Coles' cost of living survey reveals dramatic shift in Aussie customer spending habits

These days, living expenses are going through the roof, and Aussies are feeling the pinch all too hard. It's no wonder, then, that recent research conducted by Coles found that 67 per cent of us are actively budgeting to reduce our household costs.

The survey, carried out earlier this month, interviewed over 4700 respondents and revealed just how far we're willing to go to make our hard-earned cash go that bit further.



To start with, more than 50 per cent are cooking more meals at home to save money, while 78 per cent are employing additional budget-savvy tactics such as freezing and reheating leftovers, making meals stretch further, and being lenient with ‘Best Before’ dates.

Struggling individuals and households are making some major dietary adjustments too.


shutterstock_1479829772 (1).jpg
A recent survey by Coles has shown that the cost of living crisis is having a huge impact on our purchasing behaviour. Source: Shutterstock



Sixty per cent of those surveyed revealed they've been cutting back on treats, while 37 per cent are eating less meat and an 30 per cent are reducing their alcohol consumption.



It's not just individuals feeling the strain either; senior and younger families are particularly viewing their cost of living with worry and concern. Proportionally, 79 per cent of young families are feeling pressured to reduce their household outgoings, followed by 71 per cent of older families.

Knowing just how much pressure Aussies are feeling, Coles has recently announced a major offer for News Corp readers. They're giving away a dozen $10,000 Coles Gift Cards—in partnership with Coles the perfect accompaniment to those weekly shop trips! To be in with a chance of winning, you just need to share your top tip on what you do to make your money go further.

But that’s not all! Coles has also hinted at a major announcement coming next week which could be life-changing for shoppers struggling with their cost of living.



According to Coles Chief Customer Officer Amanda McVay, 'At Coles, we’ve always been focused on lowering the cost-of-living for Australians and, right now, we know it’s what they’re concerned about most.’

'Our customers are cooking more from home, are looking for more specials, are buying more own brand products and making more of their Flybuys to help with the weekly budget. Next week, we’re excited to share details on how we’ll be helping our customers find more value in more ways every time they shop with us.'



Key Takeaways

  • A new survey conducted by Coles found that Australians are actively budgeting to reduce their household outgoings, with many cutting back on meat and alcohol and buying more special offers.
  • Coles is launching a special offer for readers of this article to win one of 12 Coles gift cards valued at $10,000 each.
  • The cost-of-living survey found that 67% of Australians are worried about their ability to cover costs, particularly young and older families.
  • To manage the impact, Australians are implementing various food-saving measures and are actively budgeting by buying more specials, collecting loyalty program points, and delaying purchases of less urgent items.
So SDC members, don’t miss out on your chance to win a $10,000 Coles Gift Card, and stay tuned because you won't want to miss out on Coles' big announcement!

We want to know what you do to save money on groceries every week too. Do you have any tips for hunting down specials or meal prepping / buying in bulk? Let us know below!
 
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I check weekly specials, not loyal to one supermarket chain. Stock up on half price items that I regularly use. Cook extra, to last several days, in many ways. Grow my own herbs, fruit and veg. I use rice, noodles and tinned beans to stretch out meals.
 
buy in bulk, buy specials and stock up, freeze meals as I cook extra at the time, have a store of frozen veg and fruit when on special, grow veggies- mainly greens and most used herbs, add fresh greens to all frozen meals when reheated. When my g/f and diary free products are on special I stock up and some of that gets frozen (these items are not always available for weeks on end). Meats on special are bagged into several meal sized bags and frozen. Any older veg are thrown in stir fries and mince dishes as they don't need to be crisp. Keep an eye on specials of my staples. Eat before I go a tend to buy more when you're hungry. Don't walk down every isle, glance at what's in there and go down only for that product as going past everything can contribute to buying what you don't need/didn't intend to get. Since I got a new fridge,my crisper drawers are well fitted and everything lasts 3-4 weeks before beginning to spoil or soften. I go to an independent grocer who goes to the market every single day so very little is in their cold stores with such a high turnover. All these things add to not needing to shop big every week, and can skip a week easily as there are always backups in the pantry and freezer and garden.
 
