The cost of living crisis continues to bite, with inflation rising again in January and reaching a near 30-year high.
Rising energy prices and fuel costs have been the biggest factors in driving inflation up, though food and drink prices and many everyday essentials have also been on the rise.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the 12 months to January 2022 the Consumer Prices Index increased to 5.5%, up from 5.4% in December - more than double the Bank of England’s 2% target.
You can read all our latest stories on the cost of living here
Grant Fitzner, chief economist at the ONS, said: “Clothing and footwear pushed inflation up this month and although there were still the traditional price drops, it was the smallest January fall since 1990, with fewer sales than last year.
“The rising costs of some household goods and increases in rents also pushed up inflation."
You can read more about that here, including the reaction from Chancellor Rishi Sunak and businesses.
The war in Ukraine is also set to worsen matters, with think-tank the Resolution Foundation estimating that the conflict could push peak inflation for this year and next year above 8%.
"This could leave the typical real household income for non-pensioners 4 per cent – or £1,000 – lower than in 2021-22. This is a scale of fall only previously seen around recessions," said the think tank's key findings from its Living Standards Outlook 2022 report.
In January, when inflation stood at 5.4%, we compared a weekly shop of 26 items in a Tesco Express store in Cardiff - all the shop's own-brand food and household goods - to the price of the exact same shop in June, when inflation stood at 2.5%.
The overall price had increased by £1.12 seven months on from £47.28 to £48.40 - a percentage increase of about 2.4%. Ten products increased in price, four decreased and 12 remained the same.
But how do the prices for another batch of shopping - this time on Tesco's online store, but still the shop's own-brand food and household goods - compare over the course of just four weeks, from February 9 to March 2?
Out of 25 products, the price differences were, as expected, less dramatic over the shorter period of time. Just three items increased in price, and the rest remained the same.
From our snapshot of goods, there does not seem to be any patterns in terms of how different products have been affected - the increases happened across fish, fruit and dairy items.
A pack of four wild salmon fillets saw the biggest rise in our basket, by 15p. Next was a three-pack of sweet peppers, which increased by 10p. Finally, a bottle of semi-skimmed milk went up by 6p.
The total increase over four weeks amounted to 31p - a percentage increase of about 0.9%. This, admittedly, may seem like a small rise in the moment - but if the prices were to remain at this level and I did this shop every week, over the course of a year I would be paying £16.12 more than if the prices had remained at their level in February.
Here is a full breakdown comparing both receipts from February 9 and March 2
Meat and fish products
Whole medium chicken - same price
February 9 - £3.35
March 2 - £3.35
4 wild salmon fillets (330g) - up 15p
February 9 - £3.30
March 2 - £3.45
Bakery items
Wholemeal medium bread (800g) - same price
February 9 - 59p
March 2 - 59p
Digestive biscuits - same price
February 9 - 50p
March 2 - 50p
Fruit and vegetables
Red seedless grapes punnet - same price
February 9 -£2
March 2 - £2
Whole mango - same price
February 9 - 69p
March 2 - 69p
Broccoli (one head) - same price
February 9 - 49p
March 2 - 49p
Salad tomatoes (six-pack) - same price
February 9 - 75p
March 2 - 75p
Sweet peppers (three-pack) - up 10p
February 9 - £1.35
March 2 - £1.45
Mixed leaf salad bag - same price
February 9 - £1
March 2 - £1
Pink Lady apples (minimum 5-pack) - same price
February 9 - £2.80
March 2 - £2.80
Frozen goods
Frozen steak cut chips - same price
February 9 - £1.50
March 2 - £1.50
Fish fingers (ten-pack) - same price
February 9 - £1.20
March 2 - £1.20
Drinks
Semi-skimmed milk (2 pints) - up 6p
February 9 - 89p
March 2 - 95p
Smooth orange juice (1L) - same price
February 9 - £1.25
March 2 - £1.25
Cupboard staples
Tesco Finest Sea Salt and Chardonnay Vinegar crinkle cut crisps - same price
February 9 - 90p
March 2 - 90p
Cornflakes (500g) - same price
February 9 - 60p
March 2 - 60p
Tin of baked beans - same price
February 9 - 32p
March 2 - 32p
Fusilli pasta (500g) - same price
February 9 - 70p
March 2 - 70p
Teabags (pack of 80) - same price
February 9 - £1.10
March 2 - £1.10
Tin of chopped tomatoes (400g) - same price
February 9 - 28p
March 2 - 28p
Basmati rice (1kg) - same price
February 9 - £1.85
March 2 - £1.85
Olive oil (500ml) - same price
February 9 - £2.50
March 2 - £2.50
Household items
Antibacterial handwash - same price
February 9 - 80p
March 2 - 80p
Toilet paper (nine-pack) - same price
February 9 - £2.95
March 2 - £2.95
February 9 total: £34.26
March 2 total: £34.57
Up by: 31p
Tesco has been approached for comment.
Have you noticed a change in the price of your weekly shop? Let us know in the comments below.
