What is going on with food prices??

[londongirl12]

A 500g packet of mince in Aldi is now over £5!! What on earth is going on???

Over the last couple of years we found eating out in France to be cheaper than home too. We don't live there, but have visited 3 times in the last year. Food shop similar in cost, eating out cheaper/similar but better service. And looking at house prices, some areas are cheaper, but a lot are not.

Lol. I think it tastes better and reduces plastic waste. I do find it cheaper but maybe owning a cow is an option too!

Buy a pop up mesh cover for the chicken. I got mine from B and M but all over the internet and they keep flies off your food.

Me too, vegetable suet. Love barley, too.

Thanks people, made some minestrone and mushroom soup today.

Today’s lunch will be virtually free. There is a huge vegetable and pulses soup with a bit of leftover chicken in it, freshly made loaf of home-made sourdough and a pudding of apple crumble and custard. Most of the veg from Olio as well as eggs and cream, plus free apples from a bucket outside someone’s house.

I feel so domesticated and keep reminding my DH that if he just doubled his salary, I could stay at home and do this all week ☺️

@SweetTalkinWookie haha, I hear you. One of the reasons I tapped into my domestic goddess mode is because I dropped a day at work. Which means we have to watch the budget more.

Plus, I actually love being able to feed my family well on a budget. Means I know they're all eating well, and I dont feel bad if we get a takeaway, or eat out as there's money to do it.

So today I spent 96.44 on food for the week and a few items that will span over a few weeks.
The weeks meal plan is
Sun- Ham, cabbage, potatoes and carrots
Mon- chicken Kiev, wedges and salad.
Tues- cheesy, creamy ham pasta bake
weds- homemade pizzas with salad
thurs- chicken curry with rice, poppadoms and naan.
Fri - take away
sat - sausage casserole

im going to make a potato and leek soup also for lunches and I’ll make a banana bread tomorrow to have for breakfasts. I like to stew some of the apples and pears for breakfasts too.
I already had carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and olives, Greek yoghurt etc

receipts attached and I don’t think I did too badly. I’ll probably buy milk on weds or Thursday again.

Anyone else find it fascinating looking at what other people buy?
I need to get a hobby.

It obviously depends on what you buy. For example shower gel is about 3 or 4 times the price, which is why I was so gutted I left the bag at home with all the stuff I had bought

I love it! I’m always looking at people’s shopping in the supermarket 🤣 I’m always trying to figure out what dinners they’re making

I made oxtail soup for my husband last year. It cost about £7 in the end!

I keep spares of everything (always have). I am irritated going to make something and not having whatever it is to hand. It shouldn’t really cost you more week to week once you are set up like that though so it’s likely unrelated to your friend’s complaints of not having money. We could doubtless save ourselves £80-100 a week for 3-4 weeks if I ran everything down but it would just be temporary

@Americasfavouritefightingfrenchman if it works for you, fair enough. But i just order weekly so no need to have spares. And the corner shop is 2 minutes walk, if we are really that desperate. I find if I have extras in the kids just eat it, because, well, it's there.

I agree plus some frozen bread and uht milk so you're never forced to use the corner robbing shop.

Minestrone! I forgot about that!

Make that your hobby 🤣

Actually I find frugality and budgeting re housekeeping very interesting. I have to reign it in irl. Because I sound mad.

I noticed this week a jar of Cadbury highlight hot chocolate was £5.79!!! A 500g pack of lamb mince is £6.75

We've just had to increase our food budget for the 3 of us - 2 adults 1 teen and will be working out how to bulk up meals ds and dh will still eat!

Its crazy for the 2nd week running spent over £100 at Aldi that was unheard of last year, and still spent another £25 at sainsburys

The options hot chocolate is another rip off, nearly £6 a tub

Options is also absolutely shit. Save money by just scooping sugar and saccharine into some hot water.

I prefer cocoa anyway. There's an odd back taste to Options. But when I make a cocoa it takes me back to my childhood, stirring the milk in the pan with a wooden spoon. I wonder if it's cheaper than Options.

Our "corner shops " here are Spars, Centras and Vito's - all run by the same parent company and they have the biggest share of the market so are often cheaper then Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda . Tesco here dont price match Aldi as we dont have Aldi, but the Henderson group price match Tesco

Wheatabix - 48 - club card price £4.50 was the offer right in the door at Tesco this week, only they are £3.50 in the Spar

Cushelle 6 pack are around £7 in Tesco - £3.50 in spar

The leaflets come through the door and I actually do look through them to check the special offers prices and if there is something that Id use, I pop in and buy. I know earlier this year they had the big bags of Quantum dishwasher tabs for £6 - I bought 3 bags - Im still working my way through them

Also their reductions are proper reductions - I got 10 500gr packs of creamery butter in January - for 10 p each - butter freezes

Thank you for posting this. I found it really interesting.

I'm in SA and first converted to pounds, but then saw you are in Ireland.

Is there something special about the soft white loaf? 😄 As even with the discount that seems so expensive to me.

I would say that pricing is quite similar, but I don't count veg in with that as we get it much cheaper just due to our climate and growing here.

But the eggs, to me are quite expensive. As it's a budget store I assume? Lidl. I also shop at a more budget shop, rather than the likes of M&S food equivalent as to me those prices are just silly.

Eggs I got 18 last week for around €3.50, and normal deboned chicken breast at around €3.75 per kg (converted).

Our food prices have always been much higher than UK though, so maybe things are starting to even out.

(I'd do anything for one of those Irish sausages btw) 😄

Ah you’re welcome ☺️. The soft what loaf is gluten free 😆 so ridiculously priced. But I do claim 20% of all gluten free foods back through my tax so it’s a little bit beneficial that way.

Aldi hot chocolate is quite acceptable, around £2 a jar. I buy the 40cals one in the lighter tub and have done for years.