Always have a list , check all specials from Aldi,Woolies and Coles and shop and stock up on half price specials first up .Also check reward points offered , I have $1000.00 flybuy rewards collected this year
To have $1000 fly buy rewards you must have had to spent a lot throughout the year
 
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These days, living expenses are going through the roof, and Aussies are feeling the pinch all too hard. It's no wonder, then, that recent research conducted by Coles found that 67 per cent of us are actively budgeting to reduce our household costs.

The survey, carried out earlier this month, interviewed over 4700 respondents and revealed just how far we're willing to go to make our hard-earned cash go that bit further.



To start with, more than 50 per cent are cooking more meals at home to save money, while 78 per cent are employing additional budget-savvy tactics such as freezing and reheating leftovers, making meals stretch further, and being lenient with ‘Best Before’ dates.

Struggling individuals and households are making some major dietary adjustments too.


View attachment 28037
A recent survey by Coles has shown that the cost of living crisis is having a huge impact on our purchasing behaviour. Source: Shutterstock



Sixty per cent of those surveyed revealed they've been cutting back on treats, while 37 per cent are eating less meat and an 30 per cent are reducing their alcohol consumption.



It's not just individuals feeling the strain either; senior and younger families are particularly viewing their cost of living with worry and concern. Proportionally, 79 per cent of young families are feeling pressured to reduce their household outgoings, followed by 71 per cent of older families.

Knowing just how much pressure Aussies are feeling, Coles has recently announced a major offer for News Corp readers. They're giving away a dozen $10,000 Coles Gift Cards—in partnership with Coles the perfect accompaniment to those weekly shop trips! To be in with a chance of winning, you just need to share your top tip on what you do to make your money go further.

But that’s not all! Coles has also hinted at a major announcement coming next week which could be life-changing for shoppers struggling with their cost of living.



According to Coles Chief Customer Officer Amanda McVay, 'At Coles, we’ve always been focused on lowering the cost-of-living for Australians and, right now, we know it’s what they’re concerned about most.’

'Our customers are cooking more from home, are looking for more specials, are buying more own brand products and making more of their Flybuys to help with the weekly budget. Next week, we’re excited to share details on how we’ll be helping our customers find more value in more ways every time they shop with us.'



Key Takeaways

  • A new survey conducted by Coles found that Australians are actively budgeting to reduce their household outgoings, with many cutting back on meat and alcohol and buying more special offers.
  • Coles is launching a special offer for readers of this article to win one of 12 Coles gift cards valued at $10,000 each.
  • The cost-of-living survey found that 67% of Australians are worried about their ability to cover costs, particularly young and older families.
  • To manage the impact, Australians are implementing various food-saving measures and are actively budgeting by buying more specials, collecting loyalty program points, and delaying purchases of less urgent items.
So SDC members, don’t miss out on your chance to win a $10,000 Coles Gift Card, and stay tuned because you won't want to miss out on Coles' big announcement!

We want to know what you do to save money on groceries every week too. Do you have any tips for hunting down specials or meal prepping / buying in bulk? Let us know below!
COLES ' has always been focused on lowering the cost of living for Australians ' but still gouging money from Aussie shoppers! Disgusting profits of over a billion dollars.
 
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Promotion website: Participating websites are dailytelegraph.com.au/competitions, heraldsun.com.au/competitions, couriermail.com.au/competitions, theadvertiser.com.au/competitions, themercury.com.au/competitions, ntnews.com.au/competitions, geelongadvertiser.com.au/competitions, cairnspost.com.au/competitions, goldcoastbulletin.com.au/competitions, townsvillebulletin.com.au/competitions, thechronicle.com.au/competitions, news.com.au.

Prizes: Prize/s is $10,000 value in Coles Gift Cards. The prize is valued at $10,000. Each winner will receive gift cards made up of 4 x $2,500 in value. There are 12 prizes to be won. Total prize pool is valued at $120,000.

Judges of entries to choose winners: One senior representative from Coles Supermarkets and one senior representative from News Corp Australia.

