Price Rises 1 Year On.

  The book I read recently 'Across a Waking Land; A 1,000 Mile Walk Through a British Spring' (it's been very useful for blog posts!) begins

 just as Russia invades Ukraine and the author says he thinks this will have a really serious affect on food supplies and prices. It certainly has, coupled with the long term effects of Covid (higher costs after the slowdown of manufacturing etc ) and Brexit (difficulty in getting foreign workers for harvesting and packing). 

Luckily I could check out how much prices had changed because last year in March I was doing  the 'Eating Basics Challenge' and had photos of shopping with prices. This is just one week - an average sort-of shop.

What I wrote a year ago and the prices then. New prices at the end of March 2024 in RED . 

Milk down 10p, chicken thighs the same. Everything else is up in price, fruit and vegetables by more.

AL Bread 39p (20 slices and 2 crusts) I divided these into 5 x 4 slices and the two crusts and popped all but one in the freezer. Now 45p

AL British Chicken Thighs 1kg = 7 = £2.85 Wrapped individually and frozen .SAME

AL Pears 97p (They were on offer at 30% off) NOW £1.69

AS Back Bacon 300g =£1.40 ( I wanted to buy their cheaper 'Cooking Bacon Pieces' at 90p but not in stock) NO ESSENTIALS RANGE  ANYMORE so 300g now £2.25

AS Pineapple pieces 49p  NOW 71p

AL 2 Pints milk £1.30 (Makes up to 4 pints when mixed half and half with water) £1.20

AS Grated Cheese 500g = £2.60 I have NEVER EVER bought grated cheese before - lazy - except the crazy thing is that this is cheaper than a block of cheese at the moment so for this experiment it works. NOW £2.99 

AS Head of Broccoli 34p NOW 79p

AL 1kg Carrots 50p NOW 65p

AL 500g Parsnips 50p  NOW 65p

AL 6 Mini Apples 59p NOW 99p

A year ago the total was £11.93 - NOW £15.22

We certainly are paying the price for all the things that have happened in the last 7 years. 

I wish I knew for sure that farmers are benefitting from the price increases - but I doubt they are .

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Rising Food Prices

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

Comparison Shopping is Such Fun!

 It was interesting to do the Aldi/Morrisons comparison last month, in fact so much fun that I thought I would do it again!

Aldi and Asda in Stowmarket this time. And I was so right about February's food spending being amazingly low as by the time I'd shopped at both (Asda had things I needed that Aldi don't stock) I'd spent ⅔ of what I spent in the whole of February! But hopefully I now don't need to shop for much other than fresh stuff for the rest  of this month.🤞.......I always think this fingers crossed emoji looks a bit like a chicken drumstick!

This time I've  failed at writing all the Asda comparison prices down - Duh. Can't remember who the youtuber was (he got mentioned last time I did this) who does this sort of thing for a living - but he obviously has more patience than me!

This is most of the Aldi shop - I didn't photograph what I got from Asda as I was in a hurry to get everything put away so I could have my lunch.

 

 

I've not worked it out completely nor listed everything this month. There was some stuff from Asda that Aldi don't have(or I didn't find or forgot to look for).

Aldi                                                   compared with                     Asda

650g Chicken Breast    £3.49                                                 1kg = £5.35

Tin Corned Beef           £1.79                                                           £2.00

Frothy Coffee Sachets  £0.79                                      Nescafe        £1.50

Soft 'marge' for cakes* £0.75                                     Stork              £1.50

Pasta                             £0.29                                                           £0.29

Bread Flour                  £0.59                                                                ?

Yeast                            £0.59                                                             £0.79

Hot X Buns*                £0.89                                                               ?

Bread Burger Rolls(4)  £0.75                                                      (6) £0.99

Tortilla Chips               £0.45                                                                ?

Pringles*                      £1.65                              35g bigger            £2.00

Distilled Vinegar          £0.29                                   Sarsons             £1.24

Ex-Mature cheese         £1.79                                                            £2.00

Milk  2pt                       £0.95                                                            £0.95    

2   Bananas*                 £0.28                       1kg         £0.95            £0.25p

500g Carrots                 £0.27                      1kg         £0.43              £0.21

Sm. Potatoes500g        £0.62                      1kg         £0.85               £0.42

Aubergine                     £0.69                                                            £0.69

Cucumber                     £0.43                                                            £0.45

Braeburn Apples           £1.19                                                           £0.99

Lettuce *                       £0.43                                                           £0.46

*Haven't tried Aldis own make of cake making "marge" before - I'll see how it compares to Stork - which makes excellent sponge cakes.

*I know it's not Easter! but these are handy to keep in the Freezer - they fill a hungry Grandchild better than anything else .

*Pringles ....Tut -although  I do eat them as part of a meal and a tube lasts me quite a while.

*Bananas. Priced individually in Aldi and have gone up 1p each since last month.

*Iceberg lettuce- not my favourite lettuce in the  world but they are much cheaper than anything else and weight for weight are a bargain.

 Also from Aldi I bought another veggie frozen "thing" to try - (future taste test post), 

From Asda I  bought some smoked Mackerel fillets (forgot to look for these in Aldi) and some small Frozen salmon steaks, a 3kg bag of Allinsons Strong Bread flour as I've found the Aldi bread flour is best mixed with something of better quality to get a good loaf from my breadmaker, cooking chocolate and fajita seasoning which I couldn't find in Aldi. Small plum tomatoes too as I missed them in Aldi. 

