AllGoode

I have lurked here a while and have become interested in why some posters report that they find things expensive in Australia.

The easiest to compare shopping appears to be groceries because very similar things are offered in a very similar way in both Britain and Australia.

This week we had to do our shopping (for 2) all in Woolworths early Saturday evening when the other shops were closed, so I thought a direct item by item comparison of our weekly shop cost in Woolworths and ASDA would be more comparable.

The cost: Woolworths $139.50, ASDA $144.00 (@ $1.65 / £ 1.00).

Post a scan of your weekly shopping receipt if you like; it could be interesting / helpful.

Here is my weekly grocery shopping receipt and analysis:

kporte

In spite of all the hullabaloo in either camp, the fact is the costs are broadly similar in both countries when you weigh it all up.

ABCDiamond

John West canned foods are about 12.8% higher in Australia, based on Woolworths and Tesco's, and the average wage comparison.

rinkerdink

And all based on the short term (hopefully) exchange rate.

ABCDiamond

$139.50 is 10.36% of the Australian average wage
£ 87.23 ($144.00 at 1.65) is 16.46% of the UK average wage

If you earn the same relative % of average earnings in each country, the above will be realistic.

AllGoode

If the £ weakened further to to $1.598 / £1.00 then the cost of the ASDA basket would drop to equal the Woolworths basket (both $139.50).

If the $ weakened so that the exchange rate went back to $2.00 / £1.00 then the ASDA basket would cost $174.54 (25% more than Woolworths).

At $2.50 / £1.00 the ASDA basket would cost $218.18 (56% more).

jayde

Thanks so much for the spreadsheet of Australian prices, its really helpful to be able to gauge the differences we will see on our return from the USA.

Anyone else?

Dreamy

I'm extremely picky - you've compared what I believe is a normal washing liquid (the Woolies one) to what is definitely a concentrated washing liquid (the ASDA one)

Having said that, I'm an extremely lazy shopper who doesn't look at prices, I just buy what I want to buy, and I haven't really seen a noticeable rise in my shopping costs.

MartinLuther

I don't seem to find it as expensive here as a lot of people do. I agree at the moment Aus appears more expensive than the UK because of the exchange rate. However the last time I went back the only stuff that was really cheaper was bogan food (ready made pizza, crisps, etc.)

Got bogof on Boots home brand sun cream but even then it was still about 50% more than Woolies home brand.

Prior to the pound tanking it I found the expensive not expensive threads used to follow the seasonal cycle.

Anyhoo. Good thread AllGoode. This subject has been dominated for too long by the ukopians and Aus knockers.

AllGoode

I buy the Woolies laundry detergent because it works as well as others I have tried, my wife prefers liquid (although I do not believe that being liquid significantly improves performance) and because it is cheaper than the other offerings at Woolies. I use about the same quantity as I would of other detergents so it is much cheaper to use than Woolies other offerings. It is cheap enough that I can economically add more than strictly required to wash extra dirty clothes and still come out considerably ahead on cost.

I selected the ASDA Smartprice Biological - liquid wash simply because it was the cheapest liquid ASDA offering. I have never used it and I have no idea if it performs satisfactorily or whether I could use substantially less than the Woolies offering.

paddyo

I find it all a much of a muchness!! The only thing is the variable price of fruit and veg due to seasons, but you learn to live with that.
We actually do our bulk shopping at Aldi which saves roughly 30% on our Woolies bills, then we do ad hoc shopping at Coles or a local fruit and veg shop.

AllGoode

Please excuse my asking directly but would you mind posting a scan of your Aldi weekly shopping receipt?

The reason I ask is that when I have shopped at Aldi, I have come out with just one or two items at a saving of just a few cents and end up going to Woolies for the bulk of my shopping. Very occasionally their gadgets are worth buying, more often on an impulse only to find better value elsewhere.

Part of the reason I no longer shop at Aldi is that they have brands I have not tried and they do not offer a sufficient discount to the brands I know to make it worth risking my time and money to try their products. Another reason is that their product packages are often smaller than Woolies and while cost per item is lower in some instances, the price per unit volume or weight is often higher; or so it seems. Another reason is that their range is more limited reducing the ability to make in-shop price comparisons.

Dreamy

My comment wasn't based on its efficiency - but on its price. You've compared 2 x 2l of normal liquid detergent to 4 x 1l of concentrate. 1l of concentrate is equivalent to 2l of normal.

HTH.

AllGoode

There is no mention of either the active ingredients or their concentrations that I can see or find for either product. All I can go on then is how efficient it is:- how much it takes to perform adequately.

Woolies directions for use suggest: 60mL for small washes, 125mL for large washes and an extra 60mL to extra 185mL for heavily soiled clothing. I have found that is about right for my largish top loader machine. A little directly on extra dirty shirt collars or other stains works nicely.

verystormy

We used to shop a lot at the big market in Leicester and here we dont have a market so find things very expensive. For example i could go to the market last thing on a saturday as they sold things off and pick up a kilo of mushrooms for 50p, there is no way i can get that here.