'Big shop’ shock as rising grocery prices start to bite 

After a long era of low inflation, Irish people are once again feeling the impact of soaring food prices

Older people will recall double-digit inflation in Ireland in the early 1980s, but younger people are shocked by rising prices and the sudden effect on what they can afford. Stock picture

For years, most of us could afford to ignore the small print on the back of our energy bills.

Most of us hadn’t a clue what a standing charge was, much less a unit charge. We didn’t have to know the exact price of a litre of milk, a kilogramme of carrots, or a packet of spaghetti.