Here’s how much $50 bucks gets you at Coles, Woolies and Aldi

A simple test at the local supermarket reveals a problem Australians are facing during the cost of living crisis.

Australians are currently trying to wrangle coping with the cost of living crisis, so, I headed to our three biggest supermarket chains to see where you could get the most with a $50 note.

Inflation is up 7.3 per cent in Australia, and wage growth is still hanging around the 3 per cent mark. Basically, the cost of living is soaring, but Aussies aren’t earning much extra cash to help compensate for it.

Finder’s Parenting Report for 2023 tragically revealed that one-in-10 parents had to go without food at some point in the last year.

$50 bucks doesn't get you much at any grocery store. Picture: news.com.au

Everyone’s scrambling to try and live cheaper, and a big question Australians want answered during these hard times, is, where should I grocery shop?

Well, now I have the answers for you.

I hit up Aldi, Coles and Woolworths.

I had $50 and a dream to make it stretch as far as possible.

To keep things simple and fair I designed a list of what I wanted from each store, some weekly basics and a simple pasta recipe.

$50 worth of bucks of groceries at Aldi. Picture: news.com.au

This is how much it costs to shop at Aldi. Picture: news.com.au

The list included milk, butter, bread, eggs, Weetbix, pasta, pasta sauce, mince, cheese, strawberries, tomatoes, coffee and dishwasher tablets.

All three stores have different brand options, so my mission was to try and go for the cheapest alternative at each section.

I was going budget, not boujee.

$50 bucks of groceries at Coles. Picture: news.com.au

This is how much it costs at Coles. Picture: news.com.au

Sadly, food isn’t typically sold in round numbers, but I kept as close to my $50 limit as possible, and the goal was to get as much on my list without blowing out my budget.

$50 of groceries at Woolies. Picture: news.com.au

This is how much it costs at Woolies. Picture: news.com.au

The clear winner was Aldi, where I got everything on my list for the winning price of $50.50.

Coles came in second at $52.85. I couldn’t afford to get dishwasher tablets and mince, so my pasta recipe turned vegetarian. But Coles said I could have also afforded the mince and Coles-brand dishwasher tablets if I’d replace some items for Coles brand. Like buying the Coles coffee for $3.70 instead of Nescafe Blend 43.

Woolworths came in last. My haul cost me $50.90, and I had to deprive myself of eggs, dishwasher tablets and mince.

Coles haul looking gorgeous. Picture: news.com.au

Aldi haul here. Picture: news.com.au

Aldi’s cheaper options meant it was the only store I could afford meat to add to my already reasonably simple pasta recipe.

There’s been plenty of talk online of Australians saying they are sick of being told to shop at Aldi to cope with the cost of living crisis.

Woolies Haul looking gorgeous. Picture: news.com.au

Three different grocery hauls from three different stores. Picture: news.com.au

While Aldi was easily the best financial option, there’s no doubt that $50 at a grocery store currently only gets you a simple pasta dish and a few weekly basics.

Sure, you could save some money from exclusively shopping at Aldi, but will it stop you from feeling the firm pinch of the cost of living pressure? Unlikely.

It seems in 2023, $50 isn’t even getting the most savvy grocery shopper far.