Judging criteria: The 12 most creative and inspiring.

Judging time/place: At 4pm on 8 September, 2023 at Coles Supermarkets, Head Office, 800 Tookrak Road, Hawthorn East VIC 3146 and HWT Tower 40 City Rd, Southbank, VIC 3006.

Winner notification website (for publication of winner details): Winners names will be published in The Weekend Australian on the 16th September, 2023.

Prize expiry details: Prize must be taken/used in accordance with the terms and conditions of the prize provider.
 
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Reactions: Ricki
These days, living expenses are going through the roof, and Aussies are feeling the pinch all too hard. It's no wonder, then, that recent research conducted by Coles found that 67 per cent of us are actively budgeting to reduce our household costs.

The survey, carried out earlier this month, interviewed over 4700 respondents and revealed just how far we're willing to go to make our hard-earned cash go that bit further.



To start with, more than 50 per cent are cooking more meals at home to save money, while 78 per cent are employing additional budget-savvy tactics such as freezing and reheating leftovers, making meals stretch further, and being lenient with ‘Best Before’ dates.

Struggling individuals and households are making some major dietary adjustments too.


View attachment 28037
A recent survey by Coles has shown that the cost of living crisis is having a huge impact on our purchasing behaviour. Source: Shutterstock



Sixty per cent of those surveyed revealed they've been cutting back on treats, while 37 per cent are eating less meat and an 30 per cent are reducing their alcohol consumption.



It's not just individuals feeling the strain either; senior and younger families are particularly viewing their cost of living with worry and concern. Proportionally, 79 per cent of young families are feeling pressured to reduce their household outgoings, followed by 71 per cent of older families.

Knowing just how much pressure Aussies are feeling, Coles has recently announced a major offer for News Corp readers. They're giving away a dozen $10,000 Coles Gift Cards—in partnership with Coles the perfect accompaniment to those weekly shop trips! To be in with a chance of winning, you just need to share your top tip on what you do to make your money go further.

But that’s not all! Coles has also hinted at a major announcement coming next week which could be life-changing for shoppers struggling with their cost of living.



According to Coles Chief Customer Officer Amanda McVay, 'At Coles, we’ve always been focused on lowering the cost-of-living for Australians and, right now, we know it’s what they’re concerned about most.’

'Our customers are cooking more from home, are looking for more specials, are buying more own brand products and making more of their Flybuys to help with the weekly budget. Next week, we’re excited to share details on how we’ll be helping our customers find more value in more ways every time they shop with us.'



Key Takeaways

  • A new survey conducted by Coles found that Australians are actively budgeting to reduce their household outgoings, with many cutting back on meat and alcohol and buying more special offers.
  • Coles is launching a special offer for readers of this article to win one of 12 Coles gift cards valued at $10,000 each.
  • The cost-of-living survey found that 67% of Australians are worried about their ability to cover costs, particularly young and older families.
  • To manage the impact, Australians are implementing various food-saving measures and are actively budgeting by buying more specials, collecting loyalty program points, and delaying purchases of less urgent items.
So SDC members, don’t miss out on your chance to win a $10,000 Coles Gift Card, and stay tuned because you won't want to miss out on Coles' big announcement!

We want to know what you do to save money on groceries every week too. Do you have any tips for hunting down specials or meal prepping / buying in bulk? Let us know below!
Hi,

I buy specials, go at a time when they reduce prices before use by date. STock up. I know some people don't have a lot of cash, but if you can do a week or fortnight shop. Have your rewards card and look out for bonuses and see if this works in to be beneficial to you. Coles just recently had bonus points on offer, if you spent $X per week over 4 weeks. it can be worth the equivalent of $50 to $100. which could mean looking at $170 per week grocery spend, and getting 20,000 points is $100 or $25 a week, making it like your spend in $145. Also you get additional points on the spend and any bonus points they offer of you buy certain products. Obviously tailor this to your circumstances.

I buy specials I use. Not ones I do not use. DO not get caught on specials that are of no use to you.

