So we had been in Australia for about 3 months now, and the cost of living over here differs greatly depending on what part you are living in, and of course where you choose to shop.
You have a few big supermarket chains, Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, and IGA. Each has there weekly deals, this can range from Cadburys chocolate being half price through to $6AUD off a kilo of chicken breast.
I can’t vouch for other parts of Australia. But here, every week you get booklets through from all the major brands outlining there offers for the week ahead. All offers last a week and are of course subject to availability.
So what we do is plan our meals around what’s on offer that week. So as an example, the one-week steak was half price, so we stocked up on 12 steaks. All were weighing about 700g each for around $100AUD (or £50).
How much do we pay on food each week? Let’s break it down.
If we need to stock up on meat for a few weeks, we will spend close to $90. This will include chicken breasts, steak, mince, sausages, pork, kebabs and chicken wings. Along with all the vital bits and pieces we will need for that week. Minus the fruit and veg, we will discuss that in a moment.
We would find ourselves shipping in different shops depending on what each had on offer that week. As many of them are in the same location, you don’t have to drive around for hours.
So, let’s talk fruit and veg. The big supermarkets in our opinion charge a fortune for them. We found going to the local grocery did precisely the same for almost half the price. So our weekly fruit and veg came to a Petrie $35AUD (£17.50).
So, all in all, feeding the two of us, fresh meals every day 3 times a day equates to on average $60 a week.