Guest dwaldron Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Out of curiosity I logged on to http://www.coles.com.au and did what I would have thought was a 'normal' weekly shop for our household of two adults. I thought the easiest way was to shove it into a spreadsheet so that I could refer to it later. If you are interested, you can get a copy of the spreadsheet at http://www.levelx.co.uk/oz-col.xls and save a copy somewhere on your PC. Obviously if you are not in the UK you could change the exchange rate field in the spreadsheet to whereever you are. I was quite surprised to find that my weekly shop is in fact about the same £ wise as it is in the UK, although, I must admit, there seems to be a significant saving when it comes to wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ABCDiamond Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Out of curiosity I logged on to http://www.coles.com.au and did what I would have thought was a 'normal' weekly shop for our household of two adults. I thought the easiest way was to shove it into a spreadsheet so that I could refer to it later. I find Coles is expensive !! No wonder many people find that I spend lot less than them But then I have been here some years, and I know the better places to buy food (Especially Meat) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dwaldron Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 I have heard that Coles is expensive and also that online prices are dearer, so perhaps if we all shave off 15% things won't be so bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ABCDiamond Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 I have heard that Coles is expensive and also that online prices are dearer, so perhaps if we all shave off 15% things won't be so bad?It is probably best to work on those prices, and then find the cheaper prices a good thing when you arrive. After all, once you first arrive, it will be difficult in knowing the right things to get and you may well pay over the odds. An interesting thing I found was in Ice Cream. I like the Woolworths Home Brand Ice cream, but I never used to mention it, after all it is cheap $3.99 for 4 litres ! So a bit embarrasing saying we buy Homebrand Ice Cream !! However, a recent TV Blind Taste Test had that particular one beating many of the expensive brands ! So now I am very happy that I like it, as it is the taste after all and not the price From your list... Coles Potatoes 1.5kg for $4.65 are a bit high !!! I pay $1 a kg (sometimes less). Fruit & Veg shops, and Butchers, can be much better places to buy these things than the supermarkets. Just noticed the price for: Chicken breasts 500g $7.41 My wife bought 1.5kg Chicken Breast (Skin Off), and 1kg of Steak yesterday, for $17.50 total. Not sure how much each one was, but it averages $3.50 for each 500gm, aboiut half of the Coles price We always get the supermarkets weekly catalogues here, so it is easy to check many of the prices. This week, Coles is showing Chicken breasts (skin off) for 10.48 per kg. so that is an interesting comparison to their own Online Prices of $14.82 per kg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spray21 Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 thanks dwaldron, i've been meaning to do that myself for ages but too lazy! Many thanks for saving me the time and effort! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dwaldron Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Many thanks for saving me the time and effort! My pleasure, it had been niggling at the back of my mind how much money I would need to put aside for surviving 6 months without employment. As ABCDiamond quite rightly points out, Coles is not the cheapest place to shop and often shopping for two is dearer (per head) than shopping for a family. God only knows what I would do with 1.5KG of chicken breasts, the very thought of it makes me ill! Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest afs Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Living in the city (Melbourne) my choice is Coles Central or Safeway. Do not like the latter, so left with Coles (yes really missing Tesco's, Sainsbury's and Waitrose). I also logged onto Coles online and compared it to Tesco's and came up with a similar conclusion. I think the suburbs are cheaper and most people tend to go to the market (luckily I have Victoria Market close by) but that is a bit of a trek for just one person so I just pop into coles. To be honest I spend between $30 to $50 dollars a week (on the higher end if I get non food items eg household stuff). Most Aussie's prefer going to the markets than the supermarkets from my discussions. Some things are cheaper here but I guess it's relative as Salaries seem to be lower. I think if you want lower cost of living, avoid Melbourne and Sydney for sure. One lady I worked with said her and her husband could live on just one salary (they are in their 40s with no children so I guess it's doable) and live in the suburbs. Going to the cinema in the city is $15, my zone 1 monthly travelcard is about $100, material things tend to be expensive so I use the Internet and the clothes shopping is not as good as in America or the UK. But for me, it's the lifestyle that is way better and the people do have a lifestyle here. They work hard but enjoy their lives on the whole. Lots of people have family homes or go out and stay at resorts and stuff. Plus the healthcare system here has been fantastic. I unfortunately had to see some health problems and had to see doctor, have some tests done and attend hospital and getting appointments was sooo easy and the level of care excellent. I think its a balance - cost of living and way of living. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest afs Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Sorry I meant to say 'Lots of people have holiday homes not family homes...' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jajnlis Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 http://www.coastshop.com.au/shopping/2supermarkets.