My older sister, Brigette, shares her shopping trips and menu plans every week! You can go HERE to see all of her weekly menu plans and you can go HERE to read all about her family!
Trying Lidl for the first time!
After taking inventory, there wasn’t a whole lot we needed as far as groceries this week. I made a “survey” trip to Lidl to check it out. Overall, I loved it!
Everything was well-stocked, which is a sharp contrast to Aldi recently. And their prices were very similar to Aldi’s new higher prices (I obviously wasn’t THRILLED about that, but I also know inflation is happening everywhere right now).
Their produce section was MUCH better than Aldi’s — so many more varieties and choices and speciality items, plus everything looked fresh! We didn’t really need produce this week, but I’ll be back for sure. They also had a much bigger frozen section, a wonderful bakery, and just more options overall.
The only item I noticed that was significantly more expensive there (that we purchase weekly) was deli meat. There were also several things that we purchase every week that they unfortunately did not have — like unsweetened applesauce, rice cakes, and corn chips. I couldn’t find an empty place on the shelf for these items, so I assume they just don’t carry them. And their fresh hamburger was really pricey and didn’t look great. (And I couldn’t find any frozen hamburger.) We’ll get by without hamburger this week as I didn’t feel up to stopping by another store this week.
Overall, this definitely won’t be my last trip to Lidl! Feel free to share your Lidl thoughts with this newbie. 🙂
What I Bought
1 loaf Multigrain Seeded Bread, reduced – $1.99
2 loaves Sandwich Bread – $1.00
1 bag Egg Noodles – $1.09
1 box Banza Pasta (chickpea) – $2.00
1 large pkg Corn Tortillas – $2.79
1 bag Tortillas Chips – $1.25
2 cartons Strawberries – $2.98
1 bag Mini Sweet Peppers – $2.29
2 bunches Bananas ($0.52/lb) – $2.44
1 pkg fresh French Green Beans – $1.99
1 bag Romaine Hearts – $2.39
2 large cans Crushed Tomatoes – $1.74
1 32-oz bag Broccoli Florets – $2.62
2 bags Riced Cauliflower – $5.28
4 cans Green Beans – $0.50
1 5-lb bag Carrots – $3.44
2 frozen Rising Crust 4-Cheese Pizzas – $5.58
1 carton Vanilla Ice Cream – $1.97
1 32-oz cartons Egg Whites – $2.95
2 18-ct cartons Eggs – $3.68
7 single-serving cartons Greek Yogurt – $4.12
1 24-oz carton Cottage Cheese – $1.76
1 pkg Sliced Cheese – $1.50
2 8-oz pkgs Shredded Cheese – $5.58
1 large Canister Old Fashiuoned Oats – $2.39
1 gallon 1% Milk – $2.35
1 gallon Whole Milk – $2.71
1 bottle Vegetable Oil – $2.95
1 pkg Pepperoni – $2.19
1 16-oz pkg Deli Meat – $4.42
1 3-lb bag frozen boneless Chicken Breasts – $5.99
Grocery Total for the Week: $85.93
Weekly Menu Plan
Breakfasts
Cereal, Oatmeal, Yogurt, Fruit, Cottage Cheese, Toast, Scrambled/Fried/Boiled Eggs, Smoothies, Veggie Omelets
Lunches
Deli Meat/Cheese Sandwiches, Strawberries, Peppers x 2
PB and J, Bananas, Carrots x 2
Leftovers x 3
Dinners
Pakistani Kima (recipe from “More With Less” cookbook), Rice, Apples
Pizza, Ice Cream Pie (birthday dinner request)
Venison Roast in the Crockpot, Baked Potatoes, Roasted Green Beans
Chicken Noodle Soup, Multigrain Bread
Date Night Out (kids eat leftovers at home)
Tacos (Corn Tortillas, Shredded Lettuce, Cheese, Seasoned Ground Venison), Chips and Salsa, Green Beans, Cauliflower Fried Rice
Venison Meatloaf, Broccoli, Roasted Carrots, Biscuits
Kris says
Our lidl and Aldi have price war on milk and eggs currently milk $1.19 and egg$1.09 they both are the almost same every week
Both aren’t having meat sales anymore but lidl does clearance their exipiring meat
Olivia says
That’s great to know! Thanks for sharing! -Olivia, MSM Team
Lay says
I like Lidl. I go to Lidl and Aldi. Each one has certain things I like.
Brigette Shevy says
I would LOVE to hear what things you recommend from each!
Donna says
That’s a fantastic shopping trip. Do you meal plan around what’s on sale as well as the discount grocery stores? I love the sound of your menu as well. Going to be a yummy week at your house. Should have a satisfied family this week.🙂🙂
Brigette Shevy says
Yes, I do meal plan around sales and reduced things I find at the store. I also meal plan around what I bought and my my family did NOT eat the previous week, haha! Their tastes preferences and cravings seem to vary from week to week. 😉
Melinda says
I haven’t been to Lidl in awhile. Pre-covid, I was there weekly. Even then, I prefered Aldi. I did like to shop Lidl for their produce, and chicken breasts. I’ve only bought ground beef there a few times when they had a good sale, because I also found it to be expensive. If you use their app, you can earn rewards, and use store coupons.
Brigette Shevy says
Thank you for the tips! I was NOT impressed with their ground beef at ALL, so it’s good to hear I’m not the only one!
Laura says
Sign up for lidl’s app and you automatically get a first time coupon. I believe it is $5.00 off your total bill. Look for blue stickers on fresh produce and bread for .50 cents that state “Too good to throw away”. Their frozen foods are excellent. Watch for weekly specials for the best prices. Also, watch for mistakes in pricing on your receipt. My lidl is really bad for that.
Amanda says
I really appreciate your comment Laura! I live about 25 minutes from a Lidl and would live just to try it and your comment was very helpful and informative! Thanks!
Brigette Shevy says
Wow – these are all such great tips! Thank you SO much, and I’ll look into all of them!
Julia says
I shop at the LIDL in Hagerstown, MD when I happen to be there. It’s about 25 miles from me. Their milk prices are very good. I thought the prices on packaged cookies were good too.
I noticed that you used a recipe from the More with Less cookbook. I also have a copy of it. Another cookbook you may want to check out is Extending the Table. It has a lot of international recipes as well.
Brigette Shevy says
I haven’t heard of that cookbook, but thank you for the recommendation! I’ll see if I can put it on hold at my library. It sounds amazing!