The cost of living in Metro Vancouver continues to rise, causing financial stress for many.
1130 NewsRadio spoke to locals who report that their budgets are being stretched to the limit.
“Everywhere, I’ve noticed, is crazy expensive,” one said.
“I’m definitely more conscious of deal shopping and [seeking] lowering prices across different stores,” said another.
Some have even noticed more people taking advantage of food programs to avoid the skyrocketing costs at grocery stores.
“I noticed there’s this food program that’s in the building that I’m in, and it gets outdated food from stores and/or expiring food from stores,” one man told 1130 NewsRadio.
“At first, it started out fairly minor, but now there’s like 50 units in there. There’s only 90 units in my building.”
Mason Cox, Director of Counselling at the Credit Counselling Society, says many people are running out of things to cut from their budget to make ends meet.
“Back in the day, whenever we would meet with individuals and talk about budgeting and those kinds of things, we’d see where there might be a little bit more flexibility — ‘If you don’t do this as much, maybe you can afford X,Y, and Z,’” said Cox.
“Nowadays, we’re just seeing budgets are tighter and tighter.”
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He says taking on debt might seem like the only choice, but warns it will cause more financial stress in the long run.
“It’s a Band-Aid solution,” said Cox, who says food and shelter should be prioritized over all.
“Those are the most important things that you need just to get by.”
Cox advises writing a list of your expenses to see where you could cut costs.
He says people struggling to make ends meet shouldn’t feel alone and shouldn’t avoid seeking help.
“Some people get overwhelmed because they’re looking to make changes right away,” he said.
“But I think the best thing you can do is really get everything down on a piece of paper so you can start — then making the decisions of how you can overcome those challenges.”