Mum reveals new-found ‘dread’ about supermarket sacrifice

The upwards swing in supermarket prices has sparked a concerning wave among households, many now unable to afford basic staples.

A mum has revealed her dread before going shopping as rising grocery prices stop her from buying her usual staples.

Airing her grievances on Facebook on Sunday, the West Australian mum revealed she no longer looked forward to her weekly shop.

“I now dread the weekly supermarket shop. Every item I bought yesterday from either Coles or Woolies, including staples like meat, vegetables, fruit, milk, cheese, eggs and butter have gone up in price again,” she reported.

Price increases across a range of produce has left her with no option but to swap out items she would normally buy fresh with their frozen – typically cheaper – alternative.

“I have now temporarily stopped buying fresh ginger ($50/kg in both supermarkets), red capsicums ($14.90/kilo), cauliflower ($6.50 each), broccoli ($5.90 each) and vine ripened tomatoes ($8.90/kilo)," she said.

Fresh produce is no longer part of many Aussie household budgets. Picture: Getty

The mum has also had to make changes when it comes to cleaning supplies.

“The price of Dynamo liquid detergent which only a few weeks ago was $8.75 when half price, is now $11.50 half price – only 50 cents more expensive than Omo when half price, which I stopped using a few years ago because it was getting too pricey,” she wrote.

Other budgeting tactics adopted by the mum included only buying certain items when they are half price.

These included things like detergent, shampoo, shower gel, deodorant, Sensodyne toothpaste, Listerine mouth wash, hair dye, Neutrogena acne wash and toilet rolls.

Hundreds of others shared in the mum’s frustration, with many revealing they too had decided to buy frozen produce because fresh versions have become too expensive.

Major supermarket prices have jumped dramatically. Picture: David Geraghty/NCA NewsWire

Shoppers have been buying frozen instead of fresh. Picture: David Geraghty/NCA NewsWire

“I’ve stopped buying fresh broccoli and cauliflower. I buy the combined two in the frozen section, it's much cheaper,” one of close to 300 comments read.

“I’m buying nearly all frozen vegetables (just as nutritious and if cooked carefully just as nice) and go to Aldi for most everything,” another said.

Others offered the woman money-saving tips, like buying produce from farmers markets or bulk suppliers instead of the main grocery chains.

“Try the Asian supermarkets. Their vegetables are much cheaper and generally speaking so is chicken and pork,” one wrote.

“Map out fruit trees in parks, road verges and over hanging fences. Free fruit. Take advantage of winter … to survive we must let go of expensive options and go for cheaper options,” another said.

Someone said their costs had increased to a point where they now considered mayonnaise a luxury item.

Consumers have had to think of thrifty approaches to buying their groceries. Picture: Peter RAE/AAP

“Mayonnaise has become a luxury item for me now. I still buy it, but I don’t use it as much now. It’s $5 for my favourite bottle. Used to be around $3.50,” they wrote.

The woman behind the post later revealed she had taken inspiration from the hundreds of comments and decided to “go back to growing chillies, coriander, lettuce, tomatoes, capsicums etc like we used to”.

The cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages have increased by 4.3 per cent alone between the 2021 to 2022 March Quarter, according to the Consumer Price Index.

The most significant rise was in the cost of fuel which increased by 11 per cent.

The CPI found the cost of fruit and vegetables grew by 6.7 per cent in the last year, while meat and seafood increased by 6.2 per cent. Bread and cereal products increased by 3 per cent, dairy and dairy-related products by 4.1 per cent and food products by 4.2 per cent.

The cost of non-durable household products like toilet paper, dish washing soap and light bulbs rose by a massive 8 per cent year-on-year.