AIBU to think people begrudge weekly food costs but spend more freely elsewhere?

[IlovePhilMitchell]

People will spend money on subscriptions, takeaways, the cost of a weekly shop on a meal out, £10 on a candle but begrudge £80 on the week shop.

Food is one of the most important things to us as humans, it nourishes us and keeps us well. It should be a priority above most things we spend money on, not just an annoying necessity.

We have been lucky in the past with extremely cheap food costs and yes I know things have increased a lot and not in line with wages, but it’s not actually that bad if you don’t buy brands and cook.

I do appreciate a lot of people don’t have have room in their budget for any increases. I think my post is more aimed at those who whinge when they spend freely elsewhere.

I know someone who moans about food shops all the time.

In recent months he's bought an England football top for more than £100, done a motorbike riding course for more than £300 (he has no plan to get a bike), got tattoos for probably thousands of pounds and pays for all sorts of unnecessary subscriptions including YouTube Premium. He even sends money for super chats on live YouTube videos

I think the point is every little bit of joy people pay for in life is being squeezed out so they can eat. that’s not a good place to be in.

Some food prices have almost doubled in the past year.

I don’t think it’s not actually that bad.

I do cook and I buy brands only where I can’t tolerate own label. Most shop at lido and aldi.

I don’t buy candles or have any subscriptions beyond Amazon prime.

Food costs in this country have been artificially low for years, due to the power of the supermarkets. They have passed those cost cuts onto Farmers and Producers, leading to a massive crisis in that sector.

If we want a healthy agricultural sector, we need to start paying proper prices first food. Farmers aren’t going bust due to changed in Inheritance Tax, Farmers are going bust because people are paying 9p for carrots and £2.50 for a chicken.

It’s because there’s no choice with food, we have to buy it to survive and it isn’t fun. It’s nice to buy trainers or candles or whatever.

You’re absolutely spot on. Having grown up in, and regularly return to, NZ where food prices are 2-3 times higher (no matter how you cut it - straight currency conversion or as a proportion of income) it infuriates me when people don’t realise how good they have it in the UK. Even with the recent increases.

I disagree
Essentials come first but people prioritise tat.
I worked with a women who bought every new perfume going but pinched my teabags at work until I locked them up.
I dont contribute to food banks any more, its full of people who use it so they have more money for vapes and other crap.

Surely you can see the difference between the food shop and the things that bring us happiness?

Its like youre saying that we should be grateful as long as we can afford food. Lots of people or having to stop or limit activities and little luxuries to pay for the food. Thats no life and people are allowed to begrudge that.

This. Food should cost more if we want to keep farmers producing it.

It’s the absurd cost of housing that is draining our budgets.

Yes! I follow a few budgeting/ debt repaying people on Instagram - most seem to penny pinch at Aldi/Lidl only to then have two takeaways a week, coffee and snacks out...

@ExtraOnions good point.

I also think that we are spoilt with cheap, unethical options, there are so many varieties of chicken for example, why don’t we just eat less, more expensive, well reared chicken?!

We eat too much of a lot of things.

YABU to expect people not to just easily accept higher food prices when they have been used to cheaper prices, regardless of the reasons for that. If people are used to being able to spend more money on other things, and now find that they can't, it's pretty natural to find that frustrating.

I fully understand that good quality food shouldn't be super-cheap if it's sold at a price which is fair to farmers and producers, but it’s not unreasonable for people to be unhappy about the change in what they are able to spend. I don't think many people regard food as 'an annoying necessity'.

Food is a basic necessity that we all need and should all be able to easily afford but the rising prices mean that this is affecting the little extra treats that we could previously have and that’s wrong. I work bloody hard so I damn well deserve to have the treats and I’m very resentful that I have to spend less of these to be able to afford a food shop.

It’s precisely because food is necessary for all of us that it should be more affordable and we should continue to complain about the increasing costs.

I can’t afford expensive chicken. I’m mostly veggie.

As adults essentials and paying bills/ for groceries come first

Every single person I know who got into debt had a " nice things first, oh I cant pay my bills mentality"
What is so baffling about that ?

I agree, Extras are exactly that. You could give the same size households, with the same housing costs equal, adequate incomes. Some would live comfortably, others would rack up debts.

Because food shops are a necessity to keep you alive and nourished

Meals out and new clothes bring joy

just like I enjoyed buying my nice car but I don’t enjoy paying for new tyres.

I do my main shop at Lidl and am very happy with it. Speaking as someone who is a bit fussy about their food, I've drip tried new things over the last couple of years and am very happy with it and rarely buy brands, no need to. I cook from scratch for most things. I'm veggie so that brings the cost down a lot and I have a little extra each month to do nice things and have fun.
There is a lot of shop snobbery on MN but each to their own, the discounters make a lot of sense.
Even with the loyalty cards, prices are inflated then 'dropped' so you appear to get a good deal, I've never done cards with Tescos or Sainsbury in the past because it is often cheaper or equal to the loyaty card price else where with better deals.

Penny pinch at Aldi /Lidl don't knock it,😆 I'd rather have the £135 a month I've saved by not going to the big supermarkets so I can do stuff rather than give it to over stuffed CEOs and shareholders for their 3rd Bemuda holiday and new car in 2 years.

Is this some kind of a joke?

I agree OP. We spent more as a portion of salary on food in the 90s. I think this drive to make food cheaper and cheaper is harming health and has environmental and ethical costs too. I had to give myself a shake a couple of years ago to stop trying to get the food shop down as cheap as possible, and that when it comes to food it shouldn’t be price that effectively decides our health (in my family). It costs more but as a family we can afford organic, more whole foods etc, I needed to stop seeing that as a luxury and prioritise it.

I caveat that very carefully from a higher income perspective, in how I needed to change our own priorities based on our own circumstances. It took retraining after years of being told to buy cheaply, get “the shop down” but I know I’m writing from a place of privilege and big everyone can prioritise in that way.

I work in a supermarket in Ireland- food costs are gone insane! Of course they begrudge paying for things that used to cost much less eating into the things that cause them to feel like they’re living (subscriptions and memberships). Especially when things like electricity just suddenly jump up out of nowhere!

There was a thread recently and someone said about how people on low wages spend ridiculously and I remember thinking well if they had more money those spends would only be a drop in the ocean and wouldn’t be looked at, terrible people judge people for wanting to get enjoyment out of life!!

People begrudge spending on money on ANYTHING that they have little to no choice over tbh…that’s just the human mentality

Some people seem to ....there are the ones who whinge and use food banks but rock up with their nails done, their hair done and new clothes.

Some of these things can be done at home or bought cheaply though so 🤷‍♀️

oh Same - I have nothing against Aldi/Lidl and shop there too but I see my "food spending" as one thing - whether I eat out/ takeaway or cook at home - I just hate the sad face "isn't everything so expensive" and then spend £40 on Dominos....

We like to have a date night meal once a month, with a babysitter too it is expensive so to afford it we cook at home/ take packed lunches the rest of the month but I don't complain about it - it is what we have chosen to do with our money. The food shop is not the problem.