Lidil or Aldi?

TommyToodles · by **TommyToodles** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 11:25 am

Money is getting tight aound our house these days and when we sat down last night and calculated how much we spend on food every week I was shocked!! And so much gets thrown out, that money in the bin!!

So I was wondering what your thoughts are on Lidil and Aldi? I have been in both to get something from their special offers they have and picked up the odd bit but never done a weekly shop there
Is it worth going into either? Is one better than the other? Does anyone know if their cream cheese is good? I am obsessed with cheesecake!

Thanks!

Bigsurprise · by **Bigsurprise** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 11:41 am

I have shopped in both and personally i couldnt do a full shop there every week. I probably only go there once every 2 months but always get nice things when i go - my diet is a little restrictive so i need a Dunnes or Tesco to get some stuff.

TBH when i shop in one of the other supermarkets I shop healthier than i do in Lidl and Aldi. Prob just me but there seems to be so many temptations there. I am not mad keen on Aldi veg compared to other places either. From what i can see if you shop like for like (as in own brands) there isnt a massive difference in a lot of the things but obviously there are exceptions.

I know a lot of people swear by them though so thats just my opinion.

Nostress · by **Nostress** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 11:44 am

Personally I think Aldi is great.

I did the same as yourself and added up the food bill from Tesco/Super Valu. I nearly died.
I really like the fruit, veg, steaks, wine, cheese, bread, pasta etc from Aldi.
The dishwasher tablets are great too.

The only think I can't buy there is tea :-8

ohsotired · by **ohsotired** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 11:48 am

We're pretty much the same Nostress - get most things there except for tea and a few branded products that I don't like the alternatives of! The quality of Aldi's products are far superior to Tesco own-brand etc!

moobride · by **moobride** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 12:25 pm

We go to both, luckily they're right across the road from each other! Used to shop in M&S and superquinn, then got a reality check :o0

can't fault anything we've bought from either, we prefer the Aldi fruit and veg, but the Lidl fresh bread is yum. Never had a problem with any of the meat we've got, used to get the 3 for €10 in tesco and got gone off, in date chicken a few too many times. And the rock shandy is yum too, bottled by finches, and only €0-79 :o)ll

Twirl · by **Twirl** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 1:55 pm

I think there are so many of us in the same boat. I shop in aldi, dunnes and tesco. I swear all the running around costs me more in fuel that what i save in groceries but how or never i still do it.

I have changed alot of my branded stuff like ariel and domestos to aldi brands and i only buy domestos now when its on special offer and the same with toilet duck. I have to say i much prefer domestos but when its only 59cent for aldi bleach you got to give it a go. I do find aldi toilet cleaner good, its like duck but only 99cent.

I would also buy the following:
Flour,
packets of lettuce
Tomatoes ( mostly depending on where has the best offer )
Apples
melons ( they are only 10 cent cheaper than tesco but they are lovely )
Stir fry sauces
Stir fry veg
Their washing liquid for clothes ( almat i think its called )
Washing up liquid
Bin bags
tinfoil/ clingfilm
Whatever is on the super 6 i usually get.
I dont buy peppers in aldi as there always seems to be a bad one in the packet.

I tend to keep an eye on the special offers, like dunnes would have toilet rolls for €10 ( think its Charmin this week ), they also have some veg for 35 cent and i got the tomatoes, brocolli and oranges last week and they were all lovely and fresh.

I also buy my milk in the cartons in aldi, its irish milk and i find that it tastes better out of the cartons than the plastic containers. Usually i would buy avanmore though.

Most other things i get branded from dunnes or tesco, like cheese, bread, teabags, gravy, kitchen roll, toiletries ( there are some things i just cant skimp on )oven chips ( though aldi's specially selected ones are lovely ). Oh i get dale farm ice-cream from lidl, its much cheaper than HB and is really nice as is aldi's own brand.

Cant think of anything else really and i have to agree with an other poster than said some of aldi's items are better quality than tesco. I sometimes buy aldi chocolate too though you cant beat cadburys.

black pearl · by **black pearl** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 2:39 pm

aldi for us, full shop bar about 4-5 things for those we go to dunnes! DH dad is a butcher and says the best steaks going at the moment are the aldi vacum packed ones-they are devine! Cant fault lidl I just perfer aldi! :-8

islandlil · by **islandlil** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 2:51 pm

black pearl wrote:aldi for us, full shop bar about 4-5 things for those we go to dunnes! DH dad is a butcher and says the best steaks going at the moment are the aldi vacum packed ones-they are devine! Cant fault lidl I just perfer aldi!

+1!

Quality of aldi food is great and they stock a lot of Irish artisan foods. Lidl are great for bread, chocolate, chorizo etc. There is v little I can't buy in either-just washing powder, dishwasher tablets, teabags and couple of other things that I would buy in bulk every couple of months from Tesco, etc.

Am v fussy about ketchup but tried aldi one recently-85 cent and have switched now! Lovely. They also have the best sausages anywhere-their specially selected brand is great. Love their cheeses, etc .

