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Original poster

Aldi, i just dont get it.

152 replies

feelathome · 16/11/2013 18:02

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?

OP posts:
BunnyLebowski · 07/12/2013 19:40

Totally agree with you Jaded.

It's horrible.

passedgo · 07/12/2013 19:48

I agree with you in that I would much prefer to sashay around Waitrose than clunk around in the cold-war style Aldi but the truth is most people can't afford to. Or have the time to. Big supermarkets can eat up hours of your life and with Aldi you are in and out in an hour with a weekly shop for £50 quid.

The trick is to buy the things you are particular about, elsewhere. I never buy their baked beans and don't get too much of their veg either.

ShriekingGnawer · 07/12/2013 19:49

Yes it is very depressing. No choice though.

tinkertaylor1 · 07/12/2013 19:55

Agree with passé

The larger stores do my head in and Dh gets giddy chucking shit in. I do a shop for three adults and dd2 and it comes around £50. That's snacks, biscuits included.

Meal planning is dull but it works if your serious about saving money. DH will chuck any thing in then I have to go out through the week and get extras - so I do it all now.

JadedAngel · 07/12/2013 19:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

nappyaddict · 07/12/2013 20:10

I find Aldi great and you can definitely to do a proper shop there. It's nothing to do with how big the shop is. They sell pretty much the same as every other supermarket but they sell one of everything rather than 20 different brands for each item. I shop almost exclusively at Aldi. The only things I buy from Asda that Aldi don't do are almond/hazelnut/coconut milk, unpasteurised cheese, free range pork, chicken thigh fillets, fish sauce, curry paste, white wine vinegar, sesame oil, groundnut oil, cinnamon sticks, dried mint, coriander seeds, ground coriander, ground cloves, cayenne pepper, mustard seeds, nutmeg, bay leaves, bouquet garni, turmeric, shallots, ginger, runner beans, medjool dates, fresh pasta, cloudy lemonade, alcohol free ginger beer.

Elfina · 07/12/2013 20:43

If you don't meal plan, how do you know what to buy? Do you just buy random things?? I don't understand Confused

BunnyLebowski · 07/12/2013 20:49

I don't meal plan. I find the thought thoroughly depressing.

I don't know what I'll fancy eating next Friday Confused .

I buy lots of ingredients and then see what we fancy on a daily basis.

Most weeks I end up doing a top up shop to make this work.

I spend far too much on food but I'm ok with that. I'd rather tighten my belt in other departments than eat Aldi food all the time. Life is too short.

rubyrubyruby · 07/12/2013 20:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Elfina · 07/12/2013 20:55

I can't bare Aldi, but I don't really like shopping generally. The idea of going somewhere without a specific list of things to buy feels horrendous. Before meal planning we just went it the shop each day, I inly started planning when "what do you fancy for dinner" became soul destroying to hear/ask after a hard day at work!

BunnyLebowski · 07/12/2013 21:01

Yeah I'm a bit like that sometimes Elfina. I end up 'nipping to Waitrose' a few times a week Blush .

I never understand on these threads when people say they dont like the choice on offer in a proper supermarket Confused .

I'd much rather have more than the 5 types of fresh meat and more than the one crap brand of beans that Aldi offer!

ShriekingGnawer · 07/12/2013 21:08

Again, meal planning is depressing. But we have no choice. So sometimes when I say 'I love Aldi' I really mean 'I can tolerate Aldi because it is within my budget and quicker and ifmy bill goes over the amount of cash in my pocket I'm fucked'

lucyfluff · 07/12/2013 21:15

If only I could afford Waitrose.........maybe when we win the lotto. Oh well! Im still pro Aldi for top savings ladies. Have saved £300 over six weeks by going here for DS's xmas presents Grin

whereiseveryone · 07/12/2013 21:29

Well, I used to shop in Waitrose and now I shop in Aldi.

No, the shopping experience isn't the same but it's quite a relief to only have a few choices. I save a packet. I couldn't believe how expensive Waitrose was when I went in there the other week.

