The rising costs of everyday staples, like food and gas, are forcing people to make some tough decisions, and Halifax senior Anne Hunter is one of them.
The 88-year-old is on a fixed income and has been crunching some numbers.
She says it doesn't look good, so going to have to sell her car. She also wonders how she will be able to stay in her house.
"I do think with selling my car and canceling my car insurance and my CAA and stuff, I can see I'll have enough money until the end of the year," said Anne.
Although she doesn't want to, Hunter says, if costs continue to soar, she may be forced to sell her home as well.
Recently, her mortgage payments have nearly doubled and it's eating through her savings.
"If that goes up any more, which I think it's going to, I'm not going to be able to pay it,” says Anne.
Inflation isn't just affecting gas prices. Everything from food to energy costs are going through the roof.
Janine Burke is a teacher and a recent new homeowner in Sydney, N.S. She has had to take on a part-time serving job to pay her bills, most glaringly her skyrocketing heating bill.
"Last year, things changed," said Burke. "And my bills went from being easy to pay to being more than my mortgage per-month."
It's a challenging time, says digital anthropologist Giles Crouch. He's been watching people’s frustrations and anxiety brought on by inflationary pressures.
"We saw the stress and anxiety of dealing with the lockdowns and, before we even get a chance to recover from that, we are going into another crisis point," said Crouch. "This is going to take a significant toll on our society’s mental health.”
Anne's daughter says her mother, who is on a fixed income, is being impacted the most, like those who are also on a low income.
"Those with the least are being the hardest hit and all on the necessities of life," said Nancy Hunter.
Many people are also frustrated with large grocery chains and corporations making record profits while consumers deal with rising prices.
"It’s getting worse and we've got to do something different," said Nancy.
Her mother struggles to make sense of the situation.
"I don't know about this recession," said Anne. "And I don't know what's going on with that. All I know is the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer."
Anne says she is worried about the financial stress and the impacts it might have on her physical and mental health.
It's a problem she is preparing for, but the weight of the situation and the uncertainty is heavy.
