Aussies are no strangers to struggling to make ends meet. The cost of living is high, and it seems like every day, there's something else that we have to spend our hard-earned cash on.

So it's no wonder that people are starting to feel the squeeze more and more as prices continue to rise. A recent incident at Coles serves as a perfect example of this issue.

A photo was posted online of a receipt from a Coles shopper in Melbourne, along with the caption: 'Just put $72 of shopping into one bag. No item over $7. Everything's getting expensive...' The customer added that they're worried things 'will only get worse'.

The receipt reveals the shopper purchased 18 items, including muffins, Cadbury chocolate, chips, bread, butter, alfoil, milk, chicken, ham and Twisties – all items that would normally be considered fairly standard household groceries.

It just goes to show how quickly the cost can add up when you're shopping for your weekly essentials.

A customer posted a picture of their shopping haul and said that their $72 could fit in just one bag. Credit: Reddit/SeaScreen5305.

Sadly though, this person's experience is far from unique or isolated. Hundreds of others have taken to the Reddit post to share their own similar stories about how difficult it is making ends meet these days – especially when it comes to buying groceries and other necessary household items like petrol or utility bills.

'Two bags of shopping cost me $180 today. I used to fill the trolley with that,' one person wrote in the comments, with another responding and adding, 'The days of filling a trolley are over for me, especially this year. Now it's filling a basket for the same price.'

'We've been bulk buying rice and making almost every meal out of it. If it's not rice, then it's cheap noodles with frozen vegetables,' someone else said. 'That's the only way we're making it.'

'Groceries, utilities, fuel, interest rates, insurance, daycare – it never ends,' another wrote. 'We have had to stop the kids' extracurricular activities just to make ends meet. Can't remember the last time we ate out.'

Unfortunately, this problem is only going to continue to get worse before it gets better.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the CPI (Consumer Price Index) increased by 1.8 per cent in the third calendar quarter of 2022; this increase was driven mostly by a 4.5 per cent increase in the cost of fresh produce and a 1.5 per cent increase in the cost of meat and seafood.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a 6.8 per cent jump in the price of dairy and associated products 'due to higher milk prices'. Prices for cereals and loaves of bread went up by 3.4 per cent, while those for miscellaneous groceries increased by 3.9 per cent.

'Strong price rises were seen across all food and non-food grocery products in the September quarter,' said the ABS.

'These increases reflected a range of price pressures, including supply chain disruptions, weather-related events, such as flooding, and increased transport and input costs.'

The annual consumer price index inflation rate inched up to 7.3 per cent in September, the highest level in more than three decades. Credit: ABS.

At the end of October, Coles told its suppliers to cut operational costs instead of asking for price increases. The supermarket giant warned them that even if they could prove their input costs had gone up, Coles might not agree to their request for a price increase.

The message came after a trading update showed that supermarket inflation at Coles was 7.1 per cent in the first quarter of the financial year, which was higher than the 4.3 per cent inflation in the fourth quarter of the previous year. Prices for fresh foods rose by 8.8 per cent.

Input cost requests from suppliers were mostly influenced by increases in the prices of raw materials, commodities, transportation, and fuel.

A third of Australians experience food insecurity, according to a report published by Foodbank last month, highlighting a growing issue in the nation.

Foodbank is the nation's largest food bank, and they're working around the clock to provide food to low-income Australians, together with a number of other front-line organisations.

Members, if you or someone you know is struggling to put food on the table, please do not hesitate to get in touch with them. Here are their contact information:

Foodbank QLD

179 Beverley St, Morningside QLD 4170, Australia
+61 7 3395 8422

Foodbank NSW & ACT

50 Owen St, Glendenning NSW 2761, Australia
+61 2 9756 3099

Foodbank SA

377 Cross Rd, Edwardstown SA 5039, Australia
+61 8 8351 1136

Foodbank VIC

4/2 Somerville Rd, Yarraville VIC 3013, Australia
+61 3 9362 8300

Foodbank WA

23 Abbott Rd, Perth Airport WA 6105, Australia
+61 8 9258 9277

Foodbank TAS

4-8 Sunmont St, Derwent Park TAS 7173, Australia
+61 3 6274 1052

Key Takeaways

• The cost of living is rising at an alarming rate for many Australians, with some struggling to even put food on the table.
• One shopper was shocked at the cost of just one bag of groceries this week ($72), and this has sparked a discussion among Australians about the cost of living.
• Supermarket inflation is a major contributor to the rising cost of living, with prices of basic groceries and household items increasing at a rapid pace.
• To counter this, some Australians are bulk buying items such as rice and noodles to make their meals stretch further, while others have had to cut back on extras such as kids' activities and eating out.