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuju Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 hi dwaldron there was a article on tv the other night and they were saying that prices in Australian supermarkets have gone up by 70% as they do not have the competition - they compared this to supermarkets in the UK & USA which had only gone up by 30% coles can be very expensive at times - you do have to shop around woolworths arent to badly priced and then theres the cheaper supermarkets like go- lo iga and aldi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest k&s2007 Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 we went shopping for family of four at tesco,s last night, average shop just essentials, dinners, school lunches, cereal etc; We keep spending about £80 a week (bout 195 aud) and we are trying to take it easy. that did not include any food for the dog, go to farm shop for that and there was no treats like wine or beer! how does that compare to Aus? k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuju Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Hi K I spend normally $195 a week in the supermarket for 3 of us and that dosen´t include fresh fruit & veg approx another $35 and then theres wine & beer on top of that too i really do think the supermarkets are expensive here comapring all to the wages etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jordan Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Hi K I spend normally $195 a week in the supermarket for 3 of us and that dosen´t include fresh fruit & veg approx another $35 and then theres wine & beer on top of that too i really do think the supermarkets are expensive here comapring all to the wages etc I definitely agree with you there, and there's not much choice either i have found. My husband wanted trifle, couldn't find a packet/ready made so had to buy everything individual.. This is from Woolworth's............ 2 packets of strawberry jelly $2.00 Sponge cake $3.59 (special offer) Tin of Strawberries $3.00 (no choice here) Whipped cream $1.09 ( cheapest one) Custard powder $1.44 Total $11.12c (rounded down $11.10) $11.00 dollars for a flaming trifle even though it was delicious we won't be making them very often. They don't seem to do buy one get one free here either. I thought i would just share this useless bit of information:D Stacey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuju Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Hi Stacey :goofy: no you wont get any bogoffs here !!! geee i miss morrisons espec as i worked there and got discount too, could you not get any fresh strawberries ?¿? they are 2 punnets for $3 at my local fruit barn. gizmo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nelson Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Personally, we are market people. Nobody seems to be mentioning the quality of the foodstuffs on offer here. We have found fruit and veg in the market (Queen Victoria, Melbourne) to be far superior to anything the supermarkets here or the U.K. had on offer and the meat and fish is excellent value for money. Someone commented to me the other day that Porterhouse steak is cheaper than chololate! The delis at QVM are fantastic and every European taste is catered for under one roof. We spend considerably less here than in the U.K. but our lifestyle is, on balance, better. We find utility bills much lower, consumerism far less 'in-yer-face' and eating out is infinitely cheaper. A meal out the other night for 7 of us came to $84... It was the best curry we had had since we arrived (The Wishing Well, Toorak Road, Camberwell) but the bill didn't include drinks (obviously!). Petrol is about 60% of the U.K. cost but fluctuates quite wildly! The other thing which I think is much cheaper, is new cars. We just paid in dollars what we would have paid in pounds for a new Toyota. I was staggered at the difference! Happy shopping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jordan Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Hi Stacey :goofy: no you wont get any bogoffs here !!! geee i miss morrisons espec as i worked there and got discount too, could you not get any fresh strawberries ?¿? they are 2 punnets for $3 at my local fruit barn. gizmo To be honest didn't look at fresh, the tin fruit was next door to the jelly and i was in a rush Stacey xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jordan Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Personally, we are market people. Nobody seems to be mentioning the quality of the foodstuffs on offer here. We have found fruit and veg in the market (Queen Victoria, Melbourne) to be far superior to anything the supermarkets here or the U.K. had on offer and the meat and fish is excellent value for money. Someone commented to me the other day that Porterhouse steak is cheaper than chololate! The delis at QVM are fantastic and every European taste is catered for under one roof. We spend considerably less here than in the U.K. but our lifestyle is, on balance, better. We find utility bills much lower, consumerism far less 'in-yer-face' and eating out is infinitely cheaper. A meal out the other night for 7 of us came to $84... It was the best curry we had had since we arrived (The Wishing Well, Toorak Road, Camberwell) but the bill didn't include drinks (obviously!). Petrol is about 60% of the U.K. cost but fluctuates quite wildly! The other thing which I think is much cheaper, is new cars. We just paid in dollars what we would have paid in pounds for a new Toyota. I was staggered at the difference! Happy shopping! I find the fresh fruit and veg are better quality here, but food in supermarkets not so keen on. But i suppose after years of shopping at Tesco's and Sainsburys you get use to there foods and i shouldn't compare. I think I'm more noticeable of our shopping expenses now as my husband has took a big pay cut here. Stacey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I agree with Krista the quality of the food is so much better here and you get a larger quantity for your money ,,i spend approx the same as i did in the uk but we eat much healthier ,, Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MOZ Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 I definitely agree with you there, and there's not much choice either i have found. My husband wanted trifle, couldn't find a packet/ready made so had to buy everything individual.. This is from Woolworth's............ 2 packets of strawberry jelly $2.00 Sponge cake $3.59 (special offer) Tin of Strawberries $3.00 (no choice here) Whipped cream $1.09 ( cheapest one) Custard powder $1.44 Total $11.12c (rounded down $11.10) $11.00 dollars for a flaming trifle even though it was delicious we won't be making them very often. They don't seem to do buy one get one free here either. I thought i would just share this useless bit of information:D Stacey :biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh: no BOGOF then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scarletfever Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 I'm gonna be allright. I passed my TRA as a shoplifter and a confidence fraud. Old ladies beware! :biglaugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Abi&Dan Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 I'm really looking forward to getting a shopping basket and going to all the markets for fresh food - I just hope they're as prolific as they're made out!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pasty Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Hi My weekly shop for a family of 4 is approx $200. This doesn't iinclude beer/wine but Dan Murphy's is the best for that! It includes stuff for lunches, fresh meat/fish, bread, coke, laundry stuff, etc. I shop at woolworths but go to the markets for fresh veg. On average, it's the same cost as in the UK but better quality (the meat and fish is so much better, really) Jackie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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