Just over half of Canadians say they are $200 away or less from not being able to pay all of their bills at the end of the month amid higher interest rates and inflation.
We live in a more geographically isolated part of Canada (ie: not a big city) and at this point, our monthly grocery bill is approaching our mortgage payment amount. I still have to drive to three different stores to buy basics, because they’re all frequently out of stock for common items (like milk, sometimes). It’s not uncommon to pick up 3-4 bags of groceries (no meat) and pay $150-$200.
We garden, and have birds, and even started raising dairy sheep to reduce costs, but it’s still too much.
Yet, there are seven cannabis stores in town, and they’re all well stocked, somehow.