Will Aldi and Lidl really help me cut my shopping bill?

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I’ve just budgeted based on last months spending which the groceries were excessive

I don’t waste food and do online shopping so not tempted by extras when wandering around the isles but I still need to cut back

Will Aldi and Lidl really save me much money over Sainsbury’s / Tesco’s shopping?

I’ve tried Asda but the quality of most of the fresh food was so poor a lot got wasted so wasn’t any better going there

I shop at Lidl and probably save a third of the bill that Tesco's charge, or more.

Yes, definitely. Not just prices but also the shops are smaller and there's less choice which I find helpful. Fewer offers to be drawn in by, mostly own brand stuff. Just ignore the middle aisles of random stuff like tents and car jacks...
I do a weekly shop for family of 5 under £100

My DH managed to persuade me to switch from Ocado/ Sainsbury's to Aldi a few years ago. Our shopping bill reduced waaaaay more than I expected and the quality is just the same

Yep- definitely spend less

Just don't get sucked in by the middle aisles. I simply avoid going passed them as I can easily buy very practical things that will be super useful (but all add onto the shopping bill).

We prefer some stuff at Aldi rather than Lidl, so I tend to shop in both, and we have saved over £100/month on our shopping bill. We still have plenty of luxuries and could easily save loads more if I bought less biscuits, ice cream, and other nice foods.

I would give things a try in both shops and see which you prefer. I still have to get the odd thing from Tesco as neither shops sells it, but I rarely do a shop anywhere else and if I do, I really notice the price difference.

Yep, the middle aisle is full of stuff that completely negates the savings you make. But if you’re a stronger woman than me, you’ll definitely save money.

I end up spending more because of the middle aisles...

Tend to stick to online shops now.

We save loads. We still do Tesco once a month for various condiments etc that we like there. But Aldi is getting really varied now, so tbh there's precious little we can't get in it.

We usually save 20 quid a week, including wine. It's really not to be sniffed at.

I spend more than I should in Aldi and Lidl because its all so cheap especially the snack stuff that I buy items I wouldn't normally! Especially in the ice cream freezer - same is true of B & M who often have Cadburys Crunchie ice cream tubs for £1.50 Must learn self control!!

We are planning on doing Lidl/Aldi 3 weeks out of 4 because we want their nappies and wipes etc, then doing an online shop the fourth week from a 'normal' supermarket for all the stuff you can't easily get a version of at Lidl or Aldi. I'll report back when we start but I'm certain we'll save at least 25% of what we spend on a normal shop, mainly by virtue of there being less choice in the budget places. Even though I lose about £3 to the bakery in Lidl every time

Yes just dont buy stuff in aisle of random. Not unless you really really need it

I was surprised how much cheaper it was, especially the wine - really nice bottles for £5. I guess it depends what you eat though - meat, cheese and fish are all cheaper. And you tend to buy what you need rather than getting sucked into two for one deals.

You do get pelted with shopping at the checkout though. I miss ocado at those times!

It depends, if you buy branded/finest stuff then you will save bit because I already bought the basics ranges and didn’t buy lots of things like fizzy drinks/alcohol/premade cakes etc I didn’t find it much cheaper plus there was always something missing that I still needed to go to another supermarket for.

Agree with everyone else. If you don’t buy extra unnecessary crap then it’s definitely cheaper. Probably not for brands though. Expect to pay full price for Heinz ketchup for example.

Make a list, stick to it and you’ll save loads! You’ll also eat better because there’s far less processed stuff to choose from so you’ll do mor from scratch (that’s what I’ve found anyway).

Depends what sort of stuff you buy and if you're brand loyal. If you buy lots of convenience type foods and things like breakfast cereal, sauces etc from there, then you'll probably save money, but the meat, fruit and veg is on a par with Tesco these days.

Aldi - go in for a loaf, come out with a trombone! Ignore the middle aisle!!

And, if you're used to veg lasting more than a few days, you might end up wasting some.

Ok for some things. Great for cleaning products. Ours not so good at fresh produce.

Aldi is a false economy for me. The fruit and vegetables go mouldy or rotten after a couple of days. The welfare level of the animals isn't as high as other supermarkets.
I started shopping there fourteen years ago. The prices were noticeably cheaper than the main supermarkets. Now there isn't. I'd rather do my whole shop at Sainsbury's knowing that the fruit and vegetables will be fresh all week.

Oooh I've been ranting about Aldi this week. The packs of ham which I buy are £1.09 for six slices. This week they've reduced the pack size to five slices, and obviously reduced the weight (120g down to 100g) but they're still £1.09.

I've noticed the prices creeping up on a few things recently and these last two weeks I've done a Tesco delivery for the bulk of the shopping and just bought a few things in Aldi (it's usually the other way around; bulk from Aldi, top up in Tesco) and it's made no difference at all to the shopping bill.

It might depend on the branch Lidl or Aldi you use as a lot of Mnetters have complained about the quality of fresh fruit and veg in their stores but for others its not a problem.
I think you can save quite a bit but don't get sucked in to everything is cheaper (especially branded items) because it isn't. I find the best way to save is do my homework on big ticket items (coffee, dishwasher tabs) and buy them wherever the offer is best. Admittedly I have the time to do this and don't mind food shopping, I know lots of folk hate it though.

It depends what you buy.
In Aldi I don't rate the meat, fish, fruit or veg. The quality is far too hit and miss for my liking, I hate waste so would rather pay a bit more for consistent quality.
I don't really buy ready meal type things, hardly any tinned food/jars, much frozen food or sliced bread.
We can't buy a lot of the snacks, cakes or cereals due to allergies, loads contain peanuts/nuts.
They don't do an equivalent of the butter we like and their yoghurts are more expensive than the branded ones my kids prefer which are always on offer.

Can't speak for Lidl, there's one down the road but the bakery smell makes me feel sick so I avoid like the plague. How they make what should be an amazing smell so bad I'll never know!

I think if I was to make a list and stick to it I'd definitely save money. I've never compared prices with my usual asda shop though. However I know I would spend more money in the shop so I just stick with asda delivery.

I don't think it's cheaper. I went in there on Saturday and ended up walking out with nothing because I kept looking at stuff then thinking that's cheaper in home bargains, that's cheaper in Tesco, that's cheaper in co OP etc..

I think they make so many items cheaper to lure you in then the rest us the same price or more expensive. This is ok if you want to buy the items they make cheaper but if you don't then your shop can be more expensive.

I occasionally go into Lidl but it doesn't really work for me. I do find that fresh produce just rots quickly + I often end up buying random stuff as I never know what to expect in there and don't make a list. There is also a lot of things I like that they don't stock + driving and parking there is time- consuming.

The other thing I noticed was the baby corn was much cheaper than Waitrose, but Waitrose's was 170g and Aldi was 130g and it had started to go brown when Waitrose's hadn't.