5HundredUsernamesLater · 07/12/2013 21:47

I have always seemed to save at Aldi so not sure why you didn't notice a difference. Frozen tuna steaks definitely cheaper there and meat packs I used to buy at sainsburys at 3 for £10 are £2.99 each at Aldi. Only works out at a pound cheaper I know but it adds up. The quality of their food is excellent too.

nappyaddict · 07/12/2013 21:56

I don't meal plan to the specific day, but I do plan what meals I want to cook over the next week, just not on what specific day I fancy eating them IYSWIM.

Artandco · 07/12/2013 22:05

I tried again to like aldi but no
Couldn't get barely any food we usually buy. Things not avaliable I tried to get:

  • gluten free stock cubes
  • hollandaise sauce
  • fresh fish
  • aubergine
  • almond milk
  • nice hot chocolate
  • natural hand wash/ soap ( allergies)
  • natural deodorant
  • large oats
  • black beans

There were many other things with no choice or options I would go for. Ie just basic high sugar jam, where as I would prefer high fruit content with bits. Not many ( if any) organic options, and we usually buy all organic dairy at least. Yogurts all low fat/ high sugar/ aspartame options.

And then all our shopping is thrown at you at then end!

nappyaddict · 08/12/2013 00:05

I don't think 10 items equates to being able to get barely any food you usually buy, especially when 2 of those items are non-food items. There are about 25 items that I can't get at Aldi but I still say I can do a proper food shop there, because a lot of those 25 items aren't things I buy every week. They are store cupboard items that I top up with now and again, so I don't find it an inconvenience to go elsewhere for them.

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 08/12/2013 00:15

I love Aldi. I went today & did a weekly shop (2 adults, 2 teen boys & DD) for £75. If I'd gone to the Tesco next door I'd have spent over £100 and got poorer quality items!

I can't understand why you are not saving money OP ??.

nappyaddict · 08/12/2013 00:24

I think it depends what you buy. I don't buy any ready made sauces, frozen items, chocolate, biscuits, crisps, cereal etc in there.

My weekly shop consisits of bread, fruit, veg, salad, meat, butter, cream, eggs, coleslaw, alcohol, cat litter, herbs, spices, mayo, coleslaw, ground almonds, flaked almonds, dessicated coconut, washing up liquid, toilet roll.

Kewcumber · 08/12/2013 00:26

Buy the dark chocolate with almond and orange. Then you won't care how much you save you will be sure to return at least once a month.

Though to be fair with free range chickens at £5 - I don't see how you can fail to save or claim the quality os crap? Confused

Their cleaning products are excellent. ANd the parmesan. But not taken together.

MiniMonty · 08/12/2013 00:44

Meal planning (writing menus) IS the key to saving money and for those who say "how depressing - I don't know what I'll fancy next Friday" the truth is that once you groove into for a couple of weeks you WILL know what you'll fancy next Friday because it will be something different from what you had on Thursday, Wednesday or Tuesday and you will know that you and your kids are getting a healthy balanced diet.

I don't call it meal planning by the way, I call "The Menu" and I fantasise myself into the role of Michelin starred chef producing tip-top fare for my family week after week. They have their favourites and on the one hand cater to them - and then surprise and amaze them - I am awesome, I am in charge and I plan... The shopping then becomes unbelievable easy and totally good fun - cash and carry for non-degradables (rice, pasta, loo roll, flour etc) once a month, Aldi for stuff like pesto (99p in ALdi, £2:98 in Tesco), eggs, veg, fruit and dishwasher tablets, the butcher (because I've saved so much at Aldi) now and then for really good meat and the fish counter at Morrisons (because there are no "real" fishmongers left).

The cash and carry plus Aldi plus the butcher now and then is the way forward. Or win the lottery.

nappyaddict · 08/12/2013 09:04

MiniMonty Do you have an indoor market near you? We have them in 2 nearby towns and both have a fish counter.

sureprogress · 08/12/2013 22:12

This reply has been deleted

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working3jobs · 09/12/2013 11:41

I shop at aldi just for the fact 6 eggs cost 53p less than MrS, and cheerios over a pound less! 50/50 bread 20p less,4 pinter milk, 20p less-
these little amounts on things I buy weekly add up
plus there is less choice so I don't start randomising
super six fruit and veg can be good.

definitely, the one MAJOR way of saving money on groceries was meal planning, without that nothing would have changed.

maybe do a one month challenge with the meal planning-the winner gets the savings :)