Anyone else struggling with the cost of food 😒

[Meltinthemiddle]

Everytime I go to the supermarket I feel sick looking at the prices of food even the cheap supermarkets like aldi and lidl have increased their food prices or stopped certain ranges. I'm really struggling for healthy meal ideas and worried about how I'm going to feed my family on top of all the other bills 😢

Yup, it’s tough out there. Trouble is the price of food basics such as wheat, corn, fuel, animal feed gone through the roof recently and this effects most of the things we eat. No real solution other than buying foods which are cheap and nutritious and cooking up large batches, then freezing it. Also, try hanging around M&S on sunday before closing and they suddenly drastically reduce price of certain items e.g loaf of bread for 10p! They virtually give it away i’ve found.

Yes we are seriously struggling. I was looking at prices online. Healthy food is getting out of our reach. I’m on Carer’s Allowance and we can’t continue to live like this. By winter we will be in serious trouble as it won’t just be choosing to heat or eat, but barely affording whichever we choose.

Yes my weekly shop is ridiculous. Can’t even shop in Aldi or Lidl even if I wanted to as I do online shops barely manage to get a slot as well tried Tesco’s all booked up so had to go with Sainsbury’s but it’s much more expensive

The price increase is rediculous and most of the time I'd rather go without!

I notice something has gone up every week. Today a tin of my dog food has gone from £2.80
to £3.14.

I'm not struggling but i have noticed and increase and want to keep withing my budget. But I'm so sorry you and so many other people are. It's horrid that we are in this situation in the developed world.

I still budget carefully and make a note of what I have in and what I need to buy when I shop. I try not to waste food. I will buy own brand and I'm not fussy about going to aldi or lidl. I'm aware I'm lucky as I can store bulk items and can afford fuel for cooking.

I can recommend a website called www.tamingtwins.com the author does regular 5 night meal plans from aldi for around £35. There's loads of ideas on her site and lots of slow cooker and batch cooking ideas for the whole family.

Other people will be along with some good ideas or just some solidarity I'm sure.

I'm surving on jacket spuds and beans.

yes, eating simple foods is how we are starting to eat

Yes my food bill has gradually increased to about £20-£30 more a week on average. Can cope for now but with the cost if fuel as well it's all getting a bit crazy. Dreading the next energy rise in October.

There's an app I'm planning to try called 'too good to go'. It lists all the restaurants, cafes and takeaways local to you that are giving out very reduced food at that time.

I had been spending easily £80 online with Asda for the weekly shop. More than most people. Fir just me and a 17 yr old ds.

Luckily through reducing to cheaper brands in many cases and by going largely vegetarian of late I am still finding £80 sufficient. Though ds still prefers meat so we eat different meals.

I count myself lucky that I am mortgage free.

Thank you @abcdefghijklmnopxxx I have just used your code for my free Gousto box! Not used them before but excited to try it

I know, it's shocking the price of food lately. My internet shop for three of us used to be about 70 euro, not that long ago and now it's about 100 and I have to go back to the shop again midweek and seem to spend at least another 30. Often 40.

I know I have two kids but I believe I could eat so healthily and so cheaply if it were just me. they never eat that kind of food though. Only meatballs, lasagne, chicken kievs, carbonara, beefburgers, pizza. That's it.

I used to buy these one cup coffee filters, about 4 euro for 10 (cups) had to start slopping about with ground coffee and filters to save money. Bag of ground coffee will give me about 30 cups

Buy shampoo conditioner etc in the pound shops, even if it's a special trip. tesco charging 6 euro minimum for big posh bottles of shampoo and conditioner that I got for 1.50 each in a local pound style shop. I still call them pound shops even though we have euro here!

Yup, everything is going up and up. So depressing.

Since I got Covid (Christmastime), I have not had the energy to walk very far so normally buy from a little Sainsbury's and Tesco and I think they are a bit more expensive than the big ones. In a way I am lucky because I live alone (well, flat share but only myself to cater for), plus don't eat meat and am cutting down food anyway and about to go back to using Slimfast for two of my meals and I have tubs of the stuff. As long as the price of milk does not go through the roof I should be ok. I am not blind to the changes though. It just means I can shrug my shoulders as I pick up a pack of apples and pay the price.

Also my heating etc comes out my rent so it is relatively painless for me.

I know though if I was still on Universal Credit I would really be struggling. I remember before Universal Credit when I was on whatever it was called I badly struggled and was living for days on pasta and dabs of margarine. Perhaps why I rarely eat pasta now!

How families are coping I do not know!

I was stupidly shopping in Waitrose (convenient up the road etc) wages running out so quickly

yesterday I went to lidl and got three big bags of food / summer holiday snacks for kids / frozen bits / fruit / crisps / bread wraps for £49 it is so much cheaper!!

hooefully you live near one

also bulk out things such as spag bol

stop buying squash etc mine have water now - saves money and healthier

Food is absolutely shooting up and you’re right, even the cheap Aldi and Lidl options aren’t so cheap anymore.

cookingonabootstrap.com Has lots of great recipes for when you have a small budget

I have 4 vouchers for a free Hello Fresh box is anyone world like one (you can cancel after one box)

I used to be one of those people who never really looked at prices...I just threw stuff in my basket. I've now turned into a bargain hunter!

If you can afford the initial outlay, getting a (2nd hand) chest freezer is a game changer. Sometimes people give them away on Facebook groups or neighbour apps.

For me, I pick up all sorts of bargains from the reduced aisle and chuck them straight in the freezer. Lots of people don't know that you can freeze butter and milk so the other day I was delighted to get 3 tubs of Lurpack for £1.50 each. Also got a giant pizza for 99p and a huge tray of organic chicken pieces for £2.99.

I've also started batch cooking and making up my own 'ready meals' and freezing those too. Whereas once I'd cook a roast chicken and chuck away the carcass, now I boil it with 'wonky' onions and carrots and make soup or stock (also goes in the freezer).

So yes, prices are depressing (to say the least!!) but I think bargains can still be found.

I'm not struggling but I can see how the prices increase. I try to buy cheaper food and I try mostly cook at home. So it helps me to save a little.

The Lidl fruit and veg box (£1.50) is absolutely fab but you just have to be there at the right time.

Food shopping is so depressing now

I used to spend £120 a week on food, realised that was excessive and so managed to reduce it down to £75-ish a week. Including all pet food, laundry detergent, loo rolls etc when needed.
Slowly crept back up and I'm now around £100 for the exact same basket! I shop online so get what's on offer (Clubcard prices as far as possible), don't buy any ready meals but we are vegan so some of the protein replacements work out expensive now.. Have just had to start having smaller dinners, and treats are a thing of the past.

Coupled with everything else it's just getting too much now. Can only just afford to drive to work at the moment.

I noticed these increased the other day when I went to buy orange juice at M&S which use to be £2.60 (I thought that was too much) and now it's £3.60 and pizza almost £5 absolutely ridiculous. They need to also up peoples wages so that we're able to afford and increase of things around us