You can live the good life!

When was the last time you stood outside the market, you checked out and thought: “Gosh, is that all I’ve spent?” Chances are it’s the opposite, and you leave the store clutching the till receipt and worrying “how on earth did I spend that much?” The rising cost of food is hitting families hard – and it’s going to get worse. economists have warned that food price inflation could hit nine per cent by Christmas. The Retail Prices Index measure of inflation already stands at 4.8 per cent. and with one in six firms planning to freeze staff pay, household budgets are being squeezed like never before. The good news is that there’s an easy way to break the vicious cycle of rising prices and falling income: grow your own food! To prove the point, we took a peek into the supermarket trolley of an average family to probe the cost of fruit and veg on a typical weekly shop: tomatoes (£1.50), a couple of bags of spuds at £2 each, strawberries (£2.50), a bag of sweet peppers (1.29), beans (£1.50), carrots (£1), bagged salad (£1.50), bagged seasonal veg (£2), onions (72p for 3), cucumber (70p), a lettuce (70p), a pot of chives (£1.49) and basil (£1.19). That’s over £20 per week – or £1,000 a year! The high cost of fresh produce is leading more families to turn to grow-your-own. a polytunnel from First Tunnels can help households save money. By creating the perfect microclimate for growing food, polytunnel crops experience an Indian summer every year, so gardeners will be harvesting delicious home-grown crops long into the chilly autumn months. Damaging winds and frosts are kept at bay.
Of course, you won’t clock up Clubcard and nectar points by growing your own, but the rewards for your health and wealth are infinitely sweeter. and you’ll feel rather smug on future trips to the supermarket, walking away from the store thinking “Is that all I’ve spent?” To find out more about how a polytunnel can save you money in these tough times.