Aldi, i just dont get it.

[feelathome]

I've heard so much great stuff about Aldi. So a few months ago decided to give it a try. We usually spend between £60-70 a week in Tesco or asda. Went to Aldi and spent....... £63. No saving at all. Decided to give it another try, after reading so many people on here manage to save so much money. So, went along today, found it v stressful as the till assistant practically threw the stuff at us down the conveyor belt. Finally git to pay and ........ £63 again. What am I doing wrong?

It is also good for dayglo sports gear and thermals! I find a lot of good stuff for us in the middle aisles.

The stilton is good (I buy it for soup). Sundried tomatoes in olive oil are good. Nothing else I'd make a special trip for.

I pass it and so can just nip in but I agree I wouldn't go if I only went for one big shop per week.

The main reason I love Lidl is that I can be in and out, having done a full shop in under 15 mins. The staff are way more helpful and always find time to chat with the little old lady. Last week the checkout operator was telling one lady all about his tattoos, she was loving it.

Also if I've picked up something that looked like a good deal but there was actually a better one to be had (eg multi-buy) the cashier will always point it out, you can't tell me that would happen in Tesco or Waitrose.

I know it's not a glossy shop but IMO it's a far better shopping experience.

My husband works for one of the supermarkets in their head office, and regularly does comparative shops to ensure their products are comparable quality/price etc with others. Aldi regularly beat the big four hands down in blind testing, and on price as well. To the point that we mostly forego our 10% staff discount in "his" supermarket and go to Aldi instead, and many of their products have Which Best Buy awards into the bargain. I really do think Aldi nay-sayers are just giving voice to their inner snobs. As I used to do until DH convinced me to try shopping there.

Big supermarkets have more offers, but I hate doing my weekly shop in there as I resent paying more for basics than I know it costs in Aldi - e.g. 6 free range eggs are 99p in Aldi, and over £1.40 in the local Tesco. £1 for nice bread vs £1.60 etc. It all adds up.
Their stuff like pancetta, chorizo, cheese, yogurt etc. is miles better than Tesco etc. too. I usually do my main shop in Aldi and then pop into Tesco on the way home to pick up stuff that I couldn't get. I feed 2 adults and 2 DC for about 60 quid a week (meal planning and cooking from scratch). I couldn't do that by shopping in Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's. So yeah, I love Aldi

I love lidl though I get fozen veg at farmfoods for there 3 bags for 2 pounds crate of beer for dp at asda when I fill up the car

It must depend on what you buy. We spend about £65 a week on groceries when we shop in tesco but only about £40 when we shop in lidl. I never buy branded in either so that's a saving just on own brand.
I do prefer shopping in tesco though as it's an extra and I like browsing the nonfood stuff.
The only danger is if I shop at lidl and then need to go to tesco for something obscure because then I'll buy a few extra bits in both shops and end up with no savings.

So anyone who doesn't like Aldi is automatically wrong and a snob Lacka?

Or maybe people just have different tastes and standards.

I lived off Aldi food and home stuff for 6 months. I genuinely found nearly all of it to be of inferior quality to that of the supermarkets I usually use and use now. I really wanted to like it and was giddy about saving loads of ££.

But I didn't. And my local one was always dirty and the staff totally unhelpful.

I wouldn't set foot in one now.

And with the entire population of MN descending on Aldis across the country, at least the nice supermarkets will be quiet for me to do my shopping

I love Aldi and have started doing my main weekly shop in there instead of Sainsburys and it's not just to save money.
There are things I prefer from Aldi rather than brands from Sainsburys and they are all at least a third cheaper
Passatta
Hi-juice
Cola
Free range chicken
Yorkshire puddings
Goose fat roast potatoes (frozen)
Biscuits
Kids chocolate
Sliced cheese
All veg and fruit - so much better quality
The Scottish beer than DH likes is £1.39 a bottle instead of £1.99.
Even my mother who likes to shop at M & S insists we got to Aldi to get her a few things that she likes.

However there is stuff I still need to buy from Sainsburys or Asda so I go and do a smaller shop there.

I think if you want to save money you have to shop around. I buy most of my toiletries from Home Bargains as it's beside Sainsburys and half the price.

I have found that I can buy a lot more fruit and veg from Aldi for the same money that I'd spend at Tesco. Actually, I can buy nearly everything from Aldi including nuts, free range eggs and meat and save around £30 a week over Tesco.

I do pop over to Tesco and buy their own brand baked beans as the children prefer them, as well as Birdseye peas, fromage frais (everyday value), kidney beans, tinned tomatoes and purée and butter and milk just because it's around the same price as Aldi, I can wander around the non food and I can get a few points otherwise I'd not bother.

Mostly I go because it is quicker - in and out in 20 minutes. all the basic ingredients are the same price as Tesco value and then the veg is cheaper and lasts longer. I also don't end up buying loads of extra stuff because I see it and feel I need it. And they don't bugger about moving it all round every 5 minutes.

