Ouch - I’ve Just Been Hit in the Hip Pocket
I did some shopping in Coles yesterday and really noticed the increase in prices across a lot of my regularly purchased items. I’m not normally one to make a big deal out of price increases. They are a part of life and I think sometimes the media makes more out of price increases than is necessary.
However, what I noticed about some of the price increases today were that instead of 5c or 10c, I was facing increases of 30-50c which seems like a rather large hike given it’s only around 5-6 weeks since I last shopped there.
It will be interesting to see whether these are genuine hikes or whether Coles will do the old “price reduction” with nice big signs making them look like the “good guys” (Woollies started it with their roll-back campaign. Hike up the price a bit then do a roll-back and make it look like they’re saving you money - *sigh* Do they think we’re STUPID????)
Given the biggest price hikes were on dairy products, I’m figuring they’re here to stay. And I can’t say it’s a bad thing for the farmers. Cos I know the farmers are often the ones to get screwed over by the big guns.
But it does mean I need to be ultra careful with the groceries for a bit while I figure out how much this increase is going to affect our bottom line. There’s room in the budget for some stretch (I always like stretch room in my budget - particularly the food budget) so it’s no big deal. Just something I’m aware of.
Farmboy and I are wondering if we’re just plain “getting old”. Takeaway seems really expensive right now (especially for 5 of us) and we’ve just booked into a caravan park for a couple of nights. $48 per night for a powered site!!!! Sheesh!!!
Oh, and while I’m having a whinge about how expensive things seem….
We went into a surf shop on Saturday.
Now there’s a place where you can part with some money.
I wanted to check out what styles looked to be in this season. And I’m glad I did. When I went in there at a similar time last year, the styles were still quite baggy with pockets on the leg etc. Now the fashion seems to be a much slimmer, straighter leg.
Here’s the thing though. The jeans were $89.
I went to Target and Kmart and ended up finding a pair that looked similar in Kmart for $22.99.
I’d expect to pay more for a label brand pair of jeans but REALLY???? That seems like an outrageous gap to me.
I’ve yet to get Leighton to try on these jeans but fingers crossed he’ll like them.
We’re just easing our way in slowly to the whole “labelled brand stuff”. I don’t mind buying a bit here and there. Having had NOTHING “cool” to wear when I was an adolescent, I have no desire to put my own children through that nightmare.
But if he wants $89 jeans….. *sigh*
We have a few ideas on how we’ll tackle the whole “teenage expensive clothing” issue when we get there…. time will tell if any of them will work.
But an extra $60+ dollars???? Come on!!!!
Now I’ve just digressed from my original point of this post somewhat.
Anyone else struggling with increased prices for things like food?
Maybe I am just getting old!!!!! 
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There is a Russian proverb that when translated says that a $10 pair of boots will last one winter and a $50 pair of boots will last 10 winters and the reason that the rich remain so is that they buy the $50 pair of boots.
Please don’t ever tell that proverb to my teenage daughter!
We are right in the middle of the whole brand name issue. We have reached a kind of compromise with our 15 year old daughter. She has a couple of name brand peices per season and then she goes to Kmart or Jay Jays. Jay Jays are great. Their clothes are up to date an “in” but about a third the price of name brands. Just have to watch some of the slogans on the t shirts. I have to admit that now she has stopped growing the name brand stuff does a couple of seasons, while the cheap stuff doesn’t.
Scott is about to turn 13, and he is happy with just one article of clothing a year with a brand on it. Usually a jumper. He seems more concerned with having a “cool” school bag and socks than clothing. Boys are just so much more practical. Don’t ever tell my husband I said that, I will deny it!
Stuffy - that doesn’t hold so well for kids that change sizes within 12 months!!!!
I also think it *used* to be the case more so than it is these days. I’ve been VERY diappointed with the quality of supposedly “better quality” garments in recent years. They last longer but not as long as their price indicates (ie if it’s 4 times the price it doesn’t necessarily last 4 times as long).
Every time I’ve bought a brand name top ($100+) it’s fallen apart very quickly. But my Big W cheapo “around the house” stuff that I buy for $10 or less has lasted for ages. There may be exceptions but for the most part, it’s definitely paying above and beyond for the name rather than an increased quality.
