It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

nannygladys

I have quite a full freezer and good stocks in, but I'm in a bit of a quandary about food prices. Do I buy more stock items or eat the present one's down? I think going I'm going to answer my own question, - one out one in - in the store cupboard and do a proper inventory of the freezer and see why it isn't going down, as I am eating food out of it. 

ZsaZsa

nannygladys said:

I have quite a full freezer and good stocks in, but I'm in a bit of a quandary about food prices. Do I buy more stock items or eat the present one's down? I think going I'm going to answer my own question, - one out one in - in the store cupboard and do a proper inventory of the freezer and see why it isn't going down, as I am eating food out of it. 

My usual plan was always to wait til late Spring before running stocks down, as we live rurally and I like to be prepared for snow etc. Then COVID happened and I thought it would be sensible to maintain stocks for a while rather than run them down. Now, with the current uncertainty and rapid price increases I feel even more certain about keeping stocks maintained. I feel quite helpless over price rises but at least this is a something I can do

nannygladys

Zsazsa - I think I agree with you, when I get up I think I will go through my stocks and realistically go through them to see what I to increase, ie the more common things I use like tinned tomatoes. I know I need Srflour and will be needing washing up liquid and softener in the next few weeks. Yes I can see a new list being made (love a list) and then I can sort a box out to store them in. Perhaps with prices rising so quickly I should buy sooner rather than later. The freezer I'm not sure what's happening there, it may just need a good tidy, so will get on with that as well as I'm not storing things for dds at the moment! 

wondercollie

Arg.  I was shopping yesterday.   My favourite supermarket for cakes (there is a huge difference between them) has gone insane.   A cake that this time last year was $7.99 was $15.99 on sale!   Nothing extra fancy, just a sponge with a layer of fresh fruit and some whipped cream.

The prices seem worse in the bakery.   One son was saying that the bread he used to buy for $1.25 a loaf is now $3.

Dairy has shot up.

Gas/petrol went up by around 30% since the start of the year.

Pixiekazza

I had to defrost my poor freezer. It was full of ice, wasting electric and meaning I couldn't store as much. Now filled up, and with room for a load of healthy batch cooking. My larder is full of tins. It's a Co-op where I live, just too expensive for a weekly shop. We struggled in lockdown to afford shopping there as I used to go to bigger supermarkets by my office in the 'big town'. 

I'm so pleased it hasn't been so cold lately. I've managed to keep the storage heater off in the bedroom most of the time which will save a lot. I used to sleep on my sofa when it was too cold in the bedroom, but that's easier to do living on my own! 

Rosa_Damascena

wondercollie said:

Arg.  I was shopping yesterday.   My favourite supermarket for cakes (there is a huge difference between them) has gone insane.   A cake that this time last year was $7.99 was $15.99 on sale!   Nothing extra fancy, just a sponge with a layer of fresh fruit and some whipped cream.

The prices seem worse in the bakery.   One son was saying that the bread he used to buy for $1.25 a loaf is now $3.

Dairy has shot up.

Gas/petrol went up by around 30% since the start of the year.

Canada is known to be expensive though...? At these prices I'd be a UK size 4

nannygladys

Wow wondercollie, those prices seem to jumped up!!

I have been doing a pantry check and now know where items are needed. I also had a good sort out of the freezer and put everything back tidily and now there's more room in there - just bad organization!!! And I've found a big box to put more stocks in, Im not going mad just buying in a few extra tins and packets that I use the most.
Nannyg

Jellytotts

The bottom half of my chest freezer is courgettes, beans (runner and various French) and fruit from last year but everything has piled on top and I can't get to it all.  I need to have a good sort out.

I'm feeling very uneasy about everything at the moment (hormones arent helping, thanks perimenopause!) so feel I need to take a few days to make some lists and ground myself for the month ahead.  The food pantry helped so much last month, we were able to pay off the credit card and get into a better position. This month I'm hoping the savings will help me get my new (to me) greenhouse up and running. I've sourced free paving slabs for the base, have free shelving hanks to freecycle and plenty of pots, I'll need to buy new bolts, clips and glass hangers and 5 new panels of glass so if that can all be done within the food budget savings than I'll be very happy.

We are in a gas and electric fix until August so not felt those rises yet and with an electric car we are working smartly to ensure we only charge it slowly when the solar panels are generating electricity.  We've got a small bank of panels on order to charge batteries/leisure batteries for DHs hobby and power the slowcooker and have found a couple of lanterns that give off enough light that we're not using main lights of an evening.  Currently charging power banks when the solar panels are generating power and using those to recharge batteries/phones/iPads during the night.  The stove is currently burning 1 part next doors old decking boards to 2 parts seasoned birch given to us by a friend.  Free heat and light cannot be sniffed at.

littlemoney

I was going to run down my stocks this year back to more normal levels pre brexit/covid. That way I could empty one freezer and save electricity. Think I will review that plan and do a stock check and top up what has run down particularly in the tinned and dry goods department. Return to one in one out approach. I am lucky my fixed term energy contract doesn't end till May next year when I will probably have a heart attack on the prices.

Rosa_Damascena

If you haven't already seen it, do take a look at @MSE_Martin 's latest update on fuel. We're looking at an average energy bill of £2,400 pa from October