Members, how are you finding the cost of groceries these days? Have you had to cut back on your shopping in order to make ends meet, or are you managing all right? Let us know in the comments below!

 

[Liz]

I too am finding cheap alternatives like rice and pasta to supplement meals and make them go further. It is cheaper to buy frozen vegetables than fresh. And as for fruit and dairy, well they are luxuries now.

 

[Big M]

Aussies are no strangers to struggling to make ends meet. The cost of living is high, and it seems like every day, there's something else that we have to spend our hard-earned cash on.

So it's no wonder that people are starting to feel the squeeze more and more as prices continue to rise. A recent incident at Coles serves as a perfect example of this issue.

A photo was posted online of a receipt from a Coles shopper in Melbourne, along with the caption: 'Just put $72 of shopping into one bag. No item over $7. Everything's getting expensive...' The customer added that they're worried things 'will only get worse'.

The receipt reveals the shopper purchased 18 items, including muffins, Cadbury chocolate, chips, bread, butter, alfoil, milk, chicken, ham and Twisties – all items that would normally be considered fairly standard household groceries.

It just goes to show how quickly the cost can add up when you're shopping for your weekly essentials.

View attachment 9081

A customer posted a picture of their shopping haul and said that their $72 could fit in just one bag. Credit: Reddit/SeaScreen5305.

Sadly though, this person's experience is far from unique or isolated. Hundreds of others have taken to the Reddit post to share their own similar stories about how difficult it is making ends meet these days – especially when it comes to buying groceries and other necessary household items like petrol or utility bills.

'Two bags of shopping cost me $180 today. I used to fill the trolley with that,' one person wrote in the comments, with another responding and adding, 'The days of filling a trolley are over for me, especially this year. Now it's filling a basket for the same price.'

'We've been bulk buying rice and making almost every meal out of it. If it's not rice, then it's cheap noodles with frozen vegetables,' someone else said. 'That's the only way we're making it.'

'Groceries, utilities, fuel, interest rates, insurance, daycare – it never ends,' another wrote. 'We have had to stop the kids' extracurricular activities just to make ends meet. Can't remember the last time we ate out.'

Unfortunately, this problem is only going to continue to get worse before it gets better.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the CPI (Consumer Price Index) increased by 1.8 per cent in the third calendar quarter of 2022; this increase was driven mostly by a 4.5 per cent increase in the cost of fresh produce and a 1.5 per cent increase in the cost of meat and seafood.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a 6.8 per cent jump in the price of dairy and associated products 'due to higher milk prices'. Prices for cereals and loaves of bread went up by 3.4 per cent, while those for miscellaneous groceries increased by 3.9 per cent.

'Strong price rises were seen across all food and non-food grocery products in the September quarter,' said the ABS.

'These increases reflected a range of price pressures, including supply chain disruptions, weather-related events, such as flooding, and increased transport and input costs.'

View attachment 9082

The annual consumer price index inflation rate inched up to 7.3 per cent in September, the highest level in more than three decades. Credit: ABS.

At the end of October, Coles told its suppliers to cut operational costs instead of asking for price increases. The supermarket giant warned them that even if they could prove their input costs had gone up, Coles might not agree to their request for a price increase.

The message came after a trading update showed that supermarket inflation at Coles was 7.1 per cent in the first quarter of the financial year, which was higher than the 4.3 per cent inflation in the fourth quarter of the previous year. Prices for fresh foods rose by 8.8 per cent.

Input cost requests from suppliers were mostly influenced by increases in the prices of raw materials, commodities, transportation, and fuel.

A third of Australians experience food insecurity, according to a report published by Foodbank last month, highlighting a growing issue in the nation.

Foodbank is the nation's largest food bank, and they're working around the clock to provide food to low-income Australians, together with a number of other front-line organisations.

Members, if you or someone you know is struggling to put food on the table, please do not hesitate to get in touch with them. Here are their contact information:

Foodbank QLD

179 Beverley St, Morningside QLD 4170, Australia
+61 7 3395 8422

Foodbank NSW & ACT

50 Owen St, Glendenning NSW 2761, Australia
+61 2 9756 3099

Foodbank SA

377 Cross Rd, Edwardstown SA 5039, Australia
+61 8 8351 1136

Foodbank VIC

4/2 Somerville Rd, Yarraville VIC 3013, Australia
+61 3 9362 8300

Foodbank WA

23 Abbott Rd, Perth Airport WA 6105, Australia
+61 8 9258 9277

Foodbank TAS

4-8 Sunmont St, Derwent Park TAS 7173, Australia
+61 3 6274 1052

Key Takeaways

• The cost of living is rising at an alarming rate for many Australians, with some struggling to even put food on the table.
• One shopper was shocked at the cost of just one bag of groceries this week ($72), and this has sparked a discussion among Australians about the cost of living.
• Supermarket inflation is a major contributor to the rising cost of living, with prices of basic groceries and household items increasing at a rapid pace.
• To counter this, some Australians are bulk buying items such as rice and noodles to make their meals stretch further, while others have had to cut back on extras such as kids' activities and eating out.

Members, how are you finding the cost of groceries these days? Have you had to cut back on your shopping in order to make ends meet, or are you managing all right? Let us know in the comments below!

The items were not staples - if you don’t have much money then muffins, chocolate, twisties are not essential!

 

[Ricci]

I have pared back my shopping to what I consider the basic essentials for me. I did an online shop yesterday to be delivered today and I realise that from my next shop I'm going to have to pare it back even more. I am planning on living out of my chest freezer in the coming weeks and not replacing things, I need to empty it in order to deep clean it. What scares me is trying to fill it again after.

 

[Suzanne rose]

My average shopping has gone up at least $100.

I'm in the middle of planning a weekly menu with tasty budget recipes .

I'm happy to share these recipes .

 

[Evol P]

I keep a very detailed database of my grocery shops and I'm finding most items have gone up by at least .50c lately. My shops have gone up from average $120 to $180

 

[Tipsy]

Aussies are no strangers to struggling to make ends meet. The cost of living is high, and it seems like every day, there's something else that we have to spend our hard-earned cash on.

So it's no wonder that people are starting to feel the squeeze more and more as prices continue to rise. A recent incident at Coles serves as a perfect example of this issue.

A photo was posted online of a receipt from a Coles shopper in Melbourne, along with the caption: 'Just put $72 of shopping into one bag. No item over $7. Everything's getting expensive...' The customer added that they're worried things 'will only get worse'.

The receipt reveals the shopper purchased 18 items, including muffins, Cadbury chocolate, chips, bread, butter, alfoil, milk, chicken, ham and Twisties – all items that would normally be considered fairly standard household groceries.

It just goes to show how quickly the cost can add up when you're shopping for your weekly essentials.

View attachment 9081

A customer posted a picture of their shopping haul and said that their $72 could fit in just one bag. Credit: Reddit/SeaScreen5305.

Sadly though, this person's experience is far from unique or isolated. Hundreds of others have taken to the Reddit post to share their own similar stories about how difficult it is making ends meet these days – especially when it comes to buying groceries and other necessary household items like petrol or utility bills.

'Two bags of shopping cost me $180 today. I used to fill the trolley with that,' one person wrote in the comments, with another responding and adding, 'The days of filling a trolley are over for me, especially this year. Now it's filling a basket for the same price.'

'We've been bulk buying rice and making almost every meal out of it. If it's not rice, then it's cheap noodles with frozen vegetables,' someone else said. 'That's the only way we're making it.'

'Groceries, utilities, fuel, interest rates, insurance, daycare – it never ends,' another wrote. 'We have had to stop the kids' extracurricular activities just to make ends meet. Can't remember the last time we ate out.'

Unfortunately, this problem is only going to continue to get worse before it gets better.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the CPI (Consumer Price Index) increased by 1.8 per cent in the third calendar quarter of 2022; this increase was driven mostly by a 4.5 per cent increase in the cost of fresh produce and a 1.5 per cent increase in the cost of meat and seafood.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a 6.8 per cent jump in the price of dairy and associated products 'due to higher milk prices'. Prices for cereals and loaves of bread went up by 3.4 per cent, while those for miscellaneous groceries increased by 3.9 per cent.

'Strong price rises were seen across all food and non-food grocery products in the September quarter,' said the ABS.

'These increases reflected a range of price pressures, including supply chain disruptions, weather-related events, such as flooding, and increased transport and input costs.'

View attachment 9082

The annual consumer price index inflation rate inched up to 7.3 per cent in September, the highest level in more than three decades. Credit: ABS.

