Shoppers are looking to save on their food shop by switching to budget supermarkets, but I found shopping at Lidl cost me more
With the cost of living soaring and food prices on an upward trajectory, I decided to explore different supermarkets for the best deals. Typically, I shop at one of the big four, but Sainsbury’s prices were escalating beyond my budget.
This led me to consider budget retailers Aldi and Lidl for potential savings on my grocery bill, and I chose Lidl after being impressed by their own-brand items in various taste tests.
I downloaded the Lidl Plus App, which promised substantial savings and complimentary grocery items, and I anticipated saving hundreds each year by switching. However, after a month of shopping at Lidl, I discovered that I was actually spending more than I did at Sainsbury’s.
Lidl is fantastic for affordable groceries, and the supermarket maintains low prices by keeping its product range simple. This means less time spent choosing between items, which can expedite your shopping trip.
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I’ve always been a fan of their bakery, but I’d never done my full weekly shop there, so I thought I’d give it a go to assess the freshness of the produce and how much I could save, reports the Express.
The Lidl Plus App offered immediate savings and free bakery items like doughnuts or rolls. The more I spent in-store, the more these offers and savings increased.
However, the lure of free groceries and bakery items meant I was making trips to Lidl when I didn’t necessarily need to shop.
Despite picking up my free items, I often found myself wandering around the supermarket to see if anything else caught my eye, and more often than not, I would spend at least £10.
The middle aisles, also known as the Middle of Lidl, have caught me out on numerous occasions.
The Middle of Lidl products change regularly, and it’s a section of the store where you can find everything from blenders to saucepans to DIY goods.
On one occasion, I went in for a basic food shop and ended up spending £109 due to finding lots of kitchen goodies in the middle aisles.
While it wasn’t necessary, I know appliances and items in these aisles sell out and sometimes never return, so I thought I’d pick them up.
In the end, I completely avoided those aisles despite using these items in my daily life because I was actually spending more than usual.
That being said, if you aren’t tempted by any of the middle aisle goodies, you could make a significant saving in the supermarket.
I was accustomed to paying at least £2.30 for a punnet of grapes, but in Lidl, they were around £1.09. Some weeks I could even grab them for under £1 thanks to the Lidl Plus App.
While I haven’t stopped shopping at Lidl entirely, I tend to avoid the middle aisles and really focus on the groceries I actually need, and I find the shopping experience very enjoyable.
