Inflation/Gas Prices/Rising Prices in General

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Who buys Wonder Bread?? Store brand white bread at our upscale Wegman's in VA is 99 cents. I don't know if this link works outside our area. https://shop.wegmans.com/search?sear...ocomplete=true

I was just comparing brands that are available in both places. But again, you can get low-quality white bread for cheaper than in Canada, that's not in question. But something like this (whole grain bread for $6 CAD) or even this (plain store-brand whole wheat bread for $3 CAD) is generally similar or cheaper in Canada where you can get high quality whole grain bread for $3.50-5.00 and whole wheat store-brand bread for $1.75-2.00.

Store brand 2% milk here is $3.31 per gallon, and under $3 for non fat or 1%

That equates to about $4.55 CAD for 4 liters, which isn't far off what it costs here. And that's one of the cheaper places in the US for milk. Like I mentioned above, it's $5.63 CAD for 4L in Mississippi.

[timun]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Who buys Wonder Bread?? Store brand white bread at our upscale Wegman's in VA is 99 cents. I don't know if this link works outside our area. https://shop.wegmans.com/search?sear...ocomplete=true

Store brand 2% milk here is $3.31 per gallon, and under $3 for non fat or 1%

I've shopped at the Wegman's in Fairfax, and I don't remember bread being a buck... Granted this was about six years ago, but at the time I remember being quite shocked at the prices coming from Calgary. I paid $2.00-$2.50 (USD) for Wegman's store brand whole wheat, whereas the equivalent at Safeway in Calgary was $1.69 (CAD). Most of the rest of the selection at Wegman's was $3.50-5.00, which after converting to CAD would hit my poor Canadian wallet pretty hard.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

The biggest thing that someone can do to combat inflation and the price of food, is to cook your own meals. I have stopped going out as much, pick up some recipe books from the library and cook my own meals.

This isn't possible for a lot of people, with young kids, working multiple jobs (with shift work especially) and that live below the poverty line. But for the middle class it sure makes a huge difference. Even one meal at a nice restaurant can cost around $100... Fast food for a family of four can cost close to $40.

I think that we as a society have become a bit to accustomed to the uber eats/skip the dishes type of thinking where a meal is a few taps away with unlimited options.

Obviously this is an over simplification of a lot of issues but I still think for many people that it will need to be change in thinking to help combat these issues.

Edit: also when did everyone stop making their own bread. That was best pandemic times.

[Doctorfever]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

The biggest thing that someone can do to combat inflation and the price of food, is to cook your own meals. I have stopped going out as much, pick up some recipe books from the library and cook my own meals.

This isn't possible for a lot of people, with young kids, working multiple jobs (with shift work especially) and that live below the poverty line. But for the middle class it sure makes a huge difference. Even one meal at a nice restaurant can cost around $100... Fast food for a family of four can cost close to $40.

I think that we as a society have become a bit to accustomed to the uber eats/skip the dishes type of thinking where a meal is a few taps away with unlimited options.

Obviously this is an over simplification of a lot of issues but I still think for many people that it will need to be change in thinking to help combat these issues.

Edit: also when did everyone stop making their own bread. That was best pandemic times.

Agreed. We cook all our own meals unless we are on the run with kids sports. It’s cost effective, and way healthier than eating out.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

The biggest thing that someone can do to combat inflation and the price of food, is to cook your own meals. I have stopped going out as much, pick up some recipe books from the library and cook my own meals.

This isn't possible for a lot of people, with young kids, working multiple jobs (with shift work especially) and that live below the poverty line. But for the middle class it sure makes a huge difference. Even one meal at a nice restaurant can cost around $100... Fast food for a family of four can cost close to $40.

I think that we as a society have become a bit to accustomed to the uber eats/skip the dishes type of thinking where a meal is a few taps away with unlimited options.

Obviously this is an over simplification of a lot of issues but I still think for many people that it will need to be change in thinking to help combat these issues.

