How much?!

[Theonewhogotthecake]

i was looking to make a Cherry Bakewell pudding but I’ve seen that 250g of ground almonds is £4.20, £6.50 for 500g! So that’s a no!

Anyone else had to change their meal plans recently?

I used to buy Aberdeen Angus burgers from Iceland. Used to be £2.75 for 4. Today, they were £5. So I didn't buy them because now that's not really affordable for us on a regular basis.

There’s been LOADS. AND LOADS of things just this week that’s I’ve gone “how much??!!” … whilst we are no where near skint, even I’m starting to feel prices are getting a bit much.

Prices are getting crazy. I was looking for a shop bought cake today and they were £3.50 and you'd barely get four pieces from it. Everything has shrunk- bagels the hole has got bigger, biscuits are thinner.
I spent £78 at Lidl yesterday and didn't even have anything to make a main meal or two from.

Lentils, porridge, potatoes, onions and carrots, that's all I can afford now😬

If this is seriously the case, then look for your local community fridge and download the Olio app and if you can, ask for a food bank referral. Just getting one FB referral can help hugely, in that it will release money up to get you through another week or two. Our food bank where I live, gives the three days of groceries, fresh veg and fruit as in potatoes, carrots and a fruit, as well as a voucher for the local chicken processing plant - and you can ask for pet food, toiletries etc

There is no shame in asking for help and if one FB visit gets you to the end of the month without going into debt - then take it

I misread the shelf in Morrisons the other day and 500g of mince came up as £7.50 when I scanned it. Blimey O'Reilly!

Thanks, but I'm a vegetarian health freak and that is my preferred diet so it's all good😄

I feel like I'm being robbed everytime I go in a shop now. It really annoys me as a lot of the time, the price increases are just pure greed. I definitely don't buy as much food as I used to. I hardly buy snacks anymore.

Do you have a health food store nearby? It's usually cheaper buying in bulk

That's good then

But if my post helps someone afraid to speak up

Im on a fixed income, small pension and a small part time job and have to make choices every week and my shopping list is tiny now - not how I imagined my later years being. But I was born in the 60's with nothing, grew up in the 70's piss poor so have spent most my life looking after the pennies and Im ok, For some people, this is their first time of experiencing not being able to afford what they would like , what they have taken for granted

It saddens me

@Mrsbloggz would you be able to reccomend a book or chef/site that's good for beans and lentil recipes please, Im trying to incorporate more veggie meal ideas at home but apart from adding a tin of lentils to ragu I am not familiar with how to make the best of them iykwim?

Lentils, I buy the IKG packets, soak & then cook in my pressure cooker so that they are a thick 'porridge'. Then I add the veggies, which I previously cooked in said pressure cooker.
I live alone and I make a large batch to last about 10 days, mostly bc I am lazy, but it takes about an hour and that's 10 days worth of cooked dinners!!
Actually it can be a bit stressful since I use lots of onions (very cheap) but they really hurt my eyes so I have to wear swimming goggles for the onion section😂

Lifes short and Ive now gone over to buying frozen chopped onions, I use what I need and no longer have half onions sitting in the fridge waiting in hop of being used

I still have fresh now and then, but frozen are a godsend

It's bad. Believe it or not, the prices we pay are said to be very subsidized, and we aren't paying the true cost of food. God forbid we ever find out how much it really costs.

Thankfully, my family and close friends are not struggling so far.

5% beef mince - I’ve stopped buying it.

I was just reassessing and think I'm moving to beans for dinner three times a week. That way can still get protein from fish and meat the other days. Tinned sardines are also becoming a weekly staple.

@Mrsbloggz if you run the cut onion under water before you start chopping they shouldn’t sting.

@Mrsbloggz do the goggles work?! I might try it.

i do a similar chick pea curry with loads and loads of onions and currently chuck in some courgettes as I have a glut in the garden.

Anyone with a garden - it’s really worth trying some seeds from scratch. I’ve got all my herbs dried ahead for the winter and I’ve had a good crop of tomatoes cucumbers courgettes and beans this year. Definitely saves a few pounds, and every year I get better at growing stuff.

Subsidised how when supermarkets’ profits continue to rise?

@BunniB i didn’t bother growing tomatoes this year as I thought the price of grow bags and feed last year was ridiculous, I can get tomatoes cheaper from the supermarket

Frugal cookbooks that might be helpful (& in response question by @TomatoSandwiches):

• Cooking on Bootstrap by Jack Monroe (and other books / online recipes by JM)
• Frugal Food by Delia Smith (written during an earlier period of austerity in the UK)
• Economy Gastronomy by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett
• Grub on a Grant / Vegetarian Grub on a Grant by Cas Clarke

I still buy it but pad it out with lentils - couple of handfuls of dried lentils - they cook down well and are full of protein. Couple of handfuls and you double amount of "mince"

@BunniB yes the swimming goggles do work!

I don't buy any of the kipling cakes anymore

The government pays billions to farmers directly and through tax exemptions