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.

Hot Lunch Thermos Basket: Aldi Wins at $39.92
Essential baskets · school lunch

Hot Lunch Thermos Basket: Aldi Wins at $39.92

Aldi wins this 11-item hot thermos lunch basket at $39.92, sitting $1.58 below Coles and $1.58 below Woolworths, but cherry-picking the cheapest price per item across all four stores gets you to $34.13, a $7.37 saving on the best single-store total.

· Save $7.37
Cheap Groceries for a Family of Four: Aldi Wins
Essential baskets · family groceries

Cheap Groceries for a Family of Four: Aldi Wins

Aldi takes this 16-item family basket at $98.90, beating Woolworths by $7.59 and IGA by a thumping $25.15. Cherry-picking the cheapest item at each store cuts the total to $86.31, a $12.59 saving over Aldi alone.

· Save $10.87
15-Minute Weeknight Dinners: $19 Cheaper at Aldi
Essential baskets · budget groceries

15-Minute Weeknight Dinners: $19 Cheaper at Aldi

Aldi wins the 15-minute mid-week basket at $40.66, a full $19.19 under Woolies' $62.25 and $21.59 under Coles' $59.85, but one item isn't on the shelf there, so here's exactly how to split the shop.

· Save $12.16
Budget Grocery List Compared: CHOICE 14 Basket
Essential baskets · budget groceries

Budget Grocery List Compared: CHOICE 14 Basket

Woolworths wins the CHOICE 14-item basket at $50.75, just 5 cents under Coles ($50.70, though Coles was missing one item), while cherry-picking the cheapest price per item across all four stores drops the total to $42.48, saving you $8.27.

· Save $8.27
Budget Vegetarian Groceries: Aldi Saves You $13.96
Essential baskets · vegetarian

Budget Vegetarian Groceries: Aldi Saves You $13.96

Aldi wins this 14-item vegetarian mid-week basket at $47.23, which is $13.96 under Woolies and $13.96 under Coles at $61.19, the widest gap is on halloumi and tofu, where the chilled aisle price spread is stark.

Mid-Week Dinners: save $4.76 by splitting the shop
Essential baskets · 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.

· Save $4.76
Pub Night In: save $10.39 by splitting the shop
Essential baskets · weekly-essentials

Pub Night In: save $10.39 by splitting the shop

Pub Night In came to $82.63 at IGA, the cheapest store that could supply the whole basket. Buying each item wherever it was cheapest saved a further $10.39.

· Save $10.39
Hot Lunch Thermos: save $10.61 by splitting the shop
Essential baskets · weekly-essentials

Hot Lunch Thermos: save $10.61 by splitting the shop

Hot Lunch Thermos came to $41.40 at Coles, the cheapest store that could supply the whole basket. Buying each item wherever it was cheapest saved a further $10.61.

· Save $10.61
School Lunchbox: save $5.29 by splitting the shop
Essential baskets · weekly-essentials

School Lunchbox: save $5.29 by splitting the shop

School Lunchbox came to $43.28 at Aldi, the cheapest store that could supply the whole basket. Buying each item wherever it was cheapest saved a further $5.29.

· Save $5.29
15-Minute Mid-Week: save $11.66 by splitting the shop
Essential baskets · weekly-essentials

15-Minute Mid-Week: save $11.66 by splitting the shop

15-Minute Mid-Week came to $59.85 at Coles, the cheapest store that could supply the whole basket. Buying each item wherever it was cheapest saved a further $11.66.

· Save $11.66
Budget Groceries for One Person: Aldi Saves $10.96
Essential baskets · budget groceries

Budget Groceries for One Person: Aldi Saves $10.96

Aldi wins this 14-item single-person basket at $43.90, which is $10.96 under Woolies' $52.79 and $10.99 cheaper than Coles at $54.86, though one item is missing, so read on before you ditch your usual shop entirely.

· Save $9.59
Cheap Vegetarian Dinners: Aldi Saves $11.86 vs Woolies
Essential baskets · vegetarian

Cheap Vegetarian Dinners: Aldi Saves $11.86 vs Woolies

Aldi wins this five-night vegetarian basket at $48.53, saving $11.86 over Woolies and $11.86 over Coles' $60.39, with halloumi and tofu showing the widest price gap of any items in the chilled aisle.

· Save $0.49
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