Did my first-ever Aldi shop last week and...

[KindleMum]

I've never lived near an Aldi before but we moved a few months ago and having read about it on here, I decided to try it. So we went last weekend and didn't really like the feel of it. Spent £45, came home, decided to run the same shop through the Sainsbury site and was astonished to find it would have cost me £92 at Sainsburys! Unsurprisingly, that price difference somewhat changed my view of the shopping trip! And all the products we've tried have tasted great.

Went again this week, tried Sunday morning which was much nicer than the Sat morning experience of last week. A bigger shop this week as we needed more things so we spent £62. Ran it though Sainsburys again and although not as good a saving as last week, it would have cost me £97 in Sainsburys.

And I figure I will also save a bit more money as there is less junk to tempt me in Aldi. In Sainsbury etc more things we don't really need will end up in the trolley. It seems much easier to stick to the list in Aldi.

So thanks for the threads - I'm a convert. I will still need the main supermarkets for a few things but I'm hoping to do a monthly top-up of those. It will save me loads.

[PigletJohn]

sadly they have downgraded their jams and marmalade this year, the last stuff I looked at was only 30% fruit

My local store no longer does the chunky marmalade

[AnnaFiveTowns]

Only thing I found not up to standard were the Quixo gravy granules - gross! Apart from those most other things are as good as the big brands - if not better. My DD will ONLY eat Aldi chocolate now. She turns her nose up at Cadburys!

The fruit and veg will go off quicker than Sainsburys though. Oh, and the milk sometimes goes off before its use-by. So I avoid stocking up on milk for the week there. Coffee granules not great either, but this is all personal preference of course.

Everything else is wonderful. Particularly love the lemon (yellow fin - I think!) frozen fish. It's yummy. DC and DH love it too. The lasagna's nice and the frozen pizzas. I find the meat fine. Very cheap free range chickens.

I used to spend about £120 a week on the food shop at Sainsburys. I now spend about £80.

I also save on clothes, shoes, kids' stuff etc as there is little else to tempt you.

[Castlelough]

I'm a recent Aldi convert in my quest to become debtfree, and have found myself really saving on my grocery bill.
I've always been quite fussy with my brands, but week by week I have moved to buying more and more of Aldi's products. I'm in Ireland, and as an earlier poster already said, all of the meat is Bord Bia approved and reared in Ireland. Everything has been delicious so far.
Our washing powder, shampoo etc is all Aldi branded now.
I don't buy ready meals from ANYWHERE so I can't comment on the Aldi ones.
I DO find their fruit and veg doesn't stay fresh for quite as long as those bought from Tesco etc, but as DH says, really it SHOULDN'T stay fresh for any longer.
He is now converted too and brought a shop from Lidl home this evening - delicious steak!
Groceries is an area where you can cut back big time with your finances! Good luck Kindlemum !

[soaccidentprone]

I bought some MSC fish in the chiller section that dh and ds said were nice.

Their red sauce has milk powder in though (for some strange reason), and the last 3 times I went in they didn't have any bread flour

Can't think of anything we haven't liked apart from the 'posh' quiche which tasted nice, but there was too much pastry and hardly any filling.

They also do short runs of items in baskets in the middle of the store, so it's worth buying a few if you like them, as the chances of the item being in stock when you next go, are slim.

I alternate between lidl and aldi (plus a few bits and bobs from Waitrose that always cost as much as the aldi shop anyway)

[KirstyJC]

All their own brand cereals are lovely - the only fake Frosties that actually taste like real Frosties!

And they do lovely cheap croissants, and their ground coffee is £1.79 a pack (compared to £3.50 per pack at Tesco).

And their biscuits are good too.

They do fake Twix for 79p for 6 and fake Bounty for 99p for a fun-size pack too.

Their fruit and veg is tasty and a good price but usually only sold in packs, so if you want a single item then not always the best value.

[KirstyJC]

Oh yes and they do Free Range whole chickens for £4.99 in our local - the cheapest equivalent in Tesco is usually £7.99.

[CoolaSchmoola]

All Aldi meat is British and Red Tractor approved. They use their own farms and can track the provenance of all their fresh meat because of that. There are no middle men. Tesco can't say that!

Until recently we lived in Germany - home of Aldi. Over there it's not a budget shop, it's one of the major supermarkets. On the whole I found German own brand standards far superior to UK own brand, and many of the products they stock here are the German ones with English on the label being the only difference.

Aldi isn't cheap food - it's good food that happens to be cheaper. But then groceries in general are cheaper in Germany, so the prices we see as cheap here would be the prices you would pay in a major supermarket equivalent such as Sainsbury, Tesco et al in Germany.

[gaelicsheep]

It's definitely not all British and red tractor. Ham for example, mostly.imported. Ditto pork loin and lots of the chicken. But Asda is worse. I tend not to buy meat from Aldi - the CoOp I find best for sourcing British meat, along with the butchers of course - but for most other things Aldi is great.

[Rockinhippy]

I've missed creme brûlée how did I not spot that - thank you, I love creme brûlée

Bally Castle Irish cream IMHO & several friend too, is nicer than Baileys & only £3.99 :)

Love all the Cuccini stuff, pasta, Passata etc

Love the 30p big bars of chocolate which I use for cooking & cake decorating, that's if DH doesn't find my stash

Love the own brand mayonnaise, frozen fish, frozen mash

Non bio washing powder & softener s are good too & don't aggravate DDs eczema

I could go on & on :)

[CoolaSchmoola]

Gaelic - just read what I put and I was clear as mud lol! I meant raw meat, I know the ham etc isn't, I buy it mainly because it's German, German cured meats tend to be fabulous (I have never seen so many varieties of cold meat as I did in German supermarkets). Not to mention the laws on food production and use of chemicals are far tighter in Germany.

