Food is expensive

[goldenorbspider]

Went to aldi got few bits for the week and not a big shop for me and one infant. Spent £40 and it's not even a big shop. What do people do to save money on food? I can't imagine spending much less. I know it would cost waay more at other supermarkets.

I do not know a person over 60 that would buy a ready meal in Spain, they do not exist.

They really don't.

See and this is what I was challenging earlier but I'm guessing you're just on a wind up now.

Because you personally don't know them they don't exist?

Step out of your little bubble. It's making you look quite silly.

*Don't 'buy' them

Nasty.

I think food prices have gone up significantly since the Brexit vote, I shop online and I think you notice the prices a lot more than you do in store.

But like a previous poster said food should be expensive, especially meat.

Pap just looked at your list and I think that’s loads. But noticed you have cherries, lychees and blueberries. They’re really expensive fruits and not in season so maybe try more seasonal less exotic fruits also your quick fry steaks will have bumped it up a bit. Red meat is always expensive.

Lemon prism My DGP had cooked breakfasts for 50 years ! Both died at age 95 no illnesses just Natural causes .Neither had ever been ill with anything serious and never had Cancer /Heart Disease in their lives! Not saying we should follow their example maybe just an anomoly .

Is “carbonara sauce” not an egg?

My DGP had cooked breakfasts for 50 years ! Both died at age 95 no illnesses just Natural causes .Neither had ever been ill with anything serious and never had Cancer /Heart Disease in their lives

It's a good thing we base healthcare messages on large studies then, isn't it.....

@MargotLargot yes it is REALLY egg and Parmesan and pancetta I think but most non Italians like to think it’s a creamy sauce 🤮

hink food prices have gone up significantly since the Brexit vote

Food inflation - on a rise since 2017

"Aldi and Lidl are great but I find that the reduced to clear at regular supermarkets is way better. We had a whole roasted chicken last night which was 82p. Not because it was slaughtered in someone's back garden, but because it was bought on the day it went out of date. Last week I had a haul in Waitrose which included venison meatballs (served 2) reduced from £6 to 79p."

It's not really reliable though, you might find good bargains one day and nothing the next. Not to mention the way people shove and grab stuff off the shelf without even looking to see what it is and fill their basket/trolley and then drop off the stuff they don't want all over the place on random shelves.

Also my nearest Waitrose is useless for reductions, only take about 30% off even when it's near closing time. M&S better for reductions, but mostly ready meals and often salads etc so not suitable for freezing. Sainsbury's limited selection and also only reduce by 40 to 50%. Easier (for me) just to meal plan and get most of the stuff from Lidl and top up at Sainsbury's, rather than deal with the hassle of the gannets/scrum and potluck of the yellow sticker section.

OP, we are suddenly on a tighter budget because my DP was made redundant just before Christmas. I agree with others suggesting batch cooking, and also cutting down on meat.

I actually think things like chorizo are a good shout, as you only need a small amount for flavour, and it keeps for ages. The other day I made a chorizo pasta bake, which was 1/3 of a chorizo, an onion, other veg we had knocking about (a couple of peppers, a head of broccoli), a tin of tomatoes, pasta, and cheese. It was really tasty - spiced up with chilli and paprika - mainly used stuff we had in the cupboards, and did us over two nights. (Just two adults.) Things like carbonara my DP makes with eggs, garlic, parmesan, and pancetta - again, a lot of flavour, and a small amount of meat.

We eat a lot of frozen veg, not really because of the cost, but because there is no waste.

"My Aldi only sells almond milk or soya milk, not oat"

You can easily make your own oat milk for a cost of only about 20 to 25p per litre or under 15p a pint, just Google it for tutorials or do a search on YouTube. The price of oat milk in supermarkets is ridiculous.

www.theguardian.com/food/shortcuts/2020/jan/31/how-to-make-your-own-milk-simple-sustainable-guide-oat-nuts-seeds?

As a PP said, food is too cheap. I am not on a high income and am very grateful for cheap supermarkets, but I know the price of food is not sustainable. It makes me very worried.

Nappies and toiletries are not food. Out of season fruit is expensive, as is salmon and steak. Making your own sauces and salads is cheaper/goes further than buying ready made. Hope that helps.

I did the vegan January, just to see if I could really and to see if I felt any different/better for it, rather than for any worthy ethical reason.

I've meal planned and the whole family has eaten vegan for a month. By that I mean, eaten things made from vegetables, not special vegan products. No fake meat here.

I can't say I've noticed any huge benefit, except I reckon our grocery bills have been cut by more than half.

I don't think £40 is a particularly large amount to spend on food for two over a week plus nappies, toiletries and wipes.

