‘I save £30 a week on groceries by swapping Tesco for Aldi’
A LOYAL Tesco shopper ditched the supermarket for Aldi, and says it now saves her £30 a week – £1,560 per year. Victoria Chessum decided to swap Tesco for the budget supermarket in September last year. Writing in Kent Live, the content editor said she’s always lived closer to shops of the big four supermarkets. […]
A LOYAL Tesco shopper ditched the supermarket for Aldi, and says it now saves her £30 a week – £1,560 per year.
Victoria Chessum decided to swap Tesco for the budget supermarket in September last year.
Writing in Kent Live, the content editor said she’s always lived closer to shops of the big four supermarkets.
And due to her not being a fan of food shopping, she’d ended up making a local Tesco her go-to-place.
She said: “It’s easy to get to, and knowing where everything is, it makes the dash to the supermarket all the more quicker.”
But Victoria had realised that loyalty doesn’t always pay off, so when Aldi opened a new branch in Hythe in Kent she decided to give it a go.
Victoria said: “I had never felt inclined to visit its former branch in the high street due to its compact car park, that, and the pay and display really put me off.
“With a level of intrigue, I decided to head to the new glass-fronted store to see what all the fuss was about.”
The shopper, who used to spend between £80 and £100 a week at Tesco, was worried that she wouldn’t find everything she needed under one roof.
She had tried a new Lidl branch in 2018, but says she still had to go to Tesco afterwards to get the last few bits.
But in the first shop at Aldi, Victoria and her partner spent about £70 – and they found everything they needed, including meals, food for two dogs, toiletries and beauty products.
Now their weekly food shops are usually between £60 and £70.
Here's how to cut the cost of your grocery shop
WE spoke to Hannah Maundrell, editor of Money.co.uk, about how you can cut the cost of your shopping bills.
- Write yourself a list – Only buy items that you need. If it isn’t on your list, don’t put it in the trolley
- Create a budget – Work out a weekly budget for your food shopping
- Never shop hungry – you are far more likely to buy more food if your tummy is rumbling
- Don’t buy pre-chopped veggies or fruit – The extra they’ll charge for chopping can be eye watering
- Use social media – follow your favourite retailers to find out about the latest deals
- Be disloyal – You may want to go to different stores to find the best bargains
- Check the small print – It’s always worth checking the price per kg/lb/litre when comparing offers so you’re making a like for like decision as a bigger box won’t necessarily mean you get more
- Use your loyalty cards – Don’t be afraid to sign up to them all. They all work slightly differently – work out what bonus suits you better and remember to trade in your points for additional rewards
Victoria said the use by dates on the food last longer at Aldi, which means they use it all before it goes off.
To cut their supermarket costs, the couple has also reduced the amount of branded things they buy.
Victoria recommends Aldi’s Lacura shower gels which goes for under £1 each, compared to £1.50-£2 for Dove.
She also likes the range of booze on offer and the prices, as well as its own-brand fabric conditions.
Plus, she’s a fan of the budget supermarket’s No1 candles, which look like Jo Malone equivalents but cost under £10.
Victoria said: “I never thought I’d bother going all the way to Hythe each week when I can’t stand food shopping as it is, but here I am, a changed woman.”
If you’re keen to find out the cheapest supermarket for your shopping, simply use price comparison tool mysupermarket.co.uk.
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It comes as one thrifty mum cut £40 off her weekly grocery bill by ditching Tesco for Aldi.
Last year, a secret shopper revealed how much cheaper Aldi is than rivals for basket of 33 everyday items.
Plus, the eight best supermarket own brand copycat products have been revealed – and they could save you HUNDREDS of pounds.