Guest Andy Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Yeah, but even that's not enough for some folk. Folk are for ever noting baked beans at $1.70 a can, yet heinz baked beans are on special every month at coles and woolies for $1...............even then, if they bought at normal price they'd have to eat 10 cans a week to be $6.70 out of pocket...............big deal!.............what's so hard about stocking up when you're notified of "specials"? I never buy anything, other than on special and it doesn't take too long or is hard work, once you've been informed via flyers. Nothing stranger than folk............they'll cue at a servo to save 4 cents a litre and put 30 litres in their car saving $1.20................My prado has a 150 litre tank but I wouldn't sit in a queue to fill her up. That will last about 3 weeks saving me $2 a week...........whoppy do! Even though I am price conscious.........there's better/bigger savings to be had elsewhere without queing. Ask 'em to find a butcher doing rump at $4.99 a kilo (as mine does) instead of buying at Coles at $18 a kilo, or vegies and fruit, for less than half the price of Coles, and they go spare, saying they haven't got the time to shop around or that they didn't come to Oz to scrimp and save yet they'll sit in a queue for petrol!!!! I must admit that i found what you are saying re the butchers to be the case when we were there, i did find the price of meat very high but generally where there was a store there was a butchers nearby and as you rightly say you could get the meat for a fraction of the price that the store's were charging just for being bothered to walk there and make an effort. Like i say we did find the store's expensive but you could deffo get good deals just by buying in bulk or buying the discount lines. Probably not really the best person to comment on this as i have never lived there and only been on holiday and i appreciate things change very quickly but that was my take on it for the short time we were there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Oh Kev, one of these days we'll agree on something, in the meantime however....shall we talk football?:wubclub: :biggrin: I just did.................if punters are prepared to queue or look for cut price petrol as they have said they've done on PIO before, then why not groceries? Sez you. If they didn't inform you of specials, then that would hardly be a ringing endorsement now would it? As for "spending hours of their weekend time driving around town looking for bargains" Why would they have to do that? the flyers inform them of the specials so they hardly have to go looking for them. All the major supermarkets, my bucher, and greengrocer are all within a 5 minute drive. My weekly shop takes me around an hour all up. If they don't want to "study junk mail", then they can hardly complain that it's expensive here.................highlight of my week reading "junk mail" which informs me of their special offer of t bone at $18 instead of $21 when I'm paying $6.99 at a shop right on their doorstep. Once you've found a shop that sells cheaply, why then would you have to spend hours at weekend looking for bargains, unless of course they move shop every week? :goofy: It must be marvelous in the UK, having tescos, asda et al and your local greengrocer and butcher (if you don't fancy supermarket meat, fruit and veg) all alongside each other just so you don't have to, " spend hours of your weekend time driving around town looking for bargains, or studying junk mail" To add to the debate. IME not only is it worth shopping around for cheaper than the supermarkets, the cheaper food is also better and the "uniformed size and colour" of supermarket fruit is an instant put off...............more time expended growing them a perfect shape, than their is growing 'em for flavour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTTY Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Spain will be tons cheaper to shop Oz, it's ridiculous here it really is, plus the quality is not that good either I hate to say!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Oh Kev, one of these days we'll agree on something, in the meantime however....shall we talk football?:wubclub: No fish..................it's dirt cheap here..................catch my own..............along with cray/crab/prawn........................I even swop some with my butcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 We're not far from Bracken Ridge - where's the butcher please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 We're not far from Bracken Ridge - where's the butcher please? Jack Purcells: http://jackpurcellmeats.com.au/ warbys: full rumps going out at 4.99 and leg hams at 6.99 http://www.warbys.com/ pattons: http://www.biggun.com.au/locations/ you can sign up for a weekly newsletter that tells you their specials. I only buy when on special and in bulk and freeze it on it's sell by date.............meat is a bit too fresh here and the older it is, the tenderer it is. Keep your eye open for IGA premium rump (not budget) they do it on special regularly and although it's a bit dearer at 8.99 it's always very tasty and tender, especially if you hang onto it till it's sell by date. I recommend that with all meats in Oz as it's very green, being turned out of the abattoir fairly quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamjar Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I just did.................if punters are prepared to queue or look for cut price petrol as they have said they've done on PIO before, then why not groceries? Sez you. If they didn't inform you of specials, then that would