Aldi. Versus shopping in Asda

[2006hildy]

savvy shopper in training

Somebody must know the answer to this. Which is the better deal.

Shopping in Aldi.

Versus shopping in Asda bearing in mind that at the moment you get £5 off over a £40 shop.

Cutting back not cutting out.

Imo it is impossible to do a full shop in Aldi.

Their selection of meat and fish is pretty poor, their bread is horrible and never fresh and the household stuff (laundry detergent/toilet cleaner etc) is just crap compared to proper brands.

Fruit and veg is ok. Dairy is ok. Frozen veg are good.

I do as much as I can in Aldi and then top up with specific branded stuff or stuff you don't get in ALDI.

I'd say (sorry Bunny!) that the cleaning/laundry stuff is ok and we like the bread, but all the rolls and cakes etc in ours come from a local bakery so the quality probably differs depending on where you are. Bacon is good, whole chickens are good but I would get the rest of my meat from Asda or the butcher.

Part of the reason for ALDI being cheap, IMO, is that there is limited choice and no 'offers' so you don't get sucked into 3for2 offers or impulse shopping.

We have an Aldi and a Lidl almost next door to one another. I tend to get the basics in Lidl (fruit and veg, tinned stuff, milk/cheese, juice, pasta, tins etc) and get the rest in Aldi (bread, household goods, cooked meats, cereals, biscuits etc). Also I don't ever buy fresh meat from either - prefer to go to a butcher too!

I like Aldi and think things like cereal and biscuits are much better than other supermarkets own brands but for a full shop I don't find it any cheaper than Asda. I never really understand the problem people in MN have with Asda, quality is much better than Tesco and close to Sainsburys but far cheaper.

I did a shop over £40 in Asda this week, how do I get my £5 off?

You have to check your receipt on their price match online and you get a voucher for £5 off your next £40 shop.

Ok, thank you

Disagree with bunny!

bread is lovely in ours. Meat is generally good and cheaper (though we don't eat much) . Froz fish is fine. Washing detergents are fine. THeir flash is a bit harsh on the hands though./

I don't get tea (have poncey herbal stuff) coffee (posh decaf) or stock cubes . Rice /pulses in big bags from the indian supermarket.

I do a full shop in Aldi every week...I very occasionally pop somewhere else for things they don't do, like frozen, chopped garlic. That's pretty much it.

Their bread is lovely! Free range whole chickens for £5...can't complain!

Plus they have £5 off £35 shops at the moment. We got vouchers through the door...if you haven't had them maybe phone and ask for some?

I love Aldi and buy as much as I can in there. Totally disagree about the laundry products, they're great, also washing up liquid, bin bags etc. Almost everything is significantly better quality than other shop own brands. I think I save a lot shopping there.

I agree with BunnyLeBOOwski that it is impossible to do a full shop in Aldi - especially when my children will only eat certain brands etc.

I think it is good though as really reasonably priced.

Love aldi! I give myself a wee challenge in there to see if I can spend less than the week before and nearly manage every time! Plus they have just added a few more brands in ours for ridiculously cheap.
Love all the random bits in the aisles too - great!

A friend told me to try Aldi - I'm glad I did - it saves me a fortune!! I do most of the shopping in Aldi and then some in Lidl and then finish off in Asda. I have to cut the budget down - DH unemployed and it's tough!! Aldi fine, my lot very picky and they have no problems with it!!

I live 50 yards from an Asda and do buy some stuff in there (milk for example is always good value) but we do drive to an Aldi which is about 12 miles away to do the main monthly shop. It's great for household stuff ime (washing up liquid, bin bags, laundry detergent all fine and I have really sensitive skin), cured meats, frozen veg, cereals, yoghurts, cheese etc.

I buy bread from the bakery, fruit from the local market and meat from the butcher. I also go to Iceland for marmite and tuna type deals as they're better value there than elsewhere.

I spend about £30pw and all through shopping around. Most shopping we get from Aldi and our monthly shop there costs us about £60.

well when I compared my aldi shop on my supermarket to asda it was £15-20 cheaper in aldi so a £5 off voucher wont make much difference.