At the end of October, Coles told its suppliers to cut operational costs instead of asking for price increases. The supermarket giant warned them that even if they could prove their input costs had gone up, Coles might not agree to their request for a price increase.

The message came after a trading update showed that supermarket inflation at Coles was 7.1 per cent in the first quarter of the financial year, which was higher than the 4.3 per cent inflation in the fourth quarter of the previous year. Prices for fresh foods rose by 8.8 per cent.

Input cost requests from suppliers were mostly influenced by increases in the prices of raw materials, commodities, transportation, and fuel.

A third of Australians experience food insecurity, according to a report published by Foodbank last month, highlighting a growing issue in the nation.

Foodbank is the nation's largest food bank, and they're working around the clock to provide food to low-income Australians, together with a number of other front-line organisations.

Members, if you or someone you know is struggling to put food on the table, please do not hesitate to get in touch with them. Here are their contact information:

Foodbank QLD

179 Beverley St, Morningside QLD 4170, Australia
+61 7 3395 8422

Foodbank NSW & ACT

50 Owen St, Glendenning NSW 2761, Australia
+61 2 9756 3099

Foodbank SA

377 Cross Rd, Edwardstown SA 5039, Australia
+61 8 8351 1136

Foodbank VIC

4/2 Somerville Rd, Yarraville VIC 3013, Australia
+61 3 9362 8300

Foodbank WA

23 Abbott Rd, Perth Airport WA 6105, Australia
+61 8 9258 9277

Foodbank TAS

4-8 Sunmont St, Derwent Park TAS 7173, Australia
+61 3 6274 1052

Key Takeaways

• The cost of living is rising at an alarming rate for many Australians, with some struggling to even put food on the table.
• One shopper was shocked at the cost of just one bag of groceries this week ($72), and this has sparked a discussion among Australians about the cost of living.
• Supermarket inflation is a major contributor to the rising cost of living, with prices of basic groceries and household items increasing at a rapid pace.
• To counter this, some Australians are bulk buying items such as rice and noodles to make their meals stretch further, while others have had to cut back on extras such as kids' activities and eating out.

Members, how are you finding the cost of groceries these days? Have you had to cut back on your shopping in order to make ends meet, or are you managing all right? Let us know in the comments below!

bread, butter, alfoil, milk, chicken, ham, these I would call the home basics but not the chocolate and chips/muffins and twisties... and as for the ham... was that from the deli or a "Ham" itself.... But each to their own but as we are getting ripped off everywhere we go these days we need to think about what we are buying and consuming..... maybe people should start growing some of their own veges in in a garden pot.... it is the simplest thing in the world to do and you can leave out all the chemicals to boot

 

[Suzanne rose]

I have pared back my shopping to what I consider the basic essentials for me. I did an online shop yesterday to be delivered today and I realise that from my next shop I'm going to have to pare it back even more. I am planning on living out of my chest freezer in the coming weeks and not replacing things, I need to empty it in order to deep clean it. What scares me is trying to fill it again after.

I hear you !!

 

[Dancerpauline2]

I’ve been on a diet for about 3 months now and it’s amazing how much I’ve saved. No sugar, so no chocolate, biscuits, muffins, no fatty foods, no salty snacks like chips etc. no ice cream. I buy fruit as I have that on my muesli and corn flakes for Brekky. Snacks are rice cakes with peanut butter. I buy veges and have sweet potatoes instead of potatoes. I use lean mince to make savoury mince and pasta, or lasagne, or meatballs, or buy chicken sausages. I buy chicken breasts and, when it’s on sale, I buy corned beef, but that’s getting expensive. It takes willpower when shopping as I used to eat a lot of chocolate, but when I’m shopping I know I’m not allowed it so I just walk past. I’ve lost 5 kg and hopefully got my cholesterol levels down, and I’m saving money!

 

[Suzanne rose]

I’ve been on a diet for about 3 months now and it’s amazing how much I’ve saved. No sugar, so no chocolate, biscuits, muffins, no fatty foods, no salty snacks like chips etc. no ice cream. I buy fruit as I have that on my muesli and corn flakes for Brekky. Snacks are rice cakes with peanut butter. I buy veges and have sweet potatoes instead of potatoes. I use lean mince to make savoury mince and pasta, or lasagne, or meatballs, or buy chicken sausages. I buy chicken breasts and, when it’s on sale, I buy corned beef, but that’s getting expensive. It takes willpower when shopping as I used to eat a lot of chocolate, but when I’m shopping I know I’m not allowed it so I just walk past. I’ve lost 5 kg and hopefully got my cholesterol levels down, and I’m saving money!

