Aldi switch and save a load of crap?

[Hugsgalore]

I'm based in Ireland so figures may be different...

I've been thinking about these ads for a while and wondering if anyone has switched and has a comparable story.

An Aldi ad a while back with an elderly couple claiming to have saved more per week than I spend feeding 3 people by simply switching to Aldi. I can't remember the exact amount and the ad is no longer shown.

Just seen another ad tonight with a couple from Cavan with two small boys claiming to have saved €482 over 4 weeks by switching to Aldi.

I do my weekly shop in Tesco and spend roughly €120-140 a week feeding myself, Dh and dd who is 5. I can't get my head around how they are managing these savings. Surely these figures are bullshit. I would imagine an extra 30-40 a week max for the extra kid... so the ad seems to suggest they feed 4 people from Aldi on €40-€60 a week.

Unless you are only eating cheap pasta and sauce this seems like bullshit to me.

I spend around 100 a week in Aldi for a family of 5.

The same shop in Tescos 3 weeks ago would have come to £167. I actually sat there and put all my items from my receipt into my online tesco account. I used tesco own brands for comparison, not smart price as the quality isnt in the same league.

We eat well, and love stuff like prosciutto and smoked salmon which come at a real premium in the big supermarkets.

The quality is great and the chocolate nicer than most of the main brands.

I also find it stress free not having to choose from a dozen different tomato puree!

I don't know what the exchange rate is, nor general cost of living where you are, but 140 - 160 sounds a HUGE amount to me to feed 2 adults and a 5 r old.

When I swapped from Sainsburys to Aldi many years ago, I saved around 1/3 of my weekly sho.

However, I'm more than happy if there are people who don't believe / don't want to go / want to dis-believe it, as our Aldi (and it's car park) are constantly full now, so it will be better for us all if no-one else converts.

Also, people do know that many items are mass produced and simply have different labels on for whatever supermarket they are destined to go to, right? There aren't separate potato fields marked 'Aldi' and 'Marks & Spencer' and different potatoes go to different stores. Also DP is a beef farmer and his uncle works in a factory where the animals get finished and prepared and packaged for supermarkets and the meat in tesco is the exact same as the meat in Aldi.

I spend £50 ish a week and that feeds 3 adults and we get really nice meals every night not just ready meals/freezer stuff etc. It's defiantly worth it

I'm in England but I definitely save money in Aldi. I also get everything I need there. It's saved me hundreds over the last few years, I'm sure.

Me and 2 teens. Weekly shop is £30-£40 with occasional top ups. More if I run out of everything at once obviously but much cheaper than any other supermarket around.
The meat is good too and I don't buy ready meals I cook from scratch most of the time apart from the odd pie/quiche/pizza😀
I occasionally buy a top up from another supermarket for convenience and always shocked at how much one bag of basics is.

Aldi is a good way to do a weekly shop at a reasonable price. If you want to bulk buy or cut down to a monthly shop then it isn't the shop for you - nor is it the place if you only like branded products.

We've tried most of their versions of branded stuff (Norpak, their version of Hendricks etc) and happy with them enough to make a permanent switch.

There is very very little I need to buy elsewhere. In fact, the only thing I remember not being able to find and having to pick up elsewhere was balsamic glaze. Literally everything else I need food Wise I can get at Aldi.

We spend around 60 per week, and I do a top up shop once a week of about 15 for bread, milk, wine, fruitbowl

Oops - one more thing they don't do, the cat food that ours like. We tried their stuff and the cats just didn't eat it. So we buy that in bulk when it's on offer at Tescos.

@Hugsgalore also in Ireland but I shop in Lidl mostly but sometimes Aldi. I spend about 65 a week (Max) for me, DH, dc6 and dc4. I meal plan and portion plan and we eat well. That includes dinners, stuff for packed lunches and breakfasts. So that’s not quite €482 of savings but it’s still €300!

Usually I do a monthly shop for me, DH and DS. It comes to £120.00 for the entre month, including alcohol. On top of that it may be an extra 20 quid for daily essentials per week. So 40 - 60 quid for us, which is half of what your spending. If I go to asda or Tesco's, I spend about 150- 200 for the monthly shop. Then the 20 extra on top of that. It's a no brainer really. The reason they are so cheap is because a lot of it isnt branded, so they can keep prices lower

I'm my opinion If you only buy in Asda / Tesco the smae as you bought in Aldi I think you would roughly spend the same amount. The huge variety of products in larger supermarkets means you are tempted more so put more in your trolley.

