App hacks, free doughnuts and bakery Happy Hour… the insider’s guide to Lidl that could save you £679 a year
BRITS love snapping up a bargain or grabbing free food at their local Lidl – but even the most savvy shoppers might be missing out on some of the best secret deals.
Although the supermarket is already known for its affordable prices, there are plenty of clever ways to save even more money or even get items for FREE.
Here we explain how to cut the cost of your weekly shop – and save up to £679 a year at Lidl.
Discount deal
Lidl is known for its low prices, but you could save even more money with the Lidl Plus app.
Customers who download the app can access exclusive weekly offers and deals, which are automatically applied at the checkout.
The discounts are generous and could save you up to 25% on popular items including baked goods, ice creams and ready meals.
At time of writing, an 80g bag of Flying Goose Sriracha Prawn Crackers cost £1.49 – 50p less than their normal price of £1.99.
Meanwhile, you could save 50p on a box of ten Vitasia Fortune Cookies, which would set you back £1.49.
In total, shoppers who used the Lidl Plus app last month would have saved up to £235.
Coupon king
You can also access personalised discounts and coupons through the Lidl Plus app.
These are tailored to your shopping habits and need to be activated before you reach the checkout.
At the time of writing, Lidl was offering three Bakery Almond Croissants for £1.50 – saving you 57p.
If you used similar deals every week you would save £29.64.
So Rewarding
If you use the Lidl Plus app regularly, then you can unlock rewards for hitting certain spending targets.
For example, you could get a free sweet treat when you spend just £10 a month.
Meanwhile, if you spend £250 in one month, then you will earn 10% off your next shop.
This would save you £6 on a £60 weekly shop.
If you got this deal once a month, then you would save £72 after a year.
Flavour of the week
Lidl often runs weekly offers, which can help you save big on some of your favourite foods.
Every week, the supermarket runs a different theme, with food from countries around the world.
Insider's guide to the best time to shop at Lidl
Former Lidl manager Roo Dhissou reveals her tips to bag the best bargains at the supermarket.
Speaking on 24 Hours in Lidl, she revealed how to get up to 60 per cent off full price items.
Roo said there is a specific time to get more value for money, but you need to act fast.
The best time to shop in the nationwide stores is between 4-5pm, when the orange sticker markdowns begin to appear.
Roo said: “They have set points in the day where you do a check and a refill with whatever has been left out.
“You’ll actually see them being marked down, so you’ll be able to get them before they go back out onto the shelves.
“They’re not marked down on the day like other supermarkets, they’re marked down two days before, generally.”
Greek, French and Italian week are popular and can be a good opportunity for you to stock up on items including pasta and cous cous.
But keep an eye out for XXL week, which could help you to save big on cupboard essentials.
In its most recent XXL week it sold a box of 16 Bon Gelati Mini ice creams for £3.89
In comparison a standard pack of 12 would usually set you back £3.09 – meaning you would save 18p during XXL week.
If you bought ten items during XXL week then you would save £1.80.
Happy Hour
If you enjoy tucking into a doughnut or a croissant, then pop into your nearest Lidl on your way home from work.
The supermarket runs a bakery happy hour every day from 7pm onwards as part of its pledge to reduce food waste.
You can get your hands on a croissant for 20% less than the normal price – saving you around 10p.
If you used this deal once a week, then you would save £5.20 a year.
Feeling fruity
Lidl is known for its cheap fruit and veg but did you know you could save even more on cupboard essentials in the morning?
The supermarket puts out 5kg boxes of wonky fruit and veg for just £1.50 every morning.
This could save you around £3.50 compared to buying all the items separately.
Lidl also runs weekly offers on six fruits and vegetables, depending on what is in season.
At time of writing you could get a 400g box of closed cup mushrooms for 99p – 30p less than their normal price.
The offers change every seven days, so check the Lidl Plus App, website or weekly leaflet to avoid being disappointed.
If you used both of those deals once a week then you would save around £275.60 a year.
Middle of Lidl
Everyone knows about the “Middle of Lidl”, the area of the store where you’ll find random stuff that you didn’t realise you need, at great prices.
My Lidl tips as a deals expert
TOM Church, co-founder of discount website LatestDeals.co.uk, shares his top tips to save money at Lidl.
Look out for red sticker discounted products.
These are usually marked down later in the day, so shopping just before closing is your best chance of scoring these heavily marked down products.
If you buy just one item at Lidl, you can play ‘Spin to Win’ in the Lidl Plus app.
This gives you the chance to win money off coupons, free bakery items, or even a £10 voucher.
There’s no minimum spend on the item you need to buy to play, so you can spend as little as possible and win up to £10 back to spend on your shopping.
Also, right now on Lidl’s Instagram they have a competition running to win a Lidl Gold Bakery card.
All you have to do is comment on the post.
If you win, you’ll get a free Lidl bakery item every day!
But did you know you can check what will be in the section in advance?
You can check the items coming to Middle of Lidl online and see the exact date they land in store.
This is a great way to plan your trip and only get the bargains you need.
The Middle of Lidl is refreshed every Thursday and Sunday.
At the time of writing you could get your hands on a Playtive Shark Arch Water Slide for £14.99 – down from £19.99.
Other popular items include DIY tools, sports equipment and kitchen utensils.
If you bought one of these items just once a month then you would save £60 a year.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories