Why are groceries so expensive!!??

[OS&N]

Everytime i go do weekly groceries it seems im spending more and more... regardless if i look out for specials, or whether i shop at woolies or coles (no aldi close by)..things still are more expensive. i just feel to buy quality things im spending more and more... and with 1 income ,plus other expenses (bills, rent,etc) its literally coming to living paycheck to paycheck ...
far out... well..nothing much we can do ...

[MsMummy]

Before Christmas I was sticking to a strict grocery budget, and the only way I found I could do it was setting a budget and then making a list using coles online, and just kept taking things off the list until it met budget (but not actually buying online as the prices are more expensive and you don't get specials).

the other thing I found is that there are some fruit and vegetable shops (particularly in the outer suburbs) which were significantly cheaper.

I found I had to buy basic cereal like weetbix, and cook a lot of large meals with things like vegetables and legumes. I would just use whatever vegetables were in season and base my meals on that (we don't eat meat anyway).

It all required a lot of organisation and time, so it went out the window since I've had morning sickness and we are spending loads on food again.

[OurLittleBlessing]

I find that if I don't do the following I am so much more likely to blow our budget...

1. meal plan!!!
2. I buy pantry staples at Aldi, then go over to Coles for the things I can't get there.
3. cook from scratch as much as possible
4. shop at local butcher and greengrocer (although we do get a fortnightly delivery from Aussie Farmers Direct)

and perhaps most importantly...

DH picks up milk and odds and ends as needed on his way home from work. If I do it I tend to walk out with 5 extra things, but he is excellent at sticking to the list

[OJandMe]

I feel you.

And childcare keeps going up too.

I'm really needing to rethink what I'm buying in terms of meals.

[Izzys Dragon]

I buy lots of fresh fruit & veg from a local greengrocer - much better quality than supermarkets & lasts much longer. We also get meat from butcher - DF (I don't eat meat) refuses to eat meat from supermarket since we started going to the butcher, again the quality is much better. And they will measure out the amounts you want, not restricted to the pre-packaged stuff.
Anything else its off to the supermarket Going to start trying Aldi - found one not far from home so going to see how it goes!
We also do meal plans - helps when you go in with a list instead of just wandering picking up stuff at random.