To think this increase in cost is going to break me?

[Yummmyy]

I earn a decent salary. Whenever I go to Tesco for a basic food shop, sone items are going up literally 50p plus within a matter of two weeks. Orange juice was 2.20 for Tesco’s basic, the most expensive 4.30!!

Yes I know orange juice isn’t an essential but when you’re well above minimum wage and have to cut something like that out of your food shop it does make you question what’s the point… anyone else relate to this? I just don’t know where it’s going to end

Where I live the majority of people line dry their clothes, all year round - better weather than the UK.

Line dried clothes do not "smell and feel disgusting", what an absolutely ridiculous comment. However, if you would rather pay to use a drier then carry on, but don't moan about costs.

Mind you there are high levels of immigration so I'm not sure much will change in terms of housing shortage.

G

Not remotely true. If you were ~stupid~ enough to get a mortgage instead of renting, and then have a catastrophic event occur leaving you only with access to benefits.. you get ZERO help with paying your mortgage. Only renting has help from UC.

Honestly, reading some of the food prices on here, you in the UK have no idea how cheap a lot of the food you buy is compared to other parts of the world.

Everything feels so hard at the mo OP. Me and DH in well paid jobs. After mortgage, bills and nursery fees we can barely afford a holiday. People will say ‘oh that’s a luxury’ but it makes you feel whats the f-ing point doesn’t it. Things have changed so much in such a short space of time. Fifteen years ago I earnt £30k, bought my own flat for £165k with a £10k deposit and lived like a queen. It’s all bizarre

I completely get the point you are making and I do sympathise OP. I do think the supermarkets have the ability to manipulate this and are not working in the interests of consumers.
But for years we’ve been told we have become hooked on cheap and often unhealthy food. Our obesity levels are rising and our farmers are not receiving a decent income, it’s bad for the planet, we generate too much food waste, we need to tax sugary food etc etc. Most of the electorate appeared to have some sympathy with these views but the inevitable outcome of increased taxation and increased cost of air miles was always going to be higher food prices.
This, coupled with higher commodity costs and energy costs (partly due to the green agenda and partly due to the war) is now playing out in the prices we pay at the till.
Policy has consequences. It will be interesting to see how the mass uptake of weight loss drugs impacts our relationship with food as a nation and whether that will play into the offering in supermarkets. Supermarkets in France, Italy and Spain, where obesity rates are lower than the UK, do not offer the huge choice of processed foods and snacks that our supermarkets do.
I’m sure we will see a whole industry develop around nutrition post-WLI. I know this is of no help in terms of the cost of orange juice etc. but the politics of food is changing and we will see much more of this.

Net migration into Japan in 2023 was 64 thousand into a population of 124.5 million. Their population is shrinking.

UK net migration in 2023 was 900 thousand into a population of 68 million. Our population is increasing quickly.

There won't be spare houses to bring rents down any time soon. Quite the opposite.

Warmer houses? My mother used to always be asking us to get her a sack of spuds and she kept them in a dark pantry on a cool stone floor. As there's just me I buy a 2.5kg bag and keep them in the fridge, they seem to last forever, though I have read where potatoes should not be in the fridge.

Not correct unfortunately. They get assistance towards rent, not all of it. I know what you mean though, it can feel like working (and its associated costs) is pointless. But being on UC adds another layer of stress.

ultimately costs have shot up significantly. It’s a matter of doing what you can to mitigate the impact - downgrade brands you buy. Get bigger quantities as they work out cheaper per kilo/litre. Home cook. Lower your thermostat. Compare utility costs etc etc. life does improve with time. I’ve struggled many times, single parent of 3 with 2 jobs. I should write a book on economising!

I have a mortgage . IF I rented I don’t know what , if any help I would get !

I'm a pensioner and after the heating/cost of living has been stopped (don't claim any benefits just state pension) no free TV licence for over 75s, it's the price of gas, electric and water that's making people struggle more so than food price increases. Everything has gone up but you can find cheaper shops for most food or buy shops own brands. No chance of that with gas, electric, water, car tax, rent etc.

Everyone finds a reason to benefit bash. You all have the option to work extra hours if you need the extra cash - I’m disabled and can’t work and struggling to get by. It’s a flat rate all year long, when I have additional costs I cannot work additional hours to pay for those additional costs. That’s the difference.

i would love to know how you feed a family of 4 from M&S for £60. Please tell me what you bought so that I can make these meals for my family. Is this just evening meals or does this include breakfast and lunches?

if its for health benefits then switch to cold pressed rape seed - around ~£3 a bottle and has twice the health benefits

I don’t find Lidl any cheaper to be honest- maybe their own stuff but branded stuff cheaper elsewhere

I think some of the super markets are greedy buggers tbh- cut loads out of my shopping

Why are you allowing children to decide what you buy?

