We all know prices have shot up and it's become almost the norm to see pennies, if not pounds, added to your regular products.
Often it's hard to even remember what we used to pay for things before the cost of living crisis really took hold. So with Lidl losing its crown as the cheapest supermarket in our weekly comparison of basics like bread and milk, I decided to see how it's faring on other products.
My mission was to repeat a shop I did there little more than 12 months ago, to see just how much prices have risen.
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It wasn't a massive shop - 16 products in total - but it was enough to give us an overview of how much extra we're having to spend.
I expected price rises. It might be a budget retailer but, like every other supermarket, it's having to pass on added supply and manufacturing costs to customers.
I have to admit though, I was astonished by some of the hikes. A tub of Flora Light for instance, has risen by a whopping 81%, from £1.19 to £2.15. British mild cheddar is up by 54%, from £1.79 to £2.75, and a box of potato waffles up 40%, from 85p to £1.19.
In fact 13 of the items have risen in price, with just two, wafer thin cooked ham and orange cordial, staying the same, and another, Royal Gala apples, reducing by 10p a pack.
Overall the cost of the full shop* has risen from £20.14 to £24.88 - an increase of 23.5%. The difference of £4.74 may not seem that much, but if you did the shop weekly, that's almost £20 a month and when added to the other bills households are having to cope with, it's easy to see why many are struggling so much right now.
Despite the rises, Lidl has just been named cheapest supermarket for the third time in a row in The Grocer's 'Super Grocer 33' index.
The index, which compares the price of 33 everyday grocery items across the UK’s seven major supermarkets, found Lidl to be £15.44 cheaper than Morrisons, and £27.88 cheaper than the most expensive retailer, Waitrose.
Ryan McDonnell, chief executive officer at Lidl GB, said: “Our belief has always been that no one should have to pay a premium for good food and we have an unwavering commitment to provide our customers with the best products at the lowest possible prices.
"Whether it is fresh produce, staple shopping list items or a must-have product from the Middle of Lidl, customers can be sure that they are getting the best value when they shop with us.”
In response to our comparison, a Lidl spokesperson said: "Since June, the Manchester Evening News has found Lidl the cheapest in all but one of their basket comparisons, which highlights that we consistently offer customers the lowest prices on the market.
"More recently, independent analysis conducted by The Grocer, published on the November 4, found that Lidl was the cheapest supermarket on 33 different products, coming in over £15 cheaper than Morrisons and £10 cheaper than Tesco. The Grocer has conducted this research three times this year, and every time Lidl came top in the rankings as cheapest supermarket.”
*Two of the repeat items - chocolate digestives and Malt Wheaties - were out of stock, but we used the current shelf price for the purposes of a full comparison.
Our Lidl shopping list showing prices now and what they were last October (% increase)
- Frozen potato waffles - was 85p, now £1.19 (40%)
- Flora Light - was £1.19, now £2.15 (81%)
- 12 beef meatballs - was £1.99, now £2.19 (10%)
- Four beef quarter pounders - was £2.29, now £2.75 (20%)
- 2 x Chopped tomatoes - was 28p each, now 32p each (14%)
- Chocolate digestives - was 45p, now 59p (31%)
- Orange cordial - was 89p, now 89p (same)
- Malt Wheaties - was 69p, now 72p (4%)
- Red Gala apples - was £1.29, now £1.19 (reduction of 8%)
- Pizza - was £1.69, now £2.39 (41%)
- British mild cheddar - was £1.79, now £2.75 (54%)
- Carrots - was 43p, now 49p (14%)
- Wafer thin cooked ham - was £1.69, now £1.69 (same)
- Warburtons Toastie loaf - was £1.10, now £1.25 (14%)
- Malted craft bloomer - was 99p, £1.25 (26%)
- Walkers Wotsits - was £2.25, now £2.75 (22%
Total cost - was £20.14, now £24.88 (increase of 23.5%)
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