How are the prices in your part of the world?

[cupcake]

Where I live, in France snack foods can be rather cheap if you stick to the store brand rather than name brand but the servings are smaller.
I think it would be fun to compare prices. What is the best deal you can find not including coupons or special sales, Im talking everyday prices.
I can get these cookies that are shaped like little tarts with a filling of chocolate or strawberry jam for 44 cents for a pack of 8. Now a small bag of cheap flour costs only 32 cents here in Aldi and the regular supermarket it only costs 26 cents. But sugar is more expensive and the chocolate would be very costly, a small bag of choclate chips, not even a full cupfull would cost almost 3 euros, and the strawberry jam, the cheapest would cost over one euro for a large storebrand jar. I can buy a box of 12 chocolate chip cookies for 65 cents and a box of 16 smaller coconut cookies for 34 cents. I know the prices seem really cheap maybe but where these particular items are cheap, they get you big when it comes to meats, cereal, fresh veggies, fruits. We can buy a box of Special K cereal for close to 5 euros. Eggs are usually sold in packages of 10, not 12 and the cheapest I can find are 78 cents for a pack of 10. Powdered soup mixes, the cheapest cost 49 cents for a 2 serving packet. Get this though, you can get feminine products really cheaply. I am talking a bag of 10 overnites pads for 44 cents. Mini pads 30 ct. for 38 cents for store brand. When I was in the states, it was much more costly than that. What can you come up with?

[braided-rug]

Our grocery prices in Australia always sound expensive next to others. I guess it is the exchange rate.

I live in a remote area. I get asked if I go to town to get cheaper groceries. Town is 1 1/2 hours away, but people do it, even with small kids. I heard of one lady that goes to another centre 2 hours away.

They have Aldi in our regional centre which is good. I think the others are able to do it because they live on a farm.

I will have a look around. Our chocolate chips were $7 once! I am pleased they have a cheaper one now. Your Special K would come out at $8.33AU. That was last week.

[violet]

Righto, this is all in Australian dollars, which are worth less than US dollars - 1 Australian dollar will buy around 75 US cents. (no idea about the Euro)

A loaf of white bread at Aldi costs .99cents. A loaf of multigrain, Safeway brand bread is $1.98. Snack foods are relatively expensive. Muesli bar type things, on sale, are around 2.99, but just over $4 regular price.

A small pack of flour, 1kg, varies between .96 cents and $2.70 depending on brand. Choc chips, 230g, are around $3.20. A packet of jam filled cookies/biscuits is around 2.60, but there are cheaper brands.

This is hard because I buy most of the more processed foods only when on sale. A pack of Oreos (single cylinder-shaped pack) was 1.79. A 12-pack of little bags of potato chips is usually $4.99.

Potatoes, washed, are running at $2.49kg -$2.99kg at the moment. I pay $3.99kg for apples. Eggs, free range, from the fruit shop where they're cheapest, are $3.50 for a dozen. Our cheapest eggs are still twice the prices I see mentioned on US sites.

Sugar here can be found for around $1 a kg. I can't find any cookies that even come close to the prices you mention, cupcake.

I can't believe the pad prices there, nothing here is much under $4.

Free range chicken breast fillets are $13.98 a kilo.

Special K is often on sale for $4.99 for a mid-sized box, maybe 500gram.

[cupcake]

Looking at the Oanda online currency converter:

Monday, September 25, 2006

1 Euro = 1.70552 Australian Dollar
1 Australian Dollar (AUD) = 0.58633 Euro (EUR)

1 Euro = 1.27885 US Dollar
1 US Dollar (USD) = 0.78195 Euro (EUR)

I just think it is interesting to compare prices on somethings. You have Safeway in Australia? I used to shop at one all the time in the states. I really miss it.
The pads I mentioned that are super cheap are store brand ones or no name brand ones. We do get oreos here in some stores, not all and they come in packages of 16 cookies for 2,29 last I saw them. I can get a small whole chicken in Aldi for 2,95 usually. The meats are smaller though than in the states including chickens. A basic loaf of white bread runs 55 cents at aldi and 75 cents at our local supermarket. HAve you ever browsed the aldi site to see what is available in other countries?
www.aldi.fr/ a little boring in France. Click on aldi actualities for the weekly specials.
aldi.com.au/
Braided rug, how do you like living that far away from town?

