'My Tesco big shop was £90 when the cost of living crisis started, what I'm paying now is ludicrous'
05.03.2023 - 13:05
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
It feels like a lifetime ago when we could visit the supermarket without fearing what price rises might be in store.
Since the cost of living crisis started towards the end of November 2021, we've seen products increasing on a weekly basis.
And it's not just a few pence either, we're talking 20p to 30p hikes at a time.
There are obviously some products that have taken more of a hit than others, but generally grocery prices have risen across the board.
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To see just how much things have gone up, this week I repeated a big shop I did at Tesco in December 2021, just as the crisis was taking hold.
Back then my shopping came to just over £90 - with a four pint bottle of milk costing £1.15 rather than today's £1.65 - and a Soft White Hovis loaf costing 99p, rather than the current £1.40, both amounting to hikes of more than 40%.
Today's bill for the same items is just shy of £111, that's a massive 23.2% increase overall. And as well as being dearer, some items are also smaller, which only adds insult to injury.
Tesco's curry meals for example were £3.50 for 550g, but are now £3.75 for 500g. And Muller Light yogurts have gone from costing £2.25 for a six-pack of 160g tubs, to £3.50 for six 140g pots. They are cheaper with the retailer's Clubcard, which brings them down to £2.50, but you're still paying more for a lot less.
Some of the other hikes are ludicrous, a 1kg pack of frozen garden peas up by 89%, honeydew melon up by 78% and breaded chicken goujons up by 73%.
Other fruit and veg has taken a hit too - pears up 61%, broccoli up 47% and potatoes up 38%.
And we're paying a lot more for other dairy products too, like cheese, which