Weekly Shop Cheaper in Aldi?

[PancakePenelope]

Just looking for some tips really!
I currently get most of our grocery/ household shopping from Asda and I am pretty careful with spending. There are some things that I like / are cheaper from Aldi and I go there to stock up on these once a month.
I am always hearing people say that they do all their shopping at Aldi to save money, but when I have done a weekly shop in Adi I perceive that the total is more expensive. Granted - I usually do this online and click and collect, so I might not be seeing all of the deals?
We are a household of three adults (fairly strong appetite) and a toddler. We eat very cheap lunches during the week (at work) but like nice food in the evenings. Vegetarian dinners are absolutely not an option - we are very meat and fish heavy (and I don't really want to hear about the impact this has on the planet / health etc. Plus I do understand that meat costs significantly more than vegetables).
Please give me your tips for shopping cheaply at Aldi!

I usually shop in Sainsbury’s but they have had missing items for ages so when we drive past Aldi I pick up what I’m missing, I don’t think it’s much cheaper at all especially their kitchen rolls! If you buy brand names it’s cheap but supermarket own brands vs Aldi own brands are pretty similar.

@PancakePenelope

How much money does everyone actually save by going to Aldi? Is it a few £s a week or more?

I save a LOT, but that is partly because I also do some of my shop at Sainsburys and Waitrose, both of which are much pricier vs Aldi/Lidl and also ASDA.

I'm planning to do Aldi & Lidl every couple of weeks (alternating them), so I can really limit what I need to buy in my Sainsburys top ups. It works for me as I have all of these close to home/work

TBH - to work out what saves you money keep your receipts & compare stores. You can then plan your meals based on what is best in each shop

I buy everything that I can in Aldi, there is some stuff that I can't get there and I go to either Morrisons or Asda for those bits, but it's usually 1 or 2 things a week. We are a fanily of 2 adults and 2 children. Weekly spend is usually £60-70. This week, due to logisitics, I had to do the weekly shop in Asda, I didn't buy anything different, in fact I didn't buy for a full week as we are away next week and spent over £90! My tip is definitely meal plan. I don't have issues with the produce, strawberries are the only thing I can't get to last so we eat those first.

@PancakePenelope

How much money does everyone actually save by going to Aldi? Is it a few £s a week or more?

Some time ago, when Aldi first opened near us, I did a very geeky thing and compared the price of everything I had bought at Sainsbury with the nearest equivalent at Aldi. (If there wasn't an equivalent, then I left that product out of my calculations.). Overall it was about 30% cheaper at Aldi.

The only thing I've had from there that hasn't gone down well, is their catfood. Our ungrateful little buggers wouldn't countenance it.

As our Aldi is just round the corner from Sainsbury's it's not a hassle to go to both. I do Aldi first and then anything I can't get there (catfood!) I pick up at Sainsbury's.

Aldi wine and gin is amazing - both in terms of quality and value.

@BlooberryBiskits
I am definitely prepared to shop around, but maybe not visiting multiple shops every week. Plus the more shopping trips we go on, the more 3YO will want treats and the less resolve I have to say no...

[quote PancakePenelope]@BlooberryBiskits
I am definitely prepared to shop around, but maybe not visiting multiple shops every week. Plus the more shopping trips we go on, the more 3YO will want treats and the less resolve I have to say no...[/quote]
I agree: fewer trips saves a lot!

I’d suggest you try to do a full shop at ALDI, make note of what you like/dislike and keep receipt to compare vs ASDA

Then rotate stores (if you can make the time)

I don't understand, I reckon our shop is £30-40 pw cheaper at Aldi than Sainsbury's Morrison's or even Asda. Better quality than Asda, too.
Meat is where we make the biggest saving.

Thanks everyone!
I will certainly do a bit more analysis between the two!
It's not that I am desparate to shop in Aldi or in Asda particularly. I kind of feel like a lot of people are saying that they have cut back on expediture by switching to Aldi so maybe I am missing something! Recent conversations about cost of living (in RL and on MN) always seem to involve someone saying "well I shop at Aldi to save money" which implies that by not switching to Aldi for the majority of our shopping I am spending more than I should? But on the face of it I cannot see much of a saving. Maybe those people have also changed what they buy / their eating habits when they switched supermarket...

I do all my weekly shop at aldi. My local one has fresh fruit and veg which is fine and it doesn’t go off any quicker than elsewhere. This is mentioned a lot when talking about aldi but I’ve never had problems. But there’s just two of us and no kids so maybe it’s just easier to shop. I don’t shop in the middle aisle unless things I see are needed.

I got used to the non branded thing years ago and it’s fine. We have a coop locally for top ups of bread etc if needed. I buy some of my cleaning stuff from smol subscription anyway but the others I get all at aldi. The money we save on food shopping comes in handy for meals out/takeaway treats.

I tend to buy food for 3-4 days at a time rather than a whole week, and what I usually do is have a rough idea of meals and then go and see what they've got and what looks good/cheap that day. Then I meal plan on the hoof.

I love Aldi and can get most things from there, unless it's a specific spice or random ingredient for a recipe, in which case I'd go to Sainsburys for that one thing. The things I don't like are the shampoo and conditioner and marmite dupe but I pick up these in other places. Fruit and veg, meat, cheese, alcoholic drinks etc all great. On the occasion I go to Sainsburys I'm outraged at the total at the checkout for a few items!

