"I skip meals": Canadians share how hard affording food has been for them

As Canadians continue to face the high price of groceries, many are trying their best to cut costs.

Daily Hive sent out a callout asking our readers how much they spend at the grocery store and how their spending habits had changed due to high food costs, and the responses were quite eye-opening.

Some readers told us how much they are spending on food and how they are trying to save money on their weekly grocery bills by skipping meals, no longer dining out, and not getting takeout.

“I eat less for taste”

One respondent, “J,” works as an accountant in Vancouver and lives with their partner. They said they spend around $500 weekly on groceries, mainly at Safeway. J noted that his spending habits have changed due to higher prices, prompting the couple to eat out only occasionally.

Ashley N, a senior public service manager in Edmonton, lives with her partner. She estimates their grocery spending to be about $300 per week.

To save money on food, she said she “frequently [uses] coupons and other discounts” and tries to price match.

“Anything to get a deal,” she wrote. Ashley also added that she and her partner had adjusted their weekly meal subscriptions to try to find some savings.

“We’ve reduced our Goodfood [delivery] from four meal kits a week to three [and] supplement them with extra rice, potatoes, or veggies from home and eat them for multiple meals. Everything is about extending food and getting healthy calories.”

Samantha, a retail worker in Niagara Falls, Ontario, told us she tries to split food expenses for staple items (like milk, eggs, and sugar) with her two roommates.

On average, their grocery bill is about $200 a week, and they shop at Walmart, Dollarama, and Food Basics. “I eat less for taste and more for not starving,” she shared.

Some are skipping meals

Some respondents said they are trying to eat less to save.

Apolo, a 25-year-old who works in the film industry in North Vancouver, BC, said they are currently unemployed and living with one roommate. They spend $200 a week on groceries. Apolo noted that they haven’t gone out to eat in the last six months.

“I skip meals due to cost now,” they said.

Learning consultant Anupa, who didn’t share their location, said they live with housemates and spend up to $70 weekly on their grocery bill and about $25 dining out.

They noted that they have tried to reduce the number of meals they eat daily.

“I try to purchase more vegetables and less snacking items, which turns out cheaper. Meat is costlier, but I only consume chicken. I try to purchase higher-quality chicken. I also try to shop based on deals if I want to pick up something,” they said.

Some, like Char from Calgary, said their health has suffered because healthy food options also seem more costly.

“We eat a lot of cheaper processed food compared to four years ago,” they said, adding that their grocery bill for a household of two can be up to $450 a week.

“Our health has deteriorated due to lack of affordable non-processed foods.”

Scraping by to afford groceries

For her family of five, Anita shared that her weekly grocery costs add up to $400 a week. With three children, the physician assistant who lives in rural Nova Scotia said she rarely gets takeout and tries to “make everything at home.”

“I pay more for groceries than for my mortgage each month!” the mom of three said.

Rach, a 50-year-old retiree in Hamilton, Ontario, lives with her husband, son, and their grandchild and estimates their grocery bill to be around $400 to $600 per week.

“Our family can’t afford the rising cost of groceries anymore. Between food and keeping a roof over our head, we are barely getting by,” Rach wrote.

Lim, a waste management worker for the City of Vancouver, lives alone and estimates their grocery bill to be between $75 and $125 weekly.

Living in Vancouver, where housing prices are some of the highest in the country, Lim said their rent cost is usually 80% of their weekly income.

“I have only 200$ extra, and groceries cost half to three-fourths of extra income. It’s so hard to afford to live in Vancouver,” they said.

One respondent, Sofia, summed up the struggle in managing high good costs with a short response: “It’s been hard to survive. Life has become a difficult journey every day.”

How have you been trying to save on food during the cost-of-living crisis? Email us at [email protected].

This article was originally published on May 1, 2024.