Out shopping the other day in Sainsbury's I noticed that my usual coffee was on sale again.
It used to go on sale regularly, £4 for the 300g jar size instead of it's more usual price of £7 and whenever it did I would stock up enough to last me until the next round of sale offers ... I usually manage to stay ahead of the game. This time although it's still a good reduction the sale price has gone up to £4.50 for the same sized jar. As you can see I bought four, saving me £10 on my four jars ...a saving still well worth having, but just another instance of sneaky rising prices that are going up in leaps and bounds rather than the pennies and pence they used to.
The £2 I didn't save this time could have bought me 5 packs of 40p spaghetti ... something that is for now still the same price, it shows the difference price hikes can make to a persons budget.
I was putting a newish pack of little biscuits into my jar the other day when I noticed the size difference to the ones I already had in there. I can't remember how much I paid for the new pack as they have been in the larder cupboard for a while as I ate my way through the old ones. But what's the guessing this size jump to the new larger size was done to completely baffle us in working out which is actually better value when we are in a rush in the shops. The pack with fewer small packs inside but larger biscuits or the original with smaller biscuits but more packs I do usually check the edge of shelf labels for price comparisons, it's the only way to get any sort of idea usually but these were bought quite a while ago. Oh well, at least I have bigger biscuits to dunk in my coffee when I'm out and about.
All these foodie thoughts and price comparisons (and watching Miguel Barclay on YouTube this morning) made me realise just how much I was missing my Challenges recently. I really do have to figure something out ready for the New Year. I have my enamel teapot filling up nicely and the money it contains by the end of the years will hopefully fund whatever Challenge or Challenges I decide to do.
What sort of Challenge would you like to see if you could choose any one or more to set me?
Sue xx
Yes, prices are jumping hugely, not just the odd penny here and there, and packs getting smaller.....they must think we're all blind and stupid!
ReplyDeleteA challenge.....hmm, I'll give it some thought, Sue.
You sort of expect small rises from time to time, but this time they are leaping ahead. I was just really confused at the new larger biscuits until I realised that there were four fewer small packs inside each outer wrapping.
DeleteI love your challenges and I will have a good think. xx
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking too. 😃
DeleteHey Sue, I drink instant coffee as well!! There's not many of us out there. :-) I drink instant Folgers and always buy a few when they're on sale. Yes, everything is going up and I don't see how they can't. With the cost of gasoline to transport and the increase in wages to the folks on the assembly line to package and the increase in everything else you can think of, I don't see how the cost can't increase by the time it reaches the store shelves.
ReplyDeleteYour little biscotti cookies are familiar too. :-) I buy those for my widowed auntie, as she loves-loves-loves to have them with her morning coffee. It does my heart good to picture her sitting at her little kitchen table, nibbling on them.
~Andrea xoxo
Yes, fuel prices are at an all time high. Alan paid over £1.65 per litre last week. 😲
DeleteHi Sue, I'm Ruth - part of the BBC World Service team that make a (radio) programme called The Food Chain. We're making an episode about people trying to live off wartime rations (or something like it). I would love to chat to you about about the personal project you set yourself. Would you be interested in an informal phone chat, please? My email is thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk
ReplyDeleteI shop the sale items too as much as possible. We drink brewed coffee every morning and I only buy it on sale. Especially now as the price keeps rising. I usually have five or six containers at a time, all bought at reduced price. Don't you hate it when they reduce the size of something and then raise the price!
ReplyDeleteI drink brewed coffee when I'm out and about but usually only instant at home. I do have a bag of ground coffee somewhere and a cafetiere ... I should treat myself and make a 'proper coffee' 😀.
DeleteThose biscuit sizes are very sneaky!! My start of the month big stock up used to cost me just under £100 but my last one was closer to £150!!! And that is without any meat products!
ReplyDeleteThat just shows how quickly all the price rises can add to the shopping bill once put together. ☹️
DeleteShrinkflation, as its been deemed is all too common. The product reduces to retain the price. Challenge idea: 5-10 basic ingredients and the variety of different dishes that these could make.
ReplyDeleteNow that's spooky ... I was making notes earlier today and one of the ideas was very similar to this. 😃
DeletePrices here are crazy:( Like you, I buy Nescafe mild roast coffee on special, half price for $4.70 instead of $9.40 but this is for 150g jar (half the size of your jar) I need to reign in the weekly grocery shopping bill as we are easily spending at least $50 more per week this year for 2 adults and 1 cat. I have set myself quite a few personal challenges for the coming year and I've always loved your challenges Sue so it will be fantastic to see what you decide to do for 2022♥
ReplyDeleteA challenge really is good for making you think about things isn't it. Sometimes we just need to give ourselves a little jump-start to a new more cost effective way of life. I always notice my spending going up at this time of year, it's just so easy to chuck things in the trolley at the supermarket with barely a thought for the cost. Pulling myself up with a Challenge is exactly what I need for the New Year. I'd love to hear about your challenges. 🙂
DeleteOh dear I don't think you would Sue, far too many to list on your blog:)
DeleteI live in America and everything here has gone up. I've been reading here for a long time and your food, particularly produce, js much cheaper. With COVID,I no longer eat out or have prepared food deliveries. I do have groceries delivered and do all my own cooking. Meal planning helps but I'm still trying to adjust the budget. No sooner do I plan than the prices rise again.
ReplyDeleteYes our food can be a lot cheaper especially the fresh in-season vegetables that are grown locally, but our fuel and transport costs are horrendous, so I guess it all balances out slightly.
DeleteYes, I agree with what you say Sue. I just did the conversion and our gas prices are $1.24/L which is 0.73pounds. It is amazing how fast everything is going up in the grocery stores here.
DeleteI really notice the uptick in prices as I am only shopping every two weeks.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
We just had Thanksgiving here. I cooked a 22 lb turkey. My sister made a ham. Every year it is the same: I always bring my turkey carcass home. My sister offers her hambone to anyone who wants it, and no one ever does. So that comes home with me as well. I spend an hour picking the meat from the turkey, and dropping it in a crock pot to make a nice soup. The ham made a wonderful cabbage potato soup. I think soups are about the most economical meal there is, and a wonderful comfort on a cold day.
ReplyDelete