Aldi or Lidl - the best savings

[GinJeanie]

So... like loads of folk we're preparing for a financial squeeze what with fuel bill rises, NI going up etc. My pay has been frozen (teacher) which doesn't help!
We're looking at how to pull our belts in. However, we're time-poor. We don't have a cleaner or anything but we do get our food shopping delivered which has been a lifesaver. I'd be happy to go to Aldi/Lidl monthly though to buy key items in bulk which might save us a few bob. Not been for ages so any suggestions what these might be? Many thanks!

Pretty much everything that doesn't need to be kept in a fridge or have a short use by date.

Aldi do a click and collect option now, so that could suit you and save you a bit of time.

Depends entirely on what you buy. I find I spend more in Lidl because they seem to sell more 'that looks nice' - fancy chocolate stuff and the 3 fish roast are two examples, but I think the prices are much of a muchness on normal food.

But if you're time poor, the Aldi click and collect for a bulk order once or twice a month might be a good compromise.

After that, Asda and Morrisons are probably the cheapest of the main supermarkets.

But if you want to save money, it's probably best not sticking to one supermarket, as there's usually things that's cheaper or you like better in one particular one, plus offers, so the best savings are usually rotating round to take advantage of these. You may also find that if you don't use one for a few weeks, they'll send you a discount coupon to go back to them, which is another way to save a few quid.

I prefer Aldi although I'm not as familiar with Lidl I've never been particularly impressed the few times I've shopped there. For the basic food cupboard staples - tinned tomatoes, beans, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals, crisps, snacks etc I don't think you can go wrong with Aldi and they're considerably cheaper than the big brands in the supermarket. I find Aldi fruit & veg is generally ok, some of the meat and fish is good, but I'm not keen on their chicken, a lot of water comes out of it when you cook it. They're small shops too so you can be round in minutes compared to some of the mega size supermarkets, just don't look at the middle aisle!!

Lidl have a loyalty app and if you spend £200 a month you get £12 off. Plus weekly coupons.

Have a look at the Aldi click and collect website...........put in what you usually buy and see how much you would save. I'm lucky as I have a Lidl and Aldi very close to me so tend to pop into both........
500g dried pasta is 49p in Aldi compared to 75p in Morrisons
1 kg long grain rice 95p in aldi ..............£1.20 in Morrisons
Passata 35p in Aldi.........49p in Morrisons
Orange juice 75p Aldi.........£1.00 in Morrisons
Strong white flour 59p in Aldi..........£1.00 in Morrisons

The savings soon add up!!! I do most of my shopping in Aldi and Lidl, I don't tend to buy much ready-made stuff as I generally cook from scratch.

Thank you so much! Didn't realise Aldi did Click and Collect so will be looking into that 👍

Anything that is a standard basic - flour, sugar, pasta, tinned tomatoes, tuna, olive oil, cotton buds, toilet rolls to name a few -will be significantly cheaper (at least 25%) in both Ldl and Aldi compared to the big 5 supermarkets. Some things might depend on how brand loyal you are but definitely worth trying the alternatives. So definitely worth a visit once a month or so to buy a bulk lot of items like that that have a long shelf life. For fresh food, look for the special offers on seasonal produce in every supermarket and base a lot of meals around those. Right now it's root veg and things like kale/cabbage - in Lidl at the moment many of them are19p a pack. Menu plan for at least one week ahead - loads of tips around on that.