AIBU to not be able to exclusively shop at Aldi?? If you manage it please tell me how!

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I have been shopping at Aldi since January this year in an attempt to save money, which I have, about 50 per cent of my food bill so I am very happy.

However, after going to Aldi I always have to 'top up' at Tesco, which is not convenient as I have to take a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a 6 month old with me, so two supermarkets is a bit much for them! I would love to buy everything from Aldi as the top up shop also costs a lot for one bag at the checkout.

The trouble I am having is getting everything I need from Aldi, especially fresh and dried herbs. Do I just need to change my recipes so I only cook things that they stock? This might not work though as they are always changing stock and running out of things? They ran out of tomato puree last week so if I didn't top up at Tesco I would not have been able to make spag bol, lasagne or pizza. I did try last month doing a Tesco shop for the first shop of the month and then Aldi for the other shops but my Tesco bill was nearly £200!!!!!!! It was a disaster. I also tried going to Aldi one day in the week and Tesco another which did not work as I needed some bits from Tesco ahead of the day I went there. And I had to plan a whole month of meals which took me hours.

Where am I going wrong? Anyone who manages to just use Aldi please tell me how!!

Our aldi is next door to an m&s so I get meat from m&s. Now running short of a few items you can't get from either place though.
Will need to go to a tesco or something, but just to top up on a few things.
Right back to aldi after.

I've been doing my main shop at Aldi for a few years. It seems the stores vary considerably depending on the age of the store and, more significantly, the area. Ours is new and in a mainly middle class market town, and we have a good variety and high turnover of fresh produce. DMIL's local store is in a non-affluent area of a city, and it's apparently horrible.

I whizz round Aldi and do the week's shop in about 20 mins flat. I keep a separate list for the items Aldi doesn't stock, and DH calls in to Tesco about once a fortnight on his way home from work to pick those up. I'm thinking about setting up a list at one of the online supermarkets (Ocado?) to do the top up shop, as I don't really like Tesco. This tends to be for things like concentrated stock and dry goods like wholemeal pasta and herbs.

mustsavemoney OMFG OMFG OMFG thankyou! It's too late for last night's half of the stew but we're having the rest tomorrow...I'll totally try the butter dumplings any excuse to eat butter

You can use fresh herbs instead of dried, but you have to use X times as much (for some value of X, which I do not know).

I honestly dont think all this shopping about is worth it,i would rather just do it all in one place and pay the extra,if you think about all the extra thought,time,effort and energy it takes to get things from different olaces its not really worth it in the end.

Do a weekly shop at Aldi but definitely can't get everything I need there, though I notice they do seem to stocking more of the stuff I used to go elsewhere for e.g. chickpeas.

Some of us don't have that luxury fruits. It's shop cheap or don't eat.

I have this problem of needing to top up too. I can't understand how Aldi can sell coconut milk but not thai curry paste? What else does one do with coconut milk (please don't answer that)?

I basically do all fruit and veg at Aldi as generally they have a better and of course far cheaper selection than the supermarket. I then stock up on whatever cans they have ie beans, coconut milk, canned tomatoes and plan meals in the following weeks based on what's in the storecupboard.

I also forgo ingredients I once thought vital. OP, you really do not need tomato puree for lasagne, spag bol and the like. An oxo cube and a tablespoon of ketchup are a good substitute. I can't remember the last time I used tomato puree as I didn't think it was worth trawling to another shop.

Another tip. If you are good at making bechamel. Aldi never run out of milk, cheese, flour and butter so you can always have macaroni (or penne, rigatoni... whatever's in stock) cheese/ lasagne minus tomato puree.

Just be flexible with your ingredients and google substitutes - if they don't sell curry leaves one week, they may stock kaffir lime leaves!

Do many Aldis really not have tomato puree? Ours has gallons of the stuff. Also passata, which I guess you could reduce and freeze in cubes if you were keen enough.

I got tomato puree from Aldi today, but nearly missed it - it isn't with the tinned tomatoes, it's with the pasta sauces, which seems illogical.

I couldn't get a) falafels b) DH's cholesterol-lowering margarine of any sort / brand c) children's toothpaste, so will have to go to another supermarket later.

I manage to get everything in Aldi apart from Mars Bars and Ribena.

I tend to buy the fruit and vegetables on special offer and then have meals around them.

Our Aldi does free range meat, fresh herbs, and quorn which is great. However for dd 17 months I'm a bit of a fusspot and get organic milk and yogurts from waitrose. I'd say I manage 80% at aldi and 20% waitrose. Love aldi fresh fruit!

Well, when I go to (in my case Sainsburys) for the odd thing I can't get in Aldi, I buy tons of it, so only actually have to do that about once every 6 weeks, so it's worth that extra visit for the hours and ££££ I save by normally shopping in Aldi.

I've gone from half the shop at Aldi to about 90% after gradually trying bits and pieces to find out what was good etc...

So pleased! The last thing I tried was washing powder... absolutely fine!

So far the only thing that we've rejected has been their coffee. I just can't drink shite coffee no matter what the saving

Aldi washing powder has won Which? awards. Oh yes.

DH says exactly the same about the coffee. I drink it happily, but then I have absolutely no taste when it comes to coffee. You could substitute water in which coffee cups had been washed up, and I'd probably barely notice.

I have a list in my head of the things aldi don't do, then get a stock if those things in asda if wherever every few weeks. The list is getting shorter! Also over time if have adapted and make the most of the things they do sell. And I look out in the specials, so when things turn up say in curry week, I get a few.
If I ever go to sainsburys I now find it painfully slow, the range is not actually that good, just the same product branded by 5 manufacturers, soo expensive, and the staff seem to stand about chatting, I can't bear it!

Our Aldi had loads of Mars bars yesterday (obviously I did not buy one and eat it in the car on the way home...).

I do 90% of our shopping in aldi but there are a few things they don't stock - carte noire instant coffee (DP is fussy) and tinned beans (ours has chickpeas and kidney beans but nothing else). I tend to do an online asda order every couple of months for those bits and pieces.

Is it just me that's found Aldi fruit and veg useless? I've shopped there a handful of times but each time ended up chucking away that much that it's not worth it.

I spoke to a recruitment bod for Aldi at a graduate recruitment fair a few years back. Their business model is that they don't intend that people can do all their weekly grocery shopping at Aldi!

It's not worth their while to stock niche/ expensive (to them) products. They want shoppers to do the bulk of their shopping, essential items, at Aldi and top up elsewhere. Hth.

I love it, but they do not stock decaf ground coffee.

My db goes to Aldi after 8pm & finds everything that he needs but if he goes during the week, he needs to do a top up shop. Can you change the time that you shop to the evening when they have restocked for the next day?

Sorry it should say if he goes during the day not if he goes during the week!

The only thing I can't get in aldi is quorn

Ours does. and the Passata is 32p for a carton and I never need purée. I shop locally for spices. It depends how much variety you need. Our Aldi has been a lifesaver in lean months.
We have great fruit and veg shops and Indian and Middle Eastern mini markets locally so spices and exotic fruit and veg are cheap. I love Aldi...

I do 99% of my shopping at Aldi and plan my meals around whar they sell. I think the last time I went into another supermarket for something I couldn't get was for extra large bin bags and curry paste.

I just cannot afford to shop elsewhere so we make do with what I buy.