Food shop, a rant.

[Nudga]

I need a sit down after doing our weekly food shop.

Last week, £160 at Lidl. This week £216 at Morrisons for basically the same shit.

There's five of us, sometimes 6 depending on oldest lads bird coming round for tea.

We like to cook from scratch, Tuesdays is a "fend for yourself night" where the kids just stick something in the oven or ninja.

My missus is really good at seeing the offers and best price on shelves so how yhe bloody f**k is a weekly shop this much?

Processed, cancerous shite is dirt cheap but the proper good stuff is really expensive.

How?

Last week, a joint of beef was £15. 1kg of minced beef, £7.50.

Not be long before printed "meat" is on offer for £1.50.

[5minstogo]

Yep it's a joke. Packet of biscuits 50p, prepared fruit £4.50. What goes through more processes?

[drfchound]

During covid, prices rocketed upwards and seem to have stayed high.
I keep reading about inflation and prices coming down but I can’t say that the cost of our shopping trips has reduced at all.

[5minstogo]

Highly recommend shopping at Meat Mart for your meat. A lot cheaper and much higher quality than supermarkets. One at Hellaby is better than the one in Barnsley in my opinion. Also KD Davis for fruit and veg have a stall on the market and a few pop up places at Walkers Nursery, Waites in Conisbrough and Rotherham hospital. Not as convenient as a supermarket though.

[andy didcott]

Home bargains/ Lidl for everything, don’t do Morrisons, rip off merchants.

[Sprotyrover]

Staples like Baked beans , Heinz soup, Canned tomatoes all over a pound even if you multi buy.
I have changed from HP sauce to Lidl Batts brand,
It’s 1/3 rd the price. Tastes the same.

[BillyStubbsTears]

CostCo is a no brainer for staples. MILES cheaper to bulk buy non-perishables there than get them weekly from supermarkets.

[mugnapper]

Staples like Baked beans , Heinz soup, Canned tomatoes all over a pound even if you multi buy.
I have changed from HP sauce to Lidl Batts brand,
It’s 1/3 rd the price. Tastes the same.

I couldn't believe the taste of Batts brown sauce, virtually no different to HP and over £2 cheaper.

[Sprotyrover]

Staples like Baked beans , Heinz soup, Canned tomatoes all over a pound even if you multi buy.
I have changed from HP sauce to Lidl Batts brand,
It’s 1/3 rd the price. Tastes the same.

I couldn't believe the taste of Batts brown sauce, virtually no different to HP and over £2 cheaper.

I bought a bottle of both and they are the same stuff.

[Sprotyrover]

CostCo is a no brainer for staples. MILES cheaper to bulk buy non-perishables there than get them weekly from supermarkets.

Bit of a Trek for us, plus when I did have a Card I the missus spent a fortune on ‘Bargains’!

[IDM]

During covid, prices rocketed upwards and seem to have stayed high.
I keep reading about inflation and prices coming down but I can’t say that the cost of our shopping trips has reduced at all.

Prices rocketed in 2022 and 2023, thanks to Putin and to an extent Truss.  They have steadied ish in the last year or so and inflation is much lower - the government uses September 24 CPI rate to set benefit and pension rises for next April, and I think that was 1.7%.

It’s the variation in “offer” prices I don’t get.  One week a pack of butter - say kerrygold - is £2 and next week back up to £3.

We are fortunate with two incomes in the household to absorb the rises and variations but whenever we see products we usually buy, with a decent shelf life, but on offer then we buy more than we need for the week ahead.

Coffee is a prime example in Morrisons.  The Nescafé brand we get one week has the reductions on the smaller jars, the next week it’s the larger ones.  We never buy it full price.

Folks also think Waitrose is pricy (it is, for some things) but if you buy their value range mince (for example) it costs more or less the same as the standard offerings in Morrisons but is much better quality.

[turnbull for england]

We went to m and s for some "fancy bits" and some of their ranges are equal price to lidl  and way cheaper than name brands , some stuff is dearer but was surprised to see some of the prices

[drfchound]

During covid, prices rocketed upwards and seem to have stayed high.
I keep reading about inflation and prices coming down but I can’t say that the cost of our shopping trips has reduced at all.

Prices rocketed in 2022 and 2023, thanks to Putin and to an extent Truss.  They have steadied ish in the last year or so and inflation is much lower - the government uses September 24 CPI rate to set benefit and pension rises for next April, and I think that was 1.7%.

It’s the variation in “offer” prices I don’t get.  One week a pack of butter - say kerrygold - is £2 and next week back up to £3.

We are fortunate with two incomes in the household to absorb the rises and variations but whenever we see products we usually buy, with a decent shelf life, but on offer then we buy more than we need for the week ahead.

