Crazy Price Rises

[SilverGlitterBaubles]

So we’ve been in this ‘Cost of Living’ crisis for a while now but has anyone else notice some insane price increases for everyday items more recently. Today a deodorant I have usually bought for £2.50 is priced at £4.75, toothpaste £7.00 and a pack of throat lozenges £6.50 pretty sure the last time I bought these they were around £4. Yes I know I can probably shop around and find these things on offer somewhere but they are just an example of items in a high st pharmacy that I would have previously purchased without a second thought. Don’t get me started on food costs even buying some sweets for trick or treating tonight had me wincing, it’s just really frightening and I don’t know where it will end or how people are just accepting it.

Please share some more of your Crazy Price stories so that we can see how mad this is all getting.

I know OP, it's sickening. The only thing not going up is my wages. I was gobsmacked the other day to see that a Guardian newspaper is now £3.20! A sneaky 25g packet of crisps is £1.25 and last week I needed antihistamines in a hurry as was having an itchy reaction to something; £7 for 7 tablets 😯

Indeed, wages can’t possibly keep pace with this kind of inflation on top of rising mortgages, fuel, gas and electricity. If the rumours are true about further war in the Middle East this is likely to affect costs further. It is really alarming.

These prices are just not representative of what I pay for similar stuff though?

My (non branded) antihistamines are 99p for 14 from Lidl. My (branded) toothpaste is £2.49 from Home Bargains but if you went for non branded it's 99p! If you want crisps buy multipacks from a supermarket instead of Walkers by the single pack instead, costs about 200% less.

I've never ever seen a £4.75 deodorant or a £7 tube of toothpaste. You must be going for Big Brands in expensive shops to be seeing those prices.

That isn't to say prices aren't rising because they are, I get that. But it sounds like you're buying expensive stuff from expensive shops tbh.

@ImJustATeenageGreboBaby I am aware that if I shop around I can find the same or similar at at lower cost somewhere. My point is that I was able to buy these things from the same place at almost half the cost 12 months ago and when did it become normal that regular toothpaste was £7 unless on offer.

Yes things are expensive. I have to hunt for offers and gather boots points which convert to cash

@ImJustATeenageGreboBabysome of us need Sensodyne and it’s often £7 when full price.

It's getting ridiculous. Mince used to be a cheap filler but now it's a luxury item, judging by the almost vertical price rise. Instant coffee is also outrageous.

You are absolutely right ImJustATeenage.

Like OP, I do shop around and do take advantage of discount supermarkets and bulk shopping - because I have to - and am appreciative of my habitual cheaper buys at Lidl et al.

However sometimes a one-off purchase is unavoidable and the price of those is ludicrously high.

My pet insurance went up 25% in one year and I've just got the renewal quote for my home insurance and same story.

I never ever buy anything full price. Sensodyne is always on offer somewhere and when it is then buy 2 or 3, shop for the next offer before you run out. It’s the only was round it really

@MissBattleaxeAlso the packs of mince and chicken I have noticed are sometimes smaller so 450g or 400g rather than 500g. Coffee is like gold dust in a jar as is chocolate 🫣

£7 toothpaste? I don’t know anyone who buys £7 toothpaste.

Boots sensitive toothpaste is a quid. You don’t need to buy Fairy washing powder or Heinz beans. Don’t fall for the marketing and you’ll save a fortune.

it's worrying that supermarket cheapest own brand products are disappearing. the ones called ' basics' or 'essentials'. the ones that do exist are only a few pennies cheaper than their standard own brand.

Although you are correct that everything now costs considerably more than it did a year or so ago I can’t really relate to the examples you’ve given. I bought toothpaste the other day, the most expensive I can remember noticing was about £4. Same for deodorant. Most shops will sell you these things (branded versions) for about half what you’ve quoted.

I needed some sudocrem the other day I was in Tesco the tiny ( and I mean really tiny) tub was nearly £5!

I agree with this on most points. But not toothpaste.

Boots Sensitive is basic, whereas Sensodyne, in addition to providing fluoride protection and sensitivity relief, uses advanced technologies such as NovaMin that help form a protective mineral layer over exposed dentine. DH dental issues cost us thousands last year… I’ll buy Sensodyne on offer for £3 to save money in the long run.

I totally agree OP. I am shocked at the price of toothpaste. Even basics like eggs and cheese, it's all so £££££

Disagree on fairy liquid. I buy mostly everything unbranded, however have found nothing that lasts as long as fairy. Tried every own brand going. Its all a false economy compared to fairy which lasts about 3 times longer than any other brand and supermarket own brand.

Possibly not quite what you meant but I was shocked to see a pretty basic Asda George men’s jumper (second hand) for sale in a charity shop for £8.50!

Only because they were on offer, I bought a pack of 9 single Twix bars this morning (regular price £2.70 and the bars are TINY).
When I opened them just now, there were only four bars in there!!! I’ve heard of shrinkflation but they’ve gone a step too far now 😂 (five steps too far).

But yes, everything seems to be going up by a few pence every single week.

We found that Fairy seemed to have downgraded their quality, so you needed more, thus it runs out more quickly. We switched to Lidl's stuff - 93p for a big bottle - and are much happier.

Be careful of comparing prices in isolation, as some supermarkets deliberately hike their prices to a ridiculous level, so that they can then put them on 'rollback' or whatever gimmick a few weeks later. Colgate is a favourite for this at Asda - often up to something stupid like £7 - Home Bargains has it permanently at a pound or two a tube.

I've noticed several supermarkets that had the usual pre-Christmas tubs of Roses, Celebrations, Quality Street and Heroes on offer have now increased the prices considerably (as they always do once Christmas is properly on the horizon) - but according to their signage, they've supposedly put their 'actual' prices up way higher still, so the current (increased) price is still advertised as a bargain!

I worked in a pharmacy type environment until early summer, and I agreed items have gone up massively. Wasn't long ago you could biy a branded deodorant for £2. Now you struggle to buy a budget price one for that price. On top of which grocery prices are gradually going up.

We're due a war

This is unsustainable, it cannot carry on like this

You can get a four pack of sensodyne toothpaste online for about £11, buying it for £7 is ridiculous even boots do cheaper online and you can collect in store.