Have you been shopping lately? If so you will know that the cost of just about everything seems to be going up.

What you may not have noticed is that, in many cases, the cost of supermarkets' "own label" products are rising at a slower rate than "premium" brands (or, more properly, well known and heavily advertised products).

This is actually illogical, since the cost of raw materials used to produce premium brands and "own label" goods are presumably increasing at the same rate. So if the flower used to bake a loaf of bread rises in cost to the manufacturer by, say 10p, you would expect the cost of both premium and "own label" bread to rise by 10p – perhaps a little more.

But in fact anecdotal evidence suggests that, over the past six months, the cost of some premium loaves has risen by as much as 50p, while "own label" bread has risen by only 25p or so.

Since other overheads should also be rising uniformly, it should be the case that percentage rises in premium products should be below the percentage rise in the price of lower margin goods. That this is not the case is not just an indication of potential profiteering somewhere. It is also evidence that inflation is being driven unnecessarily higher by those seeking to increase their profit margins at the expense of the consumer.

Ours in not, thankfully, a 'directed' economy; so government can do little to redress the balance. But consumers can be all powerful, if they wish to exercise their power. By refusing to buy premium goods that are rising in price too quickly, we can force price cuts that will help slow inflation.

There is already evidence that rising fuel prices have dramatically cut consumption, which could well hit the oil speculators hard. Let's see if we can do the same on domestic inflation.

The question of unreasonably driven inflation is not an academic point because more than 2.5 million pensioners are now in poverty, according to recent data. While this reinforces the increasing importance of planning your retirement, it also shows that we need to watch costs, as well as personal resources.

Do you have a story to tell about unreasonably rising prices? If so, please let us know, below, so that we can build a dossier.