Spend a little...

Wouldn't we all like to spend a little and live a lot? I definitely would like to make a few savings here and there so I've been looking at ways to trim our weekly food and household bill down and be a bit more savvy with our shopping.

I've always had a keen eye for a bargain and love a good deal but there's always new ways to save a little here and there, and new places to shop in too.

I for one have never shopped in Aldi. It's not really been a conscious decision, I was just set in a particular routine, but I popped into our local store last week to see what the fuss is all about. I've heard many great things about what Aldi has to offer, from award-winning wines and nappies to a good range of fresh food at a good price.

So, I set off with my bags for life (that's one thing I did know to do before I went!) and had a good wander around my local Aldi to see what was what.

I have to say, there was a lot more fresh food than I was expecting, and lots of fruit and veg to choose from.

I know the key thing for Aldi is the price and there were quite a few good deals to be had and everything was on a par with what I'd usually spend (when taking into account multi-buy deals), or a bit cheaper.

I wanted to get a few meals sorted for us and picked up some salmon, sausages, chicken breasts and beef grill steaks along with yoghurts, snacks and household items including baby wipes, washing powder and cat food.

I had a decent haul in my trolley and filled two big bags for life with enough to get us by around five days or so and spent just over £37, which I was pretty pleased with.

The nappies and wipes Aldi offer are just as good as any others I have tried - I'm certainly not snooty about brands when it comes to these kinds of things and they've done the job well and Ethan's happy, so I'm happy.

The toiletries for children are bargains too and there's quite a few snacks you can pick up, including branded items, on special offer; for instance, we picked up some Kiddilicious gingerbread men bags and these rice cakes latest about five seconds too, so again, I have a very happy little boy.

All in all, I did spend a little and I could live a lot, or at least have all the things we usually do for a good price, so I think that Aldi will be on my shopping list in the future.

I've been invited by Mamia by Aldi to say hello at The Baby Show this weekend, which I am looking forward to, so will be keen to find out more about what they have to offer and why they're a good choice for busy families who want to save some pennies here and there for the fun things in life.

How do you cut back on your weekly shopping? Where do you find the best deals and how to you budget for what you need?