The food we buy in the shops is just getting pricier and pricier. What’s going on? And how can we fight back?
We’re used to hearing that inflation is going up. Inflation is the way we measure how much more expensive things are now than they were a year ago. Inflation is up across pretty much everything we buy. But many shoppers are finding it is the cost of food that is rising the fastest.
Take steak, for example. It’s always been a bit of a treat, but if we go into a supermarket today we’ll be hard-pressed to find it for sale at anything under £30-£35 per kilo. In 2015 the average price of steak was £16.25. That means the price of steak has doubled in ten years!
Eggs and butter too
It’s not just the high-end items that are costing us dearly. Eggs, milk and butter have all seen massive price rises over the last ten years. I’m sure we’ve all noticed that their price seems to have shot up even faster in the last couple of years.
At the beginning of 2020 the average price for 250g of butter was £1.79. By the end of that year it had fallen to £1.71. Right now? We’ll be lucky to get change out of £2.50 for the same slab.
There are lots of reasons given why the cost of these goods have gone up, from the war in Ukraine, to higher wages for the people producing them. Even the effects of climate change has taken its toll. So what can we do about it?
Help at hand
Here are our top tips for cutting back on the cost of your weekly shop…
- Shop Around
Sometimes easier said than done, but supermarket promotions often mean that items can be available cheaper. We just have to be prepared to shop around. Websites such as trolley.co.uk compare prices from all the major supermarkets. When we looked we found Sirloin Steak available in Morrisons for just £15 per kilo—that’s half-price!
- Find a food bank
When we are really struggling to feed our families there is no shame in turning to the food bank for help—that’s what they are there for. Visit https://www.trussell.org.uk/emergency-food to find your nearest one.
- Try our top supermarket shopping tips
We’ve put together five smart ways to save money on food shopping. Take a look.
Image: Shutterstock/Africa Studio
