Cost of living: The everyday supermarket items Aussies are ditching
Chips have been one of the most common items Aussies are leaving on the shelves at Woolworths and Coles.
People feeling the painful pinch of the cost-of-living crisis have named the everyday products they've had to ditch due to their now exorbitant prices — with snacking the main thing on the chopping block.
An Aussie man took to social media this week to find out what favourite items shoppers had been forced to leave on the shelves at supermarkets. From boxes of cereal to packs of razors and costly cat litter, hundreds of people chimed in to share how they've changed their spending habits to keep their heads above water.
"Large packs of All Bran cereal are now $8.00!" he complained. "While Aldi and Coles brand are still around $3.00. How the hell do you justify the price difference when it is simply dry plain cereal flakes with no flavour?"
"4 pack Schick mens razor blades. 1.5 years ago were $20 per pack, now $30!" the shopper continued his Reddit post. He didn't disclose the name of the store that prompted his need to vent.
Popular snacks too expensive
Chips and popcorn were two of the most popular food items listed as now too expensive, with some Aussies admitting the prices have actually helped them eat healthier.
"Chips — if the bag is over $3.50 I don't buy them. That's the absolute most I'll pay for a packet of crisps. It's helped me stop snacking as much," one person said. "Yep. My chip eating habit is all but dead now," another commented.
"I find myself considering if I really need or want pretty much everything now. Turns out stuff like chips and snacks aren't that important to me," a third person shared.
Numerous people said they were horrified by the cost of fridge essentials like butter and cheese. "Block cheese and even cheese in general ... I mean seriously — what the actual f**k," one shopper wrote. "You seen butter? I should have bought a tonne before Covid. I could have bought a car with the profit," another joked.
Trips to the pub, cafe also ruled out
Other Aussies said they had also given up popping out to the pub for a pint and dinner, or their local cafe for a coffee and "ridiculously expensive" ham and cheese croissant.
"I was disgusted to see crappy Tooheys New is over $80 a case and VB is almost $70," one person chimed in. "I wouldn't be surprised if Maccas is having loss these days. It's trash food and they've hiked up the prices so much that you can get much better quality fast food for the same price or less at the local kebab shop etc.," another added.
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Aussies still pulling back on spending
In her September Economic Update, CreditorWatch’s Chief Economist Anneke Thompson confirmed "on a volume basis, Australian consumers continue to pull back on their spending".
"Consumer confidence remains incredibly weak — down 1.5 per cent in September. Consumers are still fearful of an additional rate rise," she said.
The strain of having to budget so tightly is putting Aussies under a lot of stress, with one Reddit user sharing just how "insane" it is that their supposedly "decent" wage is actually barely enough to get by — a statement many responders agreed with.
"This thread is actually depressing. I take home nearly 6 figures and my wife and I are living on a tight budget every week. Our account has not gone up or down in the past 6 months. It's insane that you can be earning nearly 100k and only just getting by," they said.
Inflation expected to ease
Inflation rose in the month of August because of soaring fuel prices and an acceleration in bread price rises. Despite this, over time, Australia’s inflation is still expected to fall ... slowly.
At this stage, we should expect to be back in the Reserve Bank of Australia’s target range of 2-3 per cent by the end of 2025.
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