With prices increasing for just about everything due to inflation, one family of seven is offering a glimpse into how those rising prices affect them.
Canada’s inflation rate increased by 4.4 per cent in September, the highest increase in 18 years. That increase in the cost of living is due in part to higher prices for things like food, transportation and housing.
Kyle and Nickette Stuckey responded to SooToday's call on social media seeking a large family willing to share the ways in which inflation affects them. The Thessalon couple is raising five children, four boys and one girl ranging in age from three to 14.
One of the most apparent increases Kyle has noticed in the past two years is at the grocery checkout.
“We used to be around $1,000 (per month) but now it’s closer to $1,500,” said Kyle. ”Milk has been crazy. Here in town it’s priced at $7.99 a bag and we go through a bag every two days.”
Kyle and Nickette try to keep grocery costs down by watching for sales and checking the flyers. Every two weeks they do a big shop at stores like No Frills or Metro, which often has lower prices on things like canned goods and other staples.
Lunches can be a challenge with five school-age children in the house. The Stuckeys have refined the process by buying items like granola bars and Bear Paws in bulk to cut down on costs and put them in a series of bins so they can be organized for school days.
The couple often buys meat and produce from a store like Pino’s. Kyle said he is willing to pay a little more for those items to get a better quality to put on the table.
A recent Statistics Canada report says the price of meat is on the rise, with beef increasing by 13 per cent in the past year, with chicken and pork close behind, increasing in price by 10 and nine per cent, respectively.
Still, the Stuckeys watch the flyers for sales on bigger portion meats, like turkey, and if the sale is good enough they will buy multiples and freeze them.
“Then throughout the year we cook then strip it to make five or six pot pies and a soup,” said Kyle.
The family supplements its grocery shopping with home-grown produce from their large garden. Kyle said the garden is a group effort, with the kids helping out whenever possible.
“Weeding is always done by them once the garden is mature — I learned that the hard way,” he said.
The garden yields potatoes, tomatoes, yellow beans, beets, peas and carrots, among others. Whatever they can’t use gets canned and stored for later use.
The Stuckeys also save up points offered by some retailers and typically use them at the end of the year.
“Our points right now are at like $280 and you are allowed to spend $300 max,” said Kyle. “So that’ll be our big Christmas dinner and holidays shop for ‘free.’”
The inflation felt by the family doesn’t end in the grocery aisle. Kyle said he has also noticed increased pricing in things like gasoline used in their two vehicles to get all seven of them where they need to be.
“You have to have a larger vehicle than you think,” said Kyle. “We have two vehicles — one that seats six and another one that seats eight.”
The recent Statistics Canada report says the average cost for gasoline increased by 33 per cent in the past year.
The family recently felt the effects of inflation when buying building materials needed for a recent addition to the house.
“(It was) the worst year to build,” said Kyle. “You want to talk inflation? $11 chipboard went to $60 and a $4 two-by-eight went to $12.”
