How to save on groceries: British expat asks how Australians save money at Woolworths and Coles

A stunned British expat asked Australian shoppers for tips on how to save after revealing his very basic grocery delivery had cost more than $60.

Financial adviser Ryan King, 25, recently moved to Melbourne from London and was shocked by Australian food prices.

For a whopping $61.90 I bought some apples, garlic, mushrooms, bananas, chicken, peppers, broth, onions, honey, flour, soy sauce and bread from Woolworths.

“I want to show you what I got and how much it all cost. If Australians are watching and have any tricks on how to get better or cheaper food, please let me know,” he said on TikTok.

“It is very expensive.”

Financial adviser Ryan King (above) recently moved to Melbourne from London and asked for tips on how to save when shopping

Mr. King then went through the awards that stood out to him the most.

“One pepper (pepper) for $3.29 … Two onions for $2.19, four bananas for $3.25, this 3-pound chicken was $14.67,” he said.

“I didn’t buy a lot of stuff, normally I would buy more meat and maybe rice, pasta, potatoes, dips and sauces.

“So that could be about 60 percent of a grocery store.”

He added that he was not happy with the cost and asked Australian buyers to leave their advice on how he could save money.

“If anyone in Australia can give me advice on how to shop better because I feel like this isn’t a very good store,” he said.

For a whopping $61.90, I bought some apples, garlic, mushrooms, bananas, chicken, peppers, broth, onions, honey, flour, soy sauce, bread options (above) from Woolworths.

Australian commentators were quick to respond by sharing lessons learned from grocery shopping.

“Aldi is elite, you save tons and personally I like their meat products better there,” one person wrote along with several others, adding that Aldi has affordable options.

“Shop between different stores. Fruit and veg from the grocer instead of Woolies or going to the markets,” said another.

“Get your soy sauce from Asian supermarkets and get the house brand flour,” wrote another commenter.

A third said: “Wolies has been cheaply freezing prepared peppers. Not good for salads, but good for pasta and stir-fries.’

Grocery bills could rise even further with the end of Coles and Woolworth’s price freeze programs.

Australian shoppers left their tips for saving (above), including shopping in different places and trying local markets, under Mr King’s video

Retail giants Coles and Woolworths declared a price freeze on hundreds of everyday staples and popular products in June last year to help households cope with rising living costs and interest rates, on top of inflation hitting its highest level in 32 years .

Woolworths ended its price cap on essentials on December 31, while Coles’ Dropped & Locked initiative is due to end on January 31.

Despite the price freeze, the cost of fruit and vegetables rose 16.2 percent in the 12 months to September, dairy rose 12.1 percent and bread and cereals rose 10 percent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Both supermarkets have given assurances that the prices of many products will remain the same.

Woolworths has taken a seasonal approach to its discounts, recently slashing the price of more than 300 summer staples as part of its Prices Dropped campaign, which runs through February 21.

Woolworth’s price-freeze program ended December 31, while Coles’ is due to end on January 31, but both food giants said many prices will remain the same (pictured a Woolworth worker).

“We know Australian families are feeling the pressure on the cost of living and throughout 2023 we will continue to work hard to help them save every time they shop with us,” a spokeswoman told the Daily Mail Australia.

“Although the Price Freeze program has ended, we remain focused on maximizing value for our customers and many of the products in the program are currently priced at the same low price.

‘We will continue to review each cost increase request from our suppliers on a case-by-case basis and work together to sensitively manage market-wide inflationary pressures.’

Coles hailed the current price freeze as an overwhelming success and said many of the program’s essential items will remain the same price through the end of this year.

“Dropped and Locked has received an incredible response and has helped save Australian homes millions of dollars since its launch last year,” said a spokeswoman.

‘We are evaluating how best to use these promotions to support customers with rising living costs beyond the end of January.’