The cost of living crisis has plunged millions of people across the country into hardship with more and more people changing their shopping habits due to soaring energy and grocery bills.
German discounter Aldi has always been popular with shoppers thanks to great dupes and deals. The store's Specialbuy section which changes weekly, often has customers going crazy.
During the summer months Aldi often sells fantastic garden furniture, barbecue sets, cocktail makers and more. But how good are the grocery items?
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Liverpool Echo reporter Emily Sleight usually does her weekly shop at Asda but wanted to see if it might be worth swapping to Aldi. She said: "I remember a time when my weekly shop for two people would cost around £50 at Asda, but now, it ranges from £60-£65 for the same types of products.
"I decided to visit my local Aldi for a weekly shop to see if it's really worth swapping completely."
The big shop
Emily decided to head to Aldi after work and found many other people had the same idea. While it didn't ruin her experience "completely" she said anyone popping into the store for a few bits and bobs might find the crowd "irritating".
Upon entry, Emily found herself being drawn to the fresh flowers section which had a bouquet of lilies on sale for under £3. However, while a bargain, Emily decided to give it a miss.
Next up was the meat section. The amount of meats on offer really impressed Emily but she said the prices did not.
A box of fresh chicken breasts (approximately four big one) was priced at £6 which Emily found "absolutely mind-blowing". She said: "I was always under the impression that Aldi meat would be cheaper, but perhaps I was wrong."
One she checked the Asda website, she quickly realised that the price difference wasn't too vast. The same box of chicken from was only 3p cheaper.
Daily lunch items such as ready to eat chicken cost £1.99 at Aldi, whereas a pack from Asda usually costs around £2.80. At Asda however, you can make use of the "any 2 for £4" deal but it depends on how much ready to eat chicken you would actually want.
Salad packs are slightly more expensive at Aldi and cost 99p for a pack of Italian salad. At Asda the same pack costs 60p.
A pack of spinach is priced at 75p which was cheaper than Asda's which costs £1. Basics such as a four pint of semi-skimmed milk cost the same, but a small loaf of seeded bread cost Emily just 60p instead of £1 at Asda.
A carton of 12 free-range eggs was also slightly cheaper at Aldi, priced at £2.09. At Asda, it is £2.20. Toothpaste was one of the items with the biggest price difference.
You can snatch up a tube for a mere 55p while the cheapest one at Asda costs 98p. Feminine hygiene products were also significantly cheaper, priced at 69p as opposed to £2.50 in Asda.
Emily said: "As a whole, I'd say homeware and cleaning items, such as Fairy Liquid and toothpaste, were a lot cheaper at Aldi than in Asda."
The dupes
What impressed Emily the most during her trip to Aldi were all the dupes on offer. She said she was amazed to find eight different dupes of products she regularly buys and uses for a much cheaper prices.
These included:
- Snackrite 'Lights' - 99p for 6 - a dupe for the Walkers Oven Baked crisps priced at £1.65 for 6
- Meatster Salami Snack -£1.69 for 10 - a dupe for Peperami Original Minis priced at £2.25 for 10
- Mini Cheese Bakes - 77p for 7 - a dupe for Mini Cheddars priced at £1.70 for 6
- Fibre Now Birthday Cake £1.15 for 5 - a dupe for Fibre One 90 Calorie Birthday Squares priced at £2.50 for 5
- Alcafe Time Intenso Barista Coffee - £2.29 - a dupe for Nescafe Azera Coffee priced at £3.50
- Earls Marrolls Meaty Rolls - 85p - a dupe for Markies Dog Biscuits priced at £1.39
- Earls Dental Sticks Daily Oral Care - 59p - a dupe for Pedigree Dentastix priced at £1.29
- Aldi Cheese Puffs crisps -£1.19 for 10 - a dupe for Walkers Wotsits crisp s priced at £1.65 for 6
The pros
Overall, Emily believes Aldi is the place to go for dupe products such as dog treats, coffee and snacks.
She said: "It's usually items like dog food and branded snacks that rack up my Asda bill, so the fact I could get similar products (all tried and tasted by me) that are identical was a real bonus.
"My dog most certainly can't tell the difference between a 59p dental stick and a £1.29 one, so Aldi is a good option for dog owners, that's for sure."
The cons
Emily said some of the products sold at Aldi such as meats weren't particularly cheap. While she said it's understandable in the current climate, she thought it might be useful information for shoppers.
"I also found that fresh items such as fruit and vegetable weren't amazing quality, but again, that could just be my local Aldi, not Aldi as a whole," she said. "I wasn't a big fan of their baby potatoes and lemons, which both appeared quite bruised and manky."
The verdict
While Emily is unlikely to do her entire weekly shop at Aldi, she said she will definitely return to snatch up some of the bargains.
"My bill ended up being £69 in total, which is actually more than I spend at Asda. However, it's important to note that I did pick up an extra few 'homey' bits such as candles and cleaning sprays - and I think that's where Aldi gets you," she said.
"Its Specialbuy section is way too hard to resist, and that's definitely where the store makes its money."
She again emphasised how impressed she was with the dupes (the skincare section also offers some incredible bargains) and said she will make it a habit to buy her lunch items such as crisps, lunchtime snacks, coffee and dog food at Aldi.
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