Your Skyrocketing Grocery Bill!!!!

[Patty Smyth]

Hi,

We are all feeling it these days. In Quebec where we are "lucky" enough to be taxed to death they will raise the PST to 8% again starting in 2011. I was checking out some articles from the last little while and came across some frightening stats. You know in the U.S. they are lucky enough to have many coupons for food items. I don't know what's up with Canada but it sure would help if they had more. Here are a few of the reasons why we seem to be paying more and more every time we do the groceries. These stats. are from different articles over the last year.

"Food prices - padded by hikes of 44 per cent for flour, 36 per cent for pasta and 12.3 per cent for baked goods - rose three per cent in June from a year earlier, Statistics Canada said yesterday, while gasoline prices, which were 26.9 per cent higher, remained the major inflation culprit."

"Inflation is at a two-year low but that’s not the way it feels for those of us shopping for groceries," said Avery Shenfeld, senior economist at CIBC World Markets.
The cost of food rose 7.3% in 2008, inching up 0.3% in December for a fourteenth straight month of increase, Statistics Canada figures showed Friday. Marking the sharpest increase was the cost of fresh vegetables, which were 26.9% higher than in December last year. Other notable increases included a 18.9% rise in fruit prices, a 12.4% increase in bakery product prices, a 6% rise in the cost of dairy products and a 5.5% increase in meat prices."

The impact alone of flour rising 44% is astronomical. I was also reading in the Journal de Montreal about 3 weeks ago how potatoes have gone up 30%, and most other vegetables have gone up at least 10% this winter. Will they go back down? I shop for my fruits and vegetables at a special warehouse where thats ALL they sell in tremendous volume and I noticed some things this winter were crazy, through the roof!! Little Lebanese cucumbers for example were $0.69 lb and went up to $2.49 lb. Do you think these prices are a reflection of the season? Have you noticed things go up but never come back down. Is it just me or is everything creeping up?

[itsjustmebub]

To be perfectly honest I have only noticed a slight difference in a very small number of things!

[Patty Smyth]

Oh and here's another thing that shocked me recently. I went for an oil change and really didn't pay much attention because i've been going there for 20 years and he told me the total and it was $3x.xx(can't remember exactly) with the tax. I said what do you mean when did that happen. He told me that the price of oil doubled (o.k. plausible) AND there's a new recycling fee(once again thank you Quebec) now of $3 per oil change. He said you should be shocked because last year at the same time it was $19.99 and no recylcing fee. This is what I mean by things creeping up on you. Now you know I go to this garage because not only does he change my oil but he checks about a dozen other things while he's at it which is worth the extra money, but WOW what a price hike.

[Zonny]

I have noticed potatoes have gotten really expensive lately. I'm out at the moment, was going to buy some the other day but it was over $5 for a ten pound bag.

Flour is really high too. A ten pound bag of Robin Hood is now about $6, I used to be able to get the 20 pound bag on sale cheaper than that. The big bags are now about $14 full price now (not sure, because I just don't buy them anymore!).

Gas prices really have little impact on our family, except where they impact the costs of other stuff. About six years ago, we were looking at buying a car, and when we added up the costs, we decided it was cheaper to buy a house!

So that's what we did, our house is on several major bus routes, close to most things. I don't regret it at all. Every time I want to do some kind of renovation or we're making a major purchase, I always think, we don't have a car payment, we don't have to buy gas, SURE we can afford this! We rent cars fairly regularly though.

Z

[itsjustmebub]

I have noticed potatoes have gotten really expensive lately. I'm out at the moment, was going to buy some the other day but it was over $5 for a ten pound bag.

funny enough potatoes was one of the "few things" i noticed lol

[Litesandsirens911]

same here in BC for the potatoes..10lbs for 5.99 is ridiculous...used to pay no more than 2.49. Our farm market has a produce pack of local potaoes , carrots, and onions:
3lb onions + 10lbs potatoes + 5lb carrots, all farm fresh for 5.99 once a month or so. Thats when I get mine.
I haven't bought flour in the big 20lb backs since last year, the price is outrageous, so I wait until the smaller ones come on sale and buy a few of those, but of course that meant LESS baking...lol

[vibrantflame]

I honestly haven't noticed a huge price change, but it might not have hit us here yet. Two things I noticed were the potatoes (yikes!) and the price for a 24 case of pop. A sale is now $8.99??? For a 24 case??? I clearly remember when you would get a 24 case for $4 on sale. Guess this is why I only occasionally buy pop, and only the 2L bottles when it's on sale.

