MrsDagboy

Im NOT posting this as a thread about if its cheaper to live in the UK or Australia but I was truly shocked at something that Donna posted in another thread about the price of some grocery items she had recently bought. This was her list & prices ...

Lg box cornflkes$5.49
2L Milk$2.51
Lg tin soup $3.49
4 bars soap(one of the cheapest) $3.14
6 eggs $2.66
6 loo roll $3.00
pkt cheap biscuits 98c
1kg Cheese $6.49
bread $2.49
tin tomatoes 66c
bananas $2.48 kilo, apples $1.98 kilo, onions $1.38 kilo


I was gobsmacked at some of the prices on that list, $2.66 for half a dozen eggs? I could walk into any supermarket in Brisbane & pay less that that for a dozen eggs (we have our own chooks now, but from memory the last ones I bought 6 months ago were $1.99). Also soup for $3.49??? You have to be kidding! Even the Campbells Country Label stuff over here I wouldnt expect to pay more than $2. Similarly for a 4 pack of soap.

Some of the prices seem fairly similar to here ie $2.50 for milk, unless you go looking for somewhere selling it cheap when you can get it for $2, $2.50 for a loaf of bread (you can get it cheaper, but thats an average price in the supermarket) & 80-90 cents for a packet of cheap biscuits.

I know that Perth fairly isolated, but its no wonder some of the people on here say that they struggle to make ends meet. :scared: .

Anyone have any comments on grocery prices in other cities?

Jirrupin

These items were taken off a shopping list a few weeks ago this week we bought 12 eggs $5.19, these are barn eggs not the cheapest but the ones I would usually buy. Milk this week at the same store was$2.61 250g butter$1.49 1.5kg potatoes $2.65. 1kg yogurt $3.28

We usually shop at Coles, we have also tried shopping at woolies and dewsons, you can get somethings cheaper at dewsons because they have more of the black and gold range but these are the prices i paid.

I haven't kept the prices for meat as I usually split the bulk packs and freeze them but from memory lamb is about $15 kilo and chicken on a bulk buy I can get 6 breasts for about $10-12.

maybe we should move.

MrsDagboy

Donna, perhaps, but thats why I asked for other peoples experiences, maybe other cities are similar to Perth & Brisbanes the odd one out? I dont know, but I can tell you, I certainly dont pay prices like some of those when I go shopping.

I usually shop at Coles as well, last week a selection of common groceries I bought ...
rump steak - $7.95 kg,
chicken breasts - $8.99 kg,
250g of unsalted butter - 98cents,
500g margarine - $1.19
300ml thickened cream - 85c
600g of fresh pasta, meat ravioli - $3.77
6 pack of crumpets - $1.28
680g bread - $2.20
avocados - 98 cents and
bananas - 79c/kg
I saw potatoes for 98c/kg, but didnt buy any as well already had some. The yoghurts sounds about the same at just over $3 for a 1 kg tub, I buy those for the boys, sometimes you can get it cheaper if its on special but what you quoted is an average price.

Makes me wonder how things can be so much more expensive, look at the butter, thats a 50% markup!

Jirrupin

Brisbane is looking good. Long way from here to shop though.

PeteY

Or the Narnas !! Glad bananas in Bris are'nt as pricey as they are in Perth....i tend to get through quite a few

MrsDagboy

LOL, bit difficult to get the icecream home before it melts

MrsDagboy

Pete, it does depend on the time of year, I paid up to $1.99/kg for them during winter, but for 8 months of the year here they are around the $1/kg mark.

You should be safe .

HiddenPaw

Not trying to be controversial but....the shopping lists on here don't go down to the detail of brand or quality of product....which is probably where some of the differences lie.

I can buy hormone-stuffed chicken for $8 a kilo or I can buy free range, organic chicken for $13 a kilo.

I can buy battery eggs for $2 or vegetarian, barn laid eggs for $3.

I can buy Heinz baked beans for $1.20 or I can buy Coles own brand for $80c

I can buy lettuce grown under a lamp for $2 or lettuce grown on a farm for $4.

All prices above are off the top of my head -I'm just trying to make a point that in order for the prices to be comparable, the quality and/or brand need to be comparable.

HP

PeteY

As long as they are'nt those daft ladies fingers jobs we had when i was in Noosa last. As you buy them by weight you end up buying more skin than banana. Give me one of the bog standard ones anyday

tiredwithtwins

hi mrs d and jirrupin,
this is a really interesting thread!!
can I ask you both about supermarkets? do you get the countrywide chains like in the uk? eg morrisons etc...
and can you do your grocery shopping online? I do my weekly shop online with asda, and spend about £65/wk - they charge £4.25 for delivery tho. then there is all the extra bits during the week, so I spend around £80/wk altogether (we spend over £11 a week on milk alone!) Its less if I manage to leave hubby out of it - when he gets goind he spends tons on crisps and biccies!!!


sue

tiredwithtwins

have just made the cardinal sin of converting those prices back to £'s, and the cost does seem slightly lower than uk prices.
I know that is of absolutely no use at all, but it interested me.

happy shopping

sue

PeteY

http://www.coles.com.au/

Coles do online shopping...

The big chains are:

Coles
Woolworths
Bi-Lo


Sure there are others....just can't remember

Jirrupin

Yes obviously there is a difference in brands the butter and cheese we get is watsonia, most cheeses appear to be comparable.

We do but kellogs cornflakes and heinz beans we have started to buy the cheaper tomatoes, usually most things we get are coles own brands as they are cheaper.

I am interested in teh State difference, I am sure that other even in perth may have different prices, there was a consumer prog recently which showed a huge mark up on different items in different stores, shop in less desrable areas and things can be cheaper.

The store we use is the largest closest to where we live, we do the in between shopping at the local supa value, you can often get cheaper veg etc. We usually shop late in the afternoon to get the reduced meat and veggies.

Tired with twins it is a cardinal sin to covert back to pounds

CHnJ

This is better than the UK then. Here supermarkets in poorer areas mark their prices up

MrsDagboy

HP, while what you say is partly true, I think that Donna & I are probably talking about mostly similar products since we both shop at coles. Obviously some brands are different because they arent national, but Im not talking about all the cheapest & Donna the most expensive Im sure. I tend to buy only a couple of the homebrand products, ones that I know make no difference ie as dotty pointed out that come out of the same factory as a well known brand. Probably one thing that is different with Donna & I are the eggs, yes the $2/dozen ones are standard, not free range (thats why we have our own chooks ). The meat was all standard supermarket stuff, not organic or anything, the marg & cream was farmland brand, butter was Western Star (I think). Bread was large supplier, crumpets similar (Tiptop I think) & the pasta was average brand (Di Casta I think it is).

Mine are just average everyday groceries, certainly not all the cheapest brands. Hopefully that qualifies it a bit more.

TWT, yes Coles is australia wide, as is Woolworths. Sydney & Melb I think have online shopping & delivery, I dont think its hit Brisbane yet, after all we are 30 years behind, or so everyone says