Interesting how everyone jumps on the last part of that post and totally ignores the bit about how cheap your food is.

And that's the point of lidl - their own brands

When I first started shopping in lidl, barely anything was even printed in English, you had to go by the pictures unless you could read German/Spanish or Polish. Brands are a new addition to their range - to attract customers , and they are never cheaper in there then elsewhere

Ive been on a low income since 1999 when ill health stopped me working full time. Since then I have had huge periods of not being fit to work and when I have been well enough, have had to take PT zero hour contracts . No I don't claim any UC or disability benefits

Pre 99, it was take out/eat out central if not loading up on Waitrose or Marks ready meals , since then Ive downgraded - Sainsburys - Tesco and now lidl

So Im lucky in that Im time rich, if cash poor, older, no kids at home ( grandkids come and go )

Prices have gone up, of course they have and it is harder to stretch a pound but I still manage to feed 3 of us for around £60 a week - some weeks its as low as £20, other weeks I might blow £100, but the average over the year is £60, and living in NI we don't have the range of supermarkets you have in GB

I have downgraded on absolutely everything I possibly can. I still have to buy Head and Shoulders - only shampoo I don't react too - but that's 3 for £10 and that does the two of us a year or more, and I still buy fairy washing up liquid - nothing better imo. I now use Lidls formil washing liquid - £3 of 40 washes, only it lasts around 60 washes, Lidl dish washing tablet - as good as any. I don't buy toiletries in supermarkets - can be half the price going to savers or Homebargains. I don't need 20 different types of cleaner for my house, I have a spray for the kitchen, one for the bathroom, a bottle of zeflora concentrate, one tin of polish, and the occasional bottle of bleach - all bought in home bargains or similar. Bars of soap are used to wash with

Food wise, I meal plan - around what's either exceptional value for money or what I can find in the yellow sticker section ( and local spars give the biggest reductions, I just lifted 10 packs of butter for 10p each last week - freezes well ) Fresh veg is the super 5/6 or whatever or frozen. Whilst most hit the sales over Christmas /New year for clothes/electricals - I hit them for the yellow stickered meat - this year I nabbed 4 legs of lamb for £6 each and probably 5 joints of beef for as little as £3 each - which is why some weeks my food bill is high and others its so low - I have full freezers, if I see a yellow sticker meat/fish bargain , Ill lift it - today I nabbed 10 Tesco finest sausages for £2.30 and a pack of two hot smoked salmon filets for £1.80

We don't live on lentils and porridge, bread and potatoes, we eat pretty well. Last night chicken dhansak and rice ( hm using chicken tikka fillets I had found reduced Christmas time ) , tonight it was honey roast gammon, braised red cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli and roasties - ( gammon reduced buy ) with over half left so I will put that through the slicer, ham egg and chips tomorrow and the last bits - quiche , be it eaten this week or frozen for another - the meat won't be wasted

I also save money where I can when making any other purchases - anything major like the car insurance - Quidco or any other cash back site. I "earned" nearly £200 quid last year by using Quidco, plus I also got a £100 M+S voucher haggling with my BB provider

Saving every penny where I can allows us ( he's on pension ) to still lead a pretty good life without feeling we are struggling, Ok I admit we don't have housing costs - just rates, but our fuel bills are exorbitant - oil heating and no public transport

Thing is, what even is a "good wage" these days.

5 years ago I dreamt of earning what I do now. Thought I would be more than comfortable. I'm not. I'm not destitute by any standard, but I'm also not flush.

So is (for example) £60k a "good wage"?

True…

@Ryeman that's interesting. Does it have that nice darkish colour? I'll check it out thanks!

Sorry but this really feels like a humble brag. And an untruthful one at that.
I cook mostly from scratch and EVERRTHING has gone up. Muller yogurts used to be £2.50 at full price for 6. There are now £4.50. 2xsalmon fillets used to be £4ish now they are £6/£7 for two where I live.

fresh produce has seriously increased in price and what I would have got a couple of years ago for £90 is now nearing £140

We are unusual in that we live off grid and our joint household bills, including groceries but not car costs, are about £1500 a month. But it’s getting harder and harder to meet that. We have always had a comfortable standard of living but I am having to make cuts now.