Healthy Food

What Aussies really spend cooking dinner

As cost-of-living pressures continue to bite, Aussies have taken to social media to compare how much they really spend on dinner.

Food prices peaked in December 2022, with an average shopping basket costing 9.2 per cent more than in 2021.

Although food prices have eased since that peak, they remain significantly higher now compared to before the pandemic.

Some 3.7 million Australian households experienced food insecurity in 2023 – 10 per cent more than in 2022.

On a social media post on Reddit, Aussies boasted about how little they could get away with spending to make dinner.

One person wrote he spent “$18 max” making a chili con carne for four people.

“One capsicum, two onions, three garlic cloves, one fat free mince 500g, two diced tomatoes can, one red kidney beans can,” the person wrote.

A student said they made five meals at a cost of $35 by splitting a curry five ways.

“So each meal is $6.89,” she said.

Another person claimed they made two pizzas for around $14.

“Packet of pita bread for bases ($3.5), sliced ​​ham and salami ($4), pizza sauce ($3), handful of mushrooms, olives and tomatoes (around $3.50 total),” the person wrote.

“Already had a bunch of cheese in the fridge from my last Costco visit so didn’t need to buy any. Still have three of the five pitas from the pack left, plus all other ingredients except mushrooms and tomatoes.”

But the winner of the cheapest meal would have to be a couple who managed to spend only $20 on food per week.

“It sucks,” wrote one half of the couple. “But I can make it work.”

A number of people mentioned a roast chicken with vegetables came to under $20 for a family.

“Will do us for tonight but also leftovers for lunch tomorrow,” a person wrote.

“Plus the cats and labradors get every little scrap of skin and bits we don’t eat.”

Almost all food categories have been hit by price hikes, but many healthy foods appear to have increased in price at almost double the rate of unhealthy foods.

Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder, said that households are feeling the pressure from grocery prices.

“Households are at breaking point, with many changing how and where they shop in order to put food on the table,” he said.

Mr Cooke said a few simple tricks were available that could help Aussies control their spending.

“Always have a shopping list before heading to the shops as this will prevent you from buying things you don’t need, and shopping towards the end of the day means you are more likely to find discounted items which are still fresh but cost less, ” he said.

Mr Cooke advised taking advantage of supermarket reward programs and to always remember to compare supermarket prices.

“One other hack is to download the apps for the big two supermarkets and use them to compare the prices in your local stores,” he said.