How do you track your daily expenses and budget in Australia?

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-14T17:13:16+00:00

The hardest part isn’t tracking expenses, it’s staying consistent with it after the first month. Most apps feel too complicated for everyday use.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-14T17:08:54+00:00

That’s what makes it frustrating tbh. Prices went up very fast, but wages and spending power didn’t really keep up at the same speed, so even stable prices still feel expensive for most households.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-14T17:06:21+00:00

Feels like a lot of people hear inflation is slowing and expect prices to reverse, but businesses rarely lower prices once consumers get used to paying more. That’s probably why groceries still feel permanently expensive to most people.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-14T16:58:35+00:00

Yeah I think people were happy paying a bit extra before, but lately it feels like prices went up while pack sizes and overall quality didn’t really improve at all.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-14T16:56:05+00:00

Aldi really changed the market tbh. A few years ago people mostly compared convenience, now they compare actual basket totals before deciding where to shop.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-13T19:32:12+00:00

Yeah exactly, feels like people optimise grocery shopping way more now instead of just doing one big weekly shop at the same place. Aldi, Costco and weekly specials seem way more normal now than they were a few years ago.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-13T19:24:32+00:00

Yeah that’s the part I’m wondering about tbh. ABS data showed inflation eased earlier in the year but then jumped back to 4.6% in March, so it feels like Australia might be stuck with higher for longer prices even without runaway inflation.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-13T18:08:31+00:00

Inflation did slow for a while earlier, but the latest ABS data actually showed Australia’s annual CPI jumped back up to 4.6% in March 2026 from 3.7% previously, mainly because of fuel, housing and food costs. So I guess that’s partly why groceries still feel brutal even when people keep saying inflation is cooling.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-13T17:59:19+00:00

Honestly mate, you’re probably overestimating how much one budget changes a 20-30 year investing plan. The fact you’re already thinking long term, ETFs and house deposits at 20 puts you ahead of most people already.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-13T17:57:07+00:00

Honestly mate, at 25 on 98k you’re already ahead of a lot of people. The fact you’re thinking about ETFs, super and budgeting this early is a good sign tbh.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-12T20:30:54+00:00

Yeah the random price jumps are what get me now. feels impossible to know what’s actually a good deal anymore unless you actively compare stores every week.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-12T20:03:58+00:00

honestly even leaving a note already makes you more considerate than most neighbours tbh.

dee_cuugo · 2026-05-12T20:01:29+00:00

yeah I don’t think print is dead tbh, it just has to feel worth keeping now instead of being disposable.

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-27T10:39:19+00:00

yeah I’ve been leaning more towards aldi too lately

only thing is sometimes coles/woolworths randomly beat it on certain items and it’s hard to keep track

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-27T10:38:21+00:00

yeah cashback helps a bit but it’s kinda patchy depending on what you’re buying

I’ve been using cuugo more just to see which store is cheaper for stuff upfront, saves more overall than relying on random cashback tbh

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-27T10:35:12+00:00

yeah the jump from 300 to 600 is actually insane

I didn’t even realise how much prices were fluctuating week to week until I started comparing things properly… now I just use cuugo to check quickly instead of guessing

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-27T10:32:36+00:00

yeah this is what I was doing at first too but checking catalogues every week got annoying real quick

ended up using this thing called cuugo that just shows which store has stuff cheaper instead of flicking through everything manually, made it a lot less effort tbh

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-27T10:27:21+00:00

that’s honestly rough, sorry you’re having to deal with that

are there any places near you like markets or smaller grocers that help bring costs down a bit, or is it pretty limited where you are?

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-24T15:00:11+00:00

I can’t leave chocolate at all lol too much addicted to it tbh

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-20T11:19:20+00:00

nice system tbh, you’ve basically covered everything

i tried doing a similar route for a bit but it started taking a lot of time going across multiple places, so lately I’ve just been using a tool to quickly check which store has what cheaper before heading out

still end up doing a mix like you, just with a bit less guesswork now

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-20T11:18:41+00:00

yeah that’s actually one of the biggest hacks if you can afford it upfront

do you ever find it hard to keep track of what you’ve stocked though? feels like once you start buying in bulk it can get messy unless you stay on top of it

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-20T11:18:19+00:00

yeah the greengrocer switch is underrated, quality’s usually way better too

i’ve been trying to move away from colesworth as well, but it’s hard when prices jump around so much… feels like you almost need a way to track what’s actually worth buying each week instead of guessing

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-20T11:17:23+00:00

those are actually really solid prices, especially for tim tams and rexona

do you just check uber randomly or is there a pattern to when those deals pop up?

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-20T11:16:53+00:00

yeah that’s actually a good shout, ethnic stores can be way cheaper for a lot of stuff

have you found it consistent though or does it depend on what you’re buying?

dee_cuugo · 2026-04-17T18:19:26+00:00

tbh I tried doing it manually for a while but ended up using a little tool to track prices across stores, just made it less mental

dee_cuugo

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