hardly be a ringing endorsement now would it? As for "spending hours of their weekend time driving around town looking for bargains" Why would they have to do that? the flyers inform them of the specials so they hardly have to go looking for them. All the major supermarkets, my bucher, and greengrocer are all within a 5 minute drive. My weekly shop takes me around an hour all up. If they don't want to "study junk mail", then they can hardly complain that it's expensive here.................highlight of my week reading "junk mail" which informs me of their special offer of t bone at $18 instead of $21 when I'm paying $6.99 at a shop right on their doorstep. Once you've found a shop that sells cheaply, why then would you have to spend hours at weekend looking for bargains, unless of course they move shop every week? :goofy: It must be marvelous in the UK, having tescos, asda et al and your local greengrocer and butcher (if you don't fancy supermarket meat, fruit and veg) all alongside each other just so you don't have to, " spend hours of your weekend time driving around town looking for bargains, or studying junk mail" To add to the debate. IME not only is it worth shopping around for cheaper than the supermarkets, the cheaper food is also better and the "uniformed size and colour" of supermarket fruit is an instant put off...............more time expended growing them a perfect shape, than their is growing 'em for flavour. Good Luck in finding many of those around these days, I have a Tescos, Waitrose and Asda near buy. No local butcher, fishmonger or fruit and veg guys and neither do any of my friends. On top of that, a mini tesco opened up and within 6 months 2 local little (bread and milk) shops and a local wine merchant went bust. We have a local market once a week and those prices make Oz look cheap - they seem to think that because its a market we can charge a fortune. Tescos and local planning authorities have a lot to answer for as this a big part of the reason that local comminities in the UK are changing so much. Yes tescos etc might be cheap but there is a reason, there meat is revolting and the chicken contains more water than anything else. I know Oz aint cheap but I am just hoping its not rubbish quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Spain will be tons cheaper to shop Oz, it's ridiculous here it really is, plus the quality is not that good either I hate to say!! I hope Spain is tons cheaper, given the economic problems they are having. I don't know where you are but the quality of food in this part of Oz is superb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiralx Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 at least you can actually grow a lemon tree over there Our new Geelong house has a lemon tree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablo Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 at least you can actually grow a lemon tree over there Lol,this is true! awww i tell yer,i mean we all compare things dont we?,its not a crime in my eyes anyway,doesnt mean your dissing Aus if you compare,even the Aussies on here will acknowledge that i would think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slean Wolfhead Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Good Luck in finding many of those around these days, I have a Tescos, Waitrose and Asda near buy. No local butcher, fishmonger or fruit and veg guys and neither do any of my friends. On top of that, a mini tesco opened up and within 6 months 2 local little (bread and milk) shops and a local wine merchant went bust. We have a local market once a week and those prices make Oz look cheap - they seem to think that because its a market we can charge a fortune. Tescos and local planning authorities have a lot to answer for as this a big part of the reason that local comminities in the UK are changing so much. Yes tescos etc might be cheap but there is a reason, there meat is revolting and the chicken contains more water than anything else. I know Oz aint cheap but I am just hoping its not rubbish quality. This is the major difference I've found in Oz, compared to the UK. The Oz shops (where i live) are like the UK 15 yrs ago before the supermarkets destroyed local independents. The amount of local food is amazing and the quality is superb : butchers, bakers, delis..it's outstanding. I don't compare "like for like" anymore because I don't buy the same food in Oz....am more prepared to get better quality for things like for fresh meat and veg, or buy freshly made scotch pies....and economise in other areas (like chocolate and biscuits). I'll go to Aldi for the normal veggies (all locally sourced), or a market for something special. The one thing i would say is that Supermarkets in Oz are now doing what they did in the UK....positioning themselves to crush the locals. I still think the quality in places like Coles is good, but it has to be while they're still competing. It's only after they've destroyed the locals that they drop the quality to maintain profits. What Jamjar says about Tesco's UK chicken is right....it's cheap, small, watery intensively-farmed junk and half the size of Ozzie chicken breasts. But it didn't always used to be this bad....only since they got rid of the competition and made themselves the only option have they been able to drop the quality and force farmers into ludicrous prices, and the suppliers have no options because there's nobody left to sell to. The same goes for Sainsbury's, Asda.....a little better but more expensive at Waitrose and M+S. It brought it home to me when i bought a Coles chicken balti, huge pieces of chicken, big portions...not bad at all. The