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

TheAble

-taff said:

TheAble said:

It's 70p at Asda, specifically. Tesco and Sainsbury's still sell it for 20p. And they still sell 45p rice, and baked beans at £1 for four cans. 

I just thought the story was a bit sensationalist. You're not forced to buy it at one particular supermarket. And ok - you may not have transport, but Tesco will still deliver to you for £3, which isn't bad when weighed up against the cost of petrol and running a car.

A bit sensationalist? I don't think that you get that people are really struggling with money.

If you have a twenty piund budget for food, what do you expect to happen? Someone will say, well, I won't eat for a week so I can order 40 quids worth of food. I won't put 3 pound on the key meter so i can pay for delivery if I want less...

Thanks to media demonsiation, people seem to be under the impression that poor people deserve to be poor and just pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and rushing out to get some work will cure it.

No-one wants to be so poor they have to use food banks. And if you are using a food bank,there's the prevailing idea that you're using one because you're spedning all your money on booze and fags...where did this idea come from? Did poor people say, well, I'm going to spend my money on fripperies and expect someone else to feed me. Or is it because the gap between the rich and the poor is at an all time high?

Honestly, it really gets my goat when people assume their lifestyle is the norm, that people 'may not be able to afford a car'. People may not be able to afford a bloody bus fare, let alone a car. No one, absolutely no-one, chooses to be so poor that they cannot eat.

I don't have any of those assumptions. I'm simply pointing out that just because these products have been pulled at one particular chain doesn't mean it's the case generally. You don't have to use one store to buy every single item. Build your pantry by sourcing each item from the shop where it's cheapest.

euronorris

TheAble said:

-taff said:

TheAble said:

It's 70p at Asda, specifically. Tesco and Sainsbury's still sell it for 20p. And they still sell 45p rice, and baked beans at £1 for four cans. 

I just thought the story was a bit sensationalist. You're not forced to buy it at one particular supermarket. And ok - you may not have transport, but Tesco will still deliver to you for £3, which isn't bad when weighed up against the cost of petrol and running a car.

A bit sensationalist? I don't think that you get that people are really struggling with money.

If you have a twenty piund budget for food, what do you expect to happen? Someone will say, well, I won't eat for a week so I can order 40 quids worth of food. I won't put 3 pound on the key meter so i can pay for delivery if I want less...

Thanks to media demonsiation, people seem to be under the impression that poor people deserve to be poor and just pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and rushing out to get some work will cure it.

No-one wants to be so poor they have to use food banks. And if you are using a food bank,there's the prevailing idea that you're using one because you're spedning all your money on booze and fags...where did this idea come from? Did poor people say, well, I'm going to spend my money on fripperies and expect someone else to feed me. Or is it because the gap between the rich and the poor is at an all time high?

Honestly, it really gets my goat when people assume their lifestyle is the norm, that people 'may not be able to afford a car'. People may not be able to afford a bloody bus fare, let alone a car. No one, absolutely no-one, chooses to be so poor that they cannot eat.

I don't have any of those assumptions. I'm simply pointing out that just because these products have been pulled at one particular chain doesn't mean it's the case generally. You don't have to use one store to buy every single item. Build your pantry by sourcing each item from the shop where it's cheapest.

But spending an addition £3 on delivery fees, or bus fare, to save 50p is not logical. And the point is that the option is not available to all. If you haven't got the £3 for delivery, or the bus fare, then your only option is the 70p pasta.

London_1

I can understand and see all of your points of view I see often its said to use asian supermarkets for herbs spices rice etc, OK if you live in an area where there are such things. none near me at all.

 I am lucky that I live within reach of Tesco Asda,Sainsburys and Aldi's in fact Aldi and Tescos are almost opposite each other .I have on my laptop the four nearest supermarkets to me's websites so when I look at my shopping list I go through it carefully item by item to find the best price for each In january I found that tesco and Aldi were best price for my essentials so consequently used them and came in under budget. I have enough stuff now to last me ,at least fresh stuff until at least the end of next week.when I will do my first shop of February. I have £11.00 odd rolled over into my February budget from January, so will have a total of £71.00 odd to use.
I know if I lived further out into the kent countryside life would be more difficult I do own and run a car ,but have cut back on the use of it and use my bus pass when I can. If there is something i want from Asda my eldest DD works almost next door to it and can pick it up for me.She often has a mosey around there in her lunch hour and will text me if there is a good bargain going and ask if I need it or is it worth buying . I hvae never had or used a delivery service so can't comment on them but I can see you have to weigh up the pros and cons of even them. I see that often Lidls have good bargains,but my nearest one is a 10 mile round trip and for only perhaps one or two items it wouldn't be cost effective ,especially with petrol at around £7.00 plus a gallon. I do have an Iceland within an easy walk from my house ,but that apparently is closing next month, another charity shop will probably replace it There is a small precinct of about 2 dozen shops there and we have four CS already in there. 

