You went "i need an example for something that is cheaper to buy than to cook" and you picked fucking hot dogs??

I'm an American but the $1 burgers from Maccas were a life saver down there. I used to get 2 a day while I hitchhiked. But y'all also have canned tuna with some great flavors!

I was told going down there that it was outrageously expensive. And I found that true when talking about non-essentials, headphones and quality clothes. But groceries were shockingly cheap the entire time I was down there. I could spend $30 on a burger and fries, or I could get a weeks worth of food from woolies or coles.

Even better, the corner store, the gas station really, was owned by coles and I could get milk and eggs (things I want fresh, in small batches) and a small selection of anything else I wanted for the exact same price as the larger stores! This freed me up to get veggies and fruit at the market and always have enough food unlike at home.

While in Australia, I had higher quality food for less money with more convenience. All while getting told by people back home how expensive it was when they visited. Maybe I had a different experience since I went for a year but I live in Seattle now and I miss having a corner store within a 5 minute walk that sold all my essentials.

Also Woolies has their mini stores in the big cities and those things are fire.