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

[Deleted User]

It really is becoming noticeably more difficult, Yorkslass.  You are doing brilliantly with the home baking and it all sounds really good.  Like you, I have noticed that the 'economy' brands/items are much less available now.

There are lots of good tips on this forum and I now pay a lot of attention because they really do help.

YorksLass

Yes, this forum is so helpful.  Even at 70+, I'm still learning!  I enjoy baking so it's no hardship for me.

This morning our breakfast was far from "normal", more of an effort to use up odds and ends.  Wraps filled with shredded lettuce, tomato and a couple of slices of ham topped with the last bit of mayo scraped from an almost empty jar.  Traditional - no, but still tasty and no waste.  It doesn't take a lot to make me happy.  

tooldle

Deleted_User said:

I'm trying to be realistic (and not moan - more be grateful for what I have) but:  The way prices are increasing really does not make sense.  Many items seem to have increased by much more than inflation and I struggle to make sense of some of it.

This is just a very small example:  Today I went into my local £-land shop to buy my 'usual'  packets of Jakemans Honey and Lemon lozenges at 50 pence per packet.   In the space of just one week they had jumped in price to £1 per packet - 100% increase.  I (politely) mentioned this to the shop assistant and she said that 'everything' had gone up in price.

I didn't buy them and, when looking for something else in a big well known chemist, I noticed that they were on the shelf marked at 65 pence.   Although still an increased price I decided to buy just one packet as, at least, as I thought, not as much as a 100% increase.  At the chemist checkout they went through the till at £1.99 (ouch) for the one packet.  I struggle to understand how a number of items are increasing such a lot and so quickly.

I want to be fair but I could not justify paying £1.99 for a packet of lozenges now costing £1.99 when, less than two weeks ago (in a different shop) the regular price was 50 pence for one packet.

We understand about inflation, and the increased cost of living,  but I wonder if there are many more items where the price increases are  being 'set' excessively and much more than necessary.

It's not an easy time and I am grateful for what I have.  My heart goes out to people who really cannot manage at all, or maybe struggle with budgeting and who are becoming increasingly stressed.

Does it help to think of a product as component parts. I’ve no idea what is in your lozenges, but if for example there are 5 different ingredients, each of which have suffered a price rise, some perhaps for scarcity and some perhaps as the ingredient is manufactured requiring other components and energy, fertiliser costs etc if grown. Further energy to combine and produce the lozenge, plus fixed operating costs, wages transport etc. Then apply the same thought to the packaging. If plastic, comes from oil, hence energy intensive, inks for printing etc. Some components will have a greater than inflation rise, and some not so much, all of which combine to produce the final cost. 

Difficult times and hard to keep track, especially with so much of what we eat being processed in some way. 

Slinky

Deleted_User said:

I'm trying to be realistic (and not moan - more be grateful for what I have) but:  The way prices are increasing really does not make sense.  Many items seem to have increased by much more than inflation and I struggle to make sense of some of it.

This is just a very small example:  Today I went into my local £-land shop to buy my 'usual'  packets of Jakemans Honey and Lemon lozenges at 50 pence per packet.   In the space of just one week they had jumped in price to £1 per packet - 100% increase.  I (politely) mentioned this to the shop assistant and she said that 'everything' had gone up in price.

I didn't buy them and, when looking for something else in a big well known chemist, I noticed that they were on the shelf marked at 65 pence.   Although still an increased price I decided to buy just one packet as, at least, as I thought, not as much as a 100% increase.  At the chemist checkout they went through the till at £1.99 (ouch) for the one packet.  I struggle to understand how a number of items are increasing such a lot and so quickly.

I want to be fair but I could not justify paying £1.99 for a packet of lozenges now costing £1.99 when, less than two weeks ago (in a different shop) the regular price was 50 pence for one packet.

I've just this minute posted on the grocery thread about the cost of increase of Jakemans. What you don't appear to have noticed is the pack size has changed. In Savers the 130g pack was 59p. Now there is a 73g pack for £1 and a 160g pack for £1.79.  They also do a stick pack, or at least they do in cherry flavour, which is 41g for 50p and I have swapped to these instead.  The blueberry ones seem to have disappeared completely.

Toonie

YorksLass said:

Yes, this forum is so helpful.  Even at 70+, I'm still learning!  I enjoy baking so it's no hardship for me.

This morning our breakfast was far from "normal", more of an effort to use up odds and ends.  Wraps filled with shredded lettuce, tomato and a couple of slices of ham topped with the last bit of mayo scraped from an almost empty jar.  Traditional - no, but still tasty and no waste.  It doesn't take a lot to make me happy.  

