Food prices - can't keep up!

Just had five weeks in Australia and their cost of living is high. Their pensions are nothing like ours, my brother’s is means tested every fortnight as he continues to do some paid work. They have a housing crisis as well. Family just emigrated to Brisbane and paying £2k per month to rent. All Australia can offer me is weather !!

mabon1

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

What a pathetic example of inverse snobbery.
Who shops in Waitrose? People who want to.
And incidentally ”Essentials” range is both reasonably priced and good quality.

It is getting really really scary now. Our food budget for the week was £70. It now costs us nearly £90 for the exact same things. Lots of stuff we buy is supermarket own brand, it isn't like we buy all premium brand stuff either

TBH food prices have traditionally been relatively cheap in the U.K.

As a proportion of income the UK's spending is less on food than that of many other countries.

We had a savings account that we never touched, was for a rainy day, private medical bills if push came to shove, that kind of thing. But 3 years ago we touched it, and have continued to touch it, is going down alarmingly. And is simply bills and groceries, no new car or expensive holidays and no more left over to pay for private medical bills.

Allira

^TBH food prices have traditionally been relatively cheap in the U.K.^

As a proportion of income the UK's spending is less on food than that of many other countries.

I've often had this conversation with friends in France. They reckon they spend around 1/5 th of their income on food. In the UK it's more like 10%.

escaped

Allira

TBH food prices have traditionally been relatively cheap in the U.K.

As a proportion of income the UK's spending is less on food than that of many other countries.

I've often had this conversation with friends in France. They reckon they spend around 1/5 th of their income on food. In the UK it's more like 10%.

I think it was about 11.2% of average income in the UK in 2023, higher at 14% for lower income families but that was a drop from 2021.

More up-to-date statistics not yet available.

escaped

Allira

TBH food prices have traditionally been relatively cheap in the U.K.

As a proportion of income the UK's spending is less on food than that of many other countries.

I've often had this conversation with friends in France. They reckon they spend around 1/5 th of their income on food. In the UK it's more like 10%.

They eat much better than we do as a nation I think, consuming much less junk food on average. Perhaps we would all be healthier if junk food cost more and basics cost less.

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.

I think supermarkets are all pretty much the same - they win on most things but are willing to lose on some (which they used to call "loss leaders" back in the day). The loss leaders entice customers in and the displays, "special offers", delicious smells and general atmosphere do the rest. It takes a very strong shopper to stick to a set shopping list once we're inside! I stopped going to supermarkets during the first lockdown and never went back. My bills have been pretty steady since then because I can take my time sitting here, shopping around in comfort for the most economical deals.

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.

Almost all the fruit you name do not grow in this country at this time of year, so will have been flown into the country from counries as distant as Peru and Chile. Some may have come by lorry from Morocco. Thatis why is it so expensive. It also has a high environmental cost, all those airand lorry miles.

In the covid lock downs I shopped online for my carer and his wife so that they didn't risk their lives (being black) by shopping, instead of giving a pay rise.

His wife worked in one of the big London hospitals and they never missed a day.

That shopping was for three of us. It wasn't just food. It was cheaper then than shopping for just me again.

It is looking back to that when it really hits you as to how much the shopping has gone up.

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

Crossed post MOnica!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)