10 tips to finding bargains and saving money in Aldi including best shopping times and when to browse the middle aisle
ALDI shoppers love a discount, so we’ve rounded up our best tips for maximising your money-saving potential and your chance of success in the middle aisle.
The discounter has taken the UK supermarket scene by storm in recent years thanks to its reputation for bargain buys.
In fact, its success even inspired a Channel 5 documentary back in August titled Inside Aldi: Britain’s Biggest Budget Supermarket.
The programme looked at what makes Brits go mad for Aldi and how the German grocer has overcome supermarket snobbery.
But for shoppers, grabbing a jaw-dropping deal in Aldi isn’t all down to luck.
Together with and , we’ve rounded up some clever ways to help you shop smarter.
From when to visit the middle aisle, to turning on alerts for Specialbuys, you’ll be wanting to plan your next Aldi trip very carefully.
Already in the mood to shop? Aldi has 830 stores in the UK and you can find your nearest branch by .
Here's how to cut the cost of your grocery shop
MONEY.CO.UK has shared some top tips with us to help you keep your supermarket spend down to a minimum.
- 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
Choose the right time to shop and avoid weekends
It might come as no surprise that weekends can be a very busy time to visit Aldi.
If you’re planning a shop, the best times to go are weekdays between 8am and 10am, or any time after 6pm to avoid massive queues.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays are also the quietest days to visit.
Know when Specialbuys hit the shelves
Specialbuys launch every Thursday morning at 8am, and every Sunday morning at 10am.
They're sold on a first-come, first-served basis so you'll need to be one of the first through the doors to grab a bargain.
If anything does get leftover, there's a chance certain Specialbuys will be discounted every four to six weeks depending on store size and stock remaining.
Get notified when Specialbuys go live
Download the app and tick the option to get a notification when Specialbuys go live so you don't forget or miss out.
This is good advice if you want popular products like Kevin The Carrot toys and school uniforms.
You can download the Aldi app on or the .
Make the most of free online delivery
If you'd rather not face the crowds, you can get free online delivery for orders over £20.
For anything under this amount, standard delivery costs £2.95.
Ordering online is usually limited to Specialbuy products, so you won't be able to do your grocery shopping on your laptop.
But it's a good way to preorder any Specialbuy item ahead of its release, plus returns are free if you take the unwanted good back to your nearest store.
Get Aldi food delivered to your door
While you might not be able to order food direct from the Aldi website, there is a trick to get their groceries direct to your door.
Use a service such as TaskRabbit to pay someone to do your shopping at Aldi and bring it home.
Because Aldi's prices are so cheap, it often still works out cheaper than ordering from Tesco - plus it's like having your own personal shopper.
Here's what happened when Tom Church, co-founder of , ordered his Aldi shop using TaskRabbit.
He found the charge to deliver his Aldi shop cost between £5 to £7 but it does vary depending on how far away your nearest store is.
TaskRabbit only works in London and shoppers can order a maximum of 20 items.
Check offers throughout the year
The most attractive Aldi offers are usually over the Christmas period, but you can find seasonal deals at other points during the year.
This includes during the August to September Back to School period, or at the start of the summer period shortly before August.
Sign up to the Aldi newsletter to find out first about new promotions.
Keep an eye out for reduced stickers
In most supermarkets these are yellow, but in Aldi they're red.
A red sticker means 50 per cent off the marked product.
Each store will start reducing their products at different times, so it's all about knowing the routine of your local Aldi.
member Leslie Horton recently shared her incredible photo of all her discounted Aldi bargains.
Bookmark recipes on your phone
Busy parents might benefit from bookmarking on their phone.
By doing this in advance, you can quickly choose a recipe and buy the ingredients without the hassle of loading up web pages.
This way you also know everything in the recipe will be available at the store.
Sign up to Aldi's secret wine club
Want free wine? Then make sure you sign up to Aldi's secret wine club.
Every year, the discounter selects 30 lucky people to taste their wines for free - in exchange for reviews and social media posts.
Applications are currently closed for this year, but .
Buy Aldi dupes
Aldi is famous for its "dupe" products and shoppers often say they can't taste the difference between their version and the real deal.
This year, Aldi targeted Yankee Candles and launched their own .
If you're not sure whether you're ready to chuck your favourite brand, find out what happened when YouTuber Sopherina pitted Aldi food against branded products.
MORE ON MONEY
If you're after more shopping tips and tricks, here's 20 ways you can find a bargain at TK Maxx.
While another bargain hunting parent revealed how to find 10p toys at B&M including Spiderman figurines.
Plus this mum shared how she saves £5,200 a year buying yellow sticker bargains and making "fakeaways".