Detail in Mum’s massive Aldi shopping haul divides

The woman posted a photo of her huge grocery haul, asking shoppers to guess the cost — only to spark a debate when she shared the results.

When it comes to grocery shopping it’s safe to say we’re all rather particular about what we like to buy.

What’s a food necessity to some might be considered a luxury by others, and we’ve all got different definitions of what constitutes a bargain.

It’s why it’s perhaps unsurprising that an Aldi shopper who posted her weekly shopping haul on Facebook ended up sparking a massive debate about her shop.

Posting in the Aldi Mums Facebook group the woman showed a picture of her weekly shop for two adults and a five-year-old, asking others to guess how much she had spend.

The woman shared a picture of her Aldi shop on Facebook, asking people to guess how much she had spent. Picture: Facebook/Aldi Mums.

In the comments the mum revealed she had spent $269.98 on the food plus a night light for $16.99, bringing the total cost of her shop to $286.96.

Many praised her for getting the shop so cheap, saying it would have cost much more at another supermarket.

“Amazing value. Especially with all that meat,” one person wrote.

“That would easily come to 600 in Woolies,” another shopper commented.

“I am sure it’s way less than what you would have spent at Coles,” one mum also wrote.

But others disagreed, saying the shop seemed expensive for what she had bought and criticising the lack of fresh produce.

“I actually think it’s a lot of money considering most of it is processed foods,” one person wrote. I spend a lot less buying straight from the butcher and going to the fruit and veg shop.”

“The only fresh fruit is some bananas – do you buy your fresh fruit elsewhere or don’t eat it?
another asked.

“Where are the greens and vegetables?” one commenter also wrote.

Others mums said that groceries had increased at all the major supermarkets, with one person writing: “That’s not a great deal for 270 bucks. Groceries are expensive no matter where you shop in my opinion.”

The shop came to $286.97, but not everyone was convinced the shop was good value. Picture: Facebook/Aldi Mums.

In response the mum said she used “mostly frozen”vegetables on weekdays and already had some fresh produce at home.

She had also bought more food staples as the family were doing seven days of isolation after being named a covid close contact.

“I thought the pricing was quite good,” she wrote in the comments. “Hate to see what it would come to at Coles or Woolies.”

Last month research found that panic buying in response to the coronavirus pandemic has led to a permanent increase in some supermarket prices.

Data from Deakin University’s Institute for Health Transformation analysed about 7000 Coles and Woolworths products over the last three years.

It found that the prices of food staples were increasing by two to seven per cent, or as much as 37 per cent in some extreme cases.

The researchers suspected that since the pandemic began in March last year, labour shortages, supply chain issues, Covid-19 safety protocols as well as panic buying has pushed up prices.