Where Do We Buy Our Groceries, You Ask?

Many of you have asked where we buy our groceries. Here is the scoop:

If we need something quick and just want to run out and go around the corner, we go to Populi (pronounced Po-Puh-Lee). This is kind of like a 7-11. Things are a bit more expensive, but the convenience is sometimes worth it.

To buy any of our fruits or veggies, we buy at the local stands. I use the term stands lightly, but we get amazing stuff and for really cheap! The tomatoes here are the most delicious I have EVER eaten. I literally eat tomatoes for lunch and dinner every day. Here is an example of one of the many vendors in the city. On any city block, we can find at least 3-4 fruit/veggie sellers. It took me a few weeks to get over the food being in bins on the sidewalk and the condition of the buildings they were attached to....but I am over it now.

Here are some fruits and veggies I bought the other day. I bought all of this for about 11 Lari (which is about $6)

Now to do our BIG shopping trip, we go to a place called Good Will (ha!). This is like a regular supermarket. They have a deli counter (even though I can't tell you what half of the stuff is behind the glass) and aisles and aisles of food. Many of the items they sell are German, which usually means they are much more expensive than the Georgian alternative.

I also have been going to the Bazroba on the weekends to buy our rice, oatmeal and pasta. The Bazroba is an open air market with shops and vendors winding in and out of every crevasse in this one area of town. I can get 1 kilogram of rice, oatmeal or pasta for 1 Lari and 80 Tetri (this is about $1). In Good Will, 500 grams of rice (1/2 a kilo) cost anywhere from 8 - 12 Lari ($4.40-$6.60). So look at the savings! And really it is a fun place to go and people watch. I will have to take my camera next time and snap a few photos.

The last thing that is important to know about shopping in Tbilisi is VAT (value added tax). They add VAT to anything you buy--like sales tax. However, VAT in Tbilisi is 18%. Luckily, we each have a diplomat card that exempts us from paying VAT. We can use the card in grocery stores, restaurants, etc....The bad news is that we can't use it with the fruit and veggie guy down the street or at the Bazroba. Bummer. The good news is that Aidan and Lucas each have their own card, so they can go on shopping sprees and never have to pay VAT. Thank goodness.