Comparing baskets

 Reducing my food spend has taken a lot of effort!  I've changed what I eat (less meat, cheaper fish, more seasonal vegetables) but it's not easy.  I've changed what I buy, where I buy it and how much I buy.

I decided to look at an on-line order which I had from Sainsbury 9th September 2021 and work out what the same thing would cost today.  At the time I had one on-line order each month.  I've excluded anything which is not available now.

	9th Sept 2020	4th Sept 2022		% increase
Sainsbury's British Baking Potatoes x4	£0.45	£0.45		0
4vElmlea Single Alternative to Cream 270ml	£4.00	£5.80		45
3 Dairy Pride Semi-Skimmed Longer Lasting UHT Milk 1 Litre	£1.65	£2.25		26
Sainsbury's British Fresh Chicken Skin on Thighs 1kg	£1.95	£2.60		33
Sainsbury's Super Seeds White Farmhouse, Taste the Difference 800g	£1.10	£1.35		22
Sainsbury's Sunflower & Pumpkin bread, Taste the Difference 800g	£1.10	£1.35		22
Sainsbury's British Parsnips Loose 1 kg	£1.15	£1.15		0
Sainsbury's British Carrots 1kg	£0.43	£0.45		4
Sainsbury's British White Potatoes 2.5kg	£1.09	£1.09		0
Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon 150g	£2.00	£2.00		0
2 Very Lazy Chopped Garlic 200g	£3.10	£3.40		10
2 Sainsbury's Oatcakes, Highland 300g	£1.80	£1.80		0
2 Sainsbury's Tuna Chunks in Spring Water 3x80g (3x60g*)	£4.00	£4.00		0
Sainsbury's Petits Pois 1.8kg	£2.50	£2.50		0
2 Mary Ann's Dairy Mature Cheddar Cheese 900g	£8.00	£8.00		0
Sainsbury's Original Dry Cider 4x440ml	£2.00	£2.20		10
Sainsbury's Fairtrade Italian Style Coffee, Strength 4 227g	£2.30	£2.65		15
Sainsbury's Fairtrade Intense Roast Coffee 227g	£2.30	£2.65		15
2 Sainsbury's White Granulated Sugar 1kg	£1.50	£1.30		-13
Carrs Breadmaker Wholemeal Flour 1.5kg	£1.50	£1.80		20
Sainsbury's Mushroom Cup Soup 4x23g	£0.70	£0.85		21
Sainsbury's Vegetable Cup Soup 4x23.5g	£0.70	£0.85		21
Sainsbury's Minestrone Cup Soup 4x23.5g	£0.70	£0.85		21
2 Sainsbury's Cider Vinegar 500ml	£2.40	£2.40		0
4 La Doria Ratatouille 390g	£2.80	£4.00		42
Total	£61.22	£68.74		12

So my personal food inflation rate would be just over 12%.  One thing has reduced in price - granulated sugar - but I don't know which items were on special offer at the time.  

I don't often shop in Sainsbury's now unless I want to have my frozen food delivered and I usually use Lidl instead.  And I'm sure you realise that even then, I did not get all my food from Sainsbury!

Food spending

 As I said on this post, I have a Very Big Project in mind which I won't be telling you about for some considerable time.  It is going to take quite a bit of financial planning so at the moment I am just trying to save, save, save.  I'm getting back on this blog to make myself more accountable!

I decided that my food budget for 2022 would be £1825.   I know that looks an odd number but it is actually £5 per day averaged through the year.  Experience has taught me that I spend more on food in October, November and December so it's important to save now.  My average daily spend was 

January            £3.65 

February        £4.42

March             £4.98 

April.            £4.69 

May                £4.17

June                £4.07 

July                £4.10 

August            £4.21 

Just for comparison, my average daily spend in 2021 was £6.22 so I think I will give myself a gold star so far this year.  However, I know I will spend more money on food around Christmas so I need to be careful now.