@PancakePenelope

Thanks everyone! I will certainly do a bit more analysis between the two! It's not that I am desparate to shop in Aldi or in Asda particularly. I kind of feel like a lot of people are saying that they have cut back on expediture by switching to Aldi so maybe I am missing something! Recent conversations about cost of living (in RL and on MN) always seem to involve someone saying "well I shop at Aldi to save money" which implies that by not switching to Aldi for the majority of our shopping I am spending more than I should? But on the face of it I cannot see much of a saving. Maybe those people have also changed what they buy / their eating habits when they switched supermarket...

I think everyone shops differently. I notice a difference of easily £5-£10 on a similar shop between Aldi and Asda, but I can get what I need from aldi. Some people can’t and have to shop around. It’s all subjective to your needs and wants. Not everyone needs to save £5-10 on their weekly shop or can’t always get everything in one store and that’s Ultimately their own choice.

Maybe it depends where your Aldi is and how new the store is. Ours is six months old and the next nearest one, a couple of years old. I’ve found that their range of stuff is increasing, although there are still a few things we need to go elsewhere for. During lockdown, the Sainsbury’s delivery was regularly between £80 and £100. Aldi is usually between £50 and £60 and that’s allowing for the increase in food prices.

@Mirrorball2022
Thank you - on the occasions that I bought fresh produce from Aldi tit didn't go off any quicker than things I had bought elsewhere. Not sure if it is a problem with some stores.
Our branch of Aldi has some of their normal stock on shelves above the specials in the middle aisle. This is really annoying when shopping with a toddler - I am trying to pick up some gravy granules so venture down the middle aisle and directly underneath them there are loads of toys etc. I definitely do not buy him everything he asks for, but it does make shopping stressful when you are constantly saying no!

I'm a bit mehhh at Aldi. For us we didn't save that much and had to go to tesco to get stuff Aldi didn't sell. I didn't like the double shopping so just stick with Tesco now.

Aldi is cheaper than Asda but you need to be choosing the like for like options eg same pack sizes, not premium option etc. I've never done click and collect at Aldi so no idea if they have only the more expensive options.

Lidl I can highly recommend to save money though you have to go in person and not be tempted by the bakery at the entrance!

Having said that, we do have to walk past a lot of toys in Asda before we get to the food!! That's why I prefer click and collect, but in Asda it costs 50p and in Aldi it costs £4.99, plus they don't have all of the special offers online that you find in store (Asda generally do).

Best loo rolls are the premium aldi ones btw, packet of 24

What I tend to do is a really big stock up at either Aldi or Lidl every few weeks, esp on cleaning/toiletries/bin bags, bought batteries on my last shop etc. Also non-perishables but NOT biscuits/crisps etc as we will just eat more than usual. Try not to blow the savings on the middle aisle stuff

This definitely saves me money, but like PPs say, everyone shops differently.

The fancy stuff at Aldi/Lidl (black packaging) is pretty good. Also the frozen pizzas.

A lot of Aldi/Lidl products are made by brand name manufacturers,, often to a slightly different recipe (I work in the food manufacturing business, hence the interest in this thread)

Generally speaking, we by non-branded goods but we (mainly DP) are wedded to a few brands. Namely

• Quaker oats
• Cadbury's twirls
• Bold liquid (DP)

I need specific tampons which I cannot buy in Aldi too. We're doing a lot better than we used to - ten years ago DP would only eat certain brands for a lot of things and I shudder to think what it would be costing if this was still the case!

We think we save about 1/3 in Lidl but thus partly due to wine savings especially when the DD's are back from university - lidl Prosecco is very popular with them

I find a tesco / asda shop costs me around £20 - £30 more than an Aldi or Lidi shop. Partly because they are more expensive, partly because there is more crap to buy.

I don't think Aldi or Lidl are much cheaper than Asda, although they're definitely cheaper than Sainsburys or Waitrose. Aldi annoys me as I can't get everything I want there so have to go to Asda as well and end up spending more. It also takes longer in Aldi. I like to scan and pack so I can be in and out without faffing around unloading the trolley at the till and packing it all up again.

Aldi is good if you follow a traditional ‘British’ western diet, throw in a dietary requirement or a panache for cooking anything that isn’t ordinary then I’ve found it’s a bit of a false economy.

For basics and ready meals it’s great. They do a lot of dupes that are a bargain but I’ve also found their veg isn’t great date wise and that I always have to go to another shop for the things they don’t have, particularly dairy free milk for DD, ingredients, herbs and spices, sauces etc. They also don’t do the bigger packs of things that Asda/Sainsburys etc. I found I was spending more money on the cheaper bags of rice and pasta than if I had gone to ASDA for the usual 2kg bag etc. It’s really a personal preference. I tend to go about once a month to stock up on cleaning things and toilet roll etc (which are brilliant) as well as cheap booze but I tend to shop in the other supermarkets for virtually the same price and the convenience of not having to nip elsewhere.

@PancakePenelope

I have lidl economy oats. Decant into a kilner jar, use lidl 3 in 1 liquitabs (lavender scent). We have Morrisons brand sanitary products because they rarely have them in Lidl, not an issue for me know as those days are over but I throw packs in the direction of the DD's bathroom before they get home from university