Choice says this is the cheapest supermarket for Christmas groceries

With Australians expected to spend in the order of $50 billion this Christmas, or about $2,074 for every man, woman and child in the country, budgeting for this costly time of the year can prove challenging for even the thriftiest shoppers.

As well as forking out for presents, decorations, parties and all manner of seasonal incidentals, the grocery bill can also represent a big chunk of the Christmas budget.

Luckily, consumer watchdog Choice has been crunching the numbers on which supermarket offers the biggest savings on a basket of Christmas grocery essentials.

Choice did spot price checks on 22 common items such as leg ham, roast turkey, Christmas pudding, chocolates, mixed nuts, Christmas décor, cards and wrapping paper, on the same day at Aldi, Coles and Woolworths.

And the cheapest basket belonged to… Aldi!

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The total basket price at Aldi was up to 20 per cent lower than its nearest competitor even if specials were excluded, Choice said, adding that the basket cost $177.50 at Aldi, compared with $217.05 at Woolworths and $200.25 at Coles for the full-price basket. 

Tom Godfrey from Choice said there huge gaps in Christmas prices across the three supermarket giants.

“The Woolworths turkey was the cheapest across our shop, but the price really blew out when it came to the mixed nuts, the salmon and the ham,” Godfrey told 7 News.

Choice noted that the price differences were narrower when price promotions on offer at each supermarket on the day of the shop were factored in.

So while Aldi won out in this particular price comparison, the research confirmed that it pays to shop around and stock up on sale items.

Are you prepared for your Christmas feast? Do you shop around for bargains or try to get through your Christmas shop as quickly as possible, even if it means spending more?