Up to $300 per grocery for a family of 11 children

All Quebec families have to deal with the high cost of the grocery basket, but this financial gymnastics exercise becomes even more difficult when it comes to a family of 11 children.

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For Pascale Baker, from Levi’s, the increase means a $300 higher bill per grocery store.

“In 2017, we did about $500 worth of groceries for the whole family and we have a good grocery store. […]. Today, with the prices we have right now, it runs between $700 and $800 a week,” she explains to TVA Novelles.

With such growth, mom must make choices at the grocery store.

“When we give subsidies, we give subsidies on fruits and vegetables because it is really very, very expensive. A box of strawberries is $10, think twice before you buy strawberries,” she said.

Even if both husband and wife work, they shop for specials when they go grocery shopping.

“We only buy on discount, we travel a lot, we go to a lot of grocery stores that aren’t too far away, because it’s not good: You save a dollar or two on an item and you’re going to get it. Too far, it costs a lot of gas,” Ms. Baker said.

Leisure and family activities are also less and less frequent.

“It is common to work and rest, to spoil yourself reasonably, we agree, but it is less and less possible. What are we going to do? Are we going to work to pay for the groceries?” she asks.

In September, food costs posted an 11.4% annual increase, the largest since August 1981.

– Based on information from Sebastien Dubois