Weekly Essentials · weekly-essentials
Mid-Week Dinners: save $4.76 by splitting the shop
Mid-Week Dinners came to $60.08 at Aldi, the cheapest store that could supply the whole basket. Buying each item wherever it was cheapest saved a further $4.76.
Mid-Week Dinners · 13 items
Prices captured Sat 26 Sep 2026, 6:23pm
$55.32
Cheapest-store total
All at Coles
$75.0813 items
All at Woolworths
$72.5513 items
All at Aldi
$60.0813 items
All at IGA
$69.591 missing
Cheapest at each store
$55.3213 items
2 Star Beef Mince 500g
Aldi$12.98
Ingham's Large Fresh Chicken Breast Fillets
IGA$8.33
Pasta Penne 500g×2
Aldi$1.78
Tomato Pasta Sauce 500g
Aldi$1.59
Chopped Tomatoes Canned×2
Coles$1.90
Brown Onions 1kg
Aldi$2.99
Garlic 3 Pack
Aldi$2.99
Woolworths Australian Grown Carrots 1kg
Woolworths$2.00
Zucchini Loose
Aldi$3.00
White Cup Mushrooms 500g
Aldi$4.99
Jasmine Rice 1kg
Aldi$2.99
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500ml
Aldi$7.99
Sauce Soy 500ml, Regular
Aldi$1.79Every item at all 4 stores
| Item | Coles | Woolworths | Aldi | IGA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| beef mince 1 kg | ||||
| chicken breast 1 kg | ||||
| penne 500 g · × 2 | ||||
| pasta sauce 500 g | ||||
| diced tomatoes 400 g · × 2 | ||||
| brown onions 1 kg | ||||
| garlic 3 pack | ||||
| carrots 1 kg | ||||
| zucchini 500 g | ||||
| cup mushrooms 500 g | — | |||
| jasmine rice 1 kg | ||||
| olive oil 500 ml | ||||
| soy sauce 250 ml |
These prices were frozen when the post was published and move daily.
Adding the basket re-prices every item against today's shelf.
Cherry-picking saved $4.76
Ingredients for five weeknight dinners — spag bol, a roast chook, a stir-fry, a pasta bake and something with leftovers. Built from the proteins and veg ABS says most households actually buy.
Prices collected on 27 September 2026 from Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and IGA.
What the basket costs
| Store | Total | Items found |
|---|---|---|
| Aldi | $60.08 | all 13 |
| IGA | $69.59 | 12, 1 missing |
| Woolworths | $72.55 | all 13 |
| Coles | $75.08 | all 13 |
A store that could not supply every item is not directly comparable — a smaller basket is naturally cheaper.
The bigger saving
Buying each item at whichever store sold it cheapest came to $55.32, $4.76 below the $60.08 at Aldi — the cheapest shop that could actually fill the basket.
Every item
| Item | Cheapest | Store |
|---|---|---|
| beef mince | $12.98 | Aldi |
| chicken breast | $8.33 | IGA |
| penne | $1.78 | Aldi |
| pasta sauce | $1.59 | Aldi |
| diced tomatoes | $1.90 | Coles |
| brown onions | $2.99 | Aldi |
| garlic | $2.99 | Aldi |
| carrots | $2.00 | Woolworths |
| zucchini | $3.00 | Aldi |
| cup mushrooms | $4.99 | Aldi |
| jasmine rice | $2.99 | Aldi |
| olive oil | $7.99 | Aldi |
| soy sauce | $1.79 | Aldi |
Prices change daily. Search for any product to see today's.
Products in this basket
beef mince1 kg
from $6.49 at Aldi
chicken breast1 kg
from $4.20 at Woolworths
penne500 g
from $0.89 at Aldi
pasta sauce500 g
from $1.59 at Aldi
diced tomatoes400 g
from $0.95 at Coles
brown onions1 kg
from $2.99 at Aldi
garlic3 pack
from $1.98 at Coles
carrots1 kg
from $2.00 at Woolworths
zucchini500 g
from $1.00 at Aldi
cup mushrooms500 g
from $2.30 at Woolworths
jasmine rice1 kg
from $2.99 at Aldi
olive oil500 ml
from $7.99 at Aldi
soy sauce250 ml
from $1.79 at Aldi
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