However bad your grocery bill is, it will get worse

[border_humper]

https://archive.is/2026.06.25-113615/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-however-bad-your-grocery-bill-is-it-will-get-worse/

Food prices have risen significantly faster than other prices over the past decade, both in Canada and elsewhere. Monday’s inflation numbers showed that prices of food purchased in stores rose by 4.3 per cent over the past year, compared with 3.1 per cent for nonfood items. A confluence of pressures is creating a perfect storm for further rapid price hikes.
More recently, prolonged drought in western North America has resulted in cattle herds being reduced to their lowest numbers in decades, contributing to double-digit increases in beef prices – 77 per cent for striploin over the past two years.
Because El Niño is a worldwide phenomenon, it can be expected to affect prices of imported as well as domestically produced food. About 50 per cent of vegetables and 75 per cent of fruits consumed in Canada are imported, half from the U.S., largely California. California has been experiencing drought or abnormally dry conditions for several years, which could well be exacerbated by higher temperatures, affecting crop yields. Central America, another key source of Canadian fruit imports, is currently assessed by the FAO as at high risk of agricultural drought because of El Niño. And significant declines in rice production are anticipated in parts of Asia.

Lot of climate change gobbledy gook, but bad El Nino season predicted plus oil shock plus CAD sinking equals ever rising food bills. Eat bugs, or take the pharma shots that make you not want to eat.

 

[Nuremburger]

God, I want to leave so badly.

 

[FreeJames]

I don't understand how people are getting by with all these price increases. I get that everyone is making 100k or more nowadays, but still. That's not that much anymore.

Economist Mike Green wrote an essay that went viral that argued 140k is the new poverty line, which I agree with. https://www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-life-is-a-lie

Some people have said everyone is taking on lot's of debt to survive. I don't think that is correct. Eventually it would catch up with people and we would see prople going bankrupt.

It's really a mystery to me. Cost of living has exploded, yet people are getting by. I thought by now there would be a day of reckoning. Seems like as long as the majority of people are still employed, it won't happen. People will just have less and save little or nothing.

 

[brutana_dilewski]

I get that everyone is making 100k or more nowadays

I don't think so, unless the people in the tent cities are moonlighting as professionals or something

 

[FreeJames]

Most regular people. My neighborhood is 3 to 4 bedroom detached houses - not fancy but middle class like how I grew up. I'm sure if all my neighbors down the street were surveyed, they all make over 100k with normal jobs. I'm not talking rich lawyers, doctors or business owners here either.

 

[BeerAndOil]

Well that’s a depressing read. Now think about the Canadian economy where we have a weak dollar that increases the costs of imports, telecom oligopolies that keep prices high, and of course housing costs that are absolutely through the roof.

 

[border_humper]

bankruptcies are up, and they trail bad times. People wait a year or two to file.

 

[ayn_rands_ghost]

If more people here would put their elbows up we would not be in this mess. lol lol

I guess shoplifting will continue to rise.....

It is disgusting the prices. I went to Jeet Mart the other day and 6.94 for one cantaloupe like wtf?

 

[brutana_dilewski]

Regular ground beef is approaching $8/lb. Jfc. I gave up buying steak because I can't justify $20 per striploin!

 

[border_humper]

Same here, steak is out, maybe fresh ground beef for hamburgers is, too? Probably going to start buying frozen patties. A restaurant hamburger is $15 or $20.

 

[TOPDAWG]

Well, they have gone up in price significantly. The big cuts you have to cut yourself into steak at Costco are still a pretty good value.

 

[TOPDAWG]

It's funny, when I used to go to the store as a kid, I'd see a cool toy and I'd be like, oh man, that's great, so excited, because I'd want to buy it. Now that I'm an adult, I go to the grocery store and I see 25% off, 30% off, or 50% off on items because it's about to expire, like chicken or meat, I think, oh boy, I'm gonna get me a bunch of this, and I just come home and freeze it.


When I worked downtown, they opened some new grocery stores, so I guess they didn't know how much stuff they needed to order. Holy shit, I'd go there like pretty much once a week while I'm at work, and man, they would have like 20% off, 50% off meat all the time, chicken, beef. I buy a bunch, stick it in my work's freezer, and then just take it home end of the day and put it in my freezer.