Cheapest supermarket

[Loulovesummer]

Hi all

unsure whether this is the right thread really. Currently on maternity leave and partner is paying for everything. we have been shopping in Sainsbury for years as we have a mega store next to our house so always been convenient.

however, DP is finding it expensive. I keep having to pop in for odds and sods and it always seem to come to £20 here and there, on top of a weekly shop.

DP has asked me to shop in Aldi as he finds it’s considerably cheaper. I shopped in there when we first move into our home and I found that all of their fresh foods (veg, fruit, meat) went off very very quickly. So I’m not overly keen on Aldi and the layout in there does my head in - shopping with a young baby is hard enough let alone trying to look find your toothpaste down an isle of random crap like drill bits, slippers, and paddling pools.

where does everyone shop to save the pennies? Which supermarkets have you found to be cheapest?

currently I try to do my smellies (shampoos, body washes etc) shop in boots to get my points as I save them for Xmas and can buy gifts with the points I earn. They always have good deals too and I find it cheaper than savers. It’s just food that we seem to be doing lots on.

i try to eat healthy and low carb where i can so I do find fruit and veg to be pretty costly. Does anyone also have cheaper meal ideas that are still half healthy?

thanks

YABU and YANBU.

Shopping at Aldi is not difficult even with a baby. It just isn't pretty. You aren't finding toothpaste with a drill... You can literally just saunter past the middle aisles. Everything else is laid out like a normal supermarket.

Also the Aldis I've shopped in never have this mysterious MN only issue if veg going off quickly. I've shopped in dozens of them!

I managed to shop at Aldi with a 4 months old during COVID just fine. If I can queue up outside for ages, wipe down trolleys, dona 2 way system whilst wearing masks and dodging people.... You can do it. You're being a snob.

Regardless , if you're constantly popping in for "top up" shops your family needs to meal plan more.

Write a meal plan out, and have this meals during the week. You'll save loads. And won't be going back to shops for more milk, carrots whatever.

And also use up left overs and make soups etc to put in freezer. That lonely carrot, last stalk of celery, bit of onion etc... bung it all in.

Get more frozen fruit and veg, cheaper and better for you.

Get your toiletries from the supermarkets.

We migrated to Aldi for the main shop when things got tight in the late noughties. At that time we also found fresh stuff went off more quickly than say Waitrose but Aldi's offer has improved massively since then.

The 'aisle of Aldi' stuff is a menace as it tempts you into stuff you don't need but the rest of the store is reasonably consistent in layout. New stores seem to have fruit and veg by the entrance same as the big boys do.

I typed out a list of everything we might buy in the order they were in the shop going up one aisle and down the next. Just printed it off, tucked it on the fridge door with a magnet and ticked items as we needed them.

I think Sainsbury's is currently the cheapest out of the big ones (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons), it's where I do my main shop but I do little top up shops in Heron, Iceland and Co op, they're not the best for fresh items however freezer essentials, cupboard and cleaning stock is fantastic

I find Iceland to be expensive! Their cheap fish fingers are £1 for 10, but 80p in Aldi.
Iceland frozen broccoli is £2 for 1kg, Aldi is £1.19 for 1 kg.

Lidl! Cheaper by around 15% I estimate but you need to adapt to what they sell which are far less lines than Sainsburys.

Your bigger savings though is to adapt what you cook to use cheaper ingredients eg frozen and to bulk buy things like rice when there's sales on (typically Ramadan) and finally look at food waste, based on my neighbours bins i can see how much food waste compared to me, we have very little. I shop at least 3 times a week to reduce waste

And for toiletries, Lidl dupes or if you insist on brands, home bargains

I have had a similar problem with the Aldi fruit and veg but their cooked meats are far superior to any other shops.

I keep costs down by buying things online/ in bulk.

Who gives a Crap toilet paper, a box of 48 rolls lasts almost a year.

Smol for my laundry detergent, dishwasher tablets and washing up liquid.

I go to a local butchers and stock up on meat every 6 months or so, the meat is a better quality and quite often much cheaper than supermarkets. There are also some good online butchers and depending on how you like to eat and cook you can get Game for a steal delivered straight to your door.

When I am meal planning I have everything in the freezers listed on a blackboard so all I need to do is buy the accompaniment and the occasional pint of milk from the shops.

When cooking try and do some extra portions that you can freeze , it takes no extra effort and stops you from getting takeout on those lazy days.

it seems like a lot of work when I put it like this and I didn’t do it all in one go it was done gradually, but now as the main things are automated it has taken a lot of pressure off.

I do an online shop in Tesco - Aldi and Lidl are definitely cheaper but the inconvenience of having to shop in person rules them out for me. Maybe fine with a younger baby but a toddler gets restless being dragged around the shops, and I don't drive so have the hassle of carting it home. So although I get the need to cut back, don't overlook the practical aspects. The nappies at Aldi great though, we do a big shop specifically for them every few months. Also stock up on toiletries and toddler snacks in bulk.

I find Boots pricey for toiletries compared to Superdrug or Savers.

Save money by not buying "toddler snacks".

They can snack on normal food that isn't processed shite, surely? Things like cheese, nuts, fruit, veggies etc?

Save money by not buying "toddler snacks".

They can snack on normal food that isn't processed shite, surely? Things like cheese, nuts, fruit, veggies etc?

Lidl for the most part, Sainsbury's or Tesco for more unusual ingredients. Mostly Sainsbury's. Tesco food for offers and clubcard gain (converted to Pizza Express vouchers but it takes ages as I don't shop a lot there). Lidl locally is better quality fresh than Aldi locally.

The stuff my daughter gives her toddler as snacks are just toddler sized servings of ordinary biscuits and such like. Not particularly heavily processed and less prone to getting messy.

yes- that's exactly what they should do - half a digestive or 4 or crisps or something perhaps. no need to buy "toddler/baby" versions at all!

Saes a fortune!

Who gives a Crap toilet paper, a box of 48 rolls lasts almost a year

48 rolls for £44...but considering they're double the normal length, 96 rolls for £44.

Thats 46p a roll.
Lidl toilet roll (not the cheap horrible stuff, Floralys which I find decent) works out at 22p a roll.

Who gives a crap is nice marketing but the 'buy in bulk and save' isn't actually the case, you're spending over double compared to if you didn't bulk buy.

I had been a Sainsbury's shopper since 1996 and now it's only milk and a bread run I find M & S way cheaper than Sainsbury's and can't afford to exclusively shop there now. I find I go to Asda more and more again their fruit and veg better than Sainsbury's. Aldi nappies and wipes cannot be beaten
But in reply to OP I would find Asda better if you have one?
Although I do order a lot off Amazon with the 15% off spend and save toilet roll, bold tabs, finish tabs etc.
Asda also currently have the cashpot app which gives you money . Way more generous than any of the others. Well worth downloading I have had more than £140 since last September. Which probably wipes out the German supermarkets price difference.

I find Tesco cheaper if I do an online order. I find I get tempted when shopping in store.