[braided-rug]

I have had to go there twice in the past weeks. I loved shopping in Coles in our hometown. It is a little like Safeway. I found last week's shopping expedition trying in our little town, the meat was leaking and I really wanted the meat as they usually don't have stir fry meats.

I shop for 6 so it would be nice if it was a little easier. Mostly living here is exciting. I just don't think I have adapted as well as I should have. We had moved to another place before this and eventually I got the shopping thing worked out, yes, I gave in and went back to shopping at Coles even though it meant a drive of 1/2 hour.

[violet]

Thanks for the conversions, cupcake!

Br, I don't think a half hour drive is too far to shop somewhere you're happy with. I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by shops but still drive further to my preferred supermarkets.

We went to Aldi yesterday - multi-grain bread $1.49 (.8822 euro), 2 litres regular milk $2.09 (1.24 euro), baked beans .69 (.42 euro), 500g packet pasta .69(.42), 1 litre extra light olive oil $5.99(3.55 euro). Much cheaper than Safeway or Coles, but as it's a half hour drive it's too far for the daily bread/milk run. I can walk to our closest Safeway in 3 minutes.

[cupcake]

Are the gas prices high in Australia too? I guess with a 1/2 hour drive you can try to knock out other errands too. I walk 10 mins to get to Aldi here. Our other supermarket (champion) is just around the corner from Aldi. I shop at both cause you can get some things cheaper at the regular supermarket.
I think my cheapest and fastest meal comes from Aldi. Spaghetti noodles 500g for .25 cents, .25 Euro = 0.42291 Australian Dollar and a jar of nice tasting bolognese sauce for .69 cents, .69 Euro = 1.16724 Australian Dollar . This feeds 4 people. There is always cheese in the house to sprinkle on top and always salad fixings to go with it. I think it is a pretty cheap meal.

[braided-rug]

The bread prices have got me thinking. I am 1 1/2 hours from Aldi now, and the LPG costs me $30. I have a duel fuel car. I buy usually 28 loaves of bread per fortnight then we freeze them. I buy it for $2.54 and it is sent to me. Around here the price is around $3.50, I don't even bother looking of the price of bread here.

I asked ds#1 and he described Aldi to me a bit. I thought I may have to pack it myself, and after a long drive I didn't think that would work. He says I wouldn't have to do that.

[cupcake]

Yes for Aldi, you do have to pack yourself but it is easy if you put some empty boxes in your car, Just put everything back into your cart once it is rung up then when you go to your car, just put all the groceries into the boxes, thats what most people here do.

[braided-rug]

When I shop here in town they pack my food into boxes. I like how they go back into the trolley easily to wheel it to the car which is in the street on a hill.

My potatoes are a reasonable price. I buy them online and buy brushed 5kg for $5 something. Actually today they are $4.25 wow.

[violet]

The self-packing thing at Aldi is kind of fun - sometimes if dh comes along he takes over, and I love watching him get frazzled lol.

The conveyor belt is longer at Aldi than at a regular supermarket. Always make sure you're not first in line if you have a trolley full to unload!! When you put your goods on the belt, you make sure to put big things (eg, bulk toilet paper) on the belt first, then little bags and bread last. It stops things being squashed if big and heavy things go in the trolley first.

At the end of the conveyor belt, next to the check out person's station, is a recess that the front of the trolley fits in to. The check out person scans each item then pushes it towards you, and you madly sweep it all into the trolley!!

Once paid for, you wheel the trolley full of stuff out to the car and pack it there, or there is a packing bench in the store. I find it takes about 3 minutes to pack everything, it's really not a problem once you get over the shock of the first time, BUT when buying large quantities, like Br's 28 loaves of bread, it would be much nicer to have 2 people and 2 trollies so everything's not squashed in together, I think.

Cupcake, your meal sounds very economical!

Regarding petrol, today regular unleaded was 119.9 cents per litre, or 70.70 euro.

[cupcake]

I'll be going to aldi later this morning. Going to get the ingredients to make chicken curry. I was in there yesterday for just a few things and I noticed they have put out a Christmas cake. I didn't see any other Christmasy thing. They have this aldi version of the Vienetta icecream dessert for 1,49 which I may pick up.

[braided-rug]

I think our feminine products have GST added to them. A point that some people were very unhappy with when GST was first introduced.

[cupcake]

I GST a tax? I thought that was only for Great Britain? Do you pay any kind of sales tax on non food items like as in the states? Here in France we pay no sales taxes at the stores at all.

[braided-rug]

Yes, people let us get that tax.