Edit: also when did everyone stop making their own bread. That was best pandemic times.

But then wealthy families have to lay off their cooks and then how are those people supposed to feed their families?

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

The biggest thing that someone can do to combat inflation and the price of food, is to cook your own meals. I have stopped going out as much, pick up some recipe books from the library and cook my own meals.

This isn't possible for a lot of people, with young kids, working multiple jobs (with shift work especially) and that live below the poverty line. But for the middle class it sure makes a huge difference. Even one meal at a nice restaurant can cost around $100... Fast food for a family of four can cost close to $40.

I think that we as a society have become a bit to accustomed to the uber eats/skip the dishes type of thinking where a meal is a few taps away with unlimited options.

Obviously this is an over simplification of a lot of issues but I still think for many people that it will need to be change in thinking to help combat these issues.

Edit: also when did everyone stop making their own bread. That was best pandemic times.

Yeah we eat at home except the occasional Mcdonald's. Although the three in my family can do Mcdonalds for less than $20. a happymeal and 2 value meals.

Our best value take out dinner is going to Costco and getting each of us a dog & pop for $1.60 each. dinner for 3 for $5

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Doctorfever

Agreed. We cook all our own meals unless we are on the run with kids sports. It’s cost effective, and way healthier than eating out.

Not only that but it should also be establishing good habits in your kids when it comes to cooking and eating. I don't have proof but I would assume that kids who grow up in homes that regularly cook meals are more likely to cook as they become independent vs kids who grow up eating out at fast food places.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

The biggest thing that someone can do to combat inflation and the price of food, is to cook your own meals. I have stopped going out as much, pick up some recipe books from the library and cook my own meals.

This isn't possible for a lot of people, with young kids, working multiple jobs (with shift work especially) and that live below the poverty line. But for the middle class it sure makes a huge difference. Even one meal at a nice restaurant can cost around $100... Fast food for a family of four can cost close to $40.

I think that we as a society have become a bit to accustomed to the uber eats/skip the dishes type of thinking where a meal is a few taps away with unlimited options.

Obviously this is an over simplification of a lot of issues but I still think for many people that it will need to be change in thinking to help combat these issues.

Edit: also when did everyone stop making their own bread. That was best pandemic times.

This. Have even started to make my own sandwhich meats lately. Wait for cheap beef roasts to go on sale for $14, pick up 3 of them, freeze 2, and then cook 1 in a sous vide for a super tender cook. Makes not only sandwhich meat, but also hot roast beef sandwhiches for an entire week. You can't get any cheaper than that on a $/meal basis.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

Yeah we eat at home except the occasional Mcdonald's. Although the three in my family can do Mcdonalds for less than $20. a happymeal and 2 value meals.

Our best value take out dinner is going to Costco and getting each of us a dog & pop for $1.60 each. dinner for 3 for $5

Plus $500 in groceries....

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by lambeburger

It's not a bug, it's a feature of the carbon tax and inflation. The federal government is thrilled that you are cutting out "carbon intensive" foods like meat. They literally want you poorer so that you have to make these tough decisions so that you consume less.

Yes, they want to make carbon-intensive things more expensive so people consume less….that is the exact goal of the carbon tax. But no, they don’t want to make us poorer which is why they give carbon tax credits back every year which can exceed the amount of carbon tax you paid. I got almost $1000 back this year….buys a lot of tofu or paneer.

[lambeburger]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

That doesn’t explain similar or higher levels of inflation in countries that don’t have a carbon tax.

It's abundantly clear that the Liberals care greatly about appeasing the climate gods and little about improving the quality of life of Canadian citizens. The carbon tax was designed to hurt Canadians financially enough so that we are forced to live a less "carbon intensive lifestyle". They want us to be poorer and therefore more malleable to their ideals of how one should live a proper life.

Indeed, high gas prices and inflation are effecting everyone, however Canada is the only G7 country that isn't instituting a gas tax cut or holiday in light of the price crunch. Why? Because emitting carbon is the ultimate sin to the Liberals and it would sow doubt on the feasibility of their ever increasing carbon tax.

