First of all must say Hello and Welcome to some people who have pressed the follower button and also apologies as I found some comments from several days ago that had gone into spam and I hadn't realised. And also thank you for comments on Saturday which I eventually got round to replying to yesterday evening because I got myself stuck into the Jacqueline Winspear library book and forgot to look again at the post.
Now food prices..........................
Every day on TV or Radio someone says food prices are going up, not as much as fuel prices but I wondered exactly how much? In February or March when I did the comparisons between Aldi and Morrisons and Aldi and Asda I had the prices on the blog and when I went to Aldi last week bought things I had also purchased in February or March so looked back at the blog posts to see what I paid then.
(For US readers £1 UK = 1.23$US when I wrote this)
From February Comparison shop
Aldi price February and May
Punnet of Red Grapes £1.49.................Same
Broccoli 47p.....................Up 3p to 50p
Baby Plum Toms 59p .................Up 36p to 95p (possible a bigger punnet)
Unsalted butter 250g £1.48...................Up 27p to £1.75p
Tin Plum Tomatoes 28p............Same
Jar Pitted Olives 49p............Same
6 Cheese/onion in pastry rolls £1.19..........Up 20p to £1.39
From my March Comparison
Aldi price March and May
Frothy Coffee Sachets £0.79................................. Up 6p to 85p
Pasta Penne 500g £0.29...................................Same
Pringles
£1.65......................................Same
Ex-Mature
cheese 400g £1.79.....................................Up 10p to £1.89
Milk 2pt
£0.95...............................Same
Sm.Potatoes500g £0.62.............................. down 2p to 60p
Cucumber £0.43
..........................Up 2p to 45p
6 Braeburn Apples £1.19...........................Up 20p to £1.39
Iceberg Lettuce £0.43 ..........................Up 3p to 46p
Yes, that's proved food prices are going up..... and even my once-a-month pensioners Fish and Chips from up the road has gone from £3.50 to £4 ( but still a bargain as the fish alone is usually £5.25)
I did my main food shop for the month on the 6th and spent just over £50 between Aldi and Asda and eggs from a farm gate stall. I then bought flour and rape seed oil and a couple of freezer things from Morrisons and will only need fresh stuff during the rest of the month.(Flour and cooking oil are the things that we are likely to have a shortage of so I'm getting prepared just in case - either for me or the children)
I bought no meat at all this month as I still have some chicken breasts, one thigh joint and some bacon and sausages in the freezer. Bought lots of cheese and unsalted butter (had to bake for WI on Monday), one pack of vegetarian "bakes" that I've not tried before - taste test coming up.
The picture isn't the whole shop- some went straight into fridge and freezer before I thought about a photo.
The UK have long had some of the cheapest food prices in Europe but now due to Brexit, the war in Ukraine and the effects of the pandemic it seems we will have to pay a much higher price and then I heard India have stopped all exports of flour due to a failed harvest........... It's going to be hard for a lot of people.
It will be interesting to look back at this in the Autumn and see how prices have changed. . Who knows what things will be like by then - recession? war? trade war due to Irish situation, world wide oil shortages?
It's become even more important to carry on growing whatever I can, shop wisely and waste nothing.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
Good morning Sue. Have you ever thought to buy your milk in 4 pint bottles as it freezes well and only costs a few coppers more for twice as much?
ReplyDeleteI hardly use any milk so a 4 pint bottle would go off before I finished it
DeleteI meant pour it into smaller bottles and freeze it. It thaws out and is exactly as it was.
DeleteAllowing for seasonal fluctuations things are definitely rising. If it gets worse, we could see a return to lack of flour (and flour based products), as in Covid times.
ReplyDeleteI thought it interesting to see the list and note exactly how much they are going up by.