I find myself having odd things for meals. Last Friday I had a beef and tomato sandwich for breakfast as there was one tiny slice leftover from a roast and some tomatoes that needed using up. In winter I quite like having fruit crumble for breakfast (I don't put much sugar in my topping). Pitta bread also often makes an appearance at breakfast time as it's easy to warm up and fill with odds and ends.

[Deleted User]

Thank you tooldle.  I think I understand what you are explaining and it is good of you to take time to set it all out.  (I won't be buying the lozenges again.)  The problem is that, like everyone else coping on a modest fixed income, price increases are becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.  If I multiply by the % across the cost of all the 'basic' things which have increased, it is so hard to accept that the increases are all justifiable.

Shoe repairs (I mention because, although much more expensive than before this crisis, still much less expensive than having to buy new shoes) milk, sugar, bread and many other things have escalated in price far beyond the constraints of an income which has remained fixed since April this year.    I am not vegetarian, but I no longer buy any fresh butcher meat. Dry cleaning is definitely not an option any more and I no longer buy my weekly, much enjoyed, TV magazine. Whenever possible I buy 'yellow sticker' fresh food items.

Thankfully, regarding energy, the Government help is very much appreciated and I am not unappreciative.  It is not 'getting me down' although 'things' are not getting in any way easier to deal with there is still much to be thankful for.  We are all in the same boat.

[Deleted User]

Slinky said:

Deleted_User said:

I'm trying to be realistic (and not moan - more be grateful for what I have) but:  The way prices are increasing really does not make sense.  Many items seem to have increased by much more than inflation and I struggle to make sense of some of it.

This is just a very small example:  Today I went into my local £-land shop to buy my 'usual'  packets of Jakemans Honey and Lemon lozenges at 50 pence per packet.   In the space of just one week they had jumped in price to £1 per packet - 100% increase.  I (politely) mentioned this to the shop assistant and she said that 'everything' had gone up in price.

I didn't buy them and, when looking for something else in a big well known chemist, I noticed that they were on the shelf marked at 65 pence.   Although still an increased price I decided to buy just one packet as, at least, as I thought, not as much as a 100% increase.  At the chemist checkout they went through the till at £1.99 (ouch) for the one packet.  I struggle to understand how a number of items are increasing such a lot and so quickly.

I want to be fair but I could not justify paying £1.99 for a packet of lozenges now costing £1.99 when, less than two weeks ago (in a different shop) the regular price was 50 pence for one packet.

I've just this minute posted on the grocery thread about the cost of increase of Jakemans. What you don't appear to have noticed is the pack size has changed. In Savers the 130g pack was 59p. Now there is a 73g pack for £1 and a 160g pack for £1.79.  They also do a stick pack, or at least they do in cherry flavour, which is 41g for 50p and I have swapped to these instead.  The blueberry ones seem to have disappeared completely.

I have not been to Savers in recent months, Slinky, but thank you for posting this.  I have decided not to buy Jakeman's any more - I'll manage without them but they really do soothe a dry throat.  I used to buy washing powder etc. at Savers but I have cut down so much and my soap powder seems to be lasting a lot longer now.  I have not noticed that my washing is less clean so that's good.

cinnamon123

Increases across a wide variety of products/areas are rapidly becoming unsustainable for many people. It is hard to see them coming back down - at least that has been my experience in the past ten years. Some items (specifically food and petrol) fluctuate throughout the year - right now I'm thinking specifically of eggs. Absent any major issue (like birds being put down because of a disease outbreak), those prices go up and down about 20-30 cents near me - granted it might be seasonal. But any significant jump like a $1 is often short-lived.

However, I have found that other products when the price increases, they don't come back. And with wages not increasing at the same clip it becomes more of a nightmare financial situation.

One thing I would add to @tooldle comment's above is property/real estate. There have been increases in commercial rent/leases in the UK/US as well as property taxes (here in the US depending on municipality). This can quickly affect a whole street/area of shops based on market or if one landlord owns a lot of the shops. It all just means more money out of our wallets.

ladyholly

@Siebrie My apologies I obviously did not read your post properly. 

Si_Clist

Deleted_User said:

... I struggle to understand how a number of items are increasing such a lot and so quickly ...

Because we're now feeling the combined effects of increased manufacturing and distribution costs, plus increased overheads for the shops.  Starting from raw ingredients, every single aspect of making and selling a product is now considerably dearer than it was even six months ago.

In the case of the specific product you mentioned (and which I confess I'd never heard of), there's also the strong possibility that Poundland had done a very good deal on a huge quantity of (relatively short-dated?) lozenges, whereas your "big well known chemist" (why so coy about the name?) perhaps buys that item in smaller quantities then applies a bigger percentage markup.  Plus if it's Boots you're talking about, their pricing's been all over the place for several years now anyhow!