Post

Mark Thompson
@markreckons.bsky.social

It definitely feels like it's very easy to spend a tenner nowadays without actually buying very much at all. I know this is a bit "things were cheaper in my day" but it really does feel like the headline rate of inflation is hiding the reality which feels a lot worse that 3% or 4%.

Mark Thompson
@markreckons.bsky.social

Here's an example. 5 years ago you could get a big bag of either Kettle Chips or Tyrell's for £1. I used to keep an eye on them and one or other was always on offer at that price. Now when they're on offer it's at £1.75, never any lower ever. That's a 75% increase in 5 years way above 4% pa.

2 reposts30 likes

artesea
@artesea.co.uk

Same with a four pack of chocolate, usual one of Mars/Cadbury/Nestle would be a quid. These days £2 seems to be a bargain, and the bars are smaller.

Mark Thompson
@markreckons.bsky.social

Here's another example. I'm certain that buying a single ice cream (Cornetto, Flake Ice Cream etc) from a freezer in a garage was generally around £1. Possibly slightly more but never more than £1.50 5 years ago. I bought one yesterday for £2.99. Again they've gone up way above headline inflation.

TravisTAGR
@travistagr.bsky.social

Aldi used to sell its rip-off Mars bars for less than 70p for five before 2022. They are now £1.39. Food inflation has been off the charts these last 4 years.

Rob Herbert
@robherbert.com

Don't forget that with sustained inflation, prices accelerate. For instance if something is a quid on day 1 with 10% inflation (to make the maths easy) it's £1.10 a year later - 10p more. A year after that it goes up by 11p then 12p. For a full shop that can add up quickly.

Mat Bowles (He/Þei)
@matgb.uk

For some things (eg anything with chocolate in) there's a genuine price spike because climate change has fucked the crops, at one point Tesco value chocolate was 75p, it was 35p when I first started buying it It is tho back down to 57p, some prices fall, it's just rare

John Russell
@johnrussell40.bsky.social

Some manufacturers use a trick to hide inflation: they make the pack smaller. So the product stays the same price (and thus masks inflation) but the cost per volume/weight increases. They then introduce a new, bigger pack (giving it a different name, eg, ‘family size’) and phase out the smallest.

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Diva Augusta
@divaaugusta.bsky.social

There was a really good description of this a while back, I don't recall who sadly. Things that feel like they should cost a quid, cost a fiver. Things that feel like fiver spends are £20, and things that feel like a £20 spend end up being £50.

Mark Thompson
@markreckons.bsky.social

So many times recently I've gone out and spent money on two or three things that 5 or 10 years ago would have cost no more than £20 that in total now cost close to £50. I'm sure I'm not imagining this.

Leg Spinner🏏
@judeet44.bsky.social

UK potato harvests have been badly affected for a few yrs, either by floods or extremely dry summer conditions. Diesel has hugely increased in price for their transport. Crisp factories don't run on fresh air, they pay gas and electric prices, also up.