Tesco peas up in price by 142% - seeing how much my big shop has risen makes me sick

Unless you've been living under a rock then you'll be all too aware just how much our groceries have increased over the last few years.

It's now around three years since the cost of living crisis began to take hold and shoppers have seen both essentials and luxury items shoot up in price.

While the pace of price rises has slowed, we're still paying much more for things we both eat and use - and our bank balances certainly know about it.

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From basics like milk and bread, to more luxury items like crisps and chocolate, almost everything has gone up. And that's not to mention other household items like bleach and toilet roll.

But when I decided to look in more detail at exactly how much my typical Tesco big shop has gone up since the cost of living crisis first took hold, I was appalled.

Of the 44 items I bought back in December 2021, 41 have increased in price, two have stayed the same and one is less, but that's because it's on offer with Clubcard.

What made me really sick was how much they have gone up by though - with 33 items increasing by 20% or more, 16 by 50% or more and 10 by a staggering 60% or more. The largest increase was on a 1kg bag of frozen garden peas, which is up from 66p to £1.60, a depressing 142% rise.

Bleach was the next biggest rise, with a 750ml bottle of Tesco's own brand up from 39p to 70p, an increase of 79%. And a pack of Cadbury Twirls were up by the same percent, from 98p to £1.75.

Fruit and veg has been massively affected, with pears up 74%, carrots up 73% and potatoes up 57%.

And it's not just the fact we're paying more, in some instances we're also getting less produce. Not only has the bag of potatoes risen from £1.15 to £1.80, it's also now just 2kg in weight, where previously it was 2.5kg.

Other products have fallen victim to shrinkflation too, such as Muller yogurts, which used to be £2.25 for six 160g pots and are now £4 for six smaller 140g pots. Thankfully these were among the items on offer with the Clubcard, and reduced to £2.50.

Magnum White Ice Creams are also a smaller pack, with three now costing £3.25, or £2.50 with Clubcard, whereas before a pack of four was £2.50, again on Clubcard.

And with the Mcvitie's Jaffa Cakes, a 244G twin pack was 90p with Clubcard, whereas a smaller 220g pack is now £2, or £1.50, with Clubcard, an increase of 67%.

The only item that has increased in size is the tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light Spread, which was 450g but is now 500g. But the weight increase doesn't exactly justify the 20% price hike.

Among the other items rising by 60% or more are orange juice, up 72% from 69p to £1.19 a litre; Tesco sour cream and chive dip, up 71% from 79p to £1.35; granulated sugar, up 68% from 65p to £1.09; and Tesco cheese, up 60% from £2 to £3.20.

Tesco says it has lowered prices on thousands of lines, launched or improved more than 860 products in partnership with its suppliers and growers, and its customer satisfaction scores continue to improve across a broad range of measures.

The retailer says that its Clubcard unlocks the best value at Tesco, with shoppers able to save £385 a year thanks to Clubcard Prices and take advantage of other benefits such as doubling the value of vouchers with Reward Partners.

A Tesco spokesperson said: "We work hard to offer our customers the best possible value, quality, and service with every shop and our powerful combination of Aldi Price Match, Low Everyday Prices and Clubcard Prices has helped ensure we have remained the cheapest full-line grocer for nearly two years."

Shopping bills Dec 1, 2021 / Dec 1, 2024 (% increase) (APM indicates Aldi Price Match)

• Tesco Garden Peas 1Kg 66p / £1.60 (142%)

• Tesco Thick Bleach Fresh 750Ml 39p / 70p each (79%)

• Cadbury Twirl 4 Pack 136G 98p / £1.75 (79%)

• Rosedene Farms Small Pear Pack 550G 57p / 99p (74%)

• Tesco Carrots 1Kg 40p / 69p (73%)

• Growers Harvest Orange Juice Smooth 1L 69p / £1.19 APM (72%)

• Tesco Sour Cream & Chive Dip 200G 79p / £1.35 (71%)

• Granulated Sugar 1Kg 65p / £1.09 APM (68%)

• Mcvitie's Jaffa Cakes Twin Pack 244G Clubcard 90p / now 220g £2 (Clubcard £1.50) (67%)

• Tesco Cheese 400G £2 / £3.20 (60%)

• Tesco Cherry Bakewell Tarts 6 Pack 75p / £1.19 (59%)

• Tesco Maris Piper Potatoes 2.5Kg £1.15 / now 2kg £1.80 APM (57%)

• Tesco cauliflower 79p / £1.19 (Clubcard 99p) (51%)

• Tesco Stir Fry 320G £1 / £1.50 (50%)

• Tesco Sparkling Lemonade 2L Bottle 40p / 60p (50%)

• Birds Eye 6 Chunky Fish Fingers Extra Large 360G £2.50 / £3.75 (50%)

• Tesco Cool Tortilla Chips 200G 76p / £1.10 (45%)

• Hovis Soft White Thick Bread 800G 99p / £1.39 APM (40%)

• Mr Kipling Mini Battenberg Cakes 5 Pack £1.80 / £2.50 (39%)

• Grower's Harvest Chopped Tomatoes 400G 28p / 39p APM (39%)

• Tesco Pineapple 75p / 99p APM (32%)

• Eastmans Wafer Thin Cooked Ham 400G £1.59 / £2.09 (31%)

• Tesco Tomato And Mascarpone Sauce 350G £1.45 / £1.90 (31%)

• Mr Kipling Lemon Slices 8 Pack £2.50 / £3.25 (30%)

• Onken Biopot Yogurt 450G £1.50 / £1.95 (30%)

• Soreen 5 Apple Lunchbox Loaves 150G £1.40 / £1.80 (29%)

• Tesco Skimmed Milk 2.272L 4 Pints £1.15 / £1.45 APM (26%)

• Tesco Red Seedless Grapes Punnet 500G £2 / £2.50 (25%)

• Tesco Beef Lean Steak Mince 5% Fat 750G £3.99 / £4.99 APM (25%)

• Tesco British Chicken Breast Portions 650G £3.75 / £4.49 APM (20%)

• Tesco Finest Italian Spicy Salami Pizza 405G and flatbread 200G meal deal £5 / £6 (20%)

• I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light Spread 450g £1.25 / now 500g £1.50 (20%)

• Woodside Farms Unsmoked Back Bacon 300G £1.25 / £1.45 APM (16%)

• Tesco Garlic Flatbread 255G £2 / £2.30 (15%)

• Muller Light Toffee & Vanilla Yogurt 6 X 160G £2.25 / Toffee pack now 6 x 140g £4 (Clubcard £2.50) (11%)

• Squashies Drumsticks 160G 89p / now 140g 99p APM (11%)

• 2 x loose brown onions 20p / 22p (10%)

• Tesco Small Bananas 6 Pack 68p / 75p APM (10%)

• Mccoy's Salt & Malt Vinegar Crisps 6X25g £1.70 / £2.25 (Clubcard £1.75) (3%)

• Carex Handwash Sensitive 250Ml 99p / £1.50 (Clubcard £1) (1%)

• Magnum White Ice Cream 4 X 110Ml £2.50 Clubcard / now 3 X 100MI £3.25 (Clubcard £2.50) (0%)

• Highland Spring Sparkling Water 8X500ml £2.50 / £3 (Clubcard £2.50) (0%)

• Pukka All Steak Pie £1.65 / £2 (Clubcard £1.50) (-9%)

Total - was £61.39 / now £79.64 (30% increase)