ALDI is renowned for drawing shoppers in with bargain price food, drink and homeware.
It was named the UK’s cheapest supermarket in April by consumer champion Which?.
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The experts compare the cost of popular items from eight chains every month.
Aldi charged £69.99 on average in April for a basket of 39 grocery items.
So bagging deals at Aldi can be a good way to make your wallet happy during the cost of living crisis.
However, you shouldn’t grab every item from Aldi just because of its budget reputation.
The Sun spoke to Tom Church, co-founder of money saving website LatestDeals.co.uk, who shares his Aldi shopping list in an effort to help shoppers spend less on their food bills.
Tom has shared his top picks that you should always keep an eye out for but also explained the Aldi products to avoid.
Fresh chicken
Customers can save an average of 25p per pack of chicken when shopping at Aldi instead of the other major supermarkets.
Tom said: “I’d always recommend trying the Aldi Chicken Legs.
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“They do a 1 kilogram pack for £2.25, which works out as 25p cheaper than both Tesco and Ocado.”
Bagels
Bagels are another cheap and filling food item to bag when you next visit Aldi.
Tom said: “Aldi bagels are excellent value.
“They’re just 85p a pack, 10p cheaper than Asda’s own brand option.
“I love bits like this for making lunches a bit more exciting.”
Diet cola
Tom said that Aldi’s Vieve Diet Cola is a must-have when visiting the supermarket.
He said: “This is Aldi’s answer to Diet Coke but for a much better price.
“An eight-pack of the real thing from Sainsbury’s will set you back £4.50, so you’re paying 56p a can.
“Aldi’s is £1.49 for a six-pack, which works out at just 25p a can. It’s well worth comparing the Aldi version of your favourite products to see if it’s worth you switching over.”
This means the average Sainsbury’s shopper swapping to Aldi could save 31p per can if they were to instead buy the cheaper supermarket dupe.
Super 6 fruit and veg
Tom said that every two weeks Aldi picks six fruits and vegetables and reduces them to a silly low price.
He said: “Aldi’s already pretty good value, so getting an extra discount on top is the cherry on top.
“Right now you can get green beans for 59p, 1kg of sweet potatoes for 79p and a punnet of seedless grapes for £1.19.”
Pasta
Tom swears by Aldi’s own brand of pasta – specifically the Penne on offer which cost half as much as the equivalent at other major supermarkets.
He said: “Aldi’s Penne pasta is part of their budget range – dubbed Everyday Essentials.
“It’s just 41p for a big 500g bag, perfect for cheap and easy dinners.
“Morrisons’ own brand Penne is a whopping 95p for the same amount, so definitely go to Aldi.”
Products to avoid at Aldi
There are a few things to strike off your shopping list, as they’re simply better off picking up elsewhere, according to Tom.
Shoppers should steer clear of adding bacon and deli meets to their baskets.
Tom said: “The first thing you should steer clear of is the Aldi bacon.
“I compared the Morrisons Back Unsmoked Bacon to the same at Aldi, both from their budget ranges.
“Aldi’s worked out at £5.03 per kilogram. Morrisons was just £4.84.
Tom also said that Aldi’s chorizo slices will set you back 10p more than if you were to shop at Lidl.
He also stressed properly assessing the value of the supermarket’s own brand “value range” of products.
“I found that Aldi’s Vegetable Soup was more expensive than other options available.
“It’s 62p for a 400g tin, and Asda does a tin with the same amount for just 57p as part of their budget Just Essentials range,” said Tom.
The reason he says that it’s worth avoiding some of the value range items at Aldi is that Sainsbury’s and Tesco currently price match hundreds of the discounter’s products already.
Plus if you’re a Clubcard or Nectar card holder you have the added perk of getting points on your spending which you can use to discount your next shop.
Ultimately Tom said: “Aldi is without a doubt one of my favourite supermarkets.
“Generally it offers excellent value, and you can’t fault the taste with the vast majority of products.
“However, don’t be fooled into thinking every item is cheapest at Aldi.”