rubbish I was getting in Sainsbury's before i left the UK, about 4 little pieces of naff chicken and a load of sauce...I just stopped buying it in the end. It didn't used to be such poor quality when they started doing these Indian meals....but when these guys have killed the competition they can do what they like. The sad thing is that the same will happen in Oz as happened in the UK. People will go for the supermarkets because of the convenience and the independents will eventually go under. Then the supermarkets drop the quality. I don't think there's a way to stop it, but I'm doing more for my Aussie locals than I did in the UK, just because I realise a lot better how they're worth protecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablo Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 So......as somebody who only validated the visa for a few weeks and didnt watch the pennies,not that im rich but it was a holiday kind of thing.. Do most people over there go to butchers,veg shops etc rather than just buy everything at Coles/Woolies like we did? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 So......as somebody who only validated the visa for a few weeks and didnt watch the pennies,not that im rich but it was a holiday kind of thing..Do most people over there go to butchers,veg shops etc rather than just buy everything at Coles/Woolies like we did? They don't have food at Coles/Woolies, well not what you'd call food anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Jack Purcells: http://jackpurcellmeats.com.au/ warbys: full rumps going out at 4.99 and leg hams at 6.99 http://www.warbys.com/ pattons: http://www.biggun.com.au/locations/ you can sign up for a weekly newsletter that tells you their specials. I only buy when on special and in bulk and freeze it on it's sell by date.............meat is a bit too fresh here and the older it is, the tenderer it is. Keep your eye open for IGA premium rump (not budget) they do it on special regularly and although it's a bit dearer at 8.99 it's always very tasty and tender, especially if you hang onto it till it's sell by date. I recommend that with all meats in Oz as it's very green, being turned out of the abattoir fairly quickly. Thank you. I'm having a look now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 The sad thing is that the same will happen in Oz as happened in the UK. People will go for the supermarkets because of the convenience and the independents will eventually go under. Then the supermarkets drop the quality. I don't think there's a way to stop it, but I'm doing more for my Aussie locals than I did in the UK, just because I realise a lot better how they're worth protecting. It won't happen here. The majority of greengrocers are Italian or Greek and buy their produce from family or grow it themselves...............in many instances it doesn't look "pretty' but the taste is excellent and they know their market.............other Italians and greeks with me being merely icing on the cake. The same with butchers. The butchers that I've published also know their market.............Purcells is chocka on a saturday and sunday with "islanders" because their pork is half the price of coles and the islanders eat mainly pork. Likewise with "offal"............they sell pig's heads/trotters and heaps of "lamb fry" (liver) and kidneys that both coles and wollies no longer sell other than cryvaced tiny packets...............it's traditional butchering at it's best, the like of which Coles and woolies will never match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 So......as somebody who only validated the visa for a few weeks and didnt watch the pennies,not that im rich but it was a holiday kind of thing..Do most people over there go to butchers,veg shops etc rather than just buy everything at Coles/Woolies like we did? Even if you are buying your meat at Coles, go to the fresh meat counter rather than pre packaged, get more for your money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 So......as somebody who only validated the visa for a few weeks and didnt watch the pennies,not that im rich but it was a holiday kind of thing..Do most people over there go to butchers,veg shops etc rather than just buy everything at Coles/Woolies like we did? We have an excellent butchers near us, theres also Tasman meats where you can buy meat in bulk and both are great value, great quality. Same for local fruit and veg shops. Aldi does very good fruit, veg, meat, wine, beer, crisps, milk, cheese, curry sauce, pasta sauce, pasta, rice, bog roll, toothpaste, toilet cleaner...you get the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 As Harpodom said Aldi have some great stuff, at the minute they have whole chickens at $2.99 Pr Kilo, compared to Woolys and Coles who price them around $5.99 pr kilo, it is a massive saving. Buying a lot of 'pantry food' at Aldi also saves the $$$ , some stuff may be only 20 or 30 cents cheaper but if you have a trolley full the savings really add up. I find the odd weeks where Woolys have some decent deals on Meat and fish but the majoirty of the time the butchers are much cheaper. Coles is nailing our area for fruit and veg at the minute, every the local fruit shop cant beat their weekly specials.. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Until the locals are gone then the prices will skyrocket! