Historical shop receipts

While cleaning up the hard disk of my computer I have come across a spreadsheet dated 4Q2015 in which I recorded prices of basic goods in shops at that time, to estimate the costs of living after I move out from my parents. Over 7 years later, after a few quarters of rampant inflation, I possess a quaint material for price comparisons. The list is rather modest and contains household goods, food and beverages, so the main stuff which lands in a shopping bag.

A few basic articles whose prices have gone up significantly since 4Q2015:
- lavatory paper – bygone cost PLN 3.59 per 8 rolls, today – around PLN 10 for the same quantity,
- bath sponge – then PLN 0.63, these days PLN 1.29 at Lidl,
- milk (3.2%) – then below PLN 2.00 per litre, today usually above PLN 3.50,
- 10 eggs – then for less than PLN 4.00, today twice as much,
- a loaf of bread – then around PLN 2.00, today usually no less than PLN 3.00 (in a supermarket, in a bakery it is more expensive),
- flour (1 kg) – then around PLN 1.30, today at least two times more,
- sugar (1 kg) – then close to PLN 2.30, today I believe PLN 5.00 (I buy it once in a blue moon).

But to my surprise, I have found goods, whose price has not gone up significantly (if at all) over that time:
- glass cleaner – then PLN 6.00 per litre, today you might find it at such price at bargain sales,
- Domestos (1 litre) – then PLN 7.00, today you can find 750 ml for PLN 6.00,
- instant tea (100 bags) – then PLN 6.00, today no problem to find Earl Grey from Lidl at such price,
- oranges – then for around PLN 4.00 – PLN 5.00 per kg, recently I saw ones for PLN 3.49 in Lidl.

The above are just exceptions which prove the rule. The costs of living have gone up in recent months by more than the official inflation, with prices of nutrients and dwelling upkeep eating up only bigger parts of households’ budgets, which bears out inflation hits the poorest most. In December 2022 the average salary in Poland reached PLN 7,330 before tax, up by 10.3% year-on-year, while the CPI rate stood at 16.6%, which means real wages declined by 5.4% year-on-year. For the first time since many years Poles have been impoverished and the trend is likely to continue at least for a few months.

Personally, albeit I am faring well financially, I am going to set up a spreadsheet of my personal expenses and divide them into a matrix of four categories: essentials and non-essentials, vs. recurring and non-recurring. I will fill it in based on my bank account statements and jotted down cash payments at the end of each month and after 12 months (otherwise one-off expenses will not count up properly) I will find out how much I need to spend monthly to eke out a living and how much I actually spend. I estimate the former is between PLN 2,000 and PLN 2,500 (including car maintenance) and the latter between PLN 4,500 and PLN 5,000. I pledge revert with a summary in early 2024.