But yes, I’ve noticed the sticker shock at our Coles too. Ben’s beloved Twinings and Magnums are both now on special for the same amount as they were full price not that long ago. We don’t go through much dairy (tea only) but did see that YLC powdered skim milk went up around 25c from when I last looked two weeks ago! Still waiting for that to go on special before I stock up for baking. Hopefully the price increase is going to the farmers and isn’t just the stores marking up and blaming increased costs because they can.
Thanks for the mention yesterday, btw.
I am so glad we are not up to labels just yet - still time to build the disappointment expectations in my little girl!
Groceries are getting very expensive, but I hadn’t noticed that. I need to be more vigilant, methinks.
Although Kids are an exception to the rule (though I do note that the cheap school shoes I purchased for my son didn’t last much past first term in terms of staying together), where I think that the problem lies is with the “wal-mart-ization” of the industry.
Wal-Mart (a US company) has a policy that essentially means its suppliers need to be providing cheaper items every cycle - which means that manufacturers that were able to provide cheap durable clothes for places like KMart and Wal-Mart are under constant pressure to lower their prices. The level of competition at the lower price end of the market is so cut throat and buyers so price conscious that quality does suffer to reach the best affordability. Although a US company, the way these things work means that the drop off in quality at the price conscious end of the market influences Australian consumers just as it does American consumers.
I’m not claiming that brand name items are worth what people pay for them. Many brands, particularly those sought by teens who value the status side of things over quality and durability, are overvalued. But manufacturers that target less price conscious consumers aren’t under the same pressure to continuously economize their processes. Especially when it comes to consumer electronics and appliances, the difference in lifetime between entry and high level products can be quite significant.
Yes I agree that things have gone up and they are just basic needs not even luxury things that are getting pricier!
We are right in the dilemma of Name brand gear, right down to socks and wallets to match! Sigh! My eldest near 13 spent some of his Christmas money on a pair of reduced price name brand skate shoes but they arent very supportive and so I think he has learnt his lesson… now he’s into looking at trendy thongs (shoes) and you know, there are hardly any others around now for less. mmm
I have learnt now that he is much happier if he can go and choose good clothes and is generally fine if he has one “nice” hoody, a basic pair of jeans and shorts and some ok shoes… with school uniforms and bags I am so thankful we only really have to worry about weekend social gear! So far…..
If they learn to be thankful in the little things I think they are much better when you spend that bit more as a treat!
Its hard when we have friends who wear the latest labels and even yesterday we were with friends visiting a coastal town, and the dad spent $120 on the latest brand shirt in the surf shop! I didnt tell them last week I got 6 shorts for $65 for my hubby that are just fine! I also dont try to judge them but am thankful he found something he liked! Hey - lets be joyful for others too….
I just remind my boys that we are all different and have different priroties and we need to be thankful for what we have!
Oh I am just happy that when I go back to Australia shopping at supermarkets is so much cheaper than it is here!!! I look forward to buying cheese for less than 10 dollars!
I think that for somethings it is better to buy better quality but I don`t think there is much difference between jeans in a surfshop and jeans in kmart!!!! I have had surf jeans fall apart on me more than once!!!
Yes, I agree that the cost of groceries is increasing. I find the greatest increase for us is at the fruit & veg shop. Our weekly bill has gone up approx $30 in the last 6-8 months! Time for a vegie garden :-).
As for clothes, fortunately our kids are still young enough to get excited by hand-me-downs. Unfortunately, a lot of the savings on clothes are gobbled up by the shoe department.
We’re caravanners too. I get a bit cranky at the extra charge a lot of parks make once the kids get a bit older. Don’t get me started…
A good one is that you say you’ll pay $X (normally the same price of a Target item o r whatever) and if they want name-brand then they have to pay the difference. It worked for us. Mind you my mum loves to give presents and she’ll often buy me high quality, expensive clothes but on sale and not necessarily ‘name brands’ if you know what I mean.
