Food prices - can't keep up!

I did 2 like for like shops on line with Tesco and Ocado.. I was shocked to see a £30 difference.. I obviously bought the Tesco shop..
But I buy meat from a butcher who delivers (local meat) and I also shop for eggs and fruit/veg at our local open market

I'm also staggered at the way items in particular chocolate have diminished in size..

David49

You have to remember food prices are much higher in other countries, including EU, Australia and NZ, a weak sterling does not help, weather events make it worse.

But pensions are generally higher. Our state pension is pretty miserly compared to other developed countries.

ferry23

David49

You have to remember food prices are much higher in other countries, including EU, Australia and NZ, a weak sterling does not help, weather events make it worse.

But pensions are generally higher. Our state pension is pretty miserly compared to other developed countries.

AFAIK it’s means-tested in Australia, though. A friend of ours - comfortable but hardly loaded - received precisely $0.

Witzend

ferry23

David49

You have to remember food prices are much higher in other countries, including EU, Australia and NZ, a weak sterling does not help, weather events make it worse.

But pensions are generally higher. Our state pension is pretty miserly compared to other developed countries.

AFAIK it’s means-tested in Australia, though. A friend of ours - comfortable but hardly loaded - received precisely $0.

My sister in Brisbane gets 0 too, her only reason for staying is is “if you’re broke and miserable at least you’re warm”.

We’ve had groceries delivered for seven years now, mainly Tesco, just checking a few orders from January last year and they’re a similar price, bar the odd £ or two, to those this month.
I just adjust what we eat and buy to what’s on offer, shop in our local butcher from their weekly offers and buy some veg from the farm shop.

Where I live, there are only Halal butchers-not for me.

We use Tesco purely out of convenience. It’s near and parking is easy. Sometimes we use Waitrose where I look for stickered items and pop in the freezer. I have found they’ve all gone up considerably and I’m really noticing it. I’m glad I’ve got a big freezer so I can put reduced items in it. I do find they’ve Clubcard offers quite good savings and look for those trotting round.

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I shopped in tesco yesterday. I bought finest cottage pie for two with two bags of tenderstem broccoli (I like tesco fresh veg) and one carton of milk.

£7:50

Towards the end of Covid, I made the decision to give up my car (insurance at 80 years so high, and lots of public transport local to where I live).
I then commenced shopping on line with my normal supermarket = Sainsbury. My eldest daughter purchased a shopping voucher enabling me to have one hour choice of delivery.

Main problem I had with this was that the minimum amount of the shop had to be £40. Living by myself, always cooking from scratch, this was impossible for me - my normal full weekly food, and cleaning shop was around £33-£34. I used o add in books of stamps, box of chocs (for xmas), etc but even with those could still only make that forty pounds three out of four weeks, so once a month I would go to my nearby very large Tesco for a small shop.

Still keep this shopping pattern, and have cut out certain food items which I felt were not really necessary, even so, just putting in my weekly staples, soon takes me over that forty pounds. This last weekend, I did my Tesco monthly shop - noticed that their own butter (which I can easily remember same price as Sainsbury's own was 89p was now £2.00.

I always shop in Lidl, and consider that their prices compare favourably to other supermarkets. I prefer a small supermarket, as I find the larger ones rather overwhelm me. I buy most of our meat, veg and fruit at a local farm shop, but spend wisely and often batch cook.

We have some of the cheapest food in the developed world, cheaper than the US as well.

If you want your food cheap then you pay the price with exploited farmers and an excess of denatured, sugar and fat enhanced UPFs. We are also one of the fattest countries n Europe and the unhealthiest.

In the 1950s up to a third of family incomes were spent on food. It is now less than 10%. If we want a flourishing farming sector and a fit healthy population we need to change our priorities. I note, even on Gransnet how much some people spend on clothes and the success of companies like Shein is based on selling cheap tat for £10 for a dress, wear once and throw away. Add that £10 to the food budget and priorities will be moivng in the right direction

I always shopped in Morrisons but have switched back to Asda as definitely cheaper . Still expensive tho 😟

I shop mainly in Aldi as I walk there in 10-15 minutes although Heron is nearer. As others have said Aldi has less choice but I’m very happy with that. Occasionally I go to Morrisons for items not available in Aldi or I visit Asian and Middle Eastern grocers for larger packets of herbs, spices and dried beans. The market in the town centre is very good and here I buy black and white pudding, fruit, veg, meat and sometimes fish.

