Motoring correspondent Geraldine Herbert says that as a mum of two growing teenagers, and as the owner of a very fussy cat, she’s well aware of food-price inflation
Now, that’s no longer the case. What used to cost €200 regularly tips over €240 and I’m buying less, not more: close to €1,000 a month to feed a family of four.
With two teenagers, food disappears from the house with terrifying efficiency between breakfast and bedtime. And then there’s our cat, Gina, who, judging by the amount we spend on her, eats better than the rest of us.
Since my children were small, I’ve done all my food shopping online so I can easily track exactly how prices have crept — or in some cases leapt — upwards.
It’s fresh food, fruit, dairy and protein that are climbing fastest
The changes started small, a few cent here and there. Supermarket own-brand butter, which I used to get for €2.99, now costs €3.99. That’s a full euro more every single week per pack, and with two teenagers, I don’t buy just one pack of butter a week.
Milk has crept up too. The two-litre carton that was priced at €2.09 last summer is now €2.45. And it’s not just dairy. The four-pack of Pink Lady apples that was €2.99 now comes in at €3.29. And the bag of juicing oranges I used to buy for €2.29? That’s now €2.49.
Free-range chicken breasts that were €7.99 for a 454g pack this time last year are now €8.49.
It’s fresh food, fruit, dairy and protein that are climbing fastest: the very stuff we’re constantly told to eat more of. But more and more, I find myself doing quiet sums in the background, debating small decisions to balance costs. That all adds up to a bigger, more exhausting mental load.
Lately, those offers have all but vanished.
Shopping for food has become much more expensive in recent years. Photo: Getty stock
Costs have risen in other corners of life too — some less obvious, but still felt. Our cat, now approaching the grand old age of 13, has developed strong opinions about what she will eat, and only Purina One Adult Dry Cat Food Chicken & Wholegrain 800g will do.
To be fair, it promises everything from a healthy urinary tract to a glossy coat, which I tell myself will help keep the vet bills down.
Technically, the price hasn’t changed. It’s still €9.49, just like it was two years ago. But what has changed is the frequency of the promotions. Over the years, I rarely paid full price because it was almost always on offer for €7.
Lately, those offers have all but vanished. So while that €2.49 difference won’t show up on any official inflation index, it hits my weekly total all the same and adds yet another line to the growing list of small, quiet costs that are making everything just that bit harder.
I’ve made conscious choices over the years, but they cost more
Thankfully, Tesco’s 10-litre cat litter is still holding steady at €2.49 — the one small mercy in her luxury lifestyle.
Clubcard discounts and multi-buy offers that are quietly disappearing too. Week after week, I end up with less food and spend more money. A double pack of Lavazza coffee was €9.79, but now costs €18, unless occasional one-off promotion knocks it down to a slightly more palatable €14. Even a single 250g pack costs €10.
I don’t buy convenience food. I cook from scratch not because I’m a saint, but because it’s better, especially for two growing kids.
It’s healthier, tastier and in theory, more economical. But let’s be honest: it’s not always the cheapest option. It takes time I don’t always have, and fresh ingredients aren’t exactly a bargain any more.
I’ve made conscious choices over the years: real butter instead of margarine, free-range chicken instead of the cheaper, intensively farmed kind.
Yes, they cost more, and I’ve never minded paying a bit extra for good food.
But it’s the increases that are the killer. It’s harder to budget when prices just keep creeping up with no end in sight. When butter jumps by a third in a year, or apples tip over the €3 mark, it starts to feel less like a choice and more like a squeeze.
“Every little helps,” the slogan goes. Maybe. But week after week, my experience has been that every little hurts too.
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