Food prices - can't keep up!

MickyD

Locally grown in season fruit and veg are what our mothers or grandmothers bought - and they were canny shoppers.

They certainly were…I’m going to start taking more time in the supermarket and checking the origins. I’m sure we can live without strawberries for the winter.

TBH there wasn’t nearly so much choice when our grandmothers were doing the food shopping. I doubt they ever saw the likes of mangetout, sugar snaps, baby sweetcorn etc.

Potatoes, cabbage, sprouts, parsnips, swede, carrots, turnips and ‘tops’ would presumably have been mostly the order of the day - unless you lived near an ‘exotic’ market.

In the mid 50s my father who worked in central London bought me a few items - probably from Soho - for my school’s Harvest Festival display. Among them was a green pepper - what a weird thing! And it smelt so funny, too! 😂

I shop online at Morrisons mainly because you only have to spend a minimum of £25.00. I don't drive so its much easier to shop online. Shopping has gone up in price and l feel for anyone who is struggling.

I do sometimes shop in M and S and occasionally in Waitrose and treat myself whenever l like.
I decided that l was not going to worry about what l spend on nice, good quality food. Either for me or my dog.

25Avalon

Bananas are not lost leaders if you buy organic ones. Their prices keep going up.

It used to be Sainsbury’s would give you 10%off if you spent £100. Then it went up to £130. Now it’s £150.

Organic bananas are also often sold as 'loss leaders' too.

Bananas are not lost leaders if you buy organic ones. Their prices keep going up.

It used to be Sainsbury’s would give you 10%off if you spent £100. Then it went up to £130. Now it’s £150.

I live within two minutes’ walk of Aldi, so I rarely shop anywhere else. I only buy what I can carry in two bags. Not so long ago that would cost me about £9, now it’s £12 for just everyday basics. Obviously if I buy wine or dishwasher tablets that costs more. Mosts shops I find I am spending about £20.

i live on my own and shop at morrisons online, i have a delivery pass costing £8 a month, with the pass i only need to spend £25 on each online shop, i tend to buy food that is on offer or items that give me extra more points, the 3 for £10 meat items give me extra meals for the freezer, ie pk 4 chops or tray of chicken thighs, when i only need a small shop i stock up on toilet/kitchen rolls and extra tinned items, i am disabled and the online is great for me, it also means i only shop for what i need.

I have a weekly ocado shop and it is price matched with Tesco. Last week I received a £10 voucher back, and the week before over £6. The quality and range is excellent, and includes M&S food, although I preferred it when they partnered with Waitrose. I won't shop in Lidl, I found the quality of their fruit and veg very poor, sometimes going off in the shop. Ocado veg last all week, and longer in the fridge.

The prices here in Australia are horrendous. A piece of cheese is now $7 but last year it was $3.50. Same cheese. That’s at Aldi the cheapest shop. As for meat and fish - thinking might have to go vego! We get no pension from the government whatsoever as we have a work pension but it isn’t that good and we have to pay full doctor fees and full council rates because we don’t qualify for a government pension. Seems to be a worldwide thing except for America. We have a socialist government, good intentions but they stuff up the economy.

Oooh, that makes sense then.

Harv1
Food prices would have been cheaper if the UK had kept in the EU.

Girl Starmer is trying to kill us Oldies Off starving us with lack of heating now not been able to afford our Food .
It will get worse he said before it gets better you better believe him it comes in. 3s

MickyD

I was shocked the other day when I bought fruit in Tesco -
2 punnets strawberries
2 boxes grapes
2 small blueberries
I small raspberries
Over £17 !!!!
I price compared when I got home and found Sainsbury’s to be only pence dearer.
Bananas were good and cheap though. A hand for only 71p.

Bananas are loss leaders.

Bags of frozen summer fruits/berries are the way to go and also less wasteful. Just take out what you will need the night before
£4.20 for 1 kilo!
(Other supermarket brands are available)

Thanks, I’ve never tried the frozen fruit. Probably because I like a bowl of mixed fruit/berries as and when so it’s handier to have it fresh but a good idea for those who bake and make fruit puddings or even for juicing.

Locally grown in season fruit and veg are what our mothers or grandmothers bought - and they were canny shoppers.

They certainly were…I’m going to start taking more time in the supermarket and checking the origins. I’m sure we can live without strawberries for the winter.

That’s true, but they are a lot more expensive than they have been up until fairly recently.
You’re right about the environmental impact. I think it’s laziness that makes us grab the freshest looking fruit etc. instead of taking time to check its origin. I’m going to start making a concerted effort to check this and buy a lot more locally.

Prices are going up around the world, the UK is not alone. Farmers are globally suffering bad harvests through climate change. The huge food companies seem to have enormous profits but they are still laying off workers to replace them for AI machines and as usual paying farmers dismal prices.

MickyD

I was shocked the other day when I bought fruit in Tesco -
2 punnets strawberries
2 boxes grapes
2 small blueberries
I small raspberries
Over £17 !!!!
I price compared when I got home and found Sainsbury’s to be only pence dearer.
Bananas were good and cheap though. A hand for only 71p.

TBH I’d have thought that wasn’t a bad haul for £17 - for 7 punnets it works out at just over £2.40 each.

kittylester

Aldi and Lidl, at least here, have very little gf stuff since i have no option but to shop in the 'more expensive' supermarkets like Sainsbury's or Tesco.

Or give my wealthy, snobby side free reign and go to Waitrose.

I have the same problem when one of my daughters who is celiac comes home. For the price of just a few gf items from ASDA for a couple of meals we could buy a few days shopping for both of us from Lidl.

Aldi and Lidl, at least here, have very little gf stuff since i have no option but to shop in the 'more expensive' supermarkets like Sainsbury's or Tesco.

Or give my wealthy, snobby side free reign and go to Waitrose.

Thank goodness we have moved on from that though - apples, pears and stewed plums would be what we’d be eating at this time of year. Next time buy frozen fruit MickyD, it’s much better value and just as good for you.

Are you surprised MickeyD ?
Not only are your fruit choices out of season and/or flown in and consequently luxury goods, and unsurprisingly expensive, but the true cost is frequently disguised or mitigated by raising prices elsewhere in the store.
Locally grown in season fruit and veg are what our mothers or grandmothers bought - and they were canny shoppers.

MickyD

I was shocked the other day when I bought fruit in Tesco -
2 punnets strawberries
2 boxes grapes
2 small blueberries
I small raspberries
Over £17 !!!!
I price compared when I got home and found Sainsbury’s to be only pence dearer.
Bananas were good and cheap though. A hand for only 71p.

Well, three of those are out of season and the other two have to be flown in, so there are premium prices right there. Eat stuff that's in season and your bills will be lower, plus you get a little frisson of delight when one of your favourites comes into season.

Crossed post MOnica!

Probably all flown in from abroad MickyD seasonal fruit from the UK is the way to cut costs