Well done

 

[Macarj]

I wouldn't have thought of chocolate, chips,twisties and muffins as standard groceries

 

[Nacho]

We all need to do what our fathers did during the war, dig up the lawn and plant veggies and if you have room get a couple of chickens.

 

[Jennylolo]

I have pared back my shopping to what I consider the basic essentials for me. I did an online shop yesterday to be delivered today and I realise that from my next shop I'm going to have to pare it back even more. I am planning on living out of my chest freezer in the coming weeks and not replacing things, I need to empty it in order to deep clean it. What scares me is trying to fill it again after.

exactly the same for me. Chest freezer and pantry- aim to empty both. Freezer needs cleaning too.

 

[JayKay]

Not only are the prices rising, the contents are lessening ....ever so subtley.
So the price rises are even more than we think.

 

[thomas]

I could be wrong in my thinking but I think that a lot of these price increases is due to several factors, firstly of course is wage rises, for every dollar that goes to wage increase has about a ten dollars increase across the board to pay for it which includes fuel costs (because fuel companies and distributors have to make up that extra dollar paid to their workers as wage increase), this in turn has the follow-on of increased transportation because of higher fuel and driver's extra dollar, this has to be recuperated by the supermarkets etc by increasing the prices in their stock to pay for the increase transport plus the extra dollar wage increase, plus the extra worker's comp and super and the increase in "hidden overheads" (water, gas, electricity) etc
THEN, way down the line (at the start) we get to the food producers which includes fishermen, produce growers and farmers etc, they have all that increase (fuel, transport, and everything that gets the stuff they need to run their production) before they can even start to produce so they have to increase their product cost somehow, the main way they do it is to increase their prices which starts the cycle again of getting a wage increase to offset the cost of living, the other way was to produce more (which increased their financial output) fishermen bought another boat (extra cost for licence etc) farmers grew more produce which meant more fertiliser etc (exyra cost) they all have to increase their prices to get their money back, but, by increasing their produce output it put a glut on the markets and couldn't get sold so it went to waste ( which meant a loss to the producers), so another increase in prices to try to recouperate that loss. and because people can't afford the higher cost of living, a lot of produce in the supermarkets etc gets unsold and thrown away, so, once again the stores have to make up the cost of unsold produce (by increasing their prices) and so it goes on, it's a vicious circle, just like (as they say) "a dog chasing it's own tail. things will never change until people put the brakes on about being greedy and trying to get rich quick.

 

[Capsam]

Definitely experiencing a constant rise in prices. Shop fortnightly & paying $80 more for same items. I laugh when the adverts tell me that certain items are locked & loaded! It includes chips, soft drink, biscuits etc which are obviously to keep the kids happy! I do not buy these. I go to the food pantry once a fortnight. If they have cereal or biscuits or a bottle of drink, I get it there as a “treat”!

 

[Witty]

Aussies are no strangers to struggling to make ends meet. The cost of living is high, and it seems like every day, there's something else that we have to spend our hard-earned cash on.

So it's no wonder that people are starting to feel the squeeze more and more as prices continue to rise. A recent incident at Coles serves as a perfect example of this issue.

A photo was posted online of a receipt from a Coles shopper in Melbourne, along with the caption: 'Just put $72 of shopping into one bag. No item over $7. Everything's getting expensive...' The customer added that they're worried things 'will only get worse'.

The receipt reveals the shopper purchased 18 items, including muffins, Cadbury chocolate, chips, bread, butter, alfoil, milk, chicken, ham and Twisties – all items that would normally be considered fairly standard household groceries.

It just goes to show how quickly the cost can add up when you're shopping for your weekly essentials.

View attachment 9081

A customer posted a picture of their shopping haul and said that their $72 could fit in just one bag. Credit: Reddit/SeaScreen5305.

Sadly though, this person's experience is far from unique or isolated. Hundreds of others have taken to the Reddit post to share their own similar stories about how difficult it is making ends meet these days – especially when it comes to buying groceries and other necessary household items like petrol or utility bills.

'Two bags of shopping cost me $180 today. I used to fill the trolley with that,' one person wrote in the comments, with another responding and adding, 'The days of filling a trolley are over for me, especially this year. Now it's filling a basket for the same price.'

