To be shocked at the rising price of food?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

I do a fair bit of my grocery shopping at Aldi and Lidl, but dip into all the big stores very regularly as well for certain items I like when they are on offer to stock up, and also for yellow sticker bargains.

My bill has gone up by about a quarter in the last six months or so for the same products. Aldi and Lidl don't seem all that cheap anymore - although to be fair I don't know what doing my 'main' shop at Sainsbury's or Tesco or Morrisons.

I'm a little shocked at just how quickly the prices are going up. I knew they were going to rise but kind of expected a much more gradual increase. Silly me.

Has anyone else felt like this? Or does anyone else feel alarmed at not knowing when prices will level out and slow down?

Brexit hasn't even happened yet!

Personally I don't see any down side to growing your own. However much or little you can manage
If you don't live in London
Petition your local authority to give you a space, share it with friends or neighbours
Anyway! I shall not preach allotment joy anymore!!

@Ta1kinPeece
I don't believe there isn't any land available
I believe it's all about how many people push for something
If enough people campaign then, funnily enough, land will be found.
There is enough land.

Worried
Land suitable for allotments is often suitable for housing.
Which do you want? Houses or hobby gardens?

But seriously, allotments are NOT the issue
the UK already produces lots of the fruit and veg that grows well here
its the imported food that is the Brexit issue

I believe there should be a balance

the UK already produces lots of the fruit and veg that grows well here

But who's going to harvest it when all the low-paid EU pickers have to leave?

lapdance
Fat Brits.
Surely you have worked out that Brexit is all a cunning plan to save the NHS £350m a week by making food so expensive that the obese have to go and pick it and thus lose weight

Really and truly, when people are seriously talking about allotments it is time to realise that the country is sliding out of the global economic system.

What's next - barter?

Millions of tonnes of fruit and veg will not materialise overnight to replace imports.

Then there is the question of millions of tonnes of imported animal feed...

Chris Grayling thinks we can just grow more....

My council spans a total geographical area of over 2500 sq miles. They can put the allotments in any of that if a petition for allotments is successful, so nope, it's really not the answer to rising food prices, particularly those who are already poor and don't live in places with good transport. FFS.

And the things is allotments are lovely but they don't really save you money...

'Then there is the question of millions of tonnes of imported animal feed...'

Ah, but maths, we can all be skinny vegans digging for victory on our allotments.

@expatinscotland
Jesus
I was suggesting something that's beneficial to all.
From the response on here, you'd think I suggested selling children's limbs for crack

I have just googled how sufficient the uk is and how self sufficient we could be.

At the moment we import anything from 22 to 50% of what we eat. We could be anything from 78% to 100% self sufficient if we had to be. That is based on 3 different recent articles.

Obviously we wouldn't be eating tropical fruit or fresh strawberries in November. And as a nation we would probably have to eat less meat. But it's pretty unlikely that the rest of the world will stop trading with us even if the rest of the EU don't want to trade. Which is again pretty unlikely.

We took an allotment on in may this year. It was massively overgrown. We managed to get 12 1.2m x 1.2m beds planted up in time to grow stuff.

I grew probably 6 months worth of various beans for a family of 4. 2 months of fresh tomatoes. Probably 2 dozen portions of tomato soup. 6 weeks worth of potatoes. Enough courgettes and marrows to be sick of the bloody sight of them. A years supply of chillis. 10 jars of pickled beetroot. 7 jars of chutney. Cucumbers from june until September. And a few disasters. Oh and a good few kilos of cooking apples and foraged blackberries.

So yes an allotment or veg garden will help if you are struggling. But you need a lot of time, be physically fit and have some money to at least get set up. Next year we will have chickens too. And I hope to grow enough to significantly reduce my shopping bills. But realistically it will take a good few years to get my money back that I have invested plus the time aspect.

I reckon I was spending at least 2 hours a week just tending to the 12 beds we had going. And that's without planting and then harvesting.

@Theworldisfullofidiots
Well they can
But you know what. Forget that I even bothered to suggest something good.

I was on this thread from the very start.

I'm not a fucking vegan
I was just trying to point out how to potentially take some power back from the fucking corporate world

Thanks chaps. Way to run someone down for not a lot.

'So yes an allotment or veg garden will help if you are struggling. But you need a lot of time, be physically fit and have some money to at least get set up. '

And have a council that offers them, and be up for one if you're in a council with huge waiting lists and be able to afford to get to it. It's a nice idea, but it's far from reality for large segments of the population.

expat we might find that if there are genuine food shortages that allotments become available again. Or that little pockets of land get turned into community allotments.

I believe there are also people experimenting with urban gardens. So rooftop veg patches, intensive growing on balconies, using vertical growing as well as horizontal growing.

Allotments were started during food rationing I think to make it possible for people to grow not just for themselves but also neighbours and family.

So you might find those skinny vegans help you out at some point. I can definetly grow courgettes so if we have another shortage I'm your woman if you need courgetti spaghetti.

Worriedrose
Sorry that wasn't my intention. I agree allotments are great. I have one. My experience is they are great for your mental and physical health but so far I haven't really saved any money. But I may be doing it wrong.
And when I factor the time I spend there when I should be focusing on my business...
But sorry again.

expatinscotland.

But even if you have room/allottment it is bloody hard work to achieve the yields that will provide food for your family.

I think it is something for those with lots of time and a HUGE freezer. Probably not useful for the general population. But what do I know!

It really is a good thing, Worriedrose. But it is not beneficial to all. Basically it is something you do to supplement what you already have, if you have the time and the energy and the money to make a go of it. There are many people who could not possibly participate in this sort of endeavour.

Allotments are great, and more of us should be growing more of our own. Even a few herbs in pots and tomatoes on the balcony is better than nothing. They are not, however, the answer. At all.

Sorry haven't read the whole thread but I have noticed Sainsbury's putting fancy packaging on things so they can up their prices. Aldi has gone up too. Our food shop has got so expensive recently. Our usual £60 a week budget is now closer to £100 and we are buying the same things!

Brexit will be the explanation/excuse for all this.

Perfect storm,

But the implications will never affect Theresa or Nigel will they?

I'm sorry
I didn't mean it to come across as a panacea for all. I know doesn't help everyone

I was just chipping in, in my small way, I feel very sad about the world right now

My mum has had a veggie patch for 30yrs. She barely buys a single veg or salad item all summer. It takes her time but doesn't cost much. Saves her a lot of money on groceries.