At first glance food prices seem to be easing with every shop offering dramatic discounts, particularly on those items that people will be looking for over Christmas. (Like smoked salmon) But have you noticed how the cost of items they're not promoting has been shooting up?
Yesterday, for instance, I found small (150g) pots of plain yoghurt selling in Somerfield for 74p - only 16p cheaper than the large pots. But many people living on their own wouldn't need a large pot. And now everyone's jumping on the Aldi bandwagon of having six fruit and vegetables at a knock-down price all other fruit and veg seem to be costing far more - including the quite ludicrous price that supermarkets charge for a tiny pack of fresh herbs.
It goes to show just how important it is to know what things normally cost and keep your wits about you when you shop. Have you spotted any examples of excessive price rises?
9 comments:
Just been listening to you on radio 4's You and Yours.... and it got he tastebuds going so much I just had to make curry for lunch.
Here's a cheap chicken trick - when you've jointed the chicken, pop the bones on to make stock. When you've drained the stock, let the carcass cool then see what extra rich pickings you can pull off the carcass - usually another meal or two.
And go shopping on Mondays - that's when shops reduce all the unsold weekend stock.
Hi, James. It was a bit of an ordeal cooking on a two ring Belling with a microphone dangling over it and a fire officer sitting a few feet away, but it all turned out OK!
Good tip about stock though I find I have to wait till midweek in Bristol to get the really good bargains
But of course supermarkets won't change. They will still try and pull the wool over our eyes with sleight of hand " ooh look a bargain ! " tricks to distract us.
I have two thoughts on the subject. One : I would love to see a " Grocery Challenge " where someone attempts to live off a supermarket's promotion bargains for a couple of weeks. I bet monotonous and unbalanced menus would be the result ! Two : on a more realistic level, take advantage - you might not need a large pot of more economical yoghurt but if you come across it, or 50p parsnips or bags of carrots, plan your meals around them instead.
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I agree, greenlady. But what riles me is how difficult it is for people living on their own, particularly the elderly who benefit less from this type of promotion and may not be so easily able to vary where they shop. One thing you can be sure - it won't be the supermarkets who are the victims in the current recession.
Yogurt? I use the Easiyo Yogurt Maker + real base & culture. A 1kg pack lasts me just over a week in the frig & there is no plastic packing to deal with.(I am a single older female frugalist.)
Would never have guessed from your picture, Angie ;-) But timely reminder. Home-made yoghurt is definitely cheaper - and nicer!
I was thinking about this the other day when I was picking up a few food items from the shop. A while back, Morrisons were selling two-packs of red and green peppers for about £1.40. At the moment, for the same price you can get a mixed bag of five assorted colours including orange and yellow. It does feel slightly as though prices have eased: I cooked a roast chicken with veg for my folks last weekend and the whole thing came to less than a tenner, which did tea for four adults and lunch for two more the day after. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, then became horrified when I realised that the jars of Lloyd the Gross Man pasta sauce I'd bought to go with the peppers had cost over £2.00 each from Somerfield, and I'd bought three!
Exactly what I mean, CM! Because we're all in a fearful rush - particularly at this time of year - they think they can sneak these increases past us. Which probably 50% of the time they can.
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