We have a pretty broad diet so I often buy stuff on special such as duck with hoisin sauce in Aldi £5.00 ish.

Food in other countries is certainly far more expensive than here.

We have also noticed prices creeping up for a general food shop. Only buy meat from a local independent butcher and have a fish man weekly who buys on the docks before heading to various areas in his van. We never buy supermarket meat and fish now - no guarantees on freshness.

I agree that groceries in the US/Australia could be higher but the standard of living is also higher than over here, and the dollar can buy an awful lot of groceries over here due to the weak pound against a stronger dollar so of course it feels cheaper.

Hi I am a "food waste hero" (lol) I volunteer for Olio..we collect from supermarkets at the end of the day and, using the app, upload for people to come and collect..maybe see if there is one in your area?

NotAGran55

This doesn’t copy very well, but this is from Which? Magazine December 2024 cost of the same items.

Average price for 56 items
Aldi
£100.29
Lidl with Lidl Plus
£101.48
Lidl
£101.56
Tesco witih Clubcard
£111.22
Sainsbury's with Nectar
£112.13
Tesco
£112.90
Asda
£113.22
Morrisons with More
£114.01
Morrisons
£116.32
Sainbury's
£116.70
Ocado
£120.83
Waitrose
£129.83

Interesting. Thanks.

I havent done a full shop since Christmas.
Not looking forward to it now.

If able, best to shop around, Iceland on Tuesdays for 10% senior discount and buy the 10 items for £10 deal or reduced items, Morrisons for ertain items, Lidl for others as these are all pretty close. Anywhere else I am, I pop in and search for yellow stickers for bits and bobs. The Co-op freezer £5 deal is good. I also tested some Too Good to Go bags and use my favourite one once a week if I can get it..I have to look at it as a challenge and my hobby to make it work!

Jane43

Mt61

BlueBelle

But hasn’t Sainsbury’s and Waitrose always been the expensive supermarkets I don’t know I ve never shopped in either?
You’re right though Asda are sneaky they put their butter up by about 20p then emblazoned ‘January price drops’ yay it had come done by 1p Sneaky

I think Asda & Morrison’s are super expensive, & as for Lidl I don’t know why people think that’s a cheap place to shop.

More reason to boycott Asda and Morrisons then as neither pay corporation tax.

Actually not really true, according to research. In 2023, apparently, they paid no corporation tax due to private equity buyouts. "Between them 200million paid out in years proceeding their aquistions" Retail Gazette.
They are both now fully committed to paying taxes.
"Morrisons especially, contributes to UK taxes in full and on time". All available on their sites and generally on Google.

Now we're both retired we have a little more time to shop. We get our fruit, veg and salad stuff from a wholesaler. I get some meat from the butcher and everything else from Lidl. I do use Tesco now and again for a change. I pop into M & S when I'm in town, but only buy things that are reduced and that I can freeze. Last week I bought 2 pieces of cod and the same of haddock, reduced from £6.50 per pack to £2.50. I also had a large pack of chicken goujons reduced to half price. They all went into the freezer as soon as we got home.

Due to disability it is impossible to get to a supermarket so rely on Sainsburys for delivery. Ok bit dearer but can get what I want. Their own brands & Nectar keep my spending down so no complaints.

I don't often dhop at Sainsburys as too far away. However, today I was nearby and as I had a few items I needed just popped into the large Sainsburys. Goodness it's expensive even with the Nectar offers and a lot depends on whether or not you want to buy the item. I'll stick to Asda/Morrisons/Aldi.

I buy my red lentils and sunflower oil in the world foods section in Tesco/Asda or Sainsbury’s, you get more for your money than buying it from the normal section

Shop in Aldi and Lidl, their rices are cheaper than Asda and who ever shows in Waitrose these days? Wealthy people and snobs.