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

euronorris

My colleague told me yesterday of cheese now having security labels too! I'm guessing the branded stuff, as that is where prices have gone up the worst.

Bluegreen143

I only buy real block butter (I don’t like spreadable or vegetable based spreads) but I buy Tesco or Lidl own rather than a brand. They are still both now £1.75 for 250g 😳

euronorris

At £1.75 for 250g, it still works out at £7 a kg. But I agree, far tastier.

I suspect it is the oil content driving up the price of spreadables.

But my point was really that they're putting security tags on such things. A friend of mine has just said that she saw baby formula with security tags on. That makes me so sad.

Nargleblast

Yes, Lidl butter was about £1.48 the other week, now £1.75. You would have to have more  money than sense to pay £9 for Lurpak, nice as it is, when there are so many similar products out there for less.

My gas bill arrived the other day, about £8 in gas but nearly £40 in other charges!

Bluegreen143

Doesn’t surprise me about the baby formula, it’s both expensive, and for people who use it, completely essential (though I agree it’s sad that it’s needed). But tags on cheese and butter shows how mad things are. 

Yes, I agree, that was my point! £7 per kilo is a lot for the block butter. I’m sure only a few months ago it was £1.45 for a block. 

Woolsery

Bluegreen143 said:

...tags on cheese and butter shows how mad things are. 

Most people have yet to work out what's 'mad.' The Danish farmers are offering clues. The policies that are bound to increase prices were put in place some time ago and we were told it was for our own good.

Floss

Lifted from the BBC news website:

Arla Foods said: "We understand that recent inflation in food price is hitting many households really hard right now.

"Unfortunately, our farmers are facing a similar situation with prices for the feed, fertiliser and fuel they need to produce milk, all rising significantly in recent months.

"While we don't set the prices on the shelves, we do work closely with the retailers to ensure our farmers receive a fair price for the milk they produce."

PearlRose

Hope everyone's doing well.

Ordered some art and crafts supplies for DS from The Works online and was a bit overwhelmed when I saw the price stickers on some items.

I was aware that the price of an 80-page A4 sketchbook was increased from £5 to £6 a few weeks ago, but

A3 sketch pad - price tag £5/ paid £8
Basic acrylic paints set - price tag £4/ paid £6

I guess they haven't got time to peel off the price tags in the warehouse.

Just curious, where did you get your art supplies from? I used to get them from Cass Art but now buy a lot from The Works. After seeing the 50% - 60% price increase, it's probably time to look for other retailers again.  

YorksLass

London_1 said:

Reading the news this morning it seems the energy bills are going to be higher than first thought at around £3k a year  !!!!, hope we don't have a cold winter and I will be digging out some more throws for the sofa

JackieO xx

Scary, isn't it?  The daily standing charges and VAT add a lot to bills too and sadly we don't have any control over those so, even if you don't have heating on, they still have to be paid.  If it's a particularly cold winter I can see many people being cold and, even worse, getting hypothermia.

We do use butter but I'm afraid I wouldn't be paying £9 for it.  SM's have had security tags on meat for quite some time but to see that practice spreading to other products is a very sad sign of the times.

I've been spending some time lately looking at what I can make myself rather than buying ready made, especially if it's something that can be batch cooked and frozen.  I've always cooked most things from scratch but occasionally buy ready made for convenience but that's becoming less often because of the rising prices.  

JinJinBlue

London_1 said:

Reading the news this morning it seems the energy bills are going to be higher than first thought at around £3k a year  !!!!, hope we don't have a cold winter and I will be digging out some more throws for the sofa

JackieO xx

Heaven help us. Who can afford £3k? If that''s the case, my heating will only be on very low to stop the pipes from freezing.
I'm looking for a pair of decent boot slippers with thick soles as I  don't have carpets and I shall start looking in the charity shops for extra blankets. This is getting a bit scary.