It was the porridge oats that did it. Last time I looked, they’d cost me 69p a kilo, this time the price had gone up to £1.39.
At first I thought this steep hike was because I buy organic oats from a refill shop. Then I price-checked them against supermarkets and found that large retailers charge anything between £1.30 and £2.40 a kilo for nonorganic oats, depending on how swanky the packaging is.
While I’d clocked the steadily increasing cost of fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy and fish, and adjusted my shopping list accordingly, I used to see oats as a cheap staple that wouldn’t break the bank.
Now, for the first time, even the humble oat is a price consideration. We’re in the midst of a major cost of living crisis. It feels as if a hammer blow arrives most days in the post, pinching our budgets from all directions.