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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be appalled at the cost of food?

474 replies

pinotnow · 08/05/2023 20:55

I know this has been done to death and we are in a cost of living crisis, but listening to the news they are intimating that it is slowly levelling out and the worst is over. Yes as far as I can see it's spiralling out of control.

I did a Lidl shop this weekend and bought absolutely nothing for main meals as I have a Hello Fresh box for three days coming, boys are going to their dad's for the weekend on Thursday and I have store cupboard stuff in already.

Therefore all I bought was stuff for lunch boxes, snacks, fruit and breakfast cereal. No cleaning stuff, oil or pet food needed this week and one bottle of wine. I thought it would be a bit less than I usually pay (only the second time I've used Hello Fresh) and certainly the trolley wasn't as full.

It came to £78!! Maybe £5 or so less than I have usually paid lately. It's out of control. How on earth are people supposed to manage and when will it stop going up all the bloody time?

OP posts:
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15
ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 08/05/2023 21:30

But aren’t the low costers rising faster than the big 4 due to economies of scale?

Someone up thread said they spent 200 at Aldi for 3. I get stuff online at Sains for 3. Never comes to above £130. That includes everything.

l never find Aldi or Lidl much cheaper. Asda is meant to be the cheaper all rounder. The low cost ones don’t have the buying power.

FrenchandSaunders · 08/05/2023 21:32

We had fish and chips the other night …. £51 for three adults 😳😳. Only two portions of chips.
3 mushy peas, 1 curry sauce, 3 fish.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 08/05/2023 21:33

51 quid?!

Fuck me, that’s just horrific! 51 quid for 3?!

HangingOver · 08/05/2023 21:34

Is absolute madness. 1kg of brown basmati was £5 yesterday 😫

NewNovember · 08/05/2023 21:34

Can you post your receipt because that doesn't sound right.

Mearmour · 08/05/2023 21:36

I shop in Aldi, it costs me £60 per week, 2 adults, so £30 per person. I batch cook and use beans, lentils etc as bulkers and we don't even eat much meat. I've stopped buying a few treats we had like smoked salmon, cheese and I've stopped baking so much as butter is so expensive.

A few years ago for the same items it would cost £40! It is shocking.

IhearyouClemFandango · 08/05/2023 21:37

That seems a lot. I normally split ours across M&S and others but did a big Tesco one this week as too busy.

Spent £100 which included chicken, loads of fruit, lots of frozen smoothie ingredients courtesy of DD, baking ingredients for birthday cake tomorrow, wine, appetizer for birthday tea, crisps, babybel, packed lunch stuff etc.

Sounds like you buy a lot of processed/packaged bits, there is quite a lot of mark up on those.

Mearmour · 08/05/2023 21:37

FrenchandSaunders · 08/05/2023 21:32

We had fish and chips the other night …. £51 for three adults 😳😳. Only two portions of chips.
3 mushy peas, 1 curry sauce, 3 fish.

Jeeze!!

AuntieMarys · 08/05/2023 21:37

pinotnow · 08/05/2023 21:21

I bought quite basic fruit - apples, bananas, small punnet of blackberries, melons, tomatoes, oranges, 1 tinned fruit cocktail (kids first had these in lockdown and now have 1 per week as lazy pudding!)
Snacks - chicken frankfurters, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, rich teas, fake penguins, rice cakes, chocolate crepes, bagels, hot cross buns, gouda biscuits, one fake pot noodle, yoghurts - did buy split ones this week as a treat as thought it would be a cheapish shop....
Lunches: couple of tins of soup, pasta salad, salami, brie, fake wotsits, bread, babybels, fake pepperami, fridge raiders, cereal bars.
Drinks - large milk, cheapest concentrated oj, wine (£6 bottle).
Fake weetabix, fake shreddies.

I mean it looks like nothing written down, but I really can't think what else - no eggs/butter/cooking oil/condiments/middle aisle stuff....

I keep thinking if it stays like this it'll be ok but it just continues to rise and rise.

You've bought a lot of processed shit you could do without....

IhearyouClemFandango · 08/05/2023 21:38

We had fish and chips the other night too:

2 cod
1 extra large chips
1 large sausage in batter
6 nuggets
Mushy peas

£24 or thereabouts? Fed 2 adults and 2.5 kids.

KFC is the biggest rip off though, £8 something for a standard meal.

sadsack78 · 08/05/2023 21:38

YANBU at all.

Everything is shrinking, too. Tesco used to sell a 1kg bag of carrots. It has shrunk to 800g. Which initially sounds like it's not a big deal but things are more expensive and not stretching as far.

Tesco has also phased out a lot of its economy range, which I relied on for household things things like disinfectant and tissues. Now am forced to but the more expensive stuff because I have no choice.

