Everywhere we turn these days, the cost-of-living crisis looms large, but nowhere is it more obvious than at the supermarket checkout.
With grocery bills climbing, finding ways to trim the weekly shop has never been more important. Even a few simple swaps to cheaper alternatives can add up to big savings.
Consumer group CHOICE recently released the latest results of its quarterly survey of supermarket prices across Australia, comparing a basket of home-brand goods across Aldi, Coles, IGA, and Woolworths.
The basket included products such as cream cheese, thickened cream, puff pastry, frozen mixed berries, tomato paste, spaghetti, tomato sauce, and soy milk.
“While we know people typically buy a mix of branded and home-brand products at the supermarket – you might be a dedicated Weetbix fan, but have no issue buying a pack of home-brand pasta – we often get asked how much money you can save by buying exclusively the cheapest products. So, this quarter, we assessed the price of eight home-brand products at Aldi, Coles, IGA, and Woolworths,” says CHOICE Editorial Director, Mark Serrels.
“Our basket of eight home-brand items included a mix of fridge, freezer, and shelf products from each of the supermarket’s own brand range. At IGA, for example, that was either Black & Gold or Community Co.
“When we compared home-brand baskets without specials, Aldi was the cheapest at $20.08. They were followed by Coles at $21.30, Woolworths at $21.40, and IGA at $23.89. When including specials, prices stayed the same everywhere except IGA, where it fell by five cents to $23.84.”
There’s a lot to be said for the savings you can unlock by choosing home-brand options. And CHOICE isn’t the only one highlighting their value.
Compare the Market recently did their own research on the matter, analysing 20 everyday household items across two major supermarkets to see just how much cheaper options could save shoppers.
The findings were striking: Australians could fork out around $164 for a trolley of brand-name items, but just $83 for a trolley of similar generic or home-brand items – a whopping 49 per cent difference.
The analysis looked at pantry staples like bread, milk, eggs, and cheese, as well as household essentials such as washing powder, toilet paper, and multipurpose cleaners.
Compare the Market’s Chris Ford says small changes at the grocery store could make all the difference.
“The proof is in the pudding! It pays to compare when shopping, as the savings can be significant,” Ford said.
“We found that a shopper could stand to save up to $81 by ditching the big names with pretty packaging. If they did the same shop every week over a year, that’s an annual difference of $4,212.”
Savings were observed across all 20 items when switching from brand-name to home-brand products, with reductions ranging from as little as 30 cents to as much as $23 for laundry powder.
The verdict is clear: the next time you are doing your weekly shop, it might be worth swapping out your usual brands for the generic labels. With just a few simple swaps, you could stretch your budget further.
IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your financial or legal situation, objectives or needs. That means it’s not financial product or legal advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a financial or legal decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get independent, licensed financial services or legal advice.