Shopping Down Under - Adjusting to Expat Life!

When I moved to Spain in 2016, I would often talk about shopping, the different costs of supermarket food and how to live and cook cheaply. Back then I had very little money to live on and every Euro mattered. Money isn't so much of an issue today, but I'm not working as yet, so still have to be mindful of the money I am spending each week in order to survive.

As you would expect, I am budgeting our money carefully and doing accounts every day, just to make sure I don't overspend. I have accounted for a grocery budget of $250.00 a week, which at today's exchange rate of $1.76 to £1.00, works out at approximately £142.00 a week. This may sound a lot for two people, but when one considers the cost of food and other essential items, it really doesn't go far at all.

Since October last year I have been on a 'keep fit, get healthy' diet and I have to eat certain food. I have had to adjust my habits to take account of where I am living, and have had to change what I buy slightly. I can purchase more or less everything I did in the UK, but because of the cost, I have had to find alternatives.

One of the items I bought in the UK was Fibre one cake bars, to supplement the fibre in my diet. These would usually cost me about £1.25 when they were on special offer, half the usual £2.50. The normal price for them here in $6.50 (£3.70) and I always buy them when they are discounted to $5.00 (£2.84), more than the usual price in the UK. This is an item I will always buy, because I need it as part of my healthy regime, but I constantly shudder at the difference in price.

The diet meals in Australia are far superior to those in the UK. The taste, texture and contents are streets above what you get in Britain and at a cost of $5.00 (£2.84) a meal, they are on par with prices back home. Once again, I always wait until they are on offer, at $4.00 (£2.27). I have become a very canny shopper in Australia; it really is a case of having to be. With the cost of living crisis looming large and prices astronomically high in Perth, I am having to spend a lot of time researching prices and products and visiting different supermarkets, just like a proper housewife.

I shop in either Coles or Woolworths, both are great in their own way, but like most people I do have a preference. I would rather shop at Coles if I am honest; it is slightly cheaper in price and has a much larger range of products on offer. Darrell says Woolies is more like Marks and Spencer in the UK and does have prices to match. Interestingly, each supermarket alternates their offers weekly. What's on offer in one isn't in the other and vice versa, until the following week when they swap around. I spend my days walking from one end of Midland Gate to the other, just to get the best deals; it's a bloody good job I have time on my hands!

Just to complicate things even further, I never buy fruit and vegetables in the supermarket, it is just too expensive. Next door to most of the larger grocers you will find a 'WA Grocers Fresh,' basically a large green grocer, selling everything you can possibly imagine and more. The huge variety of stuff is like nothing you see in the UK. The sheer variety is mind-boggling, most of which I have never heard of before. The best part, however, is the prices, they are dramatically cheaper. Yesterday Coles was selling bananas for $3.00 (£1.76) a kilo, whereas WA Growers Fresh were selling them for $1.99 (£1.13) a kilo. It is only a small difference in price, but when you add your shopping bill up at the end of the week, it does make a huge difference.

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Like all British supermarkets, Woolies, Coles and all the others also have loyalty card schemes, although as I have discovered, they aren't as generous with the points as my beloved 'Tesco Clubcard' in the UK. In fact, 500 points would get you five pounds in the UK, here, it will only get you half that.

The biggest difference is the number of shops that take these membership cards. Flybuys, run by Coles can also be taken in Kmart for example and a number of other establishments. Equally, Woolies rewards are also taken by Big W, BWS, Quantas and many other organisations. This makes the scope for collecting points much bigger.

Another surprise is the many other different clubcards in circulation. As a seasoned charity shop shopper, I love to visit them regularly wherever I am, and yesterday I bought a couple of items from 'Salvo's' in Midland. Immediately, the little old lady behind the till asked me for my loyalty card. A little confused, not knowing if I had heard her right, I asked her to repeat what she just said, and low and behold, they also have their own scheme. It doesn't matter where you go, everyone has a reward card. The number of cards I can add to my 'Google wallet' in Australia is beyond belief; I have literally lost count. I'm guessing that there is a much more competitive market here, unlike the UK, and keeping customers happy and engaged is important.

It feels on the surface, at least, that this part of Australia isn't suffering from an economic downturn. I recall walking through the high street in Portsmouth before I left, and thinking how sad this place was. Many of the well known shops were closed and boarded up, and there was very little in the way of choice. Not only Portsmouth, but everywhere the length and breadth of Britain was suffering from difficult times, whereas Australia is still booming.

Many of the well known brands I remember from the mid-nineties, when I last visited Australia are still there, The large department stores like Myer and of course all the supermarkets. There are also many other new retailers on offer. As you walk through Midland Gate, indeed any of the large shopping Malls, they are full to bursting with customers and choice, lots and lots of choice. There is an impressive number of smaller independent shops and a lot of speciality outlets as well. From sushi, to baked goods and homewares to general stores like BigW, Target and Kmart, the equivalent of which, doesn't exist in Britain, there is such a massive variety, you are literally spoilt for choice.

I would imagine that Western Australia is sheltered from the worst of the economic battles, the rest of the World is fighting. One has to remember the wealth of natural resources Australia has - from gold and precious stones, to coal and iron ore. The money this brings in to WA is huge. I was listening to the news only this morning, and they were discussing the average wage in Australia, being $1700 a week, that's over £50,000 per year, compared to the UK's £36,000 a year. So you can see there is a much higher level of disposable income down under and boy do they know how to spend. The checkouts are ringing to the sound of cash in a way Britain can only dream about; long may it last.

... And finally, it is good to see many of the products I love in the UK are on sale here in Australia. Although $28.00 (£15.90) for a single box of Quality Street, when you can buy two boxes in Britain for £7.00 is a little too rich, even for me; I'll stick to something a bit cheaper, thanks!

As well as British products like Marmite, Cadbury's Chocolate and Tins of Heinz, there are also many other home-grown ones that I have adopted as my own. My favourite guilty pleasure is Cherry Ripe, which I have every day, only a small fun size bar, but I have become somewhat addicted again, as I was back in 1997. It is a real shame we didn't get it in the UK and many of the other chocolate bars they have here; a far wider selection than we have back home. The chocolate does taste different however, less milky, more oily, probably because of the hot climate; British chocolate would just melt in the heat.

As a British Expat, it is easy settling into Australian life, more so than in Spain. That obviously has a lot to do with our common heritage, but it is also to do with the familiarity, everywhere you look. In many respects it does feel like being in the UK, a hotter, more sanitised version perhaps, but I do feel rather at home. The shops cater for my needs, in a way no other country where I have lived in the past has, and I have no problem navigating my way around. There are a few oddities, like calling the bedding/linen department in a store, the 'Manchester' section, and referring to a duvet as a doona, but otherwise it is very similar to life in the UK and for that I am grateful. I really don't want to have to start learning a new language at my time of life.

My shopping habits have changed dramatically, as you would expect. I do have to be careful about my spending habits, but I have relatively quickly adapted to my environment. I am well aware of the spiralling costs and the different alternatives, and I'm sure in another few weeks I will be shopping as I did in Spain - frugally, perceptive and shrewd. This is how I got by in Gran Alacant; the knowledge I learnt there will help me succeed today. It's time to reconnect with my prudent, thrifty self and make Australia work for me!

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