Deal Expert Shares £17 Weekly Grocery Shop After TikTok Goes Viral
- Consumer Expert Tom Church went viral on TikTok with his Aldi bargains video
- The clip, which has over 1 million views, shares what you can get for just £5
- Now Tom has shared how a single person can get a week of groceries for under £20
- The £17.26 shopping list allows for tuna pasta bake, shepherd’s pie and more
With Christmas on the horizon, many of us may have blown our monthly budgets on gifts and special food for the big day, leaving us with meager funds for our day to day meals. However, it’s possible to make your money stretch in Aldi whether you’ve got £5 or £20 - as consumer expert Tom Church from money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk has shown.
Heading into Aldi, Tom shared his list of bargains you can pick up if you’ve got just £5 on you and shared it to the Latest Deals TikTok. The buys include 85p wok noodles, 16p spaghetti hoops and chicken & mushroom pasta for just 42p.
The TikTok has now received over 1.1 million views, with comments including ‘LEMONADE FOR 49P alright let me in’ and ‘the custard creams never fail’.
Others said that the buys wouldn’t constitute a full week of groceries, with one person saying ‘What are you having for dinner this week? Pasta and custard creams’ while another said ‘can’t make a meal wv that mte rightguys (sic)’.
Tom said: ‘I was impressed with what I picked up in Aldi with just a fiver. The shop I did is a great top-up for those wanting to get some additional food cupboard staples, snacks and quick meals. However, I decided to take it one step further and see if I could get a full week of groceries for under £20.
‘I managed to get everything in for just £17.26, which I think is a great price considering my budget menu includes classic meals such as tuna pasta bake and shepherd’s pie.
‘Before I went into Aldi, I did some research using their website. I searched for specific grocery items, such as chicken and bread, and filtered results so that the lowest prices appeared first. I found this method really useful, as I could note down the exact products to look out for in-store and ensure I got those extra savings in.
‘By using this filter, I made some interesting discoveries. Firstly, I decided to make the budget breakfasts simple - the cheapest cereal, cornflakes, with milk. But I found that Aldi’s soya milk was much cheaper than their dairy milk. You get a litre of soya milk for 65p, whereas their dairy milk was £1.05 per litre. For a 40p saving, I’ll happily switch to soya!
‘On the TikTok video, I shared a jar of tuna pasta bake sauce which was just 75p - I decided to see how much it would cost to make one. With a 52p tin of sweetcorn, 100g of cheddar for just 99p and four tins of tuna for £2.49, I was able to make my money really stretch. I would use two tins of tuna for this recipe, and keep the other two tins for tuna sandwiches for lunches later in the week.
‘I also shared a 34p tin of carrots, which I thought were such a good deal I got four tins. These stretched across two meals - shepherd’s pie and chicken rice casserole. Aldi has a great deal on potatoes right now - they’re reduced to just 15p, so they went well with the shepherd’s pie. As for the casserole, I found 1kg of chicken legs for just £1.99 which I think is excellent value for money.
‘I put together a menu to show it’s possible to get a full week of healthy meals for under £20 a week. Of course it doesn’t have to be followed to the letter, but hopefully it provides inspiration for those who are feeling the pinch at the moment.’
Tom’s Aldi Budget Meal Plan
MONDAY
Breakfast
Cornflakes And Soya Milk
- Harvest Morn Corn Flakes 500g, 63p
- Acti Leaf Soya Original 1 litre, 65p
Lunch
Spaghetti On Toast
- Everyday Essentials Medium Sliced White Bread 800g, 39p
- Everyday Essentials Spaghetti Hoops in Tomato Sauce 400g, 16p
Dinner
Beef Mince Stir Fry
- Asia Specialties Medium Egg Noodles 250g, 85p
- Asia Specialties Chow Mein Stir Fry Sauce 120g, 49p
- Nature’s Pick Oriental Stir Fry 320g, 95p
- Nature’s Glen 20% Fat Beef Mince 500g, £1.79
TUESDAY
Breakfast
Cornflakes And Soya Milk
- Harvest Morn Corn Flakes 500g, 63p
- Acti Leaf Soya Original 1 litre, 65p
Lunch
Chicken & Mushroom Pasta
- Make In Minutes Pasta & Sauce - Chicken & Mushroom 110g, 42p
Dinner
Tuna Pasta Bake
- Cucina Pasta Bake Tuna 495g, 75p [sauce]
- The Fishmonger Tuna Chunks In Brine 4x145g, £2.49 [I used two tins and kept two back for tuna sandwiches, below]
- Everyday Essentials Penne Pasta 500g, 41p
- Four Seasons Sweetcorn In Water 340g, 52p
- Emporium Caramelised Onion Cheddar Cheese 100g, 99p
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast
Cornflakes And Soya Milk
- Harvest Morn Corn Flakes 500g, 63p
- Acti Leaf Soya Original 1 litre, 65p
Lunch
Tuna Sandwich
- Using the bread and tuna from previous meals
Dinner
Chicken Rice Casserole
- Four Seasons Sliced Carrots In Water 300g, 34p [I got four tins and used two in this recipe]
- Everyday Essentials Long Grain Rice 1kg, 48p
- Ashfields British Chicken Legs Fresh Class A 1kg, £1.99
THURSDAY
Breakfast
Cornflakes And Soya Milk
- Harvest Morn Corn Flakes 500g, 63p
- Acti Leaf Soya Original 1 litre, 65p
- Chicken Sandwich [Using leftover chicken from yesterday]
Dinner
Shepherd’s Pie
- Four Seasons Sliced Carrots In Water 300g, 34p [I used the other two tins for this recipe]
- Nature’s Glen 20% Fat Beef Mince 500g, £1.79
- Nature’s Pick Potatoes 2kg, 15p
FRIDAY
Breakfast
Cornflakes And Soya Milk
- Harvest Morn Corn Flakes 500g, 63p
- Acti Leaf Soya Original 1 litre, 65p
Lunch
Tuna Sandwich
- Using the bread and tuna from previous meals
- Chicken Rice Casserole [Leftovers from the other day]
SATURDAY
Breakfast
Cornflakes And Soya Milk
- Harvest Morn Corn Flakes 500g, 63p
- Acti Leaf Soya Original 1 litre, 65p
- Chicken Sandwich [Using leftover chicken]
- Shepherd’s Pie [Leftovers from the other day]
SUNDAY
Breakfast
Cornflakes And Soya Milk
- Harvest Morn Corn Flakes 500g, 63p
- Acti Leaf Soya Original 1 litre, 65p
- Chicken Rice Casserole [Leftovers from the other day]
- Shepherd’s Pie [Leftovers from the other day]