OUR Food Prices exercise during 2013 continues – Butter has dropped down to its January price again. I’m nineteen pence better off this month than in January! …I’ve put that towards the price increase on the yoghurt – but that’s another story!
Carrots were 75p – but on the day I visited lots of bags near their sell-by dates were being sold off at a reduced 55p a 500g bag.
In this continuing year of austerity, shopping carefully has become essential – particularly for those families on a tight budget. Our Price Watcher exercise is following the prices of four staple food items in the Big Co-op on Hull Road. Note: These are often different from prices in the smaller Co-op Store in Hedon’s Market Place which charges convenience shop rates for the same items in many cases.
Prices in August 2013 (second week of the month):
| Item | Price August 2013 | Change from last month | Change since Jan 2013 |
| Milk – Co-op 1 pint | £0.50p | ||
| Margarine – I can’t believe it’s not butter (500g) | £1.00 | -0.80 | |
| Bread – Co-op Wholemeal (800g) | £0.95 | +0.06 | |
| *Carrots – Co-op (500g) | £0.75 | |
-0.25 |
| Totals | £3.20 |
-0.80 |
-0.19 |
Carrot Prices remain the most changeable factor in this exercise so far. Prices in 2013:
- Jan – 50p – 500g (This was a 50% offer price so we listed £1 as our bench mark in January – which in hindsight was a mistake!)
- Feb – £1 – 500g
- Mar – 50p – 500g
- Apr – 85p – 750g (free 50% extra offer)
- May – 90p – 600g
- June – 88p – 600g
- July – 75p – 500g
- August – 75p – 500g
