The big squeeze: Caitriona Redmond on a year of dealing with the cost-of-living crisis
Caitríona Redmond. Photograph Moya Nolan
In my first column, this time last year I said:
“I know how difficult it is to feed our families as the cost of living is increasing and our grocery budgets are dwindling. Trying to keep track on our own is wearing us all down. I’m here to help.”
My experience of feeding a family on a shoestring and living on a budget would prove more valuable to our readers than I ever imagined. Please understand that any advice that I give each week is rooted in my difficult experiences. I would never suggest that someone do something I’ve never tried myself.
Pre-February 2022, the cost of food was already rising. Labour shortages were impacting staff levels in food production and transport, which combined with Brexit, caused knock on delays in the cost of producing fresh and ambient produce. I knew that prices were rising and were going to rise fast.
I’d already begun to field queries from hard-pressed families wondering if I knew where they could find their essential food shopping for less.
“We’ve 2 coeliacs in the house. Gluten-free produce has been rising a lot. I don’t know if we can afford many more increases. Is Belfast cheaper please?”
On the February midterm a year ago I was in Belfast to visit family and do a shop in Asda; a feature I was working on for the Irish Examiner. We stayed overnight in a cheap hotel and woke up in the morning, flicked the TV on, and saw the invasion of Ukraine happening in real time. I watched feeling a weight on my chest, having more insight than most due to my experience into how these actions would reverberate through the food world.
The following week it felt like a return of Covid times with less masks as supermarkets reported shortages of sunflower oil, bread, and pasta, not due to actual supply issues but because customers were clearing the shelves of their favourite products. There was so much uncertainty around those early days of the war, when people didn’t realise exactly how the conflict would affect their weekly shop.
“I’ve really noticed portions are smaller for the same price on some items. Everything seems to have had a price hike.”
Just as retailers and suppliers were adjusting to increased fuel costs and prospective limits on certain products, the end of March and the beginning of April brought torrential rain to Spain and Portugal which impacted lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers before the Irish season started. Worse, this has since had a knock on effect of raising the cost of tinned and jarred tomato products all the way into 2023.
“My shopping this week was €35 more than in January. I don’t know how I will cope if the prices keep on increasing.”
We weathered the summer together as the warm balmy days put our worries into the hazy past. In June I joined Ciara McDonnell for a live chat in the Irish Examiner offices about living on a budget. On air I mentioned that I was worried there was worse to come in October/November. I’m sad to say I was proved right.
September brought an early budget and I joined the political team to drill down into what it actually meant for real families. It’s easy to forget that behind all the figures and statistics are people who are struggling.
With the cost of energy and food rising into the Winter, my messages from readers started to get more bleak.
“We are running out of belt to tighten.”
It’s clear that the cost of living crisis is far from at its peak for most families. In the first week of February this year, market researchers Kantar announced record grocery inflation with most households paying more than €1,159 extra per year for their weekly shop. My own shop has increased from €100 per week in January 2022 to €135. That’s an increase of €1,820 on an annual basis for me, and just one of many price jumps I’ve had to deal with this year. I’m definitely noticing the difference in my bank account on a weekly basis.
There’s recently been a drought in central Spain and this again will have a knock on effect on our salad items, plus tinned goods down the line. We’ve also had several Irish producers go out of business in the past year which will drive up the price of our salads.
There’s no end in sight for the war in Ukraine and while we seem to have weathered a supply crisis for energy this Winter, the ongoing cost of energy will impact everything we put on our plates for a long time to come.
It’s not all doom and gloom. Readers contact me when they are struggling because they need to feel heard. Someone who understands what it’s like to feel frustrated and helpless in the face of financial worries is a kindred spirit. I have been that listening ear, sympathising and empathising. I feel sorrow that families are struggling but it is a privilege to be able to offer some light in the darkness.
In February I wrote a column about bringing more joy to mealtimes. It had an instant effect on readers with kitchen dance parties springing up nationwide.
“Just read your Irish Examiner post and moved a speaker into the kitchen. Such a simple idea to help boost spirits.”
You may have read my label/brand taste tests in 2022. What you may not know is that all the surplus from the taste tests went to my local Meals on Wheels anonymously. I hear they particularly enjoyed the Christmas items and I’ve been able to drop down several packages for the benefit of their service users.
Every week I still check those sample grocery basket prices. I’m now able to reliably predict when a price increase is coming across all the supermarkets based upon the weekly data. That’s been an interesting development for us here in the Irish Examiner. There is a certain pattern that happens when an increase is coming and we can see it happening over a period of 3 weeks. I will be keeping you updated on this as I continue to rummage around in the supermarkets each week for the best value.
I started writing about the challenges of living on a budget from my table 12 years ago in February. To this day I continue to write from my kitchen to yours. I’m grateful that my lessons learned in hardship can help people when they need it. Living on a tight food budget makes life more challenging but it certainly doesn’t lack in flavour.