DeleteSo many countries will be sourcing flour from fewer countries selling so there's bound to be shortages
I'm so grateful that my retirement hobby is growing vegetables. I think our Food banks are going to need a lot of support. Many families are struggling
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to my harvest this year, just planted out the French climbing beans and sweetcorn
DeleteAngela mentioned Food Banks……something that’s happening more and more down here……is families topping up their usual grocery shop by dropping into the FB to pick up extra bits and pieces
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard about how busy food banks are here, we don't have anything in the country villages - only in towns
DeleteMy local Aldi is limiting their sale of bottles of oil, boxes of pasta, and bags of flour to 3 per customer. I buy 3 boxes of pasta every time I go in; it'll keep.
ReplyDeleteEverything was still OK on the 6th but may have changed since
DeleteBrexit can be blamed for a lot of the high prices along with covid lay offs and the war in the Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteIt's world wide problems - people will be struggling everywhere
DeleteAn interesting post Sue with, shock horror, some actual facts . To quote from another blog I don’t think one could feed a family of five healthily on £1.43. As to “we had it hard in the 1980s” and didn’t complain - compare the average house price/average wage ration in 1980 and 2022 and you get a different view on things.
ReplyDeleteI thought it would be interesting to see it written down to look back on
DeleteSadly, the whole bread basket in the US is in a historic draught, and the harvest isn't expected to be good. I am retired and worry about shortages and prices. Most people here blame them on one political party or another. Short-sighted as they do not see we aren't alone. I hope the best for you.
ReplyDeleteDrought is yet another reason for shortages
DeleteOur prices here are even higher compared to yours - no Aldi or Morrisons here. For example, 1 litre of Manx milk is £1.25, a punnet of grapes £2.00 and so on.
ReplyDeleteThe joy of Island Life!
DeleteYes, prices are still creeping up each week, aren't they. I paid £1.05 for 2 pints of skimmed milk and £1.90 for a pack of British butter in the last food shop. I don't use a lot of pasta or flour but will try to keep a bit in stock even if it's to help the family out. I've also heard that some drugs are in short supply; painkillers, blood pressure medication and HRT (not that I use that) but it's very worrying. There are so many struggling families. Where will it all end?
ReplyDeleteThere are big problems with medication shortages - I don't know what's causing them
Delete( Anne Brew ). Like JayCee, here in Sheffield our equivalent size milk in Sainsbury's has climbed to £1.25 and appears to be stuck there - up from 85p this time last year.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post Sue.
Things jump up by 20p or more so quickly
Deletesuch wise words. Our oil and gas prices are crazy. I worry about heating our homes this winter not many people can afford the crazy price it is now. We are lucky to have a wood stove and wood that was cut from our property a few years ago. The food prices each time I go they have gone up it is hard to keep up with it.
ReplyDeletecathy
I miss my wood-burner stove but can't decide if there is room here
DeleteI am an American Reader and have visited your beautiful country. When visiting, I noticed then that food prices were significantly lower on your side of the pond, and they have remained so. For example, a pound of butter (4 sticks or 454 grams) in the US averages $5 or £3.96. A head of broccoli costs around $3 or £2.30. My husband and I spend the equivalent of £100 - £110 a week on groceries for 2 people who eat all meals at home. This is an increase of approximately 35% over the last 2 years. Many of us are getting quite concerned.
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting to here about worldwide prices - thanks to blogging
DeleteIndividually, the price increase seems fairly innocuous, then by the time you have filled the trolley - all those .. penny here and a penny there - add up and it becomes suddenly concerning.
ReplyDeleteWe had the family over for the weekend (boys and their girls, and my folks) and we had to just grin and bare it as we watched the smart meter doing victory laps every time some one had a shower or I baked a cake, it was absolutely wonderful and precious we were all together but it was definitely more expensive that the last time!
I'm going to watch and see each month how things change and try and cut down elsewhere
DeleteYes prices are climbing up steadily and I usually notice something has increased every time I shop now. Something I am noticing is that our Aldi very rarely has any vegetable oil in stock now, although olive oil which is dearer is still there. The pasta is a bit hit and miss too, either they have lots or none at all. The cheapest flour went up by 10p a bag last week, so that is the start of of flour wars once again I guess.
