Update on the cost of groceries here vs shipping them form Cairns...

Well, after many days of research, I can now report --- my Coles grocery order shipped from Cairns WAS cheaper than buying here! 

I collected my Coles order from the Seaswift barge on Monday this week.  It came in 11 boxes & with a very thorough inventory of everything I had ordered, their unit prices & totals.  So I visited our IBIS supermarket each morning this week with that inventory list & wrote the local prices next to the Coles prices.  This morning I tallied it all up & here are the results...

Coles
Groceries $512.73 + Coles delivery fee $20.00 + Seaswift shipping $142 = TOTAL $674.73

IBIS
Groceries = TOTAL $842.91

Wow! That's a difference of $168.18.

Now, I'm not saying it's worth doing every weekly shop with Coles online - it's too time consuming & a lot of work to pick up all those boxes of groceries ...but I do think a big monthly Coles shop will be entirely worth it, especially considering many of the things I bought are not available at all here on Thursday Island.  For example - my vegetarian "Quorn" sausages & mince, kids yoghurts in squeezie pouches, vol au vent pastry cases for making tuna & corn pies, lamb mince, lamb sausages, tinned Mexican beans for tacos & nachos, sliced deli chicken, scones, 100 & 1000's biscuits for the kids, croissants, kids chicken noodle soup tins, etc... plus many of the things that are simply in the brand we prefer or buy because they are the cheapest.  For example - there's no "cheap brand" laundry soaker, tinned tuna, free range eggs, corn chips, liquid stock, chocolate blocks, ice cream, crumpets, dips, tampons or yoghurt.  Of course, not all of these things are essential to life on earth - but they do provide variety...and let's face it... pure happiness at meal times.  We could say they are essential for maintaining one's own sanity!  

I have discovered "Grocery Run" online shopping too - they ship anywhere in Australia for a maximum of $11 postage & have some cheap deals, but don't do fridge, freezer, fruit, veg, meat...just pantry, bathroom & cleaning stuff.  So, will probably do a monthly order with them too.   

And...I do completely intend to support the Islander Board of Industry and Service (IBIS) supermarket in-between my big Coles orders. 
:-)