Will food prices ever go down again?

[witchypaws]

I did my food shop tonight and was "is that it?!"
Actually took a photo to send to my dad to say I thought they had forgotten stuff but nope, that was just the price

[title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

I don't think it will. UK food was really cheap. Partly because of skanked farmers and partly because of the EU. It's 'corrected' to a level that is probably what is actually costs.

Unless people want to rejoin the EU...

That is a lot of packaged, ready to eat food. We'll all have to start cooking properly.

How many has that got to feed OP and for how long? I would struggle to get a week's worth of meals out of that.

I spent 75 quid for 4 of us in aldi today for a week and a further 2.30 in Tesco. Thought I did well tbh. Some weeks it's been up at over 100 quid.

Lots of packaging and yet no fecking bags. Piss take.

I do cook...every main meal from scratch

There's chicken thighs, onions, orzo, soft cheese, pickles, chorizo, sweetcorn, tomatoes, salad, plain yoghurt, cayenne pepper, sour cream etc

The ready made stuff is marmite rice cakes (breakfast), bread, a pizza which I have once a week instead of a takeaway, crisps, chocolate, a packet of fajita spices and some coleslaw

If I liked mayo and chutney, I'd go own brand rather than Helmans and branston

I wasn't being shitty OP. I just mean we'll all have to be soaking lentils and foraging.

@Dacadactyl it's just me, the milk/loo roll/washing up liquid will last of course
I try and stretch my food shops to every 8 days and batch cook and freeze

So the only actual "meal" is a chicken orzo thing which will be 5 portions, a halloumi salad with stuff I already have (plus the salad bits) and a pizza instead of takeaway. Plus lunches as WFH
I already have batch cooked and frozen - lasagne, cottage pie, beef stew and a veggie pasta bake

Yeah mayo is Sainsburys own brand. I usually shop at Aldi so get their own brand, but the branston pickle is a (sad!) treat as I can't find one that compares
Aldi own brand brown sauce/mayo aren't too bad

It's sainsbury prices, that's why lol, altho even aldi has gone up.

Not much at all for the price is it. We’re the same, had an Asda delivery for £120 on the weekend and I’ll still have to top up. We also bring the crates in and empty onto the floor too. Asda only do bagless now.

I think good in the uk has been cheap for a long time and I can’t see costs going down unless the UK rejoins the EU. We live abroad but when I come back to England I see so many empty shelves now and the quality of the food there is terrible aswell not to mention the packaging. I worry about that more now since Brexit and the toxicity regulations in food packaging which have been tightened across Europe but the UK has chosen to not align with. If I had to estimate with my reasonable thinking how much shopping that ‘looks like’, I’d have said about £35-40. £68 is a bit shocking for what doesn’t look like much food at all!

The big bars and bags of chocolate are usually back on offer at £1.25 so in back by to the non-offer price before cost of living. I think that means food prices have dropped a bit? No idea about the cost of veg though.

Don't get me wrong I'm grateful to be able to spend what I have on food before anyone thinks I'm not, and be able to afford some branded stuff/a fresh pizza
budget is about £240pm and fairly strict as earn min wage

It was just a bit.. is that it?!

My son put a Lynx spray deodorant in the Tesco basket today, when I got to the till it was £5! For deodorant! I’m not paying that, especially at the rate he goes through the stuff!

you can't tease us like that! we need a pic if the kitty supervisor please!

@Rollercoaster1920 a lot of them used to be £1. Some were £1.25 but it varied which ones. So you could always get something for £1. Now it's £1.25 on offer.

Thank you !

@therealcookiemonster here you go, his fave spot

Yep it's depressing. I like meat but it's so expensive now. (And yes I know I'll be told we all need to eat less meat!). I tried buying some minted lamb burger type things from tescos as they were more affordable. They looked and tasted like a used insole! That's the problem I find. A lot of the cheap stuff just tastes like crap. I don't like chick peas and lentils and all the other stuff people suggest on food threads as cheap meals or bulking agents.

What I've ended up doing is eating a decent meal say 3 times a week. The other days it's egg and chips or cheese toasties, that kind of thing. For lunches I just have a bowl of cereal or toast (don't really eat breakfast). Probably not fantastic nutritionally but this allows me to have at least some nice meals and stay within budget. It is just me to cater for so at least I don't have to worry about feeding children.

They have a big recently

Your cat is clearly asking "did you buy anything for me" and by the looks of what's on the floor, you did not. Come on OP, you need to do better 😂

@witchypaws What a beautiful pussycat! 😻

@EmpressSoleil dunno if this helps but my cheaper meals are
Pasta bake - add whatever bits of meat or veg and cheese you have that needs using up! Makes a bit of meat go a long way
Chicken thighs I really like as well and they're good slow cooked
Mince isn't too bad price wise and I stretch it a bit with onions and carrots for cottage pie
My cheap meal used to be corned beef hash but even corned beef is expensive

I bought Aldi own brand licks and he's refusing to touch them. He also won't eat ham or tuna weirdo
He did get a cat stick treat for not chewing plastic today

where's the receipt