There was an advertising campaign very recently (after horse meat gate) where I'm sure they stated all their fresh meat is now British. Maybe I got it wrong, but the meat I've bought there recently is.

[gaelicsheep]

I worry about animal welfare standards for EU meat. For example I would never buy Danish bacon. What are the standards like on Germany, do you know?

[BiddyPop]

We buy a lot in Lidl regularly. We also buy in Aldi when we are near one, but there isn't one near the house (but 2 near MIL). So I tend to stock up in the Farmer's market on treats and then Aldi for super 6 F&V and other bits to make up for FM splurges, when we visit her for the weekend.

[dufflefluffle]

Aldi's Weetabix is made by Weetabix, their non-bio washing powder is excellent as are their rubber gloves. Their Caesar Salad, their frozen fish, eggs, cheese, parma ham, fresh herbs, napkins, tin foil, brioches, small bread rolls, chocolate....cheerios, porridge, seeds, honey. I'm trying to think of all the things I would only really buy in Aldi. Lidl is good for veg and bread and chocolate and ice cream too. So is Aldi though and Aldi yoghurts are too amazing! Their Lemon Curd one...OMG!

[CoolaSchmoola]

German animal welfare standards are very good and continuously assessed and improved.

[gaelicsheep]

That's good to know actually because we do like the German meats in Aldi, I've just felt a bit guilty so don't buy them very often. DH will be delighted!

[guineapiglet]

A new ALDI has just been opened here, right next to Waitrose, so we are hoping it will encourage Waitrose to become more competitive!! We are all ALDI devotees in our family, I don't really have any brand loyalty to anything, so am not really bothered about 'labels' or brands really - but definitely recommend: Fruit and Veg is always cheap and good quality - ideal if you have small furry pets, they too can be fed on a budget! - ALDI passata, olive oil, cheese, pizzas are all fabulous - 99p pizzas tasted better than the 5x more expensive ones from Waitrose. ( Teenagers did blind tasting!) Alcohol is much cheaper generally, and basics like flour, butter, eggs (FR of course) much better value. Also medicine cabinet drugs like paracetamol etc much cheaper. They have now got all the gardening stuff like compost, garden plants and herbs - brilliant quality.

[foofooyeah]

I am a recent convert. Shopping bill much reduced. I buy general staples of fruit / veg / meat and a few frozen items. Their frozen pizzas great for teenagers - esp the big oblong ones for 1.99

My cat likes their cat food

[guineapiglet]

... and don't forget their brilliant face creams, lacura, fabulous moisturiser for £1.49 and facial serums ( about £3.00 - last forever ) - also toothbrushes and loo roll - and of course their legendary noodles!

[Messandmayhem]

I have a lidl close-ish and have bought the odd few things but don't think I could do a full shop there, but I went to aldi yesterday for a look and think I will try to do a shop there, it seemed to be set out better than our lidl.

How does it compare pricewise if you buy mainly basics/ value stuff from the larger stores?

[ratbagcatbag]

Ok you guys converted me and I did an aldi shop last week, I was well Imprssed, some items I couldn't get In there and had to go to tescos, but generally it was fab and cheap too :)

[equinox]

There are certain food items I would avoid like the plague in Aldi however there are so many really really fantastically priced foods that it is well worth the hassle of going.

I know their stores do look quite chavvy when you walk round them but the price saving can really impact on your outgoings and is a godsend.

I have also noticed that more and more middle class looking types have ended up shopping in them too these days which just goes to show many out there are really feeling the squeeze.

Happy shopping one and all!

[emma16]

I think I must be missing out on something here because ive been into aldi a few times now, thinking I've gone wrong somewhere, and each time whenever I've looked at a product & then the price its been not much different to Asda. And in some cases, more expensive. In fact there was nothing there that made me think it's worth swapping my entire big shop from Asda to there & hoping we like the food?!
I've no doubt its cheaper than Tesco, I hate that place it's so expensive! But Asda I've always found hard to beat, I buy a mixture of smart price & asda brand products, never top branded products unless they are on special offer. Always always look at the price per ml/kg part rather than the actual ticket price etc.
Oh & always go with a list! I can do a big shop there for anywhere between £90-£110 & come home with the cupboards/fridge/freezer packed, then just do top up's for milk, veg,fruit locally etc. Where am I going wrong??

[LippyDiDooDah]

The Pimms equivalent Austins is just like the real McCoy inho.

We love the crisps, cereals, free range chickens, frozen homestyle oven chips.

Don't like their pack of 6 yoghurts - long life and artificial tasting. Don't like their spread either.

[everydayaschoolday]

OK- I did my first Aldi shop today after reading rave reviews on mn. I'm an utter convert. I did a direct price compare Aldi/tesco and EVERYTHING was cheaper in Aldi with the exception of a match on the 19p own brand paracetamol. Aldi shop was £61.45 tesco equivalent was £90.22. The Aldi choc tastes lovely, all fruit and veg looks nice and fresh and lovely selection of continental meats and cheeses. Thanks Aldi.

[MERLYPUSS]

Aldi prices are somewhere between sm brand and basics brand price I think. They are much tastier than basics. The squirty mayo and ketchup is massively cheaper than hellmans or heinz and although it doeant taste the same it tastes as good IMHO. I do 80% of my shop there and top up with basics at Asda.