them when we were refinishing our floors.  We have bought quite a few large cans of remover, bags of steel wool, boxes of screws and various other tools there over the years.

Shower curtain rod – Made in Argentina – ALEX brand – $109

When we renovated our kitchen the guys doing the work were impressed how quickly the Norte guys delivered the materials. We just bought a shower curtain rod off of them that we have been wanting to change it for a while.  They have competitive prices, they know their business and they are friendly.

Ferretería del Norte is a business that provides a few individuals in the community with credit which is representative of their character.  Every once in a while we will drop in to say hi if they are not busy.  They like football.

SKIL Belt Sander – 900w – Model 7640

Un par de años atrás encontramos Ferretería del Norte en las Páginas Amarilllas buscando papel de lija.

Entonces compramos una lijadora de banda cuando rehicimos nuestros pisos.  Compramos también varias latas enormes de removedor, lana de acero, cajas de tornillos y herramientas a través de los años. 

Ferr Class – Bazar, Ferretería, etc.

Hardware – Kitchen – Electrical – Cleaning articles – Ironworks – Fasteners

Recently we discovered Ferr Class while we were walking down Calle Pacheco de Melo.

He has a mix of cooking and kitchen equipment, tools and hardware and cleaning supplies.

Ferr Class also has some Bahco wrenches and sockets , some cast iron products, steel frying pans, glass jars and glasses that are all manufactured in Argentina.

Clay bowls – 15 cm – Made in Argentina – Oven safe – $36

We bought some clay bowls and a level that are all made in Argentina.

It is a pretty neat store, the owner is pretty nice, and he has it all!

 

Caminábamos por Pacheco de Melo hace unos dias y descubrimos a Ferr Class.

Gourmet Shop

Gourmet Shop – The Attention You Deserve

One of the guys at Gourmet- Shop speaks English.  He is in a rock band too.

Teapot – Made in Uruguay – 1 liter – $80 – Tetera – Industria Uruguaya

We were in there a couple of weeks ago and we bought a few things – a tea pot that is of Uruguayan origin, an oven mitt made in Argentina and a laminated bamboo chopping block made in China.

They gave us a discount on the oven mitt and the chopping block and the teapot was already on sale.

They have a lot of nice merchandise in their store and we are planning on returning when it is time for us to look for a new stainless steel pot.

En Gourmet Shop uno de los muchachos habla inglés.  El también forma parte de una banda de rock.

Cuchillos de Acero al Carbono y Ferretería Fullone

The knife in the middle is well worn from years of use – El cuchillo del medio está más gastado por años de uso.

We love cooking and we are always improving our kitchen with more functional equipment and utensils.

We enjoy using quality knives and when we need to carve meat, like most carniceros in Buenos Aires, we prefer carbon steel knives.

We like the knives that are made in Argentina utilizing Swedish Eskilstuna blades.

We bought our small 4″ knife at Ferretería Fullone on Avenida San Juan for $129 a couple of months ago.

He made sure to explain that the knife was not stainless and we said that that was what we were looking for.

Some other customers joined in the conversation and it was agreed all around that carbon steel gets sharper.

We are planning on buying some more knives from Sr. Fullone in the future as he carries the knives in all the sizes from 4″ to 14″.

Ferretería Fullone – Hours – Monday to Friday 9am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 8 pm – Saturdays 9am to 2 pm

Nos encanta cocinar y siempre estamos mejorando nuestra cocina con equipo y utensilios más prácticos. 

Nos gusta usar cuchillos de calidad y cuando preparamos carne, como la mayoría de los viejos carniceros en Buenos Aires, preferimos los cuchillos de acero al carbono.