Surprising grocery items have surged in price leaving Aussies financially strapped
Inflation is slowly making Aussies poorer and poorer but you might be surprised by what everyday items have surged in price.
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You only have to step into a supermarket now to know everything is more expensive, but what items are making Aussies strapped?
Plenty of people are assuming because inflation is up 7 per cent, that means their grocery bill is only being impacted by a 7 per cent hike.
Still, lots of everyday grocery items have surged far past this mark, hence why people’s grocery bills are blowing up.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has reported that milk, cheese and yoghurt have inflated by 15 per cent since 2022.
Meanwhile, cereals and bread have surged by 12 per cent in comparison to last year.
Meat, fruit and veggies have jumped in value by 4 per cent.
So, yes, it now costs more to feed yourself.
A Melbourne woman recently went viral on TikTok for sharing how little she got after spending $100 bucks at the grocery store.
She explained most of her grocery haul was Coles home brand products; including paper towels, bread, fibre bars, milk and menstrual pads – yet it was still costing her a small fortune.
This Melbourne woman isn’t alone.
In a Facebook group dedicated to Aussie mums balancing their budgets, one woman wrote that she felt “everything” had gone up in a price at the grocery store, and another shared that it’d be easier to ask, “what hasn’t gone up in price?”.
These women are feeling the pinch because everyday products have been inflated far past 7 per cent, making people feel like the whole grocery store has suddenly become unaffordable.
For instance, if you want to buy a 400gm jar of Moccona coffee, you’re actually paying 16 per cent more in 2023 for your caffeine fix than you did in 2021.
In 2021, it was sold for $24; now, you have to purchase it for $28.
It’s a trend that customers are seeing with plenty of their favourite grocery items. Stuff that has gone from affordable to plain old expensive.
At Woolworths, lactose-free milk was $1.70 in 2021; now, it has soared to $2. That is an increase of over 17.6 per cent.
In 2022, you could purchase a humble container of sour cream for around $1.98.
Now Coles and Woolworths are selling the item for around $3, meaning inflation has hit that particular item at 51 per cent.
Plus, that is the cheaper option; the Black and Gold brand of sour cream will set you back $3.20 at some IGAs.
Yes, that is with no brand name attached.
If Pepsi is your vice, in the good old days (aka two years ago) a case of Pepsi containing 30 cans used to cost $24, now it is $35 – an increase of over 40 per cent.
If flavoured milk is more your kryptonite, well, bad news.
The iconic 2-litre chocolate milk that you used to beg your mum to buy for you cost around $4 in 2022.
Now, it’s sold for above $5 in stores. It has increased in price by 25 per cent.
Are you seeing a theme yet? Yes, inflation is at 7 per cent, but plenty of grocery items have gone up at a much more rapid rate.
This is why the average Aussie household spent $188 on their weekly grocery in March 2023 – up $30 a week compared to March 2022, according to Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker.
That’s a whopping $1560 increase per household over 12 months.
Sarah Megginson, money expert at Finder, revealed that the best way to keep your grocery bill down is to avoid getting distracted when roaming the aisles.
“Stick to a shopping list so you aren’t wasting money on unplanned purchases. If you can, go shopping later at night, an hour or two before the supermarket closes when meat and poultry are discounted by up to 80 per cent.
“Stock up on staples when they’re on sale and compare prices of big-ticket items like washing detergent and pet food online,” she explained.
Coles declined to comment but did reference that they do weekly specials for their customers and a Woolworths spokesperson told news.com.au: “We know value is more important to Australian families now than ever before.
“We have more than 5000 weekly specials, seasonal Prices Dropped programs, our Odd Bunch fruit and veg range and a vast range of our own brand products at low prices to help customers’ shops go further.
“Members of our Everyday Rewards program who regularly boost their offers enjoy an extra $210 off their shop each year.”
Originally published as Surprising grocery items have surged in price leaving Aussies financially strapped
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