The real problem at the pumps though is that the western world is constrained by supply issues due to dumb energy policy. Canada could have been part of the solution if the federal government wasn't so hostile to oil and gas projects over the years, but here we are.

There's plenty of blame to go around, but the naive "keep it in the ground" crowd who has Trudeau's ear, makes the western world poorer and less stable. This only benefits people like Putin who is STILL selling natural gas to the rest of Europe so that Russians can kill Ukrainians.

[PeteMoss]

We're talking about the guy who bought a pipeline so it will be built right?

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by lambeburger

The carbon tax was designed to hurt Canadians financially enough so that we are forced to live a less "carbon intensive lifestyle". They want us to be poorer and therefore more malleable to their ideals of how one should live a proper life.

How much was your carbon tax rebate this year?

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Yes, they want to make carbon-intensive things more expensive so people consume less….that is the exact goal of the carbon tax. But no, they don’t want to make us poorer which is why they give carbon tax credits back every year which can exceed the amount of carbon tax you paid. I got almost $1000 back this year….buys a lot of tofu or paneer.

You got one already? I thought the CAI payments were not coming until July.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by lambeburger

The carbon tax was designed to hurt Canadians financially enough so that we are forced to live a less "carbon intensive lifestyle". They want us to be poorer and therefore more malleable to their ideals of how one should live a proper life.

Honestly, it's needed. I regularly host people from all over the world and get their viewpoints on a ton of "issues" and what they go through already in regards to them. Our outlook on life here in Canada, especially Alberta, really needs some perspective added. I'm getting really embarrassed about the constant whining from people here about having to make a very small sacrifice that "hurts them" but in reality, that sacrifice is so pitifully small compared to other regions of the world, that it's just downright laughable. And it's not just the carbon tax, it's literally any topic you can think of. We do nothing but bitch but miss the whole point of it all.

[Izzle]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Honestly, it's needed. I regularly host people from all over the world and get their viewpoints on a ton of "issues" and what they go through already in regards to them. Our outlook on life here in Canada, especially Alberta, really needs some perspective added. I'm getting really embarrassed about the constant whining from people here about having to make a very small sacrifice that "hurts them" but in reality, that sacrifice is so pitifully small compared to other regions of the world, that it's just downright laughable. And it's not just the carbon tax, it's literally any topic you can think of. We do nothing but bitch but miss the whole point of it all.

That last sentence could be Alberta's motto.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

You got one already? I thought the CAI payments were not coming until July.

You’re right, but my tax return told me how much I’m getting

[Azure]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Honestly, it's needed. I regularly host people from all over the world and get their viewpoints on a ton of "issues" and what they go through already in regards to them. Our outlook on life here in Canada, especially Alberta, really needs some perspective added. I'm getting really embarrassed about the constant whining from people here about having to make a very small sacrifice that "hurts them" but in reality, that sacrifice is so pitifully small compared to other regions of the world, that it's just downright laughable. And it's not just the carbon tax, it's literally any topic you can think of. We do nothing but bitch but miss the whole point of it all.

What percentage of families are living paycheck to paycheck before interest rates went up?

What percentage of families can't find jobs that pay well?

What percentage of families are not seeing pay increases in line with inflation?

What percentage of families are struggling to buy groceries because of the rising cost of food + shrinkflation?

I mean, I get people aren't supposed to be entitled, but this isn't about whether we pay carbon tax or not.

Imagine how entitled one has to be to think that it is.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

You got one already? I thought the CAI payments were not coming until July.

That ones on all the people who complained about getting it in advance.

[GGG]

The whole goal right now to fix inflation is to cause people and businesses pain to decrease consumption.

Not being able to afford stuff is the point. Cutting Carbon taxes or gas taxes or whatever else without a corresponding tax increase will make the problems worse.

Money needs to come out of the economy.