We are all tightening our belts this winter no matter how much money we have My daughter and her husband went to look at a new gas fire for their sitting room and they were £1500 upwards. My son-in-law said no thats an absurd amount for something, so they didn't buy it Their one is Ok and works fine she just fancied a new one, but seeing how much they are now they decided not to bother. They are considering moving down to Deal eventually in a couple of years, so it would be just something left behind. I noticed even charity shops prices are going up, so everything is rising in price apart from wages and pensions.  

Floss

TheAble said:

Wraithlady said:

I think she was more highlighting to make her point - pasta is, after all, a basic foodstuff.

Yes, you can get 20p pasta - 

It's 70p at Asda, specifically. Tesco and Sainsbury's still sell it for 20p. And they still sell 45p rice, and baked beans at £1 for four cans. 

I just thought the story was a bit sensationalist. You're not forced to buy it at one particular supermarket. And ok - you may not have transport, but Tesco will still deliver to you for £3, which isn't bad when weighed up against the cost of petrol and running a car.

Actually Sainsbury's cheapest is fusilli at  58p a kg, Tesco is 29p for 500g for the same shape. So not 20p any more, but a 45% increase.

I bought a packet of shortbread biscuits in Lidl last night that used to be under a £1, but are now £1.09 so there's a 10% increase.

Suffolksue

I wish I could like Jackie’s post many times!

I also agree with Taff that nobody chooses to be that poor ,but there are some (to me ) strange priorities.I’ve just come back from my small market town ,all the nail bars were full ,what happened to painting your own .
I’m not judging but someone who was telling me she couldn’t afford the heating ,waved to me to show me her new nails !
I know she is entitled to make her choices but there are some different ideas of what is essential .

I have this doesn’t annoy anyone.
 I’m not trying to .

since I was widowed last year ,I have to make choices and I am more than aware I am very lucky I have a pension and part of my late DH’s and am able to support my DGD at uni as my late DD would have wished ,but something has to give .It would just be nice if her Father would help too But apparently he has no money ,but regularly travels to the far northwest to watch his football team and stays overnight 

His choices are not mine !

[Deleted User]

I personally think that Jack monroe is doing a wonderful job of highlighting that it’s not as clear cut when it comes to inflation as people think.

Ultimately this thread was started to open a discussion about who is feeling the strain of price rises all round. There are so many of us that are, so let’s not debate and get upset with each other. Life really is hard enough as it is without animosity on these lovely boards. 

My budget is very very low but it’s all I have to I have no choice but to manage. Compromise is the key word in this house. JackieO as usual you are a positive wonder. Thank you; the forum is made all the brighter by you being in it again xx

-taff

Shame we can't give Jackie a TV show....

Auntycaz

I try to batch cook and put some in the freezer for a later date. I like to cook from scratch but It costs the same amount in fuel to cook several portions and freeze them than it is to cook a meal from scratch every day. Plus there is less washing up (always a bonus)

maryb

There’s there’s a report in the news that the regulator is going to increase the energy price cap by 49% from April.  So many people can barely afford the current rates especially if they were on a fix with a failed utility company and have been transferred to the standard variable rate with a new supplier.  

weenancyinAmerica

I've been known to go for six months with same two dollars in my pocket for eating out. Finally spent 81 cents from it when I had to take a friend to the hospital and was getting hungry after 5 hours waiting. I don't know about cafeterias in hospitals there, but I found that I could get chicken salad mix by the ounce at mine and that is what I did. 2 1/2 ounces of chicken salad kept me going till I could leave several hours later. I often only have less than $25 left for the month after paying for the bills. This has to cover any miscellaneous spends for the household, but not food from the grocery store, clothes, eating out, entertainment, etc. It is tough. Our prices for energy are going up also - but not as much as yours. I wish all of you success at dealing with your bills. I'm a bit frazzled sometimes.