Statistics Canada (mostly referred to as Stats Canada) keeps track of all kinds of things, including the average price of various groceries.  Here are some of the food items that have gone up the most over the past 10 years.
·    Ground beef. It’s gone up by 37% in price over 10 years.
·    Peanut Butter – it’s gone up 24% over the past 10 years.  Mind you, peanut butter is still a fairly economical protein choice!
·    Cigarettes have gone up 16%. (not sure if this is truly groceries)
·    Paper towels have gone up  11%, with facial tissues also going up 11 percent, and toilet paper up 17 percent
·    Butter and ketchup have also gone up 6%
·    Shampoo has gone up 2%

So, some of these aren’t so bad – like shampoo, butter, and ketchup.  But the ground beef – wow, that’s a fairly big jump.

Then there’s the other side of the coin. When prices don’t go up – but the size goes down.  I bought an individual sized bag of chips the other day, and I swear it was about 20 grams smaller than they used to be. It doesn’t cost any more – but I’m definitely getting way less!

So, what are you supposed to do to fight these price rises?
·    Well, you can always cut back on meat.  I know, I know – meat can be super yummy. The smell of tacos makes me weak in the knees.  But there are some times that meat can be omitted (say, in chili), and you really won’t miss it, as long as you have plenty of beans and veggies in there.
·    Buy in bulk.  Bulk tends to be cheaper –but it’s only worth it if the product won’t spoil (e.g. toilet paper), you have somewhere to put it, and you really will use it.  And if you’ll just eat more of it (e.g. potato chips), then it’s not a good idea either.
·    Use alternates. Instead of paper towel, use rags.  Heck, I think my Mom used an old sleeper of mine for about 20 years as a rag.
·    Do without.  Smoking really isn’t a great habit, and there are much nicer ways to spend (or save!) your money.
·    Use less.  If I shower when I get up in the morning on the weekend, and then hit the gym, I’ll have another shower, but I won’t wash my hair again – it doesn’t need it, and there’s no point in wasting the shampoo.

What prices have you noticed going up the most? How do you deal with it?

Be Sociable, Share!

•