I think our shop is cheaper there I prefer shopping their because:

• the shop takes less time
• I get nicer "treat" foods in my treat budget
• I don't feel like I'm bring ripped off or that the shop is trying to trick me

We would usually spend £150 per fortnight - all in, 2 adults, 3 kids,1 dog.
Now we spend £80 to £100 depending on circumstances at Aldi.

Trolley full yesterday, including Quality street for xmas for £3.99 (£1.01 cheaper than Asda), a few bottles of wine and some xmas treats, £83

Was well chuffed.

We would usually spend £150 per fortnight - all in, 2 adults, 3 kids,1 dog.
Now we spend £80 to £100 depending on circumstances at Aldi.

Trolley full yesterday, including Quality street for xmas for £3.99 (£1.01 cheaper than Asda), a few bottles of wine and some xmas treats, £83

Was well chuffed.

Ooooo twice! Sorry.

I am NOT being a snob, I really wanted to try Aldi to save money. Honest truth is we spent the same as we always do at Tesco. That may be cos we brought more, or were not comparing like with like, I don't know, all i know is we spent the same amount of money. That doesn't make me a snob.

We use Lidl. I like it because it is a little cheaper than ASDA (and a LOT cheaper than Tesco!), yet the quality of the products is better than the basics stuff at either ASDA or Tesco. There are less additives in a lot of things if you do a direct comparison. I also like it because it is small and there is less choice!

I went last Sunday and did a shop to last myself and four kids (dp was working away), it was £43, went to Iceland and stocked the freezer too for another £40 (Only stock it every few months).

Went to Aldi again today and got the majority of what we will go through in a week (added to what we already have in) for the 6 of us for £62. We usually spend between £120 & £160 a week in Asda. I didn't need to get much house stuff today but think it will still come in at under £100 if I went mad and bought all kinds of rubbish on top of any shampoo/washing powder/dishwasher tabs/loo roll etc. When I get used to the shop and the products I think our shopping will come to about £80, I should have got more for the fridge today and did forget a few bits like cereal bars and I would usually get a few more bits of meat but still had some left in the freezer from last weeks shop. I got some stuff today that I wouldn't usually buy like the pasta bake sauces and tins of beans and sausage just to try them out as quick meals for when I'm knackered, lol.

Out of that and what we have in already we are having these meals for dinners (we eat alot of pasta!):

Meatballs and pasta
Pork roast
Leek & cheese pie with mash
Pasta bake with chorizo and peppers
Spag bol
Veg soup
Cottage pie or mince & onions

Also covers packed lunches for 2 dd's

Here's what I got, total was £62.61.

x2 Pasta bake sauce
x1 Chunky soup
x2 Tomato soup
x2 Pasta sauce
x1 Chopped tomatoes
x2 Beans and Sausage
x2 4pt semi skimmed milk
x1 Butter
x1 4 pack of baked beans
x2 High juice
x1 Conditioner
x1 Honey
x1 Big block med cheddar
x1 Passata
x1 Large swede
x1 Malt vinegar
x1 8pk pork sausages
x1 Lean ham
x1 Spanish chorizo
x1 500g lean steak mince
x1 Pork leg joint (it's easily big enough for 6 of us and only cost £5.05!)
x2 Leeks
x1 Bag of onions
x1 1.5kg carrots
x1 3pk mixed peppers
x2 Apples
x1 Pears
x1 Potatoes
x1 500g pasta
x2 pizza
x1 Book for dd3
x1 30pk Christmas cards
x1 Baby wipes
x2 Stock cubes
x1 Antibac household wipes
x1 6pk yogurts
x3 Seeds for garden
x1 Dishwasher freshener
x1 Vanilla yog (for meeee)
x1 Large box tampons
x3 Cereal (inc large box of their brand ready brek)
x1 Dark choc digestives
x2 Assorted flavour custard creams
x1 6pk crumpets
x2 Wholemeal bread
x1 6pk Free range eggs
x1 24 pk crisps

Until Aldi and Lidl do home delivery they're no use to me.

Have browsed both and bought stuff but miss the range available in other supermarkets although not sure if its Aldi/Lidl or both that win hands down with the range of continental meats available. Hugely tempting.

Oooo interesting thread!!! We have spent the past five weeks shopping at Aldi to save for xmas. 2 x adults and 3 x dc's and compared to Tesco we have gone from 110 a week to 70!!!!

All meals from scratch and planned with several treats thrown in. The best find this week was their NAPPIES...I couldnt believe how nice they are and no leakage at nighttime yippeee

The only thing I dislike is saturday stressy shoppers and the way the staff are super quick at checking ur stuff into the trolley lol!!!

That's a £2000 a year saving lucy

wowsers!!!!!!!! aldi rock

Hope there are a few more of these Aldi hater threads now so it's not so flipping busy in there

%23aldirocks

OP I'm glad you didn't like it. ........

I need to be able to get a trolley lol!

Seriously meal plan- either formally or in your head as you go round ( I look at the super 6 and take it from there).

I usually end up with something from the "aisle of wonders" as well and come in at under £75 for 5 of us - including meat and some wine.