Vancouver Island residents offer tips for coping with inflation
South Island families are feeling the pinch of rising inflation – hitting historic rates around 7 per cent – in an already-expensive place to live.
“It’s hard,” says Sooke resident Cindy Larson, a mother of three.
“It’s crazy just to see the difference between now and, say, January even.”
From gas prices to cooking oil, diapers and more, Larson is reviewing her budget at least once a week.
“I cut things out as much as I can,” she says.
She made the switch to seeking out ultimate savings around the time she became a stay-at-home mom in 2018, and shares her finds on Instagram at @yyj_couponer.
“There’s a lot that goes into it, like researching prices, price matching, matching up with points with PC Optimum, as well, is a big thing because then you get cash back," Larson says. "You can save it for groceries, birthday presents, that’s what I do.”
Greater Victoria Public Library says users stand to save there as well. The price of admission is free, and it’s not all about books.
“If you are someone who likes to watch movies or TV, we offer services like Hoopla which has popular movies,” says GVPL’s Rachel Rogers. “And something that’s very popular with Victoria is British TV shows through Acorn and BBC.”
Before you hit the grocery aisle on your next shop, Victoria’s zero waste outreach coordinator reminds overbuying is a big problem costing Canadian households an estimated $1,300 annually.
“About 63 per cent of food is actually wasted in households,” says Rhiannon Moore. “It does end up in our landfill as well and it causes greenhouse gases when it’s not composted properly.”
Moore encourages people to plan their meals over the course of a week, then stick to buying what’s on the list. She also encourages people to learn about food preservation.
“Look at what you can put in your freezer, what you can preserve better by putting in water in the fridge,” she says.
The research can go beyond the kitchen. Larson says Facebook and Instagram have robust couponing communities, herself included.
“If you put the effort into it, you can save hundreds,” she says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.