food and drink – Page 4

Grannies Targeted – Supermarket Pricing, Write-offs and what lands on my Kitchen Table

I love granny smith apples. Always have. Would only eat them as a kid, refusing anything red, occasionally trying a golden delicious. Too tart for many, they’re so crunchy and perfect for this lemon lover. This is why allegations that Coles has been marking up their Granny Smiths more than other apples troubled me, but also made sense, given how many I’ve gotten free from foodbanks the past few weeks.

If they’re more expensive, why would you be getting them free, Fiona? Well, the food that comes to our local foodbanks, via Foodbank, OzHarvest or the local old fella collecting baked goods directly form out the back depends on what is not being sold. This may just be because they over-estimated the amount of while bread what would be bought that day, or they have a shelf of cross-promotional products like Vegemite Brownies or Zopper Dooper milks that were a novelty that weren’t really cared for. Other stuff might be a bit externally roughed up, short dated, or there might be new labels coming in. Happy to receive most of these things and give them a go for free or cheap but it does feel a bit meh to always have things that have been rejected for some reason.

So, my theory on the granny smith glut this month is they’re good apples, but perhaps the over-pricing has turned way too many people off buying them in the supermarket, so they’re being left on the shelves. So Coles has to pass on things that aren’t moving, and Ozharvest are getting them all. Coles, of course, gets to claim credit (financial and moral) for donating these overpriced but otherwise great apples. I get to have daily fruit but the supermarket shopper is priced out of being able to buy the apples they want, despite them being in good supply.

In other news, the welfare rate indexation from March 20 officially came out Monday, and JobSeekers will be getting less than a dollar a day extra, I’ll be getting $1.05/day extra on my DSP. Definitely not enough to buy my own overpriced apples in store. Allowances
Family Situation Previous Amount 20 Mar 2024 Increase
Single, 22 or over, no children $749.20 $762.70 $13.50 pf
Single, 22 or over, with children $802.50 $816.90 $14.40 pf
Single, 55 or over, after 9 months $802.50 $816.90 $14.40 pf
Partnered (each) $686.00 $698.30 $12.30 pf
Single, principal carer of child, exempt from activity test* $970.20 $987.70 $17.50 pf

Rent assistance indexation comes in around $3/fn for most. The press release reminds us that it went up 15% last time ($13) so we should be grateful and stuff.

Rent Assistance - for payments under the Social Security Act
Maximum Payment
Family Situation Previous Amount 20 Mar 2024 Increase
Single $184.80 $188.20 $3.40 pf
Single, sharer $123.20 $125.47 $2.27 pf
Couple $174.00 $177.20 $3.20 pf
Partnered, illness-separated $184.80 $188.20 $3.40 pf
Partnered, temporarily separated $174.00 $177.20 $3.20 pf

So, I’ll munch on my grannie smith for morning tea and wonder how it’s okay for people to not be able to afford the basics while supermarkets continue to increase their profits and we’re reminded how little tax fossil fuel companies are paying.

Feb Foodbank Finds

Got my Corolla back on the road, so now I can get back to the local food pantry through the week when it’s open (Mon and Wed mornings) and the Friday OzHarvest bag collection for my sister and whatever else I get my hands on there.

As always, best befores vary, with this cereal being quite acceptable and the diet coke that was more than a year past not being so flash.

Try to get noodles and tuna when they’re $1 or under, the face scrub was $2.50 which is great and Bruce needed some. The Weetbix are $1.50 at Cooranbong, I do hope Sanitarium donates them and the So Good directly since they run the town.

The Lindt has been great!

These were salty and warm.

I did NOT read the directions on the mi goreng. next time.

Chai was a good fill in when I ran out of my Aldi white hot chocolate.

BREAD!!!

Free spoons!

I fkn love ciniminis and get them every time I can. They’re on my wishlist if anyone wants to treat a girl! This other wishlist has more home basics that I’d like.

Sweeeeet

The Yard Brewery and Smokehouse, Morriset

There’s been really inconsistent weather this summer, between super hot days and being rained out for a week, so when Bruce’s son is staying with us for a few days for work it sucks when they can’t really get much done. Instead, while it rained out Tuesday, Bruce took us to The Yard Brewery and Smokehouse in the industrial area at Morriset for lunch and a few drinks for the boys.

We got there at opening, and there’s a few different seating areas, low tables and bar stools and the mezzanine that I hope they relegate the hens nights to. It’s all very new, and not the only microbrewery in Morriset with Lake Mac Brewing Co and Bread and Brewery all within stumbling distance.

The boys each got a $17 tasting paddle, which they enjoyed and they bought a schooner each of something else after. I know, good beer review.

The boys each had a $22 Kransky dog which came with many toppings and fries. We were all very full!

I had a Haloumi burger and fries for $20. The mayo was amazing, the chips super crunchy!

They have merch and growlers, but they didn’t seem to be selling the dog bowl like they had in the courtyard. Not sure we’d bring Maxi on a sunnier day, he’s a bit too excited around food an people like that.

The Yard Brewery and Smokehouse

32 Accolade Ave, Morisset NSW 2264

Open from 12pm Daily. Ph (02) 4072 3400

January Foodbank Snax

So most foodbanks close over the Xmas and new year period – some still offer emergency hampers and the like for people struggling, but their regular free fruit and bread isn’t there and the other groceries which are my staples. One had its first week back the 8th, another not opened til the 17th, and the little church one I frequent only went back today since it’s when school went back.

So of course I’d cleared out a bunch of stuff in the move and we ran down some of the other items over the shutdown period. I’ve only gotten to Southlakes once so far, and gotten one lot of the $12 grocery bag from Cardiff, but only two weeks of Ozharvest and the like because they were closed for the public holiday last Friday. I’m not sure yet if I’ll have the car tomorrow or if I’ll be on public transport so I may have to give that a miss again this week.

It was good to restock some instant noodle cups and sauces, I LOVE the cinimini cereal but can’t bring myself to buy it at the supermarket – I only get wheat biscuit there. I haven’t had the Chicken Crimpies yet but again they’re a favourite so always keen to get some cheap. I think Bruce ate the LCMs.

$7.50The melted Xmas bikkies were fine with a coffee, and the other chockies good, if a tad melted. Last time I got te marzipan I wasn’t really fussed, so this time I was reminded that I wasn’t that into them. But they were 60c at southlakes, along with the chocolate almonds.

The Crispy Riceberry Bars were a nice little change. A lot like LCMs, but not sticky. And they had a sneaky little cashew sliver in them.

Bubble tea is something I don’t do much, but these were in the $12 bag, I like the black tea one, not quite won over on the matcha, but I’m not really into matcha either.

I have a nice little stash of hot cross buns in the freezer now for morning and afternoon tea, they’re mini ones so I can just defrost one and have it, it goes well.

I stocked up quite well this morning at the church, I had $18 of stuff but got $2 more so I wouldn’t feel bad giving them a $50 note. I also got some apples so there was some healthy things :p

Emma’s Kitchen Morisset

So we’ve started on trying to local takeaway options for our seventh meal of the week. We intended to get to Emma’s Kitchen last Friday but stopped at Cooranbong when we saw the Cob Shop van and had that (roadside cob loafs?! Awesome idea). But we made it there last night after the cool change came through, and they were yummy yummy burgers.

I had the Greek Lamb burger in the combo with chips with chicken salt and a can of Solo for $16. The chips were awesome, the burger so fresh 🙂

Bruce got the Chicken Caesar burger for $14 and the $10 cheeseburger. That cheeseburger was far from small and the chicken caesar exactly what you’d expect with bacon and a dressing.