Coffee is a prime example in Morrisons.  The Nescafé brand we get one week has the reductions on the smaller jars, the next week it’s the larger ones.  We never buy it full price.

Folks also think Waitrose is pricy (it is, for some things) but if you buy their value range mince (for example) it costs more or less the same as the standard offerings in Morrisons but is much better quality.

Agreed on the offer prices IDM.
With regards to coffee, I started buying the Alcaffe stuff from Aldi a few years ago.
It is about a quarter of the price of better known brands (per 100gm) and is just as nice.
We also now buy Tesco or Sainsbury own brands of soup which is about 60p per tin and several other own brand things.
Over the past few years we have become quite savvy with the shopping and there are several things we buy which are just the same as better known brands but no different in taste.
Like you, we also over buy if things are on really good offers and store them in the “war chest” in the garage.

[IDM]

I am yet to be convinced that some of the cheaper brands taste as good as - or more accurately taste the same as - the brands we like.  If I hadn't ever eaten Heinz beans and soups for example, I might be perfectly happy with supermarket own brands ie just as good, but "different".

[drfchound]

I am yet to be convinced that some of the cheaper brands taste as good as - or more accurately taste the same as - the brands we like.  If I hadn't ever eaten Heinz beans and soups for example, I might be perfectly happy with supermarket own brands ie just as good, but "different".

TBH, I actually prefer the Tesco tomato soup to the Heinz one.

[Nudga]

And what is it with the amount of water/solution in the meat?

[SydneyRover]

05 Feb 2025

''Cheapest supermarkets 2025
Discover the UK's cheapest and most expensive supermarkets, based on Which? analysis of thousands of grocery prices''

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/supermarkets/article/supermarket-price-comparison-aPpYp9j1MFin

Of course you would probably get the best prices by being able buy selectively at more than one supermarket each week, but of course one would need time and transport.

There is a table in the link.

[Sprotyrover]

And what is it with the amount of water/solution in the meat?

You can buy, branded in Lidl, back to the HP it was 2.99 and Batts was 89p. So I bought both to try. lidls fresh fruit and Veg are top notch, I like their Trio of lettuce, Columbian  Coffee Beans £2.69 M&S £5.99
Lidl do a version of Chocolate Nesqick which is just as good but half the price, I think it’s a version of the lovely One you get in Spain.

[bobbymax]

For years we've done a weekly menu on a Monday and bought only what we need at Aldi. Buy their premium brand meats but otherwise the standard stuff. It's saved us an absolute fortune without sacrificing much in the way of quality.

[ncRover]

During covid, prices rocketed upwards and seem to have stayed high.
I keep reading about inflation and prices coming down but I can’t say that the cost of our shopping trips has reduced at all.

That would be because it’s only the rate of inflation coming down rather than deflation occurring.

Inflation came after Covid because of the stopping and starting of supply chains.

In a market economy and sector as competitive as supermarkets, it’s impossible for some to rip you off (as implied in the OP) and stay afloat when others don’t.

Either:

1) The likes of Morrisons and Tesco are not running their businesses as efficiently as Aldi and Lidl in a way that keeps costs down to pass on to the consumer. As a result they would soon be going out of business as they lose customers looking for better value. Not likely.

2) Or, the price is the price because they’re selling more in-demand and desirable goods. Cheaper equivalents are more likely to have a higher % of less healthy ingredients and cheaper processing methods. More likely.

(I do shop at Aldi because that’s what I can afford at the moment).

[Muttley]

For years we've done a weekly menu on a Monday and bought only what we need at Aldi. Buy their premium brand meats but otherwise the standard stuff. It's saved us an absolute fortune without sacrificing much in the way of quality.

Same here - sit down on Friday night and plan a menu for the week ahead then on Saturday morning I go to the market for the meat, fish, cheese, bread and fruit & veg while the missus goes to Sainsburys for anything else. It's rare that we have to shop for anything for the rest of the week.

If we've planned anything like stew, chilli, curry etc we make extra and freeze it.

[turnbull for england]

Always buy bread from bakers and meat from butchers,  both just taste better and definitely don't need as much meat on the plate as much better quality so feel any higher  cost levels out

[rich1471]

Marks and Spencers for soup,pasta beans basic food is cheaper than most supermarkets,Costco is very good and makro always do an offer of toilet rolls as well.
I also get gusto boxes when I get 60% off 5 meals for 4 people cost £30 only me and my wife so freeze half of it saves a fortune.
Discount foods at mexbrough as well is good next to pasture lodge.

[rich1471]

https://www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=RICHA42949201&utm_source=weblink gusto link should work 65% first box just order a one off box