As we navigate through the aisles of our local supermarkets, many of us can’t help but feel a twinge of nostalgia for the days when our dollars stretched further. It’s a sentiment that’s been brought sharply into focus by the discovery of a 15-year-old Woolworths receipt, which has revealed some eye-opening changes in the cost of groceries over the years.
Amy Coulston, a Sunshine Coast resident, stumbled upon this blast from the past at her mother’s house. The receipt, dated from 15 years ago, itemised a grocery list that included everyday essentials such as milk, bread, and cheese, as well as other items like salami, chicken pies, and cereal. Back then, the total for 30 items came to $127.26. Fast forward to today, and Coulston found that the same shopping list would cost her $170.45, marking a 35 per cent increase.
This discovery led Coulston to share her findings online, where it quickly became a topic of discussion. Many people expressed their surprise, with some expecting the price difference to be even more significant.
However, the increase is not just about the numbers on the receipt; it’s also about the size of the products we’re getting for our money. Coulston pointed out that many items have gotten smaller over time, a trend known as ‘shrinkflation’, where products reduce in size but maintain or increase in price. A notable example she mentioned was Turkish Delight chocolates, which have shrunk from 55 grams to 50 grams over the years.
However, the biggest shock for Coulston was cheese. She shared, ‘600 grams of Devondale cheese was $5.70 and today that same bag of cheese is $10.80.’
Other significant increases included lite milk, which went from $3.59 for 3 litres to $4.35, and sliced mushrooms, which jumped from $4.98 for 500 grams to $7.
When we consider inflation, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s calculator suggests that a basket of goods valued at $127.26 in early 2010 would be worth $185.94 today, accounting for a total change of 46.1 per cent over the period, with an average annual inflation rate of 2.6 per cent. Despite these figures, some Australians feel the price hikes are not as drastic as they could have been, especially when compared to average annual pay rises.
The impact of these price changes is felt in the weekly budget of Australian households. Research from Compare the Market indicates that people are now spending over $1,000 more a year on groceries than they were just a year ago. The average weekly grocery bill has climbed to $213.64, an increase of $21.98 from January 2024. With more than a quarter of Australians citing grocery costs as their most worrisome bill, it’s clear that these incremental increases are taking a toll.
Sarah Orr from Compare the Market points out that price hikes are widespread across supermarket aisles, with everyday items like coffee and chocolate experiencing surges due to supply issues. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data from November shows an annual food inflation rate of 2.9 per cent, with fruit and vegetables leading the charge with a 6 per cent rise. However, there has been some relief with price drops for certain produce like tomatoes and strawberries, thanks to favourable growing conditions.
Coulston, who has shifted from full-time administration work to side hustles, has felt the pinch herself. Her grocery budget with her partner and their Border Collie, Finn, has increased from around $600 to $750 a month. To combat rising costs, she shares, ‘We do one big grocery shop at the start of the month then do a couple top-up shops for things like milk, eggs, fruit and veggies with a shorter shelf life.
‘Fresh fruit and vegetables is one thing I’ve noticed the most going up, so often we go for the frozen options that are usually a lot cheaper.’
For those looking to tighten their grocery budgets, Orr recommends planning ahead, checking for specials, trying home brands or lesser-known labels, and paying attention to unit prices. Utilising reward cards, partner shopping discounts from various service providers, and scanning receipts for gift cards on platforms like ReceiptJar can also help ease the financial burden.
Readers, how have you noticed the impact of rising grocery prices on your household budget? What strategies have you implemented to manage these increasing costs? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: Grocery price predictions for 2025: Experts’ insights.
Sadly the world is going through another reset and it’s just we are caught up in it. Just as we are retiring or retired.
I’m just speaking from experience as throughout my whole life every X number of years we get a massive pay rise instead of the normal 2 or so percent each year as per the Awards or later Certified Agreements.
But when we look around- the wages must be really high for first world countries as the youngings (and young at art) are spending their house deposits on not just avocado but on full body tattoos/hipster hairstyles/vapes/staycations/4WD/eurotrips/BMW-Audi-Mercs. You only look at Facebook to see the lifestyles of this cohort and those $1,000 return tickets to London seem too cheap and those $99 Accor specials on Sunrise. So with all that disposable income up for grabs then it’s completely understandable that Coles and Woolies want a piece of the action commensurate with their share price .
Now with the First Covid War, understandably that as first world countries we shouldn’t wear masks – that should be those who serve us – that’s how these cohorts think. No wonder they want access to early inheritances so boomers watch out because Facebook is full of hatred of boomers.
So we all treated our servers with contempt and didn’t respect the virus. No wonder there’s no staff anywhere.
So back to the real world and boomers on pensions.
Those calculators online that show how much your money will last etc don’t take into consideration those big world resets. When suddenly everyone else incomes increase but not the pensioners. Is it any wonder why the first world embraced Covid to cull the Boomers as they cost the taxpayers their wealth.