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Isn't it less about the actual foods though, and more about the memories and good feelings associated with them? When I was a kid my great grandmother used to give us chocolate babies. Nasty tasting things, they were, but as an adult I buy them each and every time I see them (they are a bit hard to find). Something to remember her by. My Aussie husband has his Mum send him care packages too. It's a comfort.
Paula |
Does anyone see the funny side of these threads :D Whenever anyone mentions food it expensive, there is a big chorus of OMG thats becuase you shop in a SUPERMARKET, like hello as if the rest of the busy world does not:D :D
As much as I would like to catch my own dinner and make my own butter:rolleyes: the fact is aussie families are as time strapped as anyone else I think thats why supermarkets caught on even in Australia. |
Originally posted by cutgrass There is nothing in Melbourne to compare to the cheapness and convenience of Asda. But we knew that before we came. My wife is an obsessive economiser and she took it as a personal challenge to keep our monthly spend on food and household items as low as possible and this is what she came up with: In the UK we did a weekly shop at Asda and bought everything we thought we needed, and then 1 or 2 short trips a week to buy the things that we didn't know we needed. Now we do the following: Monthly shop to a mall where we buy household items from the cheap shops (like the reject shop for example). Quite often shampoos, toothpaste, cleaning products, tissue etc etc etc are all LOADS cheaper in these shops and to avoid multiple trips we buy for the month. Sometimes jars/tins of food too. We also hit Bi Lo as well for tins and packet foods for the month. We dont spend much and we end up with too much anyway. Weekly run to the market for fresh stuff like meat and veg. It's more fun to go round a market (reminds me of when I was a kid to be honest) you can haggle with the people on the stalls (especially if you are a repeat customer) and most importantly it is a million miles better quality than in the supermarkets and even if you do end up spending a little more money because you got carried away you will get more food (just compare an Asda chicken breast to an Australian one). In short our shopping spend is under control and it's loads more fun this way. Although I suspect most Australians just go to the supermarket like everywhere else though - we just like to save our dollars for the ski slopes down here. Cheers:D P.s seriously though I don't know what the prob is .. I shop in woolworths.. like millions, the majority of this nation does.. I don't like shopping, I don't want to spend how many hours going to how many places to get a week shop.. a supermarket is convient..that's why most people shop at them... one stop does all. I don't like spending my free time shopping for groceries. and haven't the inclination of spending my time shopping around in some obscure outlets... although I ;love the warehouse for my candles and plastic boxes |
Originally posted by Ceri You won't get a decent white sliced loaf in coles or Woolworths for under $2 .. only the cheap brand bread.. which is not soft, and tastes terrible to me. Coles and Woolworths is like shopping in Tesco's or Asda - ie the main supermarkets here. $2.89 is for a decent brand of bread .. I challenge anyone to find "UP" brand for less than a$2 or wonder white, or wonder soft whatever they call it.. don't like that one.. but these are the two best sellers.. ie leading , best selling brands in the supermarket. Some of my other groceries from today in Coles Washed Potatoes - $3.68 for 3 KGs 1 litre tub of All natural (no artificial colours/flavours/additives) Ski yoghurt - $2.99 Bacon shortcuts ie - only the eye piece & no rind - $9.99/kg Jarlsberg cheese - $19.99kg 1.25l Pepsi Max - 89c 15 fruitbars IXL (no artificial colours etc) - $3.12 Kitekat tinned catfood - 69c 6 Quilton 3 ply toilet rolls - $2.99 I get organic tomatoes for $3/kg. My fruit & veges for the week this week cost $10.85, including a lettuce, snowpeas, red pepper, bananas, onions, grapes, oranges, pears & mandarins. If you dont want to spend alot of money on groceries, you dont have to IMO. |
Originally posted by MrsDagboy Dunno what UP brand is, but I quite often buy WonderWhite (pink packet) for $2/loaf in Coles. Today I got MightySoft (same company, but blue packet) for $1.98. I agree, I dislike the cheap brand bread, never buy it. Some of my other groceries from today in Coles Washed Potatoes - $3.68 for 3 KGs 1 litre tub of All natural (no artificial colours/flavours/additives) Ski yoghurt - $2.99 Bacon shortcuts ie - only the eye piece & no rind - $9.99/kg Jarlsberg cheese - $19.99kg 1.25l Pepsi Max - 89c 15 fruitbars IXL (no artificial colours etc) - $3.12 Kitekat tinned catfood - 69c 6 Quilton 3 ply toilet rolls - $2.99 I get organic tomatoes for $3/kg. My fruit & veges for the week this week cost $10.85, including a lettuce, snowpeas, red pepper, bananas, onions, grapes, oranges, pears & mandarins. If you dont want to spend alot of money on groceries, you dont have to IMO. potatoes I buy the brushed. And as you know it depends from week to week on potato prices. snappy top - over a $1 homebrand 60 something cents :D kitikat .. next cheapest up from homebrand.. my cats always turn their noses up at it.. prefer snappy tom ( which is just an average brand) |
Stop it stop it:D More frivolous women entering supermarkets and wasting money, should you not be out grinding wheat or making a batch of gumnut jam?
