With food prices continuing to take a bite out of consumers' budgets, the Business Guardian ventured to find out what it would cost to cook a meal of corned beef, rice and pigeon peas. The prices of rice, corned beef and pigeon peas were compared at two supermarkets in Tunapuna.
Taking the cheaper prices, the grocery bill for those three items totalled: $22.85 for one meal.
Kimmy Morgan, family of four
Kimmy Morgan* (not her real name), who lives in Tunapuna, said vegetables is the most expensive of all her purchases. "Vegetables is the highest expenditure which I have. The vegetable prices are high, especially tomatoes eddoes, sweet peppers. We used to spend $1,000 in the grocery, now it's $1,600. "In the market, it was $100, now it's $200. Orange is $2. It is locally grown and too expensive. You can say imports are expensive, but not local goods. Why is it so expensive? We get imported banana, even though we grow it here."
There are four people who are part of the Morgan family. Morgan, who runs a plumbing supply business with her husband, didn't want to reveal their income from the business, but said their combined salary for the month is an estimated $12,000. Dining at a fast-food restaurant for this family of four is considered a luxury because many restaurants have increased their prices. The bills are mounting.
"If I were to put all the expenses together, it would be around $6,000 to $8,000 per month. My bills include: loan, mortgage, phone (landline), cellphones, electricity, water, groceries and entertainment." "Food prices are getting ridiculous. I await the budget," Morgan said.
Shella Ramoutar
For Shella Ramoutar, a single parent and retired, said vegetable prices are high. "I buy seasonal vegetables, like mangoes, but they are expensive. I buy watermelon and oranges and the prices are soaring. I am barely managing–managing is about learning to cut corners," said Ramoutar, who's in her mid-60s. "Fruit drinks are my most expensive item on my grocery list, but the prices have gone up."
For instance, the former banker has asked her husband to carry their daughter to school at St Joseph's Convent in Port-of-Spain, to reduce their gas. Dining out is a luxury, but one she grants herself. For entertainment, she goes to the movies at MovieTowne.
Ramoutar's list of monthly expenses include:
Electricity, $500
Cable, $235
Internet and landline phone, $300
Grocery, $1,600
Entertainment, $400
Water, $354 (per quarter)
When Ramoutar retired, she made investments, but now argues that the return on her investments are not as fruitful as she had anticipated.
"What is straining my pocket is interest rates, which have dropped and this caused my income to reduce. Last year, I was getting seven per cent; this year I am getting three," Ramoutar said. Managing is tough. "My car expense is huge. I had to dig into my savings to maintain my vehicle. It's a huge sacrifice and you have to do without comfort," Ramoutar said. Buying high-end goods, such as the imported juice brands, are a luxury, which Ramoutar said she can't always afford. Though her bills are mounting, Ramoutar said the Government's schoolbook programme assists in reducing her expenditure.
Pensioner Peter Melville
Peter Melville is a 73-three-year-old-pensioner struggling to survive. His monthly grocery bill is $1,500. Melville said there are times when he cannot afford to buy the vegetables he wants because he needs to buy his medication. "Eddoes are $9 per pound and tomatoes $20 per pound." "I suffer from high blood pressure. CDAP (Chronic Disease Assistance Programme) does not work for me. My medication costs $2 for one tablet and a total of $500 per month I spend on my medication," Melville said. His expenses per month include:
Electricity, $340
Water, $374
Cellphone, $80
