Will life not go back to pre-covid 19? Is o/s the new way forward?

joedenise

I'm not either elsien.  My shopping is definitely more expensive since lockdown.  Partly because I've been using small local shops for some shops and when going to SM there aren't many own brands available it's nearly all brand name which I wouldn't normally buy.  There also aren't any YS around either, although I generally get many of those anyway because of the time I normally shop so that hasn't made much, if any, difference.

dreaming

elsien said:

If anyone's got any hints on spending less on food at the moment,  because I seem to be spending more on just my usual shop.
No mysupermarket to compare prices, no trawling a couple of different shops to get the best deal, not much in the way of YS bargains anymore because I've had to start going earlier to make sure I'm getting everything parent wants. 
I thought I'd be saving money,  but I'm not.  

To be honest I think prices are going up.  I'm not accusing shops of profiteering BTW - it's just simple supply and demand economics.  I have been shopping at my local Tesco Express once a week during lockdown and buy pretty much the same things - mainly milk, bread, some fresh fruit and veg and of course, essential chocolate!  Over the last 7 weeks the cost has gone up by about 3-4 pounds.  It's mainly the f+v I would say although milk has gone up I noticed, but it's hard to quantify as obviously I am not standing comparing prices for long due to the distancing rules.  I expect this to increase with the reports of farmers not being able to recruit enough workers to pick/pack the produce plus the weather hasn't been exactly favourable and of course the whole world is struggling with the virus and the problms it brings so imports are likely to be down.  So the only way to save cash is to grow as much as you can if possible, which will help in the future but for now it is to see if you can substitute to cheaper brands etc.  Not easy as it is harder to shop around at the moment but I think we can expect to see more price rises over the coming months. 

tooldle

We have found our fruit and veg order from a local greengrocer has increased in cost. Carrots, Cauli for example have become far more expensive.

suki1964

My shopping has definitely increased. There are no special offers as such, there is very little choice still here in NI, the shelves are still pretty bare so I am getting what is available, Im not going shop to shop. Plus Ive noticed prices have snuck up, maybe not so noticeable on the little things, but persil is £2 dearer, wine boxes have gone up £2

[Deleted User]

I think things will inevitable continue to get more expensive as time goes on and possibly things will become less available too so we'll have increasingly limited choices as to what we can get.  Our pub box has been getting smaller and the landlord said this morning to HWK when he picked it up it was increasingly difficult to fill as the wholesaler is having less in and the prices there are up.  Today for our £20 we got a large sliced loaf, 1 litre s/s milk, 6 eggs, 500g pasta,1kg granulated sugar, 1kg pears, small punnet blueberries, 500g red grapes, 7 small bananas, small pack cherry tomatoes, 5 baking potatoes, 1 green pepper, 1 cucumber, a small pack of mushrooms, 2 small heads of broccoli and a litre of uht orange juice, not bad for the price but pack sizes are down and we're not getting the cabbages, carrots and onions we were getting regularly at the beginning of the scheme.  I know we're now in 'hungry gap' between the end of stored from last harvest and the start of new season veg so I wouldn't expect different except in the past I've been able to go and get what I wanted from the supermarket and now I can't.  It's making me inventive in the kitchen though which can only be a good thing.

Floss

Mrs LW, do you not have spuds, brocolli, carrots & onions of your own from your allotments? I appreciate it's too early for British blueberries, pears, peppers & cucumbers just yet.

[Deleted User]

At this time of year? we do but the spuds have only just emerged as leaves, the carrots are seeds and now have dicot leaves and the onions are a set planted in March so not a great deal of harvesting being done until the late summer at the very earliest and broccoli is the purple sprouting kind which is as yet still tiny and won't be harvested until next spring. We have nothing (and neither does anyone else on the plots) harvestable except rhubarb! and man (well me at least so woman )cannot live by rhubarb alone. We have entirely the wrong soil for blueberries, pears, no tree, peppers autumn harvest and the cucumber is in the greenhouse but is too young to have flowers yet. We're gardeners not magicians!

herlig

Floss said:

Mrs LW, do you not have spuds, brocolli, carrots & onions of your own from your allotments? I appreciate it's too early for British blueberries, pears, peppers & cucumbers just yet.

The carrots have only just germinated, the broccoli doesn't go in the ground until June 1st when the first wave of root fly has lessened, the onions aren't even pencil thick yet and the sets aren't anywhere near bulbing stage. As for the spuds, there's a little leaf growth but really still needing protecting from the frost at night. Last night was particular worrisome for potato growers here. It's the hungry gap for those who grow their own. 

Floss

Having had an allotment in coastal Lancashire for over 6 years, I understand the process and timings of growing one's own, but by May I have usually still had onions & the last spuds from last year, and other plot holders have still had clamped carrots in May. I'm just surprised, that's all. 

[Deleted User]

I'm afraid our onions were gone before Christmas and so were the carrots and spuds.  We've used up all the leeks too!