Weekly Essentials · weekly-essentials
Pantry Staples: save $8.75 by splitting the shop
Pantry Staples came to $53.65 at IGA, the cheapest store that could supply the whole basket. Buying each item wherever it was cheapest saved a further $8.75.
Pantry Staples · 13 items
Prices captured Mon 12 Oct 2026, 5:30pm
$44.90
Cheapest-store total
All at Coles
$44.101 missing
All at Woolworths
$41.101 missing
All at Aldi
$48.951 missing
All at IGA
$53.6513 items
Cheapest at each store
$44.9013 items
Bread & Pizza Plain Flour
Coles$4.00
Long Grain Rice
Coles$1.80
Pasta Penne 500g×2
Aldi$1.78
Pasta Spaghetti 500g×2
Aldi$1.78
Woolworths Essentials White Sugar 1kg
Woolworths$1.80
Table Salt
Coles$2.00
Tea Pot Bags
Coles$1.75
Aroma Classic Instant Coffee 200g
Aldi$6.39
Chopped Tomatoes Canned×3
Coles$2.85
Tuna Chunks in Springwater 425g×2
Aldi$6.58
Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce 420g×2
Aldi$2.18
Woolworths Vegetable Oil 750mL
Woolworths$4.00
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500ml
Aldi$7.99Every item at all 4 stores
| Item | Coles | Woolworths | Aldi | IGA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain flour 1 kg | — | — | ||
| long grain rice 1 kg | ||||
| penne 500 g · × 2 | ||||
| spaghetti 500 g · × 2 | ||||
| white sugar 1 kg | — | |||
| table salt 1 kg | ||||
| tea bags 100 pack | ||||
| instant coffee 150 g | ||||
| diced tomatoes 400 g · × 3 | ||||
| tuna in springwater 425 g · × 2 | ||||
| baked beans 400 g · × 2 | ||||
| vegetable oil 750 ml | ||||
| olive oil 500 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 $8.75
The dry-goods shelf: grains, oils, tinned protein, tea and coffee. Restocked monthly rather than weekly, so best checked quarterly to catch the big promotional cycles.
Prices collected on 13 October 2026 from Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and IGA.
What the basket costs
| Store | Total | Items found |
|---|---|---|
| Woolworths | $41.10 | 12, 1 missing |
| Coles | $44.10 | 12, 1 missing |
| Aldi | $48.95 | 12, 1 missing |
| IGA | $53.65 | 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 $44.90, $8.75 below the $53.65 at IGA — the cheapest shop that could actually fill the basket.
Every item
| Item | Cheapest | Store |
|---|---|---|
| plain flour | $4.00 | Coles |
| long grain rice | $1.80 | Coles |
| penne | $1.78 | Aldi |
| spaghetti | $1.78 | Aldi |
| white sugar | $1.80 | Woolworths |
| table salt | $2.00 | Coles |
| tea bags | $1.75 | Coles |
| instant coffee | $6.39 | Aldi |
| diced tomatoes | $2.85 | Coles |
| tuna in springwater | $6.58 | Aldi |
| baked beans | $2.18 | Aldi |
| vegetable oil | $4.00 | Woolworths |
| olive oil | $7.99 | Aldi |
Prices change daily. Search for any product to see today's.
Products in this basket
plain flour1 kg
from $4.00 at Coles
long grain rice1 kg
from $1.80 at Coles
penne500 g
from $0.89 at Aldi
spaghetti500 g
from $0.89 at Aldi
white sugar1 kg
from $1.80 at Woolworths
table salt1 kg
from $2.00 at Coles
tea bags100 pack
from $1.75 at Coles
instant coffee150 g
from $6.39 at Aldi
diced tomatoes400 g
from $0.95 at Coles
tuna in springwater425 g
from $3.29 at Aldi
baked beans400 g
from $1.09 at Aldi
vegetable oil750 ml
from $4.00 at Woolworths
olive oil500 ml
from $7.99 at Aldi
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