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There’s not a crust, not a crumb we can find, can we beg,
can we borrow or cadge…
I never thought I’d ever have reason to quote a line from
‘Food, Glorious Food’, but today it seems appropriate!
All over the world the price of food is rocketing. Crops
aren’t coming in; costs are increasing; in America, one of
the largest cash and carry store chains has actually had to
ration how much rice you can buy!
It’s difficult not to be sensational, but it does look like
we’re on the verge of a food crisis.
In fact, here in Britain, wholesale prices have risen by 7.4%
over the past year. That’s roughly 3 times the headline rate
of inflation! In a year, the average grocery bill has gone up
£750.
How long before we have the same problem as Oliver? It’s
But there are things you can do to reduce your food costs and
shop on the cheap…
/>7 ways to reduce your shopping bill
** Save cash by paying in cash – Never shop with your credit
or debit card. If you take out cash beforehand that means you
have to stick to a budget and can’t just whack whatever you
fancy on the plastic.
** Discover your vegetarian side – A couple of times a week
have a go at being vegetarian. Meat really fattens your
grocery bill. Lentils, pulses and beans are really cheap and
are a great source of protein.
** Don’t be a chicken – If you can’t stand the idea of giving
up meat, even for a day or two each week, then go for cheaper
cuts of meat. Turkey is a great alternative to chicken. It’s
much cheaper and is actually healthier.
** Pack up your lunch – Shop bought sandwiches are terribly
over-priced and can put a real dent in your pocket. It’s much
cheaper, and better for you, to prepare your own sandwiches
each night. The five minutes it takes to do so is well worth
the money you’ll save.
** Compare prices – Before you shop, check out
www.mysupermarket.co.uk to compare the price of your shopping
list. Don’t just look at a few items; assess your whole list
so that you can see the overall savings you could make.
** Shop in the dark – Doing your weekly shop late at night
can save you money. Perishable goods are reduced in the
evening. Sell-by dates are usually fine, but supermarkets
have rules in place which means they can only sell something
at the full price whilst it’s in a specific sell-by date
range.
** Common sense over convenience – Buying pre-prepared food
like carrot sticks, diced meat and kids’ ‘fruit bags’ adds
unnecessary cost to your bill. A bag of loose carrots only
costs about 60p per kg whereas ready-to-cook sticks can cost
almost £2.00 per kg!
In fact, with fruit some places won’t even bother preparing
it for you; they’ll just overcharge you for the fun of it…
/>How a ‘fruit pool’ could save you £124.80 a year
Picking up a piece of fruit with along with your lunch is a
good start to getting your five-a-day, but be mindful you’re
not being ripped off for your health…
Lunchtime favourites like Prêt A Manger, are taking advantage
of the health conscious, overcharging heavily on fruit.
A single apple or banana could cost up to 60p, whilst in a
supermarket you could pick up a whole bunch of five fair-
trade bananas for only 59p. Or a bunch of apples for the
equivalent of 22p each!
A great idea is to start a ‘fruit pool’ at work. If everyone
puts in 60p each week, you’ll have enough fruit to go round
for the whole week and save £2.40 each week £124.80 a year.
If you ask me, a greedy 500% mark up is disgusting. There’s
no wonder we’re entering a food crisis.
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