Inflation and food prices

Tiddlywinks

It's the price of tinned tomatoes that always shocks me.

They used to be so cheap compared to other tins of, say, beans or whatever... now they're just going up and up.

Luckily I can buy slabs from Costco - last time I looked in Asda, a can of Napolina toms was over a £1 :eek:.

cat4772

My grandmother used to keep household account records from when she first started work at 15 in 1929 for the NAAFI, and the records became more detailed as she received promotions until in 1946 she became area manageress for a barracks. She kept this up until shortly before her death in 1991. Foolscap ledgers filled with weekly produce, package size, cost and where purchased. Recipes costed out for baking day (Tuesday and Saturday). After decimalisation, she went back and converted the figures from £Sd to decimals.

When as 2 adults our weekly shop at the big SM began costing £70 we started to tighten our belts. Ten years later and we are a family of 2 adults and 2 children and rarely spend £70 (and when we do, it includes kids shoes or clothes in that amount). Our habits have changed and I fear more changes are necessary as our income is expected to stretch further.

I remember 30 years ago learning an important profits lesson from my grandmother: a bag of galaxy minstrels contained 39 minstrels, when split between 3, we each received 13 or two we each had 19 and 1 spare but just after the Easter we found the packs all contained 37 for the same price. Maths lesson followed - if they sold 1000 packs, how many more packs could they sell?, how much more money could be made? certainly made maths real to us children

Cat.x

PasturesNew

JackieO wrote: »

Last week I decided to open a tin of rice pudding that I had in the cupboard.I use a couple of desertspoons on some fruit instead of cream after dinner.When I opened it I found that two thirds were actually rice pud the rest was the milky substance it was in.I was suprised to say the least

I swear by the Mr T 15p cans. Very full/thick, not wishy washy at all.

cat4772 wrote: »

I remember 30 years ago learning an important profits lesson from my grandmother: a bag of galaxy minstrels contained 39 minstrels, when split between 3, we each received 13 or two we each had 19 and 1 spare but just after the Easter we found the packs all contained 37 for the same price. Maths lesson followed - if they sold 1000 packs, how many more packs could they sell?, how much more money could be made? certainly made maths real to us children

Cat.x

Do you remember the Revels TV adverts? They would show a box of chocolates, then tip a pack of Revels into it. Demonstrating how much more you get for your money with revels rather than a box of chocs.

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

It's the price of tinned tomatoes that always shocks me.

They used to be so cheap compared to other tins of, say, beans or whatever... now they're just going up and up.

Luckily I can buy slabs from Costco - last time I looked in Asda, a can of Napolina toms was over a £1 :eek:.

I'm defaulting to the Lidl 31p cans at the moment - thick/red tomatoes in a good tomato sauce. Supermarket cheapest at 31-33p are washed out, wishy washy, orange tinged lightweight portions in comparison.

purpleshoes_2

I have a cineworld unlimited card, £16 a month, otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford to go.

purpleshoes_2

As for food prices themselves. I rarely shop in Tesco these days. I have a clubcard and yesterday I got some coupons through the post for extra points so I did go and do some shopping there but Im in there less than half a dozen times a year. I generally shop in places like home bargains, occasionally in aldi. When I was in tesco yesterday I noticed that one item I was looking at, a value one, had increased by 3p. I stopped buying frozen spinach from there due to the cost, even the essentials one was going up and up so I went to farmfoods instead.

I mostly buy YS items, I do a main shop once a week in another supermarket at reductions time with occasional top ups elsewhere. Ive also used approved foods in the past. Im not a meat eater so compared to some people my food bill will be lower but I shop around, I have to on my income.

There's no waitrose anywhere near me. My town has an aldi and a lidl, an iceland, a morrisons, a home bargains and various pound shops.

At the moment Im buying loo roll from my local NISA shop because its cheaper than anywhere else and its the nicky brand.

purpleshoes_2

Public transport prices in my area are horrendous, first bus have the monopoly on buses where I am, there are other smaller companies but they don't serve where I need to go. Theyve also just put another price increase on. I buy a 4 weekly bus ticket, 57 pounds which covers a large area, but if I had to buy fares, I wouldnt be going anywhere.

Shockingly expensive even to go short distances. A local weekly ticket used to be 9 pounds 8 years ago, its now £16.50

Gigervamp

PasturesNew wrote: »

Do you remember the Revels TV adverts? They would show a box of chocolates, then tip a pack of Revels into it. Demonstrating how much more you get for your money with revels rather than a box of chocs.

I remembered that ad. Found it on youtube.

honeythewitch

PasturesNew wrote: »

I swear by the Mr T 15p cans. Very full/thick, not wishy washy at all.



Do you remember the Revels TV adverts? They would show a box of chocolates, then tip a pack of Revels into it. Demonstrating how much more you get for your money with revels rather than a box of chocs.



I'm defaulting to the Lidl 31p cans at the moment - thick/red tomatoes in a good tomato sauce. Supermarket cheapest at 31-33p are washed out, wishy washy, orange tinged lightweight portions in comparison.

The tesco value tomatoes, like most of the cheaper brands has recently more than doubled in price and they are now 34p.

Gigervamp

Tesco value tinned toms have been in the 31-34p bracket for at least a couple of years.

honeythewitch

Gigervamp wrote: »

Tesco value tinned toms have been in the 31-34p bracket for at least a couple of years.

Yes. The value lines have taken the brunt of the increases, and of course if you could only afford value stuff in the first place there is nothing you can "downgrade" to, and your food bill has doubled or tripled.