'We've been bulk buying rice and making almost every meal out of it. If it's not rice, then it's cheap noodles with frozen vegetables,' someone else said. 'That's the only way we're making it.'

'Groceries, utilities, fuel, interest rates, insurance, daycare – it never ends,' another wrote. 'We have had to stop the kids' extracurricular activities just to make ends meet. Can't remember the last time we ate out.'

Unfortunately, this problem is only going to continue to get worse before it gets better.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the CPI (Consumer Price Index) increased by 1.8 per cent in the third calendar quarter of 2022; this increase was driven mostly by a 4.5 per cent increase in the cost of fresh produce and a 1.5 per cent increase in the cost of meat and seafood.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a 6.8 per cent jump in the price of dairy and associated products 'due to higher milk prices'. Prices for cereals and loaves of bread went up by 3.4 per cent, while those for miscellaneous groceries increased by 3.9 per cent.

'Strong price rises were seen across all food and non-food grocery products in the September quarter,' said the ABS.

'These increases reflected a range of price pressures, including supply chain disruptions, weather-related events, such as flooding, and increased transport and input costs.'

View attachment 9082

The annual consumer price index inflation rate inched up to 7.3 per cent in September, the highest level in more than three decades. Credit: ABS.

At the end of October, Coles told its suppliers to cut operational costs instead of asking for price increases. The supermarket giant warned them that even if they could prove their input costs had gone up, Coles might not agree to their request for a price increase.

The message came after a trading update showed that supermarket inflation at Coles was 7.1 per cent in the first quarter of the financial year, which was higher than the 4.3 per cent inflation in the fourth quarter of the previous year. Prices for fresh foods rose by 8.8 per cent.

Input cost requests from suppliers were mostly influenced by increases in the prices of raw materials, commodities, transportation, and fuel.

A third of Australians experience food insecurity, according to a report published by Foodbank last month, highlighting a growing issue in the nation.

Foodbank is the nation's largest food bank, and they're working around the clock to provide food to low-income Australians, together with a number of other front-line organisations.

Members, if you or someone you know is struggling to put food on the table, please do not hesitate to get in touch with them. Here are their contact information:

Foodbank QLD

179 Beverley St, Morningside QLD 4170, Australia
+61 7 3395 8422

Foodbank NSW & ACT

50 Owen St, Glendenning NSW 2761, Australia
+61 2 9756 3099

Foodbank SA

377 Cross Rd, Edwardstown SA 5039, Australia
+61 8 8351 1136

Foodbank VIC

4/2 Somerville Rd, Yarraville VIC 3013, Australia
+61 3 9362 8300

Foodbank WA

23 Abbott Rd, Perth Airport WA 6105, Australia
+61 8 9258 9277

Foodbank TAS

4-8 Sunmont St, Derwent Park TAS 7173, Australia
+61 3 6274 1052

Key Takeaways

• The cost of living is rising at an alarming rate for many Australians, with some struggling to even put food on the table.
• One shopper was shocked at the cost of just one bag of groceries this week ($72), and this has sparked a discussion among Australians about the cost of living.
• Supermarket inflation is a major contributor to the rising cost of living, with prices of basic groceries and household items increasing at a rapid pace.
• To counter this, some Australians are bulk buying items such as rice and noodles to make their meals stretch further, while others have had to cut back on extras such as kids' activities and eating out.

Members, how are you finding the cost of groceries these days? Have you had to cut back on your shopping in order to make ends meet, or are you managing all right? Let us know in the comments below!

 

[Witty]

The first things I would be cutting out are the chips, twisties and the chocolate. These are not essential but are treats. That takes the total down by approx $11.00.

 

[Nana Zorak]

As a fussy pensioner, I still buy what I myself like to eat, while I also buy food for the 2 others who share my house. I find that I am spending more even at Aldi, but as I shop only once a fortnight I do everything on a Pension day,(ie) doctors & shopping. I hopefully will have enough to buy things like milk several times between pays. Even with today's cost of living rising, I seem to be reasonably well off in respect of the amount I get. I still have my Chocolate treats (Aldi European chocolate) As I don't drink or smoke I am happy with my lot!

 

[Cheezil]

Interesting that Coles want to pressure suppliers to cut costs! I don't trust the greedy supermarkets, bet they're just after higher profit margins! If they get supplies cheaper they are not going to pass this on to consumers!