Remember, you can freeze a lot. I buy breads, be it raisin toast or normal bread. I put them in the freezer and take them out when needed, just let thaw. Bread is never wasted. Even crusts I save and dry out then use a mixer to create my own bread crumbs for snitzels, add spices or herbs to change flavour.

Buy avocados when cheap and mash and freeze, good to make guacamolie and you always have avo at the ready.

You can freeze many items you buy in bulk, from meats to veg, even tomatoes and cheese.

Avoid buying those little jars or packs of like bolognaise sauce or tomato paste or cans of soup and vegies. Buy bigger, it is cheaper. Use what you need and save the balance, and freeze. I do this with all spicy sauces and pastes because it saves wastage.

Always check the fine print on labels, like cost per kilo to compare best price. Sometimes an item say bacon prepackaged is the same price as the own brand make. It just looks more because of packaging or shelf price but the overal price may be cheaper or the same per kilo.

Avoid advertising hype, unless it is what you use, or is value for money, don't buy it.

With cooking, buying bulk packs still may take the same cooking time, eg slow cooker. Once cooked, section into freezable containers and lable it with date and name. This saves time and money, in terms of you cooking and saving on bulk buys. ALso saves utility costs,
 
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I always look at half buy specials first and stock up on what I need. I go to ALDI for about 6 products and do the rest of my shopping at Coles. I find they are cheaper than anywhere else. I read the Coles magazine for the first time this week and I love that all their recipes are easy and without six hundred ingredients, the6 are easy to make recipes, cheap and look amazing. Will be trying a couple out next week. Thank you Coles.
 
These days, living expenses are going through the roof, and Aussies are feeling the pinch all too hard. It's no wonder, then, that recent research conducted by Coles found that 67 per cent of us are actively budgeting to reduce our household costs.

The survey, carried out earlier this month, interviewed over 4700 respondents and revealed just how far we're willing to go to make our hard-earned cash go that bit further.



To start with, more than 50 per cent are cooking more meals at home to save money, while 78 per cent are employing additional budget-savvy tactics such as freezing and reheating leftovers, making meals stretch further, and being lenient with ‘Best Before’ dates.

Struggling individuals and households are making some major dietary adjustments too.


View attachment 28037
A recent survey by Coles has shown that the cost of living crisis is having a huge impact on our purchasing behaviour. Source: Shutterstock



Sixty per cent of those surveyed revealed they've been cutting back on treats, while 37 per cent are eating less meat and an 30 per cent are reducing their alcohol consumption.



It's not just individuals feeling the strain either; senior and younger families are particularly viewing their cost of living with worry and concern. Proportionally, 79 per cent of young families are feeling pressured to reduce their household outgoings, followed by 71 per cent of older families.

Knowing just how much pressure Aussies are feeling, Coles has recently announced a major offer for News Corp readers. They're giving away a dozen $10,000 Coles Gift Cards—in partnership with Coles the perfect accompaniment to those weekly shop trips! To be in with a chance of winning, you just need to share your top tip on what you do to make your money go further.

But that’s not all! Coles has also hinted at a major announcement coming next week which could be life-changing for shoppers struggling with their cost of living.



According to Coles Chief Customer Officer Amanda McVay, 'At Coles, we’ve always been focused on lowering the cost-of-living for Australians and, right now, we know it’s what they’re concerned about most.’

'Our customers are cooking more from home, are looking for more specials, are buying more own brand products and making more of their Flybuys to help with the weekly budget. Next week, we’re excited to share details on how we’ll be helping our customers find more value in more ways every time they shop with us.'



Key Takeaways

  • A new survey conducted by Coles found that Australians are actively budgeting to reduce their household outgoings, with many cutting back on meat and alcohol and buying more special offers.
  • Coles is launching a special offer for readers of this article to win one of 12 Coles gift cards valued at $10,000 each.
  • The cost-of-living survey found that 67% of Australians are worried about their ability to cover costs, particularly young and older families.
  • To manage the impact, Australians are implementing various food-saving measures and are actively budgeting by buying more specials, collecting loyalty program points, and delaying purchases of less urgent items.
So SDC members, don’t miss out on your chance to win a $10,000 Coles Gift Card, and stay tuned because you won't want to miss out on Coles' big announcement!