I used to work for Aldi at head office. The prices are checked weekly and have to be 15%+ below the big 4. Basics range things have to be a penny cheaper. So yes, everything will be cheaper on a comparable shop, but then there's more risk of buying a ski jacket and a dog bed from the middle aisle at Aldi too

I used to work for Aldi at head office. The prices are checked weekly and have to be 15%+ below the big 4. Basics range things have to be a penny cheaper. So yes, everything will be cheaper on a comparable shop, but then there's more risk of buying a ski jacket and a dog bed from the middle aisle at Aldi too

Monthly shop at aldi I mean

I don't really find Aldi always works: limited range and some things are a little more expensive eg the other week I could get tinned tomatoes and butter cheaper in Waitrose! (I'd popped in for both items, neither were available, and found they were actually (a few pence) cheaper when I went to Waitrose! I think if you buy brands you can make good savings, but I don't generally buy brands.
As for vegetables, the local market is very very competitive on price and I find a LOT fresher than Aldi and as cheap or cheaper.

I don't buy meat in Aldi, just not quality enough for me, I use a local butcher, and often find I spend a little more but it goes further - no fatty bits to cut off for example.

Whiskeylover45

Do you freeze a lot of stuff from there? I find if I buy yoghurt, salmon, ham etc it just wouldn't last me a month.

I'm in Ireland. I find Aldi & Lidl much cheaper than Tesco or Supervalu and I'm happy with the quality too. I don't do a full shop there. I tend to do my main shop at Dunnes because of the vouchers - for each €50 you spend you get a €10 voucher to use on your next €50 shop. The only problem I have is remembering to spend them before they expire, as they are only valid for 10 days.

Used to shop religiously at Aldi, then one weekend I was near an Asda so went there and discovered they were pretty much the same in price buying the same stuff, I now get my shopping delivered much less faff

Today 22:30 Mlou32

Also, people do know that many items are mass produced and simply have different labels on for whatever supermarket they are destined to go to, right? There aren't separate potato fields marked 'Aldi' and 'Marks & Spencer' and different potatoes go to different stores.

This is not really accurate.

The potatoes may come from the same place but they are graded according to quality. The ‘best’ potatoes are sorted and sold to the supermarket who pays a premium. Therefore, M&S will get fresher, similar sized potatoes. The smaller lower graded ones will go to the others.

Similarly I know someone who worked somewhere where they made sauces. As above, the same factory made sauces for a well known brand and a supermarket brand. However while the sauces were similar, they were not the same. More vegetables would go into the premium brand sauce. The cheaper one had substitutes and more additives.

I have been using tesco for home delivery for almost 2 years rather than aldi and I'm saving money. Partly due to no middle aisle purchases and also as I'm not browsing I just buy what I need. 2 adults, a 6 and 7 year old a normal weekly shop is around £40-45, maybe a bit more if we were having guests over. I can see all the things I normally buy in my favourites and get my basics and maybe buy an extra of an item if it comes up on offer etc. Things tend to be on offer in cycles so I might buy one brand of things for a couple of weeks then their rival will be on offer and I will buy that instead.

I'm in England.
I don't find Aldi cheaper. I have Tesco home delivery and top up in Asda.
Didn't like the chicken in Aldi. But it's ok from Tesco. Im really fussy, I'm sure they are not the same!

A totally Aldi diet would be very limited too as there’s so little choice

That's not the case if you cook from scratch. There's everything you need for loads of variety in your diet. If you eat pre prepared stuff, then I agree there isn't much choice.

Lots of saving to be had OP, give it a try.

Do you have an Asda near you? I've noticed a significant difference in price between Asda and Tesco. I'd say a Tesco shop for us could be around £20 dearer than Asda.

Compared to Asda, I only think you could save money if you didn't buy branded stuff. But then I think their own brand prices are similar to Asda own brand.

I agree that Aldi definitely lower quality produce, i have tried doing shop there and just find the fresh fruit and veg definitely go off very quick. Plus the food definitely higher in additives etc . Their dairy and salads are very good and great selection of juices , cheeses etc

A totally Aldi diet would be very limited too as there’s so little choice

Seriously? They sell all the common meats and fish, all the common fruits and vegetables, all the common pulses and grains, all the common dairy products.