THE REAL AUSSIE GROCERY BILL: WHAT SEVEN HOUSEHOLDS SPEND EACH WEEK IN 2026
If you have winced at the checkout lately, you are far from alone, and a revealing new look at the weekly grocery bill shows just how Australians are coping.
On November 9, the ABC published a snapshot of seven very different households, laying out exactly what went into their trolleys and what it cost.
The answers range from a young family spending close to $250 a week to a pensioner who keeps his entire shop under $80.
What a family grocery bill looks like now
Dad Daniel, who has a toddler and a three-month-old baby, spent $178.78 on the shop he shared, though the family's usual bill is about $250 a week.
He now buys mostly at Aldi, tracks every dollar in a spreadsheet and has dropped big, juicy steaks from the menu altogether.
He still refuses to compromise on good bread and free-range eggs, which feels like a very relatable line in the sand.
Louisa, who lives with her husband and toddler, budgets $300 a week and spent $238.
She meal preps, buys plenty of meat, yoghurt and fresh food, and splits her shop between Aldi and Woolworths.
Udita, a mum living with her husband, young child and mother-in-law, spent $228.38 across three different stores.
She buys lentils, nuts and ghee in bulk from an Indian grocer and Aldi, and keeps a close eye on how far her money used to stretch a few years ago.
Single parents and pensioners feel it most
Kirsty, who lives with her teenage son on a disability pension, says groceries swallow almost a quarter of her income.
Her shop came to $280.36 across three supermarkets, and she now buys ready meals on special and freezes them.
She has also cut back on meat and fresh produce so that nothing ends up in the bin.
Robyn, a single mum of two primary school-aged boys, spent $137 against a $150 budget, with around a third of her food coming from a $15 Foodbank parcel.
She cooks from scratch, stretches meat across several meals and leans on long-life milk plus frozen fruit and vegetables.
Barb, a pensioner waiting on social housing with her two cats, spent $174.35, but an injury means she cannot shop around and often pays more for convenience.
Bill, also a pensioner, keeps his weekly budget under $80 and adds up his total in his head as he goes.
His most heartbreaking line sums up the year for many: "Biscuits are a luxury to me."
Why the grocery bill keeps climbing
The long-running HILDA Survey found the share of income spent on essential goods and services rose by almost 6 per cent over three years, and by 6.1 per cent for single parents with dependent children.
The latest Hunger Report from Foodbank found 100,000 more Australian households experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months, with high living costs the top reason.
A recent interest rate rise has added to the squeeze for many families with a mortgage.
Smart ideas to borrow from these shoppers
The good news is that these households are full of practical tricks worth trying at home.
Track your spending, even roughly, because simply knowing your weekly figure makes it easier to spot where money leaks.
Shop at more than one store if you can, saving staples for the cheapest supermarket and bulk items for specialist grocers.
Cook from scratch where possible and stretch one tray of mince or chicken across two or three dinners.
Frozen fruit and vegetables are just as handy as fresh for smoothies, stir-fries and soups, and they cut waste.
Buy ready meals or meat when they are on special and freeze them for busy nights.
Keep a running total as you shop, as Bill does, so there are no nasty surprises at the register.
If money is tight, budgeting programmes such as those run by the Brotherhood of St Laurence helped Kirsty, and Foodbank partners can help with low-cost food.
You can read every household's story in full on ABC News.
Whatever your weekly total, you are definitely not the only one doing the maths in the cereal aisle.