Can't speak for anyone else but for me at least the quality of fruit and veg has really gone downhill too. I get grocery deliveries and the apples are bruised and soft half the time, and the oranges are already dried out. All the fresh stuff is going bad much faster than it used to.

drpet49 · 08/05/2023 21:39

Jonniecomelately · 08/05/2023 21:09

But food is still loads cheaper than most countries.

This. Food in this country has been too cheap for the past 20 years.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 08/05/2023 21:39

I wouldn’t have paid that. I just wouldn’t. I can get 3 amazing pizzas for £30 quid from local pizza place. I wouldn’t pay 50 quid for fish and chips.

throwaway2023 · 08/05/2023 21:39

FrenchandSaunders · 08/05/2023 21:32

We had fish and chips the other night …. £51 for three adults 😳😳. Only two portions of chips.
3 mushy peas, 1 curry sauce, 3 fish.

HOW MUCH?!
Small fish with chips and peas here is £4.70
I usually get a battered sausage with chips, scraps and curry sauce for £4.20 and it's huge

sadsack78 · 08/05/2023 21:39

*buy

Bumdealoftheweek · 08/05/2023 21:40

I went to Aldi and spent £88 today and just bought basics. We are a family of six but we make all our bread, buy porridge in bulk and there were no cleaning products/pet food etc so I was pretty astounded by the cost.

I'm also reading a book called "Ultra Processed People" at the moment so I'm adjusting how we eat. I bought very little processed food - just fruit, veg, only one packet of meat (chicken breasts), cheese, milk and some store cupboard basics (pasta, tinned tomatoes etc).

Whilst I appreciate that running costs have increased it doesn't seem to impact on profits.

SootspriteSearcher · 08/05/2023 21:40

Looking at what you bought, there's alot of processed stuff and alot of snacks. How old are your children?

We have a pretty tight budget, £260 per month for all food, toiletries, cleaning and pet food. 1 adult, 2 children (14 & 11) and 2 older indoor cats. I am also dairy and gluten intolerant plus my youngest daughter is vegetarian.

tikkanaan · 08/05/2023 21:41

pinotnow · 08/05/2023 21:21

I bought quite basic fruit - apples, bananas, small punnet of blackberries, melons, tomatoes, oranges, 1 tinned fruit cocktail (kids first had these in lockdown and now have 1 per week as lazy pudding!)
Snacks - chicken frankfurters, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, rich teas, fake penguins, rice cakes, chocolate crepes, bagels, hot cross buns, gouda biscuits, one fake pot noodle, yoghurts - did buy split ones this week as a treat as thought it would be a cheapish shop....
Lunches: couple of tins of soup, pasta salad, salami, brie, fake wotsits, bread, babybels, fake pepperami, fridge raiders, cereal bars.
Drinks - large milk, cheapest concentrated oj, wine (£6 bottle).
Fake weetabix, fake shreddies.

I mean it looks like nothing written down, but I really can't think what else - no eggs/butter/cooking oil/condiments/middle aisle stuff....

I keep thinking if it stays like this it'll be ok but it just continues to rise and rise.

I'd say that's quite a lot there tbh. And how many boys is this feeding? For how many days?

RudsyFarmer · 08/05/2023 21:41

I went to an out of town Morrisons at the weekend and was amazed how cheap it was by comparison to Lidl, Aldi and Tesco. I was walking around really shocked.

throwaway2023 · 08/05/2023 21:41

In fact this is the most expensive chip shop near me which caused chaos when it opened with the prices
All homemade and a large fish is like a whale

To be appalled at the cost of food?
To be appalled at the cost of food?
Original poster
pinotnow · 08/05/2023 21:42

I know quite a bit is processed but I have two teen boys who are bottomless pits and am a single parent. I cook from scratch about 4 nights a week but lunches need to be easy, which this stuff is.

OP posts:
tikkanaan · 08/05/2023 21:43

AuntieMarys · 08/05/2023 21:37

You've bought a lot of processed shit you could do without....

Show quote history

And are these actual fridge raiders and babybels coz they are expensive

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 08/05/2023 21:43

It’s really awful, isn’t it? Everything costs so much.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 08/05/2023 21:43

I don’t even think making your own is any cheaper. The cost of butter…

tikkanaan · 08/05/2023 21:44

pinotnow · 08/05/2023 21:42

I know quite a bit is processed but I have two teen boys who are bottomless pits and am a single parent. I cook from scratch about 4 nights a week but lunches need to be easy, which this stuff is.

Yes that's why it's so expensive though. Coz you're going for the convenience option. Not having a go but it's just going to be more expensive.

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