Am still amazed how silly many people are about them-claiming they wouldn't eat the stuff when they've never tried it. I find it excellent quality and so cheap.

candlequeen · by **candlequeen** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 3:28 pm

See, I'm going to post an answer now that makes me look like a bloody OCD Bree VanDeKamp but here goes.

I have a wee bit of a ritual. I go shopping on Fridays, so every Thursday night I log on to the Tesco website and add everything I need to my basket. I have a look through the special offers and discounts, and write down the best value things I can get. I write it all down, including the individual price of items, then I toddle off to Aldi on a Friday and anything I can pick up cheaper, I do. I get the remainder of my list in Tesco. I have a few exceptions:

Tesco Value Sandwich Bars - 0.55c for a pack of 9 and they're just like Penguin bars.
Barry's Tea - no go, won't switch.
Dairygold Light - also don't like any other butter.

Aldi have fantastic value on meat, ham, chicken, cheese, frozen prawns, and lots of other things I buy that cost an arm and a leg elsewhere. Their firelighters, washing stuff and dried goods are also fab. They have GORGEOUS flavoured cous cous and their cup-a-soups are lovely. They had weightwatchers cooking sauces in ours the last few weeks. Their household sponges are great compared to the Tesco value ones, they're thick and last ages. The cat food is excellent value, as is the clingfilm and tin foil (often a rob elsewhere).

I have to say I'm a little funny about Lidl, I just wouldn't like it as much as I like Aldi but they do have a lovely bakery. Hence I stay well away from it! For anyone with little ones though, their nappies & wipes are great AND they stock Snack-a-Jacks, Heinz, 7-up, LowLow, and lots of other brands.

I know that sounds like a whole rigmarole but lads - there are two adults and a 7-year-old in our house and my entire food bill for the week (including breakfasts, lunches, dinners, teas, snacks, drinks, household products AND cat food for the week) has not gone past €80 since I started doing that.

This week I think they've got spuds (2kg), cabbage, cherry tomatoes, onions (1kg), kiwis (6pk)and scallions for 29cent each. TWENTY-NINE CENT.

Sorry, I'm a total grocery freak, I used to roll my eyes when my mother would talk about food shopping. :-8

Nowt wrong with Aldi, a little surprised that people still wouldn't consider it as one of the places to do a weekly shop.

Nostress · by **Nostress** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 3:37 pm

This week I think they've got spuds (2kg), cabbage, cherry tomatoes, onions (1kg), kiwis (6pk)and scallions for 29cent each. TWENTY-NINE CENT.

You should be doing their radio commercials :o0

candlequeen · by **candlequeen** » Thu Apr 26, 2022 5:49 pm

Nostress wrote:
This week I think they've got spuds (2kg), cabbage, cherry tomatoes, onions (1kg), kiwis (6pk)and scallions for 29cent each. TWENTY-NINE CENT.

You should be doing their radio commercials

Told you, complete and utter grocery freak, I get completely over-excited about doing the food shopping, it can't be normal :o0

kazzzzy · by **kazzzzy** » Fri Apr 27, 2022 10:50 am

I do a lot of shopping in Aldi also, find it great, their fruit & veg are so reasonable you can definitely cut back on the shopping bills by shopping there, I never liked Lidl, our local one is a bit like a warehouse & that puts me off the place!
I buy all our meat in the butchers but most other things (except washing powder, tea & few other bits) I get in Aldi, meal planning is also a good way to reduce costs.

dreamer1 · by **dreamer1** » Fri Apr 27, 2022 11:03 am

I do all my shopping in Aldi except for dog food as she will not eat the Aldi stuff.
Perfer Aldi to Lidil I think the choice of food is nicer in Aldi.

SunnyK · by **SunnyK** » Fri Apr 27, 2022 1:34 pm

I used to do the majority of my shopping in Lidl but in the past few month shave switched to Aldi. Sometimes I think Aldi is a tiny bit more expensive but their stuff is MUCH nicer and better quality I think. I love their food and there seems to be alot more variety than in Lidl.

Now I get almost all of my stuff there then go to Dunnes or Tesco just for odd bits like the mini tins of tuna, some baking stuff, low cal soups and some Twinings tea drinks - literally almost everything else can be gotten from Aldi for way less and not comprimising on quality.

Little Miss Hopeful · by **Little Miss Hopeful** » Fri Apr 27, 2022 3:49 pm

Big Aldi fan here .... big plus its the only supermarket i can do the grocery shopping in 20 minutes... my local one is much smaller than the massive tesco and dunnes stores.

I buy my meat in a local butchers and everything else there is lovely except the following; Tuna -

the tuna out of there is not great;
strawberries & purple grapes are not good quality, though they are fine for smoothies, i find the green ones fine;
handwash turns my hands to sandpaper.

Everything else is fine, their oven chips are the nicest ever, and my oH loves their version of roasted peanuts. I love love their potato gratin.

I cook the majority of our meals from scratch and wouldn't buy ready made jars etc. so I can do almost a full shop there.

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