That being said, if you want to spend less, the obvious takeaways are:

• The frozen chicken fillets in Aldi are a pretty cheap way to eat chicken breast but likely even cheaper would be either legs/thighs or get a whole chicken, cut it up and freeze the bits to use as needed

• I know the lychees have been on offer but out of season fresh berries are generally ruinously expensive. I don't even find the flavour up to much, personally. I'd get frozen if you're going to eat them 'with' something: pancakes, porridge etc, or do without otherwise.

• See if you like frozen salmon fillets as an alternative to fresh. If you don't you don't, but worth at least investigating

If you're stuck for time, it can be a good idea to batch cook a base sauce or two at the weekend, portion it and freeze it. For example if you do an onion and tomato one that could go with pasta, mince for curry, lasagne.

Also do you like home made soup? That's a cheap and easy one and very comforting when it's cold. Stock from the whole chicken you should consider switching to, couple of onions and carrots, some pulses, stock cube plus seasoning, any veg you have lying around that's looking less than perfect. Serve with bread on the side... food of the gods and costs fuck all.

As for the potential impact of Brexit,

"Under all Brexit scenarios modelled, prices of Fruit and Vegetables would increase, especially for those highly dependent on imports. "

Source: Imperial College London, study reported in New Scientist:
www.google.com/amp/s/www.newscientist.com/article/2192110-will-rising-food-costs-after-brexit-really-cause-thousands-of-deaths/amp/

"Brexit has the potential to have a substantial impact on the prices households pay for food. Currently around 30% of the value of food purchased by households in the UK is imported, and the major source of food imports is the EU. In comparison, only 17% of overall consumer spending is on imported goods. This means that changes in the costs of imports – for example, through changes to tariffs or movements in exchange rates – are likely to have a particularly big impact on food prices."

"These uncertainties over tariffs and the exchange rate mean that UK households are potentially going to be affected by considerable and unpredictable changes in food prices, with the poorest households much more exposed to this risk than the richest households. "

Source: IFS
www.ifs.org.uk/publications/9562

Mintec Brexit Food Price Index.

(Only shows actual current and past figures, ie during negotiation period and does not model for possible future figures (transition period and then Brexit period starting 01/01/21.)

"Methodology
The purpose of this Brexit food price index is to measure the changes in the price of selected food categories that are reportedly highly sensitive to the outcome of the Brexit process, particularly since the referendum in June 2016. The index will be updated and reported on a monthly basis.

Categories have been weighted based on the value of UK agri-food imports from the EU, with the fruit and vegetables category carrying the highest weighting, as the UK has a significant deficit in fruit and vegetable production.

The overall index (Chart 1) shows a spike after the referendum and has since been maintained at this high level. Various categories have driven the index at different points; however, the drivers have not been limited to Brexit, as discussed within the various categories below."

www.mintecglobal.com/blog/brexit-food-price-index

I visit Spain a lot. For a start you can buy any sort of pizza that you fancy, is that a ready meal? They also do things like frozen chips.

I find food in the UK really cheap. Food living in central Paris not so cheap....

Food is super cheap in the UK. You're totally spoilt with variety, quality and value for money.
That amount of groceries would be twice that in many parts of Europe.

This. It always astounds me when people moan about how expensive food is in the UK. I just put that into my online supermarket. It costs £84.73, substituting cherries for plums and lychees for kiwis because you can't buy those here in the winter. That's taking the budget versions, not the mid range or organic stuff.

MrsGolightly, yes, the first thing I said was you can get a pizza! I would consider that a ready meal.

They're not that great though TBH.

The point everyone trying to make a point is missing is that, while you may be able to get a pizza or a frozen lasagne in some supermarkets, if you seek it out, it is NOTHING like MandS, Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsburys, Iceland etc etc. It is not the norm in Spanish supermarkets.

The carrefore website shows cooked beans in a jar for example, as a ready meal. Yes, these are not what I would class as 'ready meals', there are a few frozen lasagnes and fish fingers all on offer, if you notice. They were on trial and now it is buy one second 70% off, they won't be available for much longer.

Aldi, Lidl and Carrefore are not Spanish supermarkets and not easily accesible, in the main.

I think you get my point!

But ready made meals in Spain is derailing the OP

OP less meat, in season veggies and fruit and home made sauces!

Yes, I agree that food, in it's raw form, is extremely cheap in the UK.

Don't you have the wonky veg now too, which I think is great. Pence for fresh veg.

I think you did well for £40. Plus nappies are expensive wherever you buy them, and you got toiletries in there too.

Mind you, I am a bit “victim” of the middle aisle....