Things were about to start looking up, Gordon McRae thought as he climbed the steps of the heritage home just outside of Brandon’s downtown.
It felt massive, he said, especially compared to the basement apartment where he’d been living in the southwestern Manitoba city. And when it dropped to a price point he and his girlfriend could afford in early 2019, they bought it: their first house together.
“It felt absolutely amazing. That kind of a life goal was being completed — just that kind of relief that things are going to start looking good. Things are going to get better,” the 35-year-old said.
As someone who’s had to live in his car before, McRae said buying a house was something that had once felt out of reach for him. But at that moment, it was like everything had fallen into place.
“I was excited to start new and actually, you know, live a decent life,” he said. “But that didn’t last very long.”
Less than a year later, McRae’s hours at his wholesale job started getting cut. As the cost of living went up, he got a second job driving for a food delivery app in the evenings.
Gordon McRae stands outside his Brandon, Man., house, which he says he’s afraid of losing as the cost of living increases. (Riley Laychuk/CBC)
In a span of a few years, he said he’s gone from making enough money to put away some savings to racking up debt.
His bills are adding up too, like the nearly $250 he pays for phone and internet, which he needs for work and for when his 14-year-old daughter comes over on weekends and needs to do homework.
Now, as the inflation rate continues rising, McRae said he’s running out of ways to cut back. Some days, he gets by on just the bowl of cereal he eats in the morning. Others, he turns off the heat to try to keep his utility bills down.
McRae said he’s worried the next thing he’ll have to give up will be a big one: his house.
He said he’s not sure what he’ll do if that happens, especially with many monthly apartment rents well above what he pays for his mortgage.
“I’ve been keeping up with my mortgage payments, but only because I’m not eating as much, just so I could at least keep a roof over my head,” he said.
“It’s absolutely dreadful knowing that I could be homeless again.”
‘Don’t want to lose everything’
For Laura Warren, the fear of losing her house is front of mind lately.
…….
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-homeowners-rising-inflation-fears-1.6468217