Food Prices

As you may have read in the past few days, I have joined Mary over at Owlhaven in her September Grocery Challenge.
Try anyway you can to cut down on your weekly grocery bill.

One tip I acquired from Sophie Grey, Destitute Gourmet, was to go to your grocery store and know the every day price of the items you regularly buy. This would then assist you when you see something on special, because if you know straight away what you normally buy, then you can see if it is really truely on special?! And whether it is something you regularly buy and need!
Supermarkets are notorious for putting something on the end aisle with a big flashing sign and everyone immediately thinks "Hey special, lets get them!"
But when you get home and think about it, you realise that in fact they never were really on special because even though you brought the 2 items for $3 and thought it was a great special, they usually sell for $1.49 on everyday price!

Now there are several ways of knowing this information, which does take time to collect by the way. You can either carry a notebook with you when you are shopping, which has all the regular items you buy in alphabetic order and the everyday price written next to it or you can use your printed shopping list from the computer and have the price written next to it on there.
Having it on the shopping list is my preferred way to do it. Then I do not have to remember anything extra to take with me to the shop.
Then when you see something on special you immediately have the regular price written in front of you to compare with to see if you really are getting a special.

The reason I am mentioning this, is because several months ago, I tried yet again, to get the regular prices of my normal run of the mill weekly stuff written down so I could save.
It actually involves going to the shop, on your own, and slowly walking round the whole shop writing down the regular price of the item.
Now I never finished it and have realised that I need to do it again to get up to date prices, but that is what I have immediately noticed, the prices really have gone up!
Now we normally spend roughly the same amount of money each week at the shop and we are still spending that same amount, even though the prices have gone up. So maybe I am already succeeding at this September challenge because I am managing to keep my grocery bill the same even though the prices have gone up?
To compare I have noticed the following over the last 3 months:

1. Rice was $2.99 a bag it is now $3.75
2. Cordial was $9.72 a bottle it is now $10.33
3. Tin of Chilli Beans was $2.54 it is now $3.65
4. Tin of Tomatoes was 89c it is now 99c or $1.09

So yes is the answer when ever someone asks you if the cost of groceries have really gone up. I have the proof.