Yeah, groceries are going up for sure. We used to budget $40 per week for all my meals and 5 weekday dinners plus weekend food for Peter (he ate mess food for brekky and lunch during the week). Now I’m budgeting $40 a week for just my food…it’ll be interesting to see how that works these next six months.
My sis in law has recently bought a women’s clothing store and I am still reeling from the markup. Basically those $89 jeans would cost the retailer maybe $25. It’s disgusting.
As for feeling the food price pinch, definitely. Hence our increased vege garden size, baking our own bread and preparing to put chooks in the backyard.
I also let my kids spend a certain amount in the surf shop, and then if they want more than that they have to top it up.
Last week while shopping with my two I told them they could have $50 each (they are almost 13 and 15). My daughter immediately wanted a pair of $99 ugg boots of which I paid $50 and she paid $49. My son bought a new back pack for school which cost $49.95, he’s good at staying under budget and won’t part with his own money very easily at all! Hence the significant difference in their bank balances!
As for groceries, I too am noticing the change. We spent $250 in Woolworths the other day, and that was without cleaning products, toiletries or any other luxury items. Except DH’s marinated olives. He would have sulked all the way home if I didn’t let him have those.
Sharon - that’s the kind of thing we’re planning to do. I like the idea of a label brand hat or something smaller where you’re only paying say an extra $10 for the “brand” rather than an extra $60 as in jeans. Mind you, Leighton left his ripcurl hat at interschool sports day so it is no longer.
I thought the bags were reasonable value too. You’re only paying around $15 on a Target brand bag (and they’re actually cheaper than the Physio bags my kids currently have - although probably not as good for them). One of the bonuses of Leighton being such an AVID Crows fan is that I can buy him CROWS stuff instead of label brand stuff and it IS cheaper (somewhere in between the basic stuff and the label brand stuff). His Crows jacket I bought yesterday was $50 though so still not CHEAP. But hopefully he’ll get a couple of years from it (and it’s a bonus that they match the local club colours too!)
Lauren - you’re welcome. One thing I’ve found these days with brands is that nothing seems to be guaranteed. They all change suppliers so often you don’t know what will be good and what not until you use it. Very frustrating. We have an Adidas t-shirt I bought for Farmboy that went out of shape VERY quickly. Yet one he had when we were first married has latest 12 years and is STILL going.
Jeanie - some days I wonder if the old “what we don’t know can’t hurt us” could apply to grocery prices. LOL.
Stuffy - I do actually think you have a point with the whole “quality” argument. But you know me - I’m not going to TELL you that I agree with you!!!!
Your information about Walmart is interesting and explains why things are so up and down quality wise in most stores these days. It’s VERY frustrating.
Lynette - Farmboy is so GOOD when it comes to label brand stuff. Mind you, when we first married he was used to only having Levi jeans. But he still learnt that he didn’t really earn an income that supported such a habit. I tend to buy him some label brand stuff for gifts or discounted etc because I’ve noticed that while he won’t spend the money on himself, he does wear the brand label stuff more than the basic stuff.
I do think t-shirts and jumpers are better use of spending the extra $$ on than shorts and jeans though.
LuLu - how much cheese do you hope to get for $10? Refresh my memory - is it Japan where you are? I know when my brother was in Japan the meat and stuff was unbelievably expensive!!!! It’s a good reminder that we still have it pretty good here in Australia when compared to some countries.
Journeyer - we’re planning a 3-month trip with our kids next year and this latest hike in site prices has made me rather nervous about the affordability (combined with fuel price hikes). That’s great that you get hand-me-downs. It really makes a HUGE difference. I get some for my younger 2 and it really helps stretch things.
Cat - Yes, my mum did that with my younger brother. My problem was I got hand-me-downs from my cousin so my mum didn’t already spend ANYTHING on my clothes. And I wasn’t one to make a song and dance like my younger brother did. I was too aware of how tight the finances were.
Bettina - Wow! That is really interesting. I always thought they had like a 100% mark-up (so what we paid at full price would be half profit, half cost). Would seem it’s even more so than that although I guess if you took out operating costs it would be around that. It’s great to hear of what positive steps others are taking to help combat the issue of rising food prices. Well done!
