I already spent my grocery rebate and it didn't get me far

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Canadians are eager to receive a one-time grocery rebate that’s on its way from the Government. But truthfully, the money I’m set to receive is already spent, and it wasn’t sufficient.

The Cost of Living Relief Act, or Bill C-64, was introduced as part of the 2023 fiscal budget. It means that Canadians are getting a one-time grocery rebate that is set to be issued on Wednesday, July 5. The payments will be wrapped up with GST/HST credits.

If you’re single, you could receive a maximum payment of up to:

$234 (no children)
$387 (with one child)
$467 (with two children)
$548 (with three children)
$628 (with four children)

According to the information in my CRA account, I’m set to receive a payment of $192.24 on July 5. That is a combination of my GST/HST credit ($59.34) and the one-time grocery rebate credit ($132.90)

Certainly, I am appreciative of the credit, especially in this economy! But this amount doesn’t come close to mitigating the effects that inflation and rising food prices have had on my bottom line.

And I have the receipts to show for it. Here’s the most recent grocery shop I went on:

Long English Cucumber – $2.99
1/2 lb Crimini Mushrooms – $2.99
2 lb organic nectaries – $11.99
1 lb strawberries – $5.99 (on sale from $8.99)
1 pint of organic cherry tomatoes – $5.49
2 mini organic watermelons – $13.98
Instant oatmeal – $6.39

A look at my supplements, snacks, and breakfast

2 boxes of shelf-stable oat milk – $4.98
Strawberry coconut yogurt – $8.49
Refrigerated oat milk – $5.99
Block of parmesan cheese – $12.49
Package of Beyond Meat – $10.99
Box of mini protein bars (peanut butter) – $15.99
Box of mini protein bars (mint chocolate) – $15.99
Spicy ketchup potato chips – $4.49
ZipFuel Creatine – $38.24

Subtotal $176.85

Lots of groceries, nothing to make for dinner, this yogurt slaps, though.

Typically, I will purchase groceries once per week. My weekly shops range in price from $60 to $230, or about $145 weekly on average. In a year, that will add up to $7,540.

I spent $176.85 on my last grocery shop and my upcoming grocery rebate won’t quite cover it at $132.90. And even though I’ve pretty much already spent that rebate, there wasn’t enough food to make a real dinner for my family in my cart.

Typically, the groceries I purchase are intended to cover my household basics and provide me with enough food to eat for breakfast, snacks, and lunch each day. For dinner, I use a meal prep service half the week and have dinner with friends and family or at a restaurant the other half of the week. The cost of my dinners is an entirely separate expense.

I splashed out on these $11.99 nectarines

I decided to share how I spend my money on food in hopes that it adds to the ongoing conversation of unaffordability in Canada. There are many people facing food insecurity who need more help than a one-time grocery credit can provide.

Food insecurity is a serious population health problem in Canada. It has been linked to poorer mental health, increased healthcare utilization, and premature mortality.

According to Statistics Canada, even before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity was a growing problem that 12.7% of households (about 4,370,000 people) faced.

In 2021, according to a report from the University of Toronto, 15.9% of households in the ten provinces experienced some level of food insecurity in the last year. So, in Canada, 5.8 million people (including nearly 1.4 million children) are living in food-insecure households.

So, while the rebate is a welcome relief, the rebates are not even close to adequately addressing the realities of food insecurity in Canada.

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With files from Daily Hive Staff