But I agree, it is getting harder and harder to stretch a dollar now a days. DH thinks I'm crazy when I see a good sale on and I get all excited about it lol. Also the fact that I almost cry every time we go up to the cash at the grocery store

[Natalka]

Thoughts on veggies and fruits will have to wait, since it's just not the season to compare...
Except for - potatoes, yes $5 for 10 pounds is crazy. However, we've been buying 20 pounds for Grade B at Extra Foods for $6 - so even though there's more waste with bad spots/skins, it's been worth it through the winter.
Flour was my big wakeup call - it would normally be $6, but the last bag I bought was over $10 - Robin Hood 10 kg.
About a month ago, we needed oil for cooking - and lowest price was at a wholesale store $7 for three litres. Almost double what it would be on sale at least every few weeks somewhere.
Pasta - yikes! I really, really miss 900g bags for .99! Now, lucky if they are 2.50. Tried Compliments brand for 1.99 and they were horrid! Don't mind other brands, though. Catelli egg noodles for chicken soup used to be 1.29 - 1.39 on sale for 340g. Now, lucky to get them on sale for 2.49.
Rice - the huge honkin' rooster bag at LD used to be 5.99, ours doesn't even carry it any more. I've been buying 1.8 kg bags for about $3.

I had sent my teen son to pick up a few groceries at one store last week, and he always of course tells me what he wasn't able to get on the list - so that day's missing item was a head of cauliflower. He said he couldn't believe it, that the bin for them was empty and he wondered 'who and just why' would so many people be buying cauliflower? My answer - it's winter, and it was $1.98!

[I.am.a.cliche]

I went shopping yesterday and I was shocked at some of the prices I saw. The Oh Naturel meat free products used to be 5.99 for a bag. They are now 8.49! It's getting to be ridiculous. And the Mini Wheats cereal boxes with the $10 worth of coupons on them- 8.49! Who would pay that much for a box of cereal? I can't believe I used to buy stuff for regular price.

[dealsniffer]

I just wanted to say I know what you mean! Prices are skyrocketing here in Alberta too!

[YesI'mcheap]

When me and my husband were trucking in the States, we loved shopping there a week of food for the two ( eating twice a day in the truck and snack food) was about $60.00 a week( without coupons). I mean we ate well I had a slow cooker, Microwave, coffee maker and a toaster oven. That $60.00on food, personal care include paper plates, liner bags, tinfoil and plastic cutler. Now that I don't drive and he is running just in SK, we shop every week and it a $100.00 at least with coupons. I mean there is nuts, I spend $400.00/month on food for 2 of us and I feel like there is nothing in the house.

When a small beef roast cost $8.xx on the clearance you have to ask what the H&LL!!! I'm to the point I'm not doing big shops any more. I run for what we need only.

[Patty Smyth]

One more thing I forgot to mention. The Iams kitten food was $8.88 at Walmart when I used my first coupon about 2 months ago and now it's $11.99. I saw it for $12.99 at Maxi last week.

[travelgeek]

also watch for the manufacturers who cleverly disguise price hikes by shrinking the portion/package sizes

http://consumerist.com/tag/grocery-shrink-ray

[Patty Smyth]

also watch for the manufacturers who cleverly disguise price hikes by shrinking the portion/package sizes

http://consumerist.com/tag/grocery-shrink-ray

Absolutely, my friend was telling me she saw a news report about this. Hollowing out the bottom of jars like Nutella.

Also pasta isn't available in 900g so much anymore it's 750g and for the same price or even higher.

Cases of pop come in 18 now for the same price as 24.

These are the things I'm talking about. Thanks for the link.

[Zonny]

Cheese is another one that they're reducing the package size, just making the big blocks thinner so it doesn't look like it's that much smaller.

Z