The pandemic has supercharged our grocery shopping bills.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has been tracking our grocery spend. Its analysis reveals the “panic buying spike” in the cost of our weekly shop that came when the coronavirus pandemic first struck in March and April of last year.

Our weekly grocery bills have remained elevated on a historical basis since then. The next release of data will likely show another – albeit smaller – spike around the start of the 2021 lockdowns.

However, more groceries since COVID-19 means bigger bills – unless you can find a way to spend less on each individual item.

A new study by market researcher Pureprofile (commissioned by Aldi) shows we are becoming more budget conscious with our weekly grocery shop.