To think that Lidl/Aldi are no cheaper than Sainsbury's etc now?

[Supernova23]

I know with the cost of living crisis food costs have shot up dramatically, but I am really starting to see no difference between the 'budget' supermarkets and the higher end ones. I could literally get a weeks shop for just £35 (only me) a few years ago at Lidl, now it's easily £65pw, and that's with top up shops. I've gone back to Sainsbury's now as their fresh stuff and meat is much better.

I agree Aldi/Lidl don’t seem as cheap now.

However some things are much cheaper, for example washing powde,Greek yogurt and butter.

Some things are the same (I paid 48p for a single pepper in Aldi earlier).

Yep, I agree. I used to go out of my way to shop at Aldi as opposed to my local Tesco. Nowadays, the fuel costs and the value of my own time mean its no longer any cheaper for me. I make the journey if I'm having a shop consisting mainly of cleaning products and toiletries as I do find those are cheaper enough to warrant the drive. However, for things like chicken, cheese and frozen stuff its not worthwhile.

Sainsbury’s price match aldi so nope depending on what you want it’s exactly the same price plus you get nectar points.

I buy certain thing from different shops for the best value.

I think Lidl is still noticeably cheaper on a lot of things but Aldi definitely isn’t.

I have found Aldi cheaper than Lidl. Better selection locally too.

There was an article this morning somewhere (not sure where as my dp was reading it but Aldi and Lidl came in 4th and 5th with tesco being 1st for value for money. It was done on the basics , bread, milk, pasta, rice etc.

I think all supermarkets these days are cheap for certain things - for example I find Sainsburys very good for the biscuits we eat a lot of, for grapes, for jam, for plain flour. Ice cream I would never buy from Sainsburys - it's Aldi and Lidl for that. Hot chocolate powder from Asda.... Cleaning stuff I often go to Poundland....

Those are just a few random examples but you get the picture. Because I live somewhere with a couple of supermarkets in walking distance, and even more if I get public transport/my partner drives me, I am able to shop like this. Access to a car also means we can sometimes buy in bulk too. Cost of living is even higher for people who don't have flexibility about which supermarkets they can go to, and have no car so can only buy what they can carry.

I think Lidl is still cheaper in general (hard to say if every single product), but you can see price increase there anyway. I don't buy branded products there as it's always hit and miss with the price. Sometimes there's better price on Nescafe etc. in Asda/Sainsbury's.

I only find their special offers of branded products better - but their own brand stuff is no cheaper.

For me aldi and.lidl are cheaper because they offer less choice than sainsburys and tescos. I find it hard to resist

I find tesco, Iceland and Sainsburys cheaper because I can get to them on foot and only buy what I can carry.

To get any other supermarket I need to get in the car or take a bus, as the small town where I live doesn't have them and it means a trip into Bristol.

It's probably the case that if you're very careful about what you buy, you can claim any of the supermarkets is 'the cheapest' or about the same as all the others.

Even M&S is at the cheaper end for some basics like bread, eggs, milk, basic salad/veg and some canned goods.

However, most people don't buy such a limited selection and there will be wider variation in the price of other goods. For example, I'd be willing to bet if you were buying things like bin bags, laundry or cleaning products, sauces/jams, cheese or charcuterie, Sainsburys is quite a bit more than Aldi for these things.

Of course, there's no rule to say that you can only go to one supermarket, and if you do have access to more than one, it's likely to be worth alternating to get the best combination of price/quality/choice for your own circumstances.

That's really interesting as I've found Sainsbury's has become extortionately expensive. I used to shop in Lidl then top up the bits they don't sell in Sainsbury's. It became too much of a faff to do this during the early days of Covid, so I switched to just getting the lot in Sainsbury's and never went back to the old ways. Recently I've found the quality in Sainsbury's has plummeted whilst the prices have risen sharply so switched to Waitrose (figured if I'm going to pay through the nose, I may as well have better quality). I've found my weekly shop has dropped by £10/wk on average, which was very unexpected!

I honestly could do a weeks food shop if it was just me in M&S for £45 using the £3 for £8 and 3 for£12,offer plus their essentials range plus a few yellow sticker items. I think £65 is an awful lot for it to be Lidl or Aldi for 1 person

I've shopped in Aldi for years but I now use ASDA as it seems much cheaper

I agree. I’d struggle to spend £65 to feed just myself. I could easily shop at M&S or Waitrose and spend less than that.

Aldi is much cheaper for many things. Cleaning materials are far less there, Greek yoghurt, faux Nutella (a third the price and better), frozen veg, bacon, cheese - the list goes on. Toiletries too.

@Blossomtoes Yep, it's all about being a savvy shopper- I used Lidl a lot when we lived in Copenhagen but especially for non food stuff

I said this on a nother thread but broccoli at Tesco and Morrisons is about 70 or 75p but 95p at Lidl.

I remember back in 2017 you'd get one for 39p.

I agree with you OP. I tried Lidl a few weeks ago instead of my usual Tesco but it was no difference at all, crap selection and fresh stuff did not last well. I will stick with Tesco far more choice and I save the Clubcard points and treat the family to Pizza Express a few times a year.

I shop around.

I'm lucky that there's Asda, Morrisons, Sains, Tesco, Aldi and Lidl within 4 miles of me.

Asda (pay to park), Aldi and Lidl are a PITA to get to so I tend to do the bulk at Sains then top-up at Tesco and Morrisons.

If it's branded stuff then the price is pretty much the same.

Re: £65 being too much, probably, but it depends what you are buying doesn't it? I like eat a lot of fresh fish and lean meat, which is super expensive. If I wasn't buying them then obviously I could cut back. Plus that's usually with some cleaning bits/toiletries/bits for my pets and a bottle of decent wine.

I find the fresh stuff unreliable in Sainsbury's and groceries 30% more expensive. I really like having a big Sainsbury's nearby, but only use it for random bits you can't get in Aldi, plus non-food items, Habitat & Argos.

I use Tesco delivery but go to aldi once a month to stock up on stuff that Tesco just can't compete with. ...knock off crisps (dc can't tell the difference) cleaning wipes, knock off ice cream and cereal etc.
The rest of it I just can't be bothered with aldi for as I find I need to do another shop elsewhere and just don't have the time or inclination.

Sainsburys I spend on average £110-120 for a weekly shop. The same in aldi is £90-95, so significantly cheaper for us. Lots of dairy, meat, fresh veg and some tinned/frozen basics.

We've switched to frozen broccoli for recipes which saved a lot of money & food waste

I shopped in Asda for years, moved to Aldi last summer. I save about £10-£15 a week.