A New Zealand woman has shared the shocking price of her grocery shop online, sparking anger from Kiwis.
"I'm seriously outraged after doing my weekly shop," she said on Reddit alongside a photo of her modest Pak'nSave shop.
The woman, 22, who is currently studying, said her weekly grocery shop amounted to $91, however she described it as unaffordable for what she was buying.
"I can't even imagine trying to feed a family or other dependents for all of you having to deal with that," she added.
The picture, which she gave Newshub permission to publish, shows three packets of meat, Moroccan seasoning, two onions, a jar of pasta sauce, a loaf of bread, 18 eggs, three avocados, a bag of frozen vegetables, body wash and shampoo and conditioner.
She explained that her grocery shop contained no fresh fruit other than the avocados and barely any fresh vegetables because "the cost of living was to blame" and that she "literally can't afford to eat healthier despite wanting too".
"I've recently noticed I've had to go to the supermarket again at the end of the week to grab extra things, roughly meaning I'm spending $150 for a single person alone," she said.
"I've had to pick up extra shifts at work and do overtime - which leaves me barely any time to focus on university properly or have a life."
She said she barely goes out as she can't afford it, and that she doesn't drive her car "anywhere fancy" because the cost of petrol has become "outrageous".
"I seriously can't cope much longer with the cost of living, when is this going to get easier?" she asked.
Her story comes as university students protested in Wellington today over a lack of support for the rising cost of living.
People on Reddit expressed their outrage at the current state of grocery prices, with one person describing it as "eye-wateringly expensive".
"Every fortnight I'm spending about $350 on groceries to feed myself dinner and lunch for two weeks. But it shouldn't have to cost that much at all," one person said.
Others shared their tips and tricks on how to cut down the weekly prices.
One man even said he shaves his head so he doesn't have to buy shampoo and conditioner.
Another added that swapping meat out for lentils was "cheap, healthy, filling and surprisingly versatile".
Others in Australia were shocked at the price difference compared to what they see in their stores.
"I just priced that up here in Sydney and it's about $50 AUD. You're literally paying double for your Schwarzkopf [shampoo and conditioner]," one Australian commented.
"Think everything in this photo would probably cost between $45 to $60 here in Melbourne, depending on where you shop," another said.
One man exclaimed, "I thought Australia was expensive!"
One person in Australia shared what they were able to buy for $91AUD (99NZD) in Melbourne.
- Chicken breast (600g)
- Snapper (200g)
- Salmon (200g)
- 1x avocado
- 1x potato
- 1x zucchini
- 1 x eggplant
- 2x spinach bags
- Bunch of bananas
- 2x kiwifruit
- Loaf of sourdough bread
- Cottage cheese
- 2x carton soy milk
- Honey
- Peppermint tea
- Ginger tea
- Salt
- Avocado cooking spray
Others shared feelings of confusion over why prices in New Zealand are noticeably "getting crazy".
"No one can explain why everything is more expensive, and no one seems to care why no one can explain why everything is more expensive," one person said.
"It's like I blinked and it's gone up," another said.
"I honestly almost teared up adding our basics to our online shop tonight."
Some people said they've had to go as far as to not eat anything to afford to live.
"I just stopped eating, basically. I eat one meal a day," one person said. "Reality of the current times".
