You cannot tell which Munich store costs less before payday from a single cheap offer. Price the whole seven-day list at nearby Aldi and Lidl branches, then choose the complete basket with the shorter useful trip when totals are close.
Start with a list you will actually buy this week
Use the food and household items already on your kitchen list. A practical seven-day shop might include milk, oats, bread, eggs, yoghurt, bananas, apples, tomatoes, potatoes, pasta, rice, chicken, tofu, cheese, coffee, frozen vegetables, washing-up liquid and toilet paper.
Keep quantities consistent across both stores. “Pasta” is too loose for a fair comparison. Write “500 g penne,” “1 litre semi-skimmed milk,” or “10 eggs.” Brand differences matter too. If you are happy with either store’s own-brand item, compare like for like. If a specific product is essential, record that exact product and mark it as non-negotiable.
Do this before opening either weekly offer catalogue. Otherwise, it is easy to build a list around a promotion you would never have bought.
Check nearby Aldi and Lidl branches first
Munich has plenty of Aldi and Lidl locations, but the closest branch changes the value of a low basket total. Put both candidate stores on a map and check the actual route from home, work or the place you will already be passing.
Record the distance for each option. Also note whether the route creates a separate trip. A Lidl that is 600 metres from your usual tram stop may be more useful than an Aldi that needs a detour across town, even if the Aldi total is slightly lower.
Store hours deserve a quick check on Thursday. Before-payday shopping often gets pushed into a narrow after-work slot. A cheaper basket does little for you if you arrive after closing or need to make a second trip tomorrow.
Price the complete basket, not the cover-page deal
Check current weekly offers and regular shelf prices for every item on your list. Add the package price and size beside each item, then calculate a unit price when pack sizes differ. A 750 g bag of apples and a 1 kg bag cannot be compared by sticker price alone.
Use a simple table:
| Item | Aldi price | Lidl price | Which one covers it? | |---|---:|---:|---| | 1 litre milk | € | € | Aldi, Lidl, or both | | 500 g pasta | € | € | Aldi, Lidl, or both | | 10 eggs | € | € | Aldi, Lidl, or both |
Leave unavailable items blank instead of assigning a guessed price. An incomplete basket can look cheaper because the missing item quietly disappears from the total. That is the same trap behind a tempting coffee deal that covers only one part of a Thursday shop. The Cheap Coffee Offer That Could Leave Your Thursday Shop Incomplete shows why the cheapest visible item is rarely the useful comparison.
If an offer requires a minimum quantity, include that condition. Buying three packs of yoghurt to unlock a discount only helps if three packs belong in your week.
Choose the winner using total price and travel distance
Add the totals only after every required item has a price. The cheaper complete basket wins on price. Then compare that saving with the added distance.
For example, if Aldi is €2 lower but adds several kilometres and a separate journey, Lidl may be the better Thursday choice. If Aldi is lower by enough to matter to your budget and lies on a route you already take, choose Aldi. The right threshold is personal, which is why distance belongs beside the basket total.
A split shop can reduce the item total further, but it should clear a higher bar. Two stops mean more walking, driving or transit time, plus another chance to forget something. Keep it to two stores and only split the list when the saving remains worthwhile after the added trip. For a related way to judge that tradeoff, see Is an Extra 1.8 km Worth a Lower Grocery Basket Total?.
Make Thursday’s result reusable
Save the list after you shop. Next Thursday, copy it, remove what you still have and update only the prices that changed. Over a few weeks, you will see which items genuinely swing between Aldi and Lidl and which staples stay close enough that distance decides.
Your next step is simple: write tomorrow’s real list, select one nearby Aldi and one nearby Lidl, and price every required item before leaving home. Choose the complete basket that gives you the lower total without turning a short shop into an extra errand.
Comments
No comments yet.