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Originally posted by jad n rich Stop it stop it:D More frivolous women entering supermarkets and wasting money, should you not be out grinding wheat or making a batch of gumnut jam? People don't want to know real costs. there will always be someone who say blah and blah.. get real. or not buy this and that.. think I'll shoot myself :D ..lol sometimes aye.. you can't open your mouth with the hounds jumping on you , and taking it the wrong way...out to prove things are cheap. Don't take it personally what people say.. let them get on with it. But reading your bill ...this is what I pay for things, and most people here pay the same prices who trudge off to these obscure supermarkets coles and woolworths ( Lol) Don't let it it annoy you.. really. cheers:) |
The bottomline with shopping in Australia is: for cheap and freshness it's a 3 part thing. Supermarket, then butchers for meat and then greengrocers for vegetables and fruits. Coles, Franklins or wherever meat is a joke, so is the fruit, etc.
It's not inconvenient when you realise that all 3 are usually under the same mall roof. Not here in the US. Butchers are a rarity, even here in meat-loving Texas and if you mention greengrocers, you'll get the blank stare from hell. So you're forced to get Kroger or Albertson's brand meat, and we're talking $US15 a pound or more for T-bone steak. That's pound, not kilo. Not even going to mention rib-eye prices. So, if you use your smarts, you can shop for food fairly cheap. |
Originally posted by Ceri a tip don't talk about real prices, , anything which costs. It's only us two in Aus who shop in coles and woolworths. ( between us two we are keeping these two major shops open) ..and find it expensive.lol Don't let it it annoy you.. really. cheers:) Its cool, I just think it must be weird reading all this from the UK where its perfectly acceptable to go and get a competitively priced weekly shop in any of a dozen supermarkets..... to be told to get reasonably priced food in aus the average woman is supposed to gather meat in one place, hike off to the farm to get the veggies, barter the fruit at 5 am from the wholesalers, hunt down toothpaste from asia in the pound shop:eek: and trek all over town to find the specials to make dinner. So much for more leisure time, It sounds so 1940:eek: You just have to laugh :D |
Originally posted by Ulujain The bottomline with shopping in Australia is: for cheap and freshness it's a 3 part thing. Supermarket, then butchers for meat and then greengrocers for vegetables and fruits. Coles, Franklins or wherever meat is a joke, so is the fruit, etc. It's not inco So, if you use your smarts, you can shop for food fairly cheap. the cheapest for veggies and fruit are the markets (same as the UK) the point being like the uk, like the Us aus is a supermarket nation.. and they are not cheap... far from it Australia is no cheaper than the uk , and in my opinin/experience it's far more expensive ( but hey I don't wear rose tinted glasses) ( haven't been to us so I can't comment) . |
Originally posted by jad n rich Its cool, I just think it must be weird reading all this from the UK where its perfectly acceptable to go and get a competitively priced weekly shop in any of a dozen supermarkets..... to be told to get reasonably priced food in aus the average woman is supposed to gather meat in one place, hike off to the farm to get the veggies, barter the fruit at 5 am from the wholesalers, hunt down toothpaste from asia in the pound shop:eek: and trek all over town to find the specials to make dinner. So much for more leisure time, It sounds so 1940:eek: You just have to laugh :D |
Originally posted by Ceri don't worry about it.. you're not mad. you are coming across people who like to spout certain things.. just laugh it off. True you have to shop around more here as the supermarkets are so small. Mind you today it took me 40 mins to do my shop, in the Uk it took 1 1/2 hours to do my Asda trip. The store was so big it took forever to get around it! So at least I have another hour out here to go to the green grocers and butchers!! |
Tinaj
Come down south a bot and try out the Pick n Pay at Aspley (north Brisbane). I went there the other week and its the first supermarket I've ever been to whcih sells TVs, white goods CD, clothes, DIY stuff, paint etc. I was amazed, I didn't think they did that sort of thing here. By the way Pick N pay is a Coles brand. (I only bought some Kangaroo steaks myself) Jayr |
Originally posted by Ceri don't worry about it.. you're not mad. you are coming across people who like to spout certain things.. just laugh it off. I am new to posting here, but have been lurking for quite a while. Your remark is very unfair. People who hold a different view and lead their lives differently to you, are no more "spouting certain things" than you are. You do not hold a monopoly on what is and isn't true of Australia, no more than i am. I live here, and i shop very cheaply indeed, much cheaper than i did in UK. As for the comment from someone above, stating that you have to run all over town to buy better and cheaper food and it therefore being too time consuming is utter rubbish!! My local supermarket (which is quite large in itself) is in a small mall with a very good quality butcher who sells his wares far cheaper than the supermarket, next to this is a bakers, again, far better quality than the supermarket. The same goes for the green grocers, pharmacy and various other small one man business shops congregated in very close proximity to each other. If you choose the quick shopping option that is more expensive, and cant be bothered to search out better alternatives, thats your perogitive, but don't pour scorn and ridicule on those who do!! |
Originally posted by jad n rich Its cool, I just think it must be weird reading all this from the UK where its perfectly acceptable to go and get a competitively priced weekly shop in any of a dozen supermarkets..... to be told to get reasonably priced food in aus the average woman is supposed to gather meat in one place, hike off to the farm to get the veggies, barter the fruit at 5 am from the wholesalers, hunt down toothpaste from asia in the pound shop:eek: and trek all over town to find the specials to make dinner. So much for more leisure time, It sounds so 1940:eek: You just have to laugh :D |
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