ReplyDeleteEverything was OK a week ago but I'm not sure how it will be this week!
DeleteI shop online due to mobility problems and, doing my last order, I was surprised how much prices had risen from one week to the next. It can only get worse but, as you say, we've had cheap food for a long time, with people spending a far smaller percentage of their income on food than they did in the fifties, for example.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a shock for people who regularly buy too much, they might have to cut back to manage
DeleteYes, prices climbing every week, which ever shop you use. Like you, I need my car to get to any food shop, no public transport and being diabetic canno t eat any carbs, so no cheap pasta or any bread or potatoes. It has to be dark fish, Mediterranean veg, apples, pears or berries, nuts and seeds, all expensive food but better than going blind or having a foot chopped off! There must be loads of people on special diets with other medical conditions, all right banging on about healthy eating but it’s bloomin’ expensive. Sarah Browne.
ReplyDeleteI can't eat pulses which is another cheap filler food. Love fresh fruit and that's the most difficult to grow
DeletePrices continue to rise and your comparison shows it well. Baby formula is currently a huge problem in the US. One factory was shut down and remains closed. Nobody seems to respond to the question, "Why?" Fuel is moving toward $6 a gallon.
ReplyDeleteThat must be really worrying - can't be substituted by anything.
DeleteSomeone I know on Facebook who lives in America regularly talks about the cost of petrol. I didn't take a lot of notice until one day it dawned on me that her fuel was now actually more than ours. I was stunned to be honest because when we visited the USA it was the cheapness of their fuel that really shocked us and how much more we used to pay for it in the UK.
ReplyDeletePrices in the US are terrible. A pound of butter at Aldi's was $1.99 and is now $3.99, At Kroger butter is 6.99 per pound. When I was in England almost four years ago, I found food prices were so reasonable compared to the US. There are shortages one week on something and the next week something else. If there is something, you like to use and you find it then you better stock up. It's a very sad time around the world and then the Ukraine people suffering because of a crazy man. Those of us that are older won't be around, but our children and grandchildren will face some terrible things in the future. Very sad times but we have to keep our chin up and do what needs to be done.
ReplyDeleteShopping is getting harder and you have to be so careful now. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteWe will continue to waste as little as possible. As every year goes past I have managed to lower the amount of meat we eat [my two chaps won't become veggie] and all meat I buy now is anything of a good quality that is yellow stickered in the Co-op if I'm passing by. Arilx
ReplyDeleteMany comments flying around here about the increasing cost of living but sometimes it feels like the prices are just increasing like they normally do. I'm now feeling inspired to go and record some of our grocery prices and see what happens with them :)
ReplyDeleteFood and fuel keep going up and up.
ReplyDeleteFood prices are crazy. It seems like they go up every time I go shopping. The same with our fuel prices. I sure hope things settle down soon.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Prices for food are up in USA as well. Some people who come into Panera are a bit disappointed at the prices. Next month it is to go up a bit but not too much, hopefully. We never know what will happen next in our life. Seems life has changed in these past two years. Pandemic then gas prices and shortage of items and workers at many places. God is always with us and I know we will make it through the rough time in life. He never leaves us nor forsakes us! Hugs and prayers!
ReplyDeleteBecky
grandmabeckyl.blogspot.com
In our nearest supermarket, the only one I can get to without a car, there is absolute no flour excapt whole-grain spelt and no vegetable or sunflower oil. This has gone on for more than two months now. I do a big shopping once a month by car, but to get flour and oil is really difficult. Sometimes the only thing on the shelf are the signs "Only one packet or bottle per customer, please!"
ReplyDeleteHilde in Germany
I'm afraid it will be a case of getting what you can, rather than what you would like. x
ReplyDelete