How to stop food costs from eating up your budget Reuters 15 hrs ago In fact you are probably absolutely right. Just ask Hollie Pollard. The freelance virtual assistant from Toronto has been astonished every time she walks into the grocery store. “I went to get a steak last week, because it’s grilling season and I wanted to do a nice BBQ,” said the 57-year-old. “Then I realized it was almost 50% more than what I was paying last year." Pollard bought chicken instead. All told, Pollard estimates her grocery bills have gone up by around a quarter since the start of the pandemic.