A huge jump in inflation that has seen prices rising quicker than at any time over the last 30 years is putting pressure on household budgets.
And apart from soaring energy bills, one of the main places you'll notice your pound not going as far is at the supermarket checkout, reports the MEN.
This didn;t escape the notice of poverty and inequality campaigner Jack Monroe, who broke down in forensic detail the shocking price hikes of food staples, including a 141% price increase in pasta in comparison to last year.
She is now working with economists, charities and analysts to compile her own Consumer Prices Index that will document the disappearance of budget options and the creeping prices of basic versions of essential items.
To see how much more expensive a supermarket shop now is, we repeated the same Tesco shop from this time two years ago to see just how much things have gone up.
And it turns out that the weekly 'big' shop had jumped from £70.61 to £83.26 - almost a fifth more (17.9%) than in pre-pandemic times.
Out of the 50 items we bought, 32 had increased - with five items either doubling or more than doubling in price. Seven items cost the same as before, with 11 costing less, mostly thanks to the retailer's Aldi Price Match scheme, which has now been extended to cover 650 products.
But while the biggest decrease was 85p - with Maris Piper potatoes down from £2 to £1.15 (almost a 74% decrease) - the biggest increase was a whopping 137%, with Mr Kipling Angel Slices up from £1.20 to £2.85.
Full list of items compared - from Jan 14 and Feb 5, 2020 to Jan 26, 2022
Products that have increased
- Heinz Spaghetti & Sausages In Tomato Sauce 400G was £1.25 / now £1.40
- Richmond 8 Skinless Pork Sausages 213G was £1.40 / now £2
- Heinz Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce 4 X415g was £2.50 / now £3
- Auntys Golden Syrup Puddings 2 X 95G was £1 / now £1.50
- Tesco British Skimmed Milk 2.272L, 4 Pints was £1.10 / now £1.15 (with Aldi price match)
- Tesco Conchiglie Pasta Shells 1Kg was £1 / now £1.30
- Tesco Angel Layer Cake was 62p / now £1.35
- Tesco Spirali Pasta 500G was 65p / now 70p
- Mr Kipling Angel Slice 8 Pack was £1.20 / now £2.85
- Highland Spring Sparkling Water 8X500ml was £2 / now £2.75
- Tesco Chocolate White Sticks (ice creams) 3X110ml was £1 / now £1.20
- Clover Light Spread 500 G was £1 / now £2
- Tesco Pure Orange Juice Smooth 4 X 1 Litre was £3 / now £3.30
- Tesco Italian Chopped Tomatoes 4 X 400G was £1.39 / now £1.60 (Clubcard)
- Original Source Lemon & Tea Tree Shower Gel 250Ml was 90p / now £1
- Sure Men Active Antiperspirant Deodorant 250Ml was £1.40 / now £1.75
- Soreen Original Malt Loaf 260G was 60p / now £1.20
- Aero Chocolate Mousse 4 X59g was £1 / now £1.50
- Pot Noodle King Beef & Tomato 114G was 70p / now 99p
- Pitch Chocolate 6 Pack was 75p / now £1.50
- Tesco 6 Strawberry Fruity Bakes 222G was 95p / now £1.05
- KP Hula Hoops Family 6X24g was £1 / now £1.75
- Tesco British Large Whole Chicken 1.55-1.95Kg was £3.50 / now £3.75
- Tesco Vanilla Cheesecake 540G was £2 / now £3.25
- Cadbury Twirl Chocolate Multipack 4 X34g was 90p / now 98p
- Bassetts Jelly Babies 190G was 90p / now £1 (Clubcard)
- Capri Sun No Added Sugar Orange 8 X 200Ml was £2 / now £2.95
- Imperial Leather Marshmallow Bath 500Ml was 90p / now £1
- Tesco Southern Fried Breaded Chicken Mini Fillets 305G was £2 /now £2.60
- Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal 700G was £2.50 / now £3.50
- Richmond 8 Thick Pork Sausages 454G was £1.50 / now £2
- Tesco Brown Onions Loose x2 was 18p now 20p
Products that have stayed the same
- Tesco Finest 20 Mini Meatballs 336G was £2.85 / now £2.85
- Mixed Sized Free Range Eggs 15 Pack was £2 / now £2
- Tesco Red Seedless Grapes 500G was £2 / now £2
- Tesco Four Cheese & Garlic Flatbread 230G was £1.60 / now £1.60
- Breaded Chicken Goujons 270G was £1.25 / now £1.25 (with Aldi price match)
- Hearty Food Co Straight Cut Chips 1.5Kg was 90p / now 90p
- Stella Artois 6X330ml Bottles was £5 / now £5
Products that have decreased
- Hovis Soft White Thick Bread 800G was £1.10 / now 99p (with Aldi price match)
- Granulated Sugar 1Kg was 69p / now 65p (with Aldi price match)
- Tesco Malt Wheats Cereal 750G was £1.20 / now 83p
- Tesco Maris Piper Potatoes 2.5Kg was £2 / now £1.15 (with Aldi price match)
- Redmere Farms Carrots 1Kg was 59p / now 40p (with Aldi price match)
- Tesco Cool Tortilla Chips 200 G was 90p / now 76p
- Tesco Pre Pack Broccoli was 65p / now 49p (with Aldi price match)
- Nightingale Farms Peppers 375G was 95p / now 89p (with Aldi price match)
- Eastmans Wafer Thin Cooked Ham 400G was £1.70 / now £1.59 (with Aldi price match)
- 6 x Bananas loose was 84p / now 78p
- Tesco Wheat Biscuits Cereal 24 Pack was £1.60 / now £1.06 (with Aldi price match)
Total: £70.61 / now 83.26
What does Tesco say?
The retailer responded to state that out of the 50 products that were bought back in 2020, 22 were on offer at the time, while the most recent shop contained just one item on offer.
It suggested that while the 2020 shop would have been selected 'with offers in mind', the same can't be said for the 2022 shop, as there was no flexibility to choose alternative items.
Clubcard price deals are regularly updated, meaning some items in the first shop were no longer on offer this time round.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “There are a number of reasons why these specific items could have varied in price over time, such as seasonal special offers and regular updates to the products which are available on Clubcard prices.
“The first basket was clearly chosen to include many products that were on offer - while the second basket contained only one product that was on offer. In reality, customers can easily find cheaper alternatives by checking our latest offers and shopping across the range.
“We’re committed to giving our customers everyday great value through the expansion of our Aldi Price Match, Everyday Low Prices to more than 1,600 items and Clubcard prices, which are now available in all our Express stores.”
The retailer said it now has around 4,500 items included in its Clubcard offers - 'significantly more than when the first basket was purchased'.