We want to know what you do to save money on groceries every week too. Do you have any tips for hunting down specials or meal prepping / buying in bulk? Let us know below!
I make a list and only buy what is listed. I go through catalogues before going shopping and shop where there are two or more supermarkets in a shopping centre.
 
These days, living expenses are going through the roof, and Aussies are feeling the pinch all too hard. It's no wonder, then, that recent research conducted by Coles found that 67 per cent of us are actively budgeting to reduce our household costs.

The survey, carried out earlier this month, interviewed over 4700 respondents and revealed just how far we're willing to go to make our hard-earned cash go that bit further.



To start with, more than 50 per cent are cooking more meals at home to save money, while 78 per cent are employing additional budget-savvy tactics such as freezing and reheating leftovers, making meals stretch further, and being lenient with ‘Best Before’ dates.

Struggling individuals and households are making some major dietary adjustments too.


View attachment 28037
A recent survey by Coles has shown that the cost of living crisis is having a huge impact on our purchasing behaviour. Source: Shutterstock



Sixty per cent of those surveyed revealed they've been cutting back on treats, while 37 per cent are eating less meat and an 30 per cent are reducing their alcohol consumption.



It's not just individuals feeling the strain either; senior and younger families are particularly viewing their cost of living with worry and concern. Proportionally, 79 per cent of young families are feeling pressured to reduce their household outgoings, followed by 71 per cent of older families.

Knowing just how much pressure Aussies are feeling, Coles has recently announced a major offer for News Corp readers. They're giving away a dozen $10,000 Coles Gift Cards—in partnership with Coles the perfect accompaniment to those weekly shop trips! To be in with a chance of winning, you just need to share your top tip on what you do to make your money go further.

But that’s not all! Coles has also hinted at a major announcement coming next week which could be life-changing for shoppers struggling with their cost of living.



According to Coles Chief Customer Officer Amanda McVay, 'At Coles, we’ve always been focused on lowering the cost-of-living for Australians and, right now, we know it’s what they’re concerned about most.’

'Our customers are cooking more from home, are looking for more specials, are buying more own brand products and making more of their Flybuys to help with the weekly budget. Next week, we’re excited to share details on how we’ll be helping our customers find more value in more ways every time they shop with us.'



Key Takeaways

  • A new survey conducted by Coles found that Australians are actively budgeting to reduce their household outgoings, with many cutting back on meat and alcohol and buying more special offers.
  • Coles is launching a special offer for readers of this article to win one of 12 Coles gift cards valued at $10,000 each.
  • The cost-of-living survey found that 67% of Australians are worried about their ability to cover costs, particularly young and older families.
  • To manage the impact, Australians are implementing various food-saving measures and are actively budgeting by buying more specials, collecting loyalty program points, and delaying purchases of less urgent items.
So SDC members, don’t miss out on your chance to win a $10,000 Coles Gift Card, and stay tuned because you won't want to miss out on Coles' big announcement!

We want to know what you do to save money on groceries every week too. Do you have any tips for hunting down specials or meal prepping / buying in bulk? Let us know below!
I certainly check out the specials & half price products with Woolies. I do a big shop monthly generally buying "big ticket items" and use my 10% off monthly. I do a list and try to stick to it however, on the other weeks I shop, I will buy half price items and save a considerable amount. I avoid pre-made ready meals, mostly cook from scratch and often freeze when cooking large quantities. Monthly I will buy every day products like butter, biscuits and cold deli meat etc' from Aldi as it is so much cheaper. This weeks shop I spent $74.30 but saved $ 34.88 with the specials and half price items. So I think I am on the right track to save on groceries.
 
Get an Instant Pot and air fryer oven , these save a fortune in electricity. I always cook twice as much as we need for 1 meal where possible so that I have another for the freezer, saves electricity to just reheat the next meal but keeping the freezer well stocked also saves electricity. If there is a special deal on for additional points on a set amount of shopping per week, I will ensure that I activate and get those extra points - this year alone I have saved at least $250 by doing that And there is only 2 of us.
 

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