I've come to the conclusion I should do one big shop in each per month. Aldi cheaper for almost everything they do have - but Asda have way more product lines so you can get everything you need for baking, particular brands etc, and of course they deliver.

It's hard to shop exclusively from Aldi unless you adjust your menu to suit. I couldn't say really whether the meat or veg is better in one or the other. I'd describe the selection as limited rather than "poor" - that's the whole point and it's brilliant for speed, not to be scratching your head over 40 variations of everything.

Aldi is cheaper- some of us don't have budgets to be fussy!

We get the main shop there & top up with ASDA or whoever I'm passing for extras.

This is my plan and actually has not worked out so far as I am not strict on myself.

I have far too much "stock" everywhere. Spent £652 in January for a family of four! Included alcohol, toiletries, everything. Too many bargains -especially expensive meat. February is going to be eating out of freezer and cupboards month with a low spend attitude for fresh stuff.

Loosely Meal plan around the meat in the freezer which is bought on special offer or whoopsies.

Make best use of Aldi Super Six and Lidl weekend offers as they are over the road from each other.

Use mysupermarket.com to order months worth of cheaper food compared to Aldi and Lidl and will always look for deals especially, cheese, shampoo, conditioner, coffee, Wash Tablets, Clothes softener, Toilet Rolls, Kitchen Rolls, Tooth Paste if they are a Savvy buy.

Used to use Costco for toilet paper and washing powder but cheaper in Aldi or Asda.

Will batch cook especially Spag Bol and use the freezer for everything I can't keep fresh any longer.

Use a list for fresh stuff such as bread, milk, veg, fruit, lunch.

I also use as many coupons as I can, and if I can combine them with special offers,

The more you shop the more you are likely to spend due to impulse buys - this is definitely me and have found I spend more on "offers" so trying to stick to my regime of : Aldi Super Six and Lidl weekend offers, Use mysupermarket.com

If there are any other tips to keep costs down do let us all know, thanks.

Those who grumble about the ALDI laundry stuff must just have bad . Check out the Good Housekeeping Institute of tried and tested products and you will see that the ALDI cleaning and laundry stuff (Almat) features on there a LOT.

In my town Aldi and Asda are right next to each other. I took a list of all the things I buy into both and Aldi was consistently cheaper.

I think Aldi's food is quite good. And their household/laundry products are great. As are their cosmetic/toiletry stuff. But, there are some things you can't get at Aldi.

I also love all the Aldi household and laundry/ toiletries.
The beef and pork in ours is from local farms and the free range chicken is really good. The only thing I don't buy is the sausages.
I find they have a poor selection of grains, beans and pulses so if I need to top those up I do an online shop at Ocado or sainsburys, or go to Lidl, which has better selection.
I find the fruit and veg fab, far better than Asda which tends to have a shelf-life of 'the journey home'.
The bakery products I also like, but they don't do fresh loaves, French sticks etc but we get them from the bakers in town if we do need them.

I estimate that weeks which I go to Aldi I save about 15-20 pounds on the equivalent shop from sainsburys. So probably about a tenner cheaper thean Asda I would guess.

Def Aldi, I think it is much better quality fruit and veg than Asda.

They do great frozen stuff, ours does Warburton's bread if you prefer branded, and great prices for rice, pasta etc.

The bacon, chicken, mince fine. As are cooked meats. Steak from there was awful though.

There is one drawback to Aldi that can really mess with your budget: all the fun stuff they sell in the centre aisles! "Ooh! A sewing machine for only £60!"

Hi there, First time here but I just wanted to say u can get the same type of products at both stores as cheap as each other TBH.
I think what own brand products you like shop at that store some like Asda some like Aldi own brands

Aldi stuff is better than supermarket own brands.
I can absolutely fill a small trolley in aldi for £40 - £45 whereas a couple of bags in a supermarket come to.£25- £30.

Meat is good quality, Scottish produced, etc. Bread is good, good range of cold meats, chilled foods.

Toiletries and cleaning stuff are all just as good as any other branded stuff and lasts longer.

I get things i cant get in aldi as and when needed elsewhere when on offer.

You will be suroeised at how much you will save doing main shop in Aldi i was shocked to.discover i was saving £20 - £25 a week as opposed to.my ususl supermarket.