To be seriously worried that the cost of food is getting so scarily high

[thebird]

I am not extravagant I buy shop own brands where I can, I try to shop on a budget, I cook from scratch and have given up buying extras like wine (well just the odd bottle to keep me sane) but still each week the cost of my food bill goes up and up. I know inflation is running at around 4-5% but I cant understand this as many basic items have increased almost 30-50%. When the hell is it going to stop or I really will be living on beans on toast every night(and even they've gone up lots!

oh and while i would like to shop at local and buy organic etc in reality i can not afford to .Plus supermarkerts deliever which is essential as do not drive and we live to far from any shops to go 2-3 times a week

StressedHEmum I see your point.BTW,I cannot for the life of me grow cucumbers.I had 4 lovely plants going in late June,had 3 cucumbers off them,with plenty more developing,then they all died at once.I've tried for the past 6 years and never done very well,but can manage tomatillos and other unusual stuff.The 'cursed cucumbers' are a standing joke with DH,but I keep on trying,although the amount of money I've spent on seed would probably buy me a year's supply of supermarket cucumbers.

I agree - and the cost of petrol is ridiculous ( plus train fairs are going up again ) I don't know where people on the average wage are supposed to find all the extra money? -
I think I'll start growing my own vegetables and just walk everywhere -

Train fares even - oops

Mirage, I know. I'm the same with aubergines. The amount of cash on seeds and plants would keep me in the things for ages. I'm the only one who likes them, here, anyway, so this year, I didn't even try.

Last year and the year before my cukes did really well considering I have to grow them in pots and I got about 60 fruits from them, so I was dead pleased. The tomatoes did well last year as well, surprisingly. This year, though, the cucumber plants all just withered before they even set flowers, even though I had a few varieties at different stages. So, I tried again but the same thing happened. I don't know what's happening this year with the veg, really. I can't get tomatilllos to grow, here, I think it's too cold, but every year I llok at the seeds and think "should I try again?", this year, I said no and planted more peas .

I know it's all been said already but just to add my thoughts. I agree with what some have said about the low proportion of income people spend on food. It is expensive and there's no denying it is getting more so all of the time. I'm very fortunate in that we have enough money to eat well (not like kings but there is never a worry about where our next meal is coming from)
I'm not naive enough tot hink that everyone can afford to eat good food, but I do think more people should plan effectivly to avoid waste and also that people should be prepared to spend a high proportion of their income on food.
With cheap, nasty brands and convenience food it is easy to by crap cheaply, and looking in the trolleys around the supermarket it's clear to see that as a group we aren't tht fussy about what we're eating, as long as it's cheap.

I don't know how they could do it without it becoming another stupid nannystate "eat your 5 a day" or some such rubbish, but people need to be educated on planning weekly menus, not eating junk, and coming to terms with the fact that to eat properly you may not have any money left over for other things.

We've also gone vegan, 3 months ago, which has halved our food bill and made us about 100 times healthier so that would be a tip from me. We now eat all organic, fresh food which we could afford to do when we were buying meat and dairy.

Anyone else noticed that portion sizes have subtly changed on certain products - recently bought some smoothie which was on 'offer' only to realise it was a smaller carton than the usual size. Also had this with cereal. Cheeky!

And what's the deal with packaged cooked sandwich meats?! It's all bulked out with water and other crap and still I saw a packet ON OFFER of ham in tescos 10 slices for £4! £4!!! how do they justify that? I'd love to know how much of that goes to the farmers. Not a lot I bet.

