Weekly Essentials: Budget Grocery Baskets Compared

A budget grocery list priced at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA every week. What a cheap weekly shop really costs, and which supermarket wins yours.

Essential baskets · pensioner groceries

Cheap Groceries for Pensioners: Aldi Saves $9.37

Aldi wins this 15-item pensioner basket at $61.74, which is $4.74 under Coles and $9.37 less than a cherry-picked best-of-each-store total of $52.37, but cherry-picking saves $9.38 if you've got two shops nearby.

Wed 14 Oct 2026· Save $9.38

Essential baskets · 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.

Tue 13 Oct 2026· Save $8.75

Essential baskets · personal care

Women's Personal Care: $30 Cheaper at Aldi vs Woolies

Aldi wins this 12-item women's personal care basket at $49.64, saving you $30.32 compared to Woolworths' $79.96, but Aldi is missing 3 items, so smart cherry-picking gets you even further ahead.

Mon 12 Oct 2026

Essential baskets · budget meals

Budget Dinner Groceries for a Family: Aldi Saves $10

Aldi wins this 13-item dinner basket at $49.48, which is $10.42 cheaper than Woolworths and $5.31 under Coles. Cherry-picking the cheapest price per item saves $10.31 more over Aldi's full shop, but it takes three separate trolleys to get there.

Sun 11 Oct 2026· Save $10.31

Essential baskets · pizza

Friday Night Pizza at Home: Woolies Beats Coles by $14

Woolworths wins this Friday night pizza basket at $38.96, which is $14.17 under Coles and only two cents more than Aldi, but cherry-picking six stores gets you the same haul for $34.04.

Sat 10 Oct 2026· Save $4.92

Essential baskets · high-protein breakfast

Cheap High-Protein Breakfast Basket: Aldi Wins at $42.88

Woolies comes in at $58.48 and Coles at $63.91 for this 11-item high-protein breakfast basket, but Aldi clears the field at $42.88, a $15.60 saving over Woolies if you're happy with 3 items missing from the shelf.

Fri 9 Oct 2026· Save $4.66

Essential baskets · school lunchbox

Budget School Lunchbox: Aldi Wins at $40.92

Aldi wins the budget school lunchbox basket at $40.92, beating Woolies by $3.49, Coles by $0.99, and IGA by $8.38. Cherry-picking the cheapest item at each store drops it to $38.68, saving $2.24 over Aldi alone.

Thu 8 Oct 2026· Save $2.24

Essential baskets · men's grooming

Men's Grooming Prices: Coles Is $20 Dearer Than Cherry-Picking

Coles is the only store that stocks all 12 items in this men's grooming basket at $74.72, but cherry-picking across all four supermarkets cuts that to $54.61, a $20.11 saving for a single monthly shop.

Wed 7 Oct 2026· Save $20.11

Essential baskets · grocery comparison

Cheap Groceries Australia: 7 Items, 4 Stores Compared

Woolworths wins this seven-item basket at $41.72, just 16 cents under Coles at $41.88, but cherry-picking the cheapest store for each item cuts the total to $33.60, saving you $8.12 on a basket this small.

Tue 6 Oct 2026· Save $8.12

Essential baskets · vegetarian

Cheap Vegetarian Mid-Week Basket: Aldi Wins at $48.53

Aldi wins this 14-item vegetarian mid-week basket at $48.53, which is $10.47 under Coles and $4.87 under Woolworths, and cherry-picking the best price at each store only squeezes out an extra $1.77.

Mon 5 Oct 2026· Save $1.77

Essential baskets · budget dinners

Cheap Weeknight Dinners: Aldi Saves You $10.20

Aldi wins this five-dinner weeknight basket at $62.58, which is $10.20 under Woolies and $18.30 below IGA, though cherry-picking the cheapest item at each store shaves another $6.24 off.

Sun 4 Oct 2026· Save $6.24

Essential baskets · grocery prices

Pub Night In for Under $70: Best Prices at Each Store

IGA is the cheapest single store for this pub night in basket at $62.38, but cherry-picking the best prices across all four supermarkets cuts the total to $70.68, saving $27.97 against a full Woolworths shop.

Sat 3 Oct 2026· Save $27.97