It isn’t only the brand name groceries that have increased in price, the generic stuff has had a fair hike recently. What annoys me as well is the shelves are more and more filled with the stores own brands. So many of my customers are complaining that they can no longer find this or that item. Keep a close watch on sizes too. Some items that remain in the same price range have less content now. Can you believe generic rolled oats used to be 89 cents per kilo and now they are over $1 for 750g. I’m ashamed these days to admit I work for Coles…………
The weekly grocery bill is my biggest struggle at the moment. I have my sister staying with me and she mocks me for entering all my till slips into a spreadsheet, but its the only way I can really keep a handle on what our expenditure is. I need to know what the basics cost so I can manage the budget and still have some room left over for a few treats! As for clothes, my daughter is about to turn two and we have nearly run out of hand-me-downs from friends, it seems everyone else is onto baby number two and so clothes are being recycled again. As for shoes, well I can’t believe that I spend more on my child’s shoes than I do on my own, oh how times have changed!
Sharon - you must be commenting at the same time as I’m composing my replies today.
I like your idea of giving them a certain amount at the surf shop every now and then and letting them choose what they’ll spend it on.
River - yes, it was the generic stuff that I was noticing. Particularly cheese, butter and margarine.
I HATE that manufacturers reduce package sizing. I noticed Aldi offer a price per unit pricing feature (like some other countries have). I wonder if this will help push for this to be included in all supermarkets? One can only live in hope.
Sarah - ignore your sister. That is just rude!!! Most people do this because they somehow feel guilty about not managing their own money better. If you track your spending, your money WILL stretch further.
I’ve still got my fav. Billabong shirt that Mum got me when I was in grade 12. That was back in 1992 - has a few small holes around the collar and cuffs but I still love it. Stuff really does last.
That said my mother this year sent me $100 to buy myself 1 pair of jeans from Jeans West. I looked in the shop and they had a 2 for $99 offer on. BUT Suzanne Grey opposite had jeans for $40 each and I could get a nice formal style top for $20. So that is what I did. I struggle with the fit of K-Mart and target jeans (short leg, wide waist), but these ones from Suzanne Grey are lovely, I just have to get used to the button / zip fly.
As for food prices ::eek:: If vegemite were not essential to my families mental health it would be off the shopping list. And Mini Wheats - the only breakfast cereal Heidi will eat. I noticed Safeway bumped the price up, when the box packaging changed then occasionally it comes on special at the old price.
OTOH Safeway have permanently knocked back the price of 24 cans of Pepsi to $12.
I am so not looking forward to raising a teenage girl. Right now she’s four and happily receives and wears hand-me-downs.
I’ve started to stock up on pasta and rice here, I haven’t exactly noticed an increase in prices but perhaps I’m just a bit oblivious? I budget 125$ for every two weeks and if I run out, I run out. I’ve come up with some interesting dinner combinations as a result lol.
As for the Brand name clothing issue: Although my family is upper middle class my dad is from the generation of ‘only poor people wear jeans, therefore my children will not wear jeans.’ This was during the 90s when 80$ GUESS jeans were all the rage. For elementary school kids! Needless to say we did not wear name brand clothing. Or jeans for that matter. Like the saying goes…the rich stay rich…
Once I started working and living on my own I stopped shopping at department stores, i.e. Zellars, ( I abhor shopping at wal-mart and steer clear at all costs). Instead I buy my clothes at Rietmans, Dynamite, Smart Set, sometimes Rickis or Le Chateau. However, I shop the clearance rack. It’s not unusual for me to fork over 200$ at Dynamite and walk away with 6 pairs of pants, a skirt, a couple of blouses and a t-shirt or two. Or to buy t-shirts and camisoles at Smart Set, 4 for 50$. I also wear hand me downs, even in my late 20s I still do! It’s often fun to go shopping in my sibling’s closets for clothes that they no longer want.
I’ve also participated in a Naked Lady Party — a bunch of friends get together with gently worn clothing and swap clothes. One particular party I went to, one of the girls had a nice assortment of frilly ‘bar’ clothes (but not trampy or tarty ) which I brought home with me.
And out of curiosity, what’s the deal with ’surf shops’? Is that the Australian equivalent of Canadians shopping at Roots?