I rarely set foot in a supermarket - if I do I end up spending way too much.
I do big online shop for all basics-tea,coffee ,cereal,tins,loo roll . etc once a month -£150 ish.Then I have a veggie box each week .Its £24 for 9 veg and 3 fruit and I usually add fish and one meat item(usually whats on offer)so it comes to about £40 in total.I take out £10 a week for bits .
I bake my own bread,keep chickens and cook from scratch.I make all cakes,jam(own trees) yoghurt and grow toms,courgettes etc.
The things Id recommend are a breadmaker -brilliant as you can make bread,breakfast rolls,sweet rolls,pizza base etc .
Also a slow cooker -makes casseroles,soups etc just use any veg lurking in the fridge or lentils to bulk out. I make a vat of soup at the weekend and keep in the fridge. Dcs help themselves if peckish after school or if they need a quick lunch.
We dont do a big roast every week now -only once a month and then use or freeze leftovers.Anything leftover is frozen -pasta dishes etc for lunches at work.
Probably spend £350-£400 a month and we eat very well on that and Im sure I save a lot on petrol .I could cut this down further but dont need to atm. We dont eat out unless its Tesco clubcard vouchers (get lots through EON)
Btw I work full time and dont find the above too time consuming.
I think they are raising prices by stealth -sometimes things seem to double in price from one week to the next

How many is that for Mrsbaggins?

2 Adults 2 virtual adults (teenagers) 2 cats and assorted teenagers who are always round here

I'm trying to wean myself off big supermarkets. My local grocer is so cheap anmd I am alternating between him and a veg box at the moment. Reduced meat and offers from my local co-op and a few basics from the supermarket once a month- pasta, cleaning stuff etc. if the Co-op has no decent offers on. it's hard but I'm sure I must be saving money.

train wise

If you are travelling of peak I can honestly reccomend friends and family railcard .

Vegan/vegetarian not a option here ds has crohns and can not eat Dairy/Gluten or soya .Plus he needs 5000 calories a day to keep weight on .Food for him make`s me wince at the cost

we have about half that for 3 of us and 1 kitten. We have a bread machine too but not used it much though to be fair we don't go through much bread once DH is at work.

Our local butcher is fab though and meat million times nicer than supermarket. Am def taking cash out on Mon!

We usually have one quick dinner in the week -beans on toast or omlette and on the Sundays when we dont have a roast we have egg and chips - the Dcs cook it

we have egg on toast or beans at least once a week too. Make soups and stews in winter, though DS is evil child with food. Granted he hardly eats anything

We have carrots in garden and some broccolli, no spuds this year.

What can I plant now? hmmm

Have you got space for a couple of hens ?

Great tips MrsB - thank you!

I think it depends (partly) on what you buy, and of that, what you use. I get sneered at by my peers for being snobby as I shop in Waitrose. We live equidistant from Waitrose & Sainsbury and to be honest, I prefer the quality in the former - it is rare that you find dud fruit/veg or, for that matter, empty shelves. I did a price comparison recently with one of said sneerers who shops in Tesco. My weekly shop (for 2 adults and 1 infant - so inclusive of nappies) was around £50. Hers for 2 adults was £70.
We don't eat meat at home and make a lot using frozen veg, with staples like rice & pasta. What doesn't get eaten gets frozen. We manage a takeaway about once a fortnight.
BTW, I am unemployed (a f/t student taking time out after birth of LO) and hubbie earns under £15k p/a.

Bananas are about £9-£10 a kilo here (Australia) my DS thinks they are an exotic treat

If you can prize yourself away from meat and dairy, I bought a book called Vegan on the cheap by Robertson and the meals in there are actually so cheap, you'll have spares for wine (my soul motivation )

I find the non-food items the most expensive, soap powder, shampoo etc ( the cheaper stuff is always a false economy ime ) - you can eat cheaply if you meal plan and shop wisely - it's everything else on top.

We shop in Waitrose and spend about the same as we did in Tesco but it is better quality and we look forward to mealtimes and it is quicker and less stressful. We only eat meat once or twice a week though and will often use the local butcher as it is cheaper and he uses local farmers.

I also eat a big meal at school so don't need to eat as much at home.

We also have chickens and get fruit mainly from the garden or the village.

We hardly ever have take outs, it is beyond me how people can afford them.

carminaI always use way less soappowder than the tell you to -unless clothes are really muddy they only need a freshen up.
I also wash at night as its cheaper to run dishwasher and washing machine.