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablo Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 We have an excellent butchers near us, theres also Tasman meats where you can buy meat in bulk and both are great value, great quality. Same for local fruit and veg shops. Aldi does very good fruit, veg, meat, wine, beer, crisps, milk, cheese, curry sauce, pasta sauce, pasta, rice, bog roll, toothpaste, toilet cleaner...you get the idea. So shop in veg shops for veg and butchers for meat,everything else use the supermarket,makes sense i suppose,just used to going the one shop mostly,but IF i have time i go to a market on a saturday by us,butcher there gave me 5 gammon joints for a fiver last week,meal for two in each of them,just get a bit lazy and cba going different shops is all tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candygirl Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 If anyone read my posts and thought I was dissing Oz, then you have me all wrong. I wouldn't have gone through the last few months and many more to come (I'm sure) if I was not in love with the Great Southern Land. As part of our research I took someone's advice and did the dummy shop. I actually found the basic staples to be cheaper than that in the UK or Spain. I just wish I hadn't mentioned the peppers!! I am going to notice it more as shopping in Spain is cheap, whether in supermarket or local market/shops. It seems to be the same in Oz then, purchasing from the smaller shops can work out cheaper. This is completely the opposite in the UK, the supermarkets have their price wars and do their best to entice people into their shops. If you are doing your research online, all you have to go on is the supermarkets. I might be able to get fillet steak a fiver cheaper down the road at Fred Elliot's Butchers, but unless he has a website, I cannot check his prices LOL. Thanks everyone for the tips, it hasn't put me off of Coles or Woolies, I will just need to look out for the specials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Got to admit we shop where the deals are. If Woolies are offering good deals on our regular buys, we`ll go there, otherwise it is Coles for us. I tried our local fruit market but it only lasted about three days before going bad. Is it sad to think I am so looking fwd to shopping at M&S for some food when I go back! Im gonna treat myself!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabo Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 We are in a local 'Harvest Hub' group. If you are a 'hubster' you get your veggies free. We let someone else do that though. We spend $48 on veges and fruit on our Harvest Hub weekly bag. We probably have to top up on apples once a week ($2 a kilo at the mo as they are in season). Our box also includes a dozen free-range eggs. When back in Edinburgh, we used to have a local council-subsidised van come around. We got all our veggies and fruit for about £22 for the week. Otherwise, we shop at Woolies - probably spend $180-230 a week, and maybe $30 at the butcher depending on what his weekly offer is. Other than that, milk and bread through the week. One thing we do notice with the harvest hub thing are the seasonal veggies and fruit. They source most of their stuff from the Sydney basin too. However, the downside is you do get short of ideas for what to do with bok-choi.... For a while I used to trek up to Aldi. You get some great bargains there on fruit and veg, and their DVD/Freeview combo boxes are great once you find the only one in the store that works properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time4change Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I also did a dummy shop at Coles....(course, the delivery charge would have killed me ;-)) and it was pretty comparable. AND that was on branded goods compared to my Tesco shop over here with some of their own brand (not value) stuff. It's going to be more expensive, we all know that - but people earn more, and the choices we are making are outweighing the fact that food is more expensive. It's sad that the thread went a little off kilter with people getting defensive about things - no-one is here to have a go at anyone, I'm a real newbie, and I've found the info on here invaluable. Course - apparently cars are ridiculously priced, but hey...maybe we'll walk more, or use public transport. We're only trying to learn....be kind to us :-)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 If anyone read my posts and thought I was dissing Oz, then you have me all wrong. I wouldn't have gone through the last few months and many more to come (I'm sure) if I was not in love with the Great Southern Land. As part of our research I took someone's advice and did the dummy shop. I actually found the basic staples to be cheaper than that in the UK or Spain. I just wish I hadn't mentioned the peppers!! I am going to notice it more as shopping in Spain is cheap, whether in supermarket or local market/shops. It seems to be the same in Oz then, purchasing from the smaller shops can work out cheaper. This is completely the opposite in the UK, the supermarkets have their price wars and do their best to entice people into their shops. If you are doing your research online, all you have to go on is the supermarkets. I might be able to get fillet steak a fiver cheaper down the road at Fred Elliot's Butchers, but unless he has a website, I cannot check his prices LOL. Thanks everyone for the tips, it hasn't put me off of Coles or Woolies, I will just need to look out for the specials. It's not just the prices though. I'd go to the butchers even if coles could match 'em on price. I just think their meats are of very inferior quality compared to a butchers and are butchered and packaged merely to look appealing, when in fact, they're cr@p. A lot of that is down to the meat being too fresh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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