First month switched from Sainsburys to Lidl/Aldi

nwc389

We did most of our shopping at Sainsburys ( because it was 'handy' ) with occasional visits to Morrisons , Asda & local butchers and market for fruit and veg. Popped into an Aldi by chance at the end of July and we were both very impressed with the bits we bought so agreed to try a full shop there .
So during August I have tried out two different Aldi stores and one Lidl and done two weeks shopping in Aldi and three in Lidl with the odd few bits we couldn't get picked up in Asda / Sainsburys , some fruit and veg from the market in town and some toiletries/ household stuff picked up at B&M , Savers, Home Bargains & Poundland.
As the month went on we tried more stuff and found that the 'top ups' from other supermarkets got much less and that we were saving roughly 30-35 % on our spend :beer:
The quality of the stuff is excellent and even the two moaners of the house have happily tried what i have bought.
Plus points are
Huge savings
Good quality
Smaller stores so takes less time than the blooming aircraft hangar sized Sainsburys
Car parking is simple and close to the door
Mainly simple low prices rather than offers that mean you end up buying more than you need

Cons - the lidl I have been to is a bit hit and miss for stock & some stores are better than others.

I'm planning to shop between the two as the Lidl is closer but Aldi has more lines .

The_Pixi

It is great isn't it?

We made the swap 5 months ago and haven't looked back, there is only two of us in this house and we used to do Tesco until we moved. Sainsbury's became our local and we instantly refused the cleaning and bathroom products at their prices.

A bottle of bleach cleaning spray was something like £1.89 and I was used to 0.69p (some cheap Tesco label like Daisy) or 0.99p tesco branded!

This made me make the effort to go to Lidl as I remembered going there once for dishwasher powder W5 and it seemed exactly like the Finish powder I had been using.

Anyway, bleach spray in Lidl was 0.60p - 0.65p so beating both Tesco and Sainsbury's.

We did the same as you and topped up at Sainsbury's for missing items, but found we tried more and more at Lidl so now we only get Garlic, Ginger 1 loose orange (I cook a lot and don't need multi packs) and some other little things from Sainsbury's, we even now look at the local grocery stores for these items on the way back.

Last week we had lots of meat left over so only needed a few household items and ingredient materials like chilli, peppers, noodles it cost us £17ish in Lidl, I chucked it all in to Sainsbury's online to compare and it was £27ish over 60% more expensive this week..

The red peppers got them a lot, special Asian week price in Lidl 27p x3 81p in Sainsbury's 69p (used to be 89p btw) £2.07....

Also some ham for 99p in Lidl - the comparable item I would have bought if I had shopped at Sainsbury's was £3.00..

No contest anymore, save and shop at Lidl, get ripped off for anything else that I need at Sainsbury's

Living_proof

I practically live off vegetables and a little fruit at the moment and when I did a comparison recently on mysupermarket it revealed that Aldi's prices were almost, but not quite, half of Sainsbury's. I find on the whole the quality is really good and it allows me to buy a much greater variety than I could normally afford.

suvla_2

I think the bakery is absolutely fantastic in ours in Yeovil , Those pointy red peppers are the absolute beasts especially with a bit of salt and pepper and a light dash of olive oil then bake them in the oven for a bit ,I'm getting carried away this is making me crave them

nwc389

The bakery in Lidl is lovely , the fruit and veg is good quality in both Aldi and Lidl and in both the free range chickens are lovely.
I could cry when I think I could have switched ages ago and saved all that money.
The irony is that we went to the bigger supermarkets because they had everything and it would save time (we were both working but took early retirement this year ) but the shopping takes less time now than when I walked miles round a huge Sainsburys or negotiated the chaotic Morrison's and even the two moaners of the household have commented on how good the stuff is.

