Buying my first property prompted me to rethink my finances, which is how I came across Aldi almost twelve months ago. I haven’t returned to my old shopping habits since.

The key advantage? I’ve managed to cut my weekly food bill substantially, bringing it down from around £130-£150 to just £70-£80, while still enjoying quality ingredients and delicious meals.

From crispy honey chilli chicken to spicy garlic noodles and creamy garlic chicken with mushrooms and spinach, the possibilities are vast.

Since moving to this budget retailer (recently crowned the UK’s cheapest supermarket), I’ve been browsing social platforms for recipe inspiration, as Aldi stocks different ambient and chilled products compared to what I was used to from Tesco. Occasional change can be beneficial.

That’s when I encountered numerous TikTok videos from food creators sharing dinner suggestions for British families, specifically the concept of five family meal ideas for £25.

Over recent months, I’ve loosely followed this concept to reduce my weekly shopping expenditure even more. Given the recent spike in fuel costs connected to Middle Eastern tensions, I’m extremely pleased I began this money-saving approach.

However, until this week, I hadn’t actually worked out what my household spends on evening meals. For all I knew, this £25 method could have been yet another viral TikTok trend.

So after finishing work one afternoon, I visited my nearby Aldi armed with just a list of ingredients and my favourite large reusable bag to make five dinners for my partner and myself.

In total, I bought 14 products from Aldi. Could I actually manage this shopping challenge?

I spent £25 at Aldi for 5 meals to feed 2 adults and this is what I got

First, I should clarify that this shopping list didn’t include cooking basics like butter, garlic, oil, stock, salt, pepper, and spices (used across most recipes) because I believe most homes usually have these in stock or don’t need to buy them weekly.

For this week’s main meal ideas (all of which I’ve tested multiple times and can confirm taste excellent), I chose:

Sausage, mash and carrots

Lincolnshire pork sausages pack – £2.49

Baking potatoes bag for mash – £2.09

Carrots – 69p

Stuffed pizza and Italian side salad

Pepperoni pizza with stuffed crust – £2.29

Italian salad – 69p

Cheesy bacon loaded baked potatoes

Baking potatoes bag – using the same bag bought for the mash

Thick cut smoked bacon – £1.79

Mature cheddar cheese (400g) – £2.49

Creamy paprika chicken with rice and buttered green beans

Chicken breast pack (1kg) – £6.49

Long grain rice (two packs) – 98p

Green beans – 85p

Single cream (300ml) – £1.09

Creamy mozzarella garlic butter chicken pasta

Chicken breast pack (1kg) – same pack bought for the paprika chicken

Grated mozzarella bag – £2.19

Penne pasta (500g) – 69p

Single cream (300ml) – using the remaining half from the paprika chicken

So, what was the final amount? A drum roll please…

A very pleasing £24.82.

Honestly, I was genuinely surprised this food shop came in under £25, and I think the remarkable Aldi employee on the till can confirm this after witnessing my overly enthusiastic reaction.

This is something I’m definitely continuing, and I hope to find more budget-friendly meal ideas to avoid getting bored and falling back into old spending patterns.

I was amazed how buying only the specific ingredients I needed (by sticking to my thrifty shopping list) helped me use up what I already had at home, from sauces to leftover tomatoes.

However, I do believe the quantity and cost of food for five dinners lasting several days would differ for families with children or larger households, but for my partner and me, this approach works remarkably well.