Asda also have the Nescafe decaf frothy coffee sachets not available in Aldi. One thing I noticed had shot up in price was a jar of Hellmans Mayo - I tried Aldi own brand a while ago and it wasn't nice at all so reverted back to the best. I don't use it often (warm pasta salads, egg mayo sandwich) so the great ol' jar of 800g will last me months and it will need to at the shocking price of £3.29! ......looked it up later and it would have been cheaper at Morrisons ..........ho hum.

 

March Meals........................There are still several things from the pre-Christmas stash and February's shop in the freezer. I started off the month by making a quiche again, which provides me with 4 meals that don't seem repetitive if served with something different each day.The aubergine is going to make a batch of aubergine and tomato sauce for pasta(probably 4 portions); Mackerel fillets (2) also going with pasta in a warm pasta salad. The Chicken breasts have been halved and frozen making 6 meals - in tortilla wraps for one and others I've not decided on yet. ( I may go back to jointing and freezing a whole fresh chicken next time I need chicken meat - probably June shop)

 

The results of  this months comparison are not as clear cut as last months Aldi/Morrisons test. Several things in Asda work out cheaper than Aldi whereas last month Morrisons was more expensive nearly all the time (although Asda often only have larger packs for a family rather than a single person). 

 

All jolly good fun............... what shall I compare next month?

 

Back Tomorrow

Sue                                                      

So is the TV Ad Correct?

 There's often an ad on TV with the price of a trolley load of shopping from Aldi compared to a trolley load from one of the bigger supermarkets (Asda or Tesco) - I can't remember which.

The trolleys are very full to almost overflowing - a ton of shopping - lots of branded things in the Asda/Tesco trolley compared to Aldi's own brand. I think the ad says the Aldi trolley full costs one third less than the big supermarket price - £60 compared to £90 - or something similar.

So that's for a big family shop but what about in real life for 1 person, especially as prices seem to be shooting up everywhere. Investigation needed

. I went to Aldi first with my shopping list and bought everything they had from my list. Then I went to Morrisons with my list and a pen to write down their prices (I didn't want to buy everything twice!) and to buy the things Aldi didn't have.

 

 A normal sort of big shop for 1 person (well normal for me)

 

 

Here we go

 

                                    Aldi price                                          Morrisons Price 

6 Braeburn apples           £1.19                                                 £1.59

2 Bananas                            26p                                                     28p                                                

Conference Pears            £1.49 (4)                                            £1.50 (6) on offer

Punnet of Red Grapes       £1.49                                                   £1.99

Carrots   500g                     28p                                                      29p

Broccoli                               47p                                                      46p

Baby Plum Toms                 59p                                                     59p

Baby Charlotte Potatoes      62p                                                     75p

Cucumber                             43p                                                    45p(on offer)

Butternut Squash               -------                                                 £1.25

Lettuce(2 little gem)            49p                                                  ------------

Onions                                  69p                                                      69p

Savoy Cabbage                    43p                                                      39p(on offer)

 

Extra Mature Cheese        £1.79                                                    £2.00

Greek Salad Cheese             75p                                                    £1.35

Paneer Cheese                 ----------                                                 £1.60

Unsalted butter                  £1.48                                                   £1.48

2 pints whole Milk          ----------                                                      95p

 

Bread Flour                          59p                                                   £1.00

Self Raising Flour                 45p                                                      65p

Tin Plum Tomatoes               28p                                                     45p

Jar Pitted Olives                    49p                                                  £1.00

Pack of 8 Frothy Coffee        79p                                                  £1.50

Pasta Penne                           29p                                                       30p

Tube Tomato Puree               31p                                                       65p

Tin Salmon                       £1.49                                                    £2.40

6 Cheese/onion in pastry   £1.19                                                    £1.49                                     

Bacon 300g                     £1.39                                  500g           £2.00 (on offer)                  

Chicken Thighs                £1.79                                                    £2.20

Small Pizza                            49p                                                      65p             

                                                          

TOTAL                         £22.00                         TOTAL                £31.90

 

 If I've added things up correctly.......which is debatable...........

Aldi didn't have any Butternut squash, milk in 2 pint bottles or Paneer cheese. Morrisons had no Little Gem lettuces.

Aldi total when missing things are added using the Morrisons price for the missing items is £25.81

Morrisons total when missing things are added using the Aldi price for the missing items is £32.39 ( but that includes 2 extra pears and 200g more bacon)

Lots of the things here will last me months, especially the meat as I only eat it occasionally,  others will last a couple of weeks and some just a few days. My shopping list is never the same twice as I tend to make a list to replace things I've eaten rather than for the week ahead. I have all sorts of stuff already in the cupboards and freezer and  the sort of meals I will make will be Huge pan squash/veg/paneer curry (usually makes at least 7 portions for the freezer); Chicken and stir fry veg.; Salmon and broccoli bake(4 portions for freezer); Feta(salad cheese) and Pasta salads; Pizza(adding extra topping); Cheese and onion rolls (with a bit of added cheese and heated in the microwave) with veg; Quiche with the bacon, cheese and tomatoes; Chicken and salad.

And if you've got right through this post - well done.

 

Have I proved the ads right or wrong? Perhaps almost right but a different trolley full might not?

 

Although I reckon all I've proved is  I have too much time on my hands!

Back Tomorrow

Sue

PS I was ever so excited to find Aldi's  baby potatoes are from Suffolk!