ABCDiamond

1 Loaf of bread in my local shops
$1.40 Burgos fruit market
$1.20 ALDI
$1.19 Vic Pt Fruit Shop
$3.00 Night Owl


2 litres milk in my local shops
$2.20 Burgos
$2.20 ALDI
$2.20 Vic Pt Fruit Shop

My annual Food and General Supermarket shopping since we moved to QLD:

2003/04 $5,999
2004/05 $6,623 up 10.4%
2005/06 $7,101 up 7.2%
2006/07 $7,192 up 1.3%
2007/08 $8,055 up 12.0%
2008/09 $8,200 up 1.8% (based on July-May average)

We are a family of three, moderate and healthy eaters. I suppose we are careful, but eat what we like, and like what we eat.

Avoid supermarkets for meat, fruit and vegetables, and you will save a fortune.

You would probably spend somewhere between my examples and others. However, I know some locals who think we spend a lot !!!

WillBlack

Basic costs; just running expenses such as food, fuel, rates, utilities, holidays; not including house, car, appliance depreciation or savings:
$30K per year.

Groceries for 2 retired, $100 per week and overfed at that; includes cleaners etc. Most items purchased from Woolies with a careful eye to finding the better value for quality. Some meat and veg purchased from Halal grocer according to the value for quality criteria. Shopping repertoire and cooking menu adjusted on the spot to take advantage of good value for quality offers.

Being retired means just a little more time is used to improve both menu and shopping. Costs before retirement were only slightly more but we now eat slightly better.

Bread is a silly price these days. We, along with most, make our own. Starting with Laucke "Barossa Sour Dough Rye Bread Mix", last night we made some exceedingly nice olive bread in the bread maker. Mostly I eat rice rather than bread as I find bread, rather than satisfying, makes me more hungry and more liable to overeat.

renth

We spend $400 a week on groceries easy - 2 adults 3 kids.

I reckon if it were me doing the shopping I could reduce that to $300 but it isn't so I keep quiet or it WILL be me doing it.

Other expenses, well around here the absolute minimum you'd spend on rent would be $400 a week, more likely to be around $500.
Alcohol - $90/week !!
Car insurance/fuel/maintenance 2 cars - $170
Telstra (inc Foxtel) $50
Leccy $30
Local Tax: $50
Buildings/contents insurance $30
Gas $10
Water $20

So, that's $1350 a week if you are renting.

Add saving for holidays, clothes, pool chemicals, household maintenance etc and I reckon you're looking at more like $1500 a week to live a comfortable life.

ABCDiamond

I think you would need 2 chickens for that, that'll be $10 at our local butchers, for the two of them, all nice and hot

Or about $22 at Woolworths ?

One of those chickens does the three of us, with a bit left for a sandwich for me the next day.
Throw in a few baked potates at $1.00 per Kg (ALDI), $1.60 p kg (Burgos) or $3.50 per kg at Woolworths, and a few vegetables, and you have a dinner for three for under $10 ($3 each), unless you bought at Woolworths, when it becomes almost $10 per HEAD.

ABCDiamond

That's more than we earn, before tax

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Based on my own personal experience of the price of those items in Woolies as opposed to the same items in the local fruit&veg shop and butcher it’s a complete myth that you will “save a fortune”.... and the article I posted earlier supports me on this. Quote..

“As in earlier surveys, the average price of the weekly basket was lower if all fresh fruit, vegetables and meat were purchased from independent greengrocers and butchers, rather than at the supermarkets: by $8.04 (3.4%) in 2005 and $8.70 (3.5%) in 2007.

3.5% is hardly a fortune.

renth

It's more than I earn too

Fortunately Family Tax Benefit helps and I don't have to pay the rent element of my calculations.

renth

True, the butchers around here are no cheaper than the supermarkets, in fact they are more expensive.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Very similar over in NSW as well. We tend to buy the bulk of the meat we get from Woollies but I would say that 90% of what we buy will be marked up reduced.

ABCDiamond

It also says "Conclusion
These results indicate that the affordability of healthy eating has remained relatively constant from 2000 to 2007,"
Trends in the affordability of the Illawarra Healthy Food Basket 2000-2007

Those figures actually show an increase of 2.7% per year on average betwen 2000 and 2007. Hence why they say relatively constant.

My own costs have risen by 6.45% per year, much higher than down in Illawarra.

ABCDiamond

People need to do a REAL comparison in their own area.

Each area must differ a lot.

However, maybe I should say no more, otherwise my area may become overcrowded

iamthecreaturefromuranus

The Illawarra IS my own area... in fact since I moved to Shellharbour one of the malls used in the survey, Warrilla Grove, is where we do most of our grocery shopping.

ABCDiamond

Choice Consumer - Grocery Basket Prices

Outer Brisbane South - May 09 Survey Results

$62.93 ALDI
$81.50 Woolworths / Safeway
$83.74 Coles / BI-LO
$87.32 Independents

Main Supermarkets were shown by Choice magazine to be 30% higher in price than ALDI.

The independents are such as IGA/Foodworks etc.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Which is great if you don't mind shopping in Aldi and then having to go on to Woolies or Coles to get all the other stuff you need that Aldi didn't have in.

asprilla