Tag Archives: cost of living

Inflation Nation

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My wife’s family from England came to Canada and one of the things they complained about was the cost of everything. It wasn’t just the taxes and tip at the till that they struggled with, it was the overall cost of everything. This completely surprised me because on trips to England I have consistently found that country to be one of the most expensive places to visit after converting from Canadian to Pounds (or Euros).

However, I’m not surprised. I’ve been shocked by prices too. A pack of chicken that used to cost $12-$13 pre-Covid is now $18-$20. Two bags of groceries that used to cost $50-$70 now routinely costs $100-$120. I can’t remember the last time I went to the grocery store to pick up a few items and didn’t spend $100?

Hearing them complain about the cost of food made me realize just how acclimatized I’ve become to the new prices. We mostly shop at No Frills, which is a Loblaw Company.

Their stock price has more than doubled since 2021. Stock dividends are up. And a quick look shows profits in retail up 4.4% on 3.4% growth this quarter… so maybe it’s just my non-economic math brain but that looks to me like they’ve bled consumers of an extra 1% profit.

I honestly don’t know how anyone working a low hourly wage job can support a family these days? This is why companies like Uber can get drivers, because so many people need a gig-economy second job to make ends meet. The cost of basic living has skyrocketed, and I can foresee quite a few people struggling who would not have just a few years ago.

When I was in England in 2018, I had to stop converting from Euros to Canada dollars because it was ruining my holiday thinking about the cost of everything. Hearing our English relatives complain about Canadian prices has been a wake up call as to just how expensive things have gotten here. While I can pretend a Euro is a dollar on a short vacation and just pay a bit more while vacationing, it’s really hard to accept these inflated prices on a day-to-day basis here at home.

Prices up

I don’t know how some families do it? How do they manage the inflation of prices we’ve had? My wife and I both make good salaries, and while we feel the crunch of significant increases in the price of groceries, we can manage. But a single income family with a job that is financially less rewarding than our double salary household has to be struggling right now.

Add to that the increase in interest rates over the last few years and looking at how much monthly that has gone be up, and there have to be families in financial trouble. We’ve reached a point in Canada where many conveniences have become luxuries. Foods and meals that used to be staples are becoming special treats. I saw a video clip from a European country where inviting friends over for dinner now routinely comes with a bill, their equivalent of a direct deposit request or Venmo. ‘We are happy to have you over, this is what it cost us and this is your share’.

I could never see myself wanting to do that, but if I was in a community of young adults who liked to party and not everyone could host regularly, I could see this as a thing… friends understanding that the hosts are put out more than anyone and so helping them out. While it makes financial sense, I see it as an undermining of the friendship relationship. It puts a price on friendship. Imagine going to party and getting a different bill depending on if you drank more or went for seconds and ate more. That would feel very awkward to me on either end of the transaction.

But it seems that’s how some young people are coping with the inflation of everything around them. They want to be social but don’t have the financial means to do so regularly without splitting the bill. To me, this is an example where high prices are not just affecting our finances, but also our sense of community. It’s a sign that our greater society are coping and not thriving.

At least people are still trying to get together… and sharing the cost is much better than being isolated. It’s just sad that this is, for a growing number of people, necessary.