Peggybabcot

We gave Aldi a try some 6 months or more ago on the recommendation of my sister and we've never looked back. Initially we were shopping 50/50 between Aldi and Sainsburys as we couldn't do a weekly shop at Aldi alone but they've added more and more lines and now it's about 97/3 at Aldi. The savings we've made have been approx £60 per week and we were able to go on holiday this year as well as replace the old gal (my beloved but very tired car!) and this has been in part down to the massive savings Aldi has afforded us. I'm so glad we swapped and even if we won the lottery tomorrow I'm not sure we'd go back to Sainsburys as I hate being ripped off and that's exactly how it feels. The quality at Aldi has always been excellent and in some instances better than Sainsburys. I think the big four are starting to panic with the rate people are flocking and staying with Aldi/Lidl which can only be a good thing for the consumer. The big four have had it good for too long.

maman

Peggybabcot wrote: »

We gave Aldi a try some 6 months or more ago on the recommendation of my sister and we've never looked back. Initially we were shopping 50/50 between Aldi and Sainsburys as we couldn't do a weekly shop at Aldi alone but they've added more and more lines and now it's about 97/3 at Aldi. The savings we've made have been approx £60 per week and we were able to go on holiday this year as well as replace the old gal (my beloved but very tired car!) and this has been in part down to the massive savings Aldi has afforded us. I'm so glad we swapped and even if we won the lottery tomorrow I'm not sure we'd go back to Sainsburys as I hate being ripped off and that's exactly how it feels. The quality at Aldi has always been excellent and in some instances better than Sainsburys. I think the big four are starting to panic with the rate people are flocking and staying with Aldi/Lidl which can only be a good thing for the consumer. The big four have had it good for too long.

That's exactly how I feel. I shop mostly at Aldi now and my 'top ups' in Sainsbury's have become less and less. For the last couple of weeks I haven't been there at all as the few things I still buy there (tea and low fat sausages) I can stock up on. I used to buy branded bread (but have now found a good substitute in Aldi) and wine but now they've stopped the 5% discount I get a better deal in a local off licence and I'm pleased to be supporting a small local business.

ianlawn

Whatever floats your boat but just for balance

Value ranges are cheaper than aldi

I think the ability for places having such a great range is amazing. and the idea of them having everything you want in one place and being able to pick from 30 items instead of 1. So you can get the best item for you without settling

As for quality thats subjective though sainsburys was horsemeat free, some aldi beef was from dodgy factories where you dont know what was added.

calleyw

ianlawn wrote: »

Value ranges are cheaper than aldi

But the quality is better in Aldi/Lidl

Just a couple of examples:

I can't eat due to the way it tastes, supermarket value tinned ravioli but the lidl one is lovely.

Jaffa cakes the Aldi/Lidl ones are better than the value range where the sponge is all dry.

i don't believe you can compare the standard aldi/Lidl brand with value brands. I have noticed a basics range in Lidl. Porridge 39p per 500gms. I think its better in price and texture then other supermarkets value brand.

A supermarket normally carries 40,000 + different items. I don't need that much choice. And that is where Aldi and lidl come in. they might be a bit more expensive on the odd thing but normally cheaper and higher quality.

Yours

Calley

nwc389

I agree that the quality is better than the basic ranges. My weekly shop is mainly store cupboard stuff , dairy , fruit and veg , fresh chicken and fresh meat , household stuff like toilet roll etc and some wine / beer & snacks for the weekend .
I don't use ready meals or frozen so I can't comment on them but absolutely everything else has been lovely . We are a family of four and believe me my two grown up sons can be a right pair of moaners but they have commented that the fresh chicken tastes better , they eat the yogurts , wolf down the crisps , the tuna and the Lidl Perlenbacher lager has been drank by everyone in the house and very nice it was too :beer: - and don't get me started on the chocolate.
My shopping bills are now reduced by at least 30% and it takes less time to get round the shop so I sit firmly in the 'converted' camp :j

ianlawn

calleyw wrote: »

But the quality is better in Aldi/Lidl

Just a couple of examples:

I can't eat due to the way it tastes, supermarket value tinned ravioli but the lidl one is lovely.

Jaffa cakes the Aldi/Lidl ones are better than the value range where the sponge is all dry.

i don't believe you can compare the standard aldi/Lidl brand with value brands. I have noticed a basics range in Lidl. Porridge 39p per 500gms. I think its better in price and texture then other supermarkets value brand.

A supermarket normally carries 40,000 + different items. I don't need that much choice. And that is where Aldi and lidl come in. they might be a bit more expensive on the odd thing but normally cheaper and higher quality.

Yours

Calley

thats you opinion but it isnt backed up by fact. Look at the horsemeat scandal it proved aldi meat was just as dodgy as value brands.

How can you say choice is bad. Its great and you can find the perfect item for you.

My main issue is i think if aldi products were called aldi value rather than kingswood best then people would have different views on the taste. Its proven that people get swayed by brands and then they try to compare their brands with proper ones and people buy into it