The opening of the first Aldi store in the town led to shoppers queueing up to 40 minutes on Thursday (February 6).

The supermarket near Bushey Arches is situated just a short walk apart from Tesco Extra and Lidl.

Aldi and Lidl are often seen as being cheaper than big supermarkets, although Tesco also promises affordable prices for its products.

But with all three within easy reach of each other, how much money would you save when buying the cheapest shopping essentials at each store?

To find out, I took a break from the office to have a little browse across the store.

Some of the shopping I collected on the way.

In total, my shopping added up to £32.47 at Aldi, the Lidl shopping added up to £32.86 and the Tesco shop added up to £35.78.

Here's a breakdown of my baskets, so you can see where you can find the cheapest essential items.

Essentials:

So, here’s a mix of some every-day essentials which you may consider buying. I went for the cheapest products I could find.

Semi-Skimmed milk (4 pints)

Aldi: Cowbelle Fresh British semi-skimmed milk - £1.10

Lidl: Dairy Manor semi-skimmed milk - £1.09

Tesco: British semi-skimmed milk - £1.10

Multigrain hoops cereal (375g)

Aldi: £0.75

Lidl: £0.75 (cut from £0.79)

Tesco: While Tesco did not have a 375g multigrain box, there was a 300g Free From multigrain hoops box for £1.45

Alternatively, there are 375g Tesco Honey Hoops cereal boxes for £1.00

Gold label tea

Aldi: Diplomat gold label tea (80 bags) - £0.95

Lidl: Knightsbirdge gold tea (80 bags) - £0.99

Tesco: Gold Tea bags (80 bags) - £1.69

Wholemeal Bread (800g)

Aldi: Village bakery soft wholemeal bread - £0.49

Lidl: Roman Hill bakery soft thick wholemeal - £0.49

Tesco: Wholemeal medium bread - £0.59

Mild cheddar cheese (900g)

Aldi: £3.99

Lidl: £3.99

Tesco: While I couldn’t find an own brand 900g block of mild cheddar, there was a 460g block for £2.30.

That means a for £4.60, you can get 920g of mild cheddar.

6 large free-range eggs

Aldi: £0.85

Lidl: £0.89

Tesco: £1.00

Ketchup (not Heinz):

Aldi: Bramwell ketchup (650 ml) - £0.49

Lidl: Batts ketchup (500 ml) - £0.45p

Tesco: Tomato ketchup (550g) - £0.65

Fruits:

While shopping on a budget, I made sure to squeeze in some fruit into the basket.

Braeburn apples:

Aldi: Pack of six apples – £0.97

Lidl: Pack of five apples – £0.99

Tesco: Pack of five - £0.65 (on offer from £1.60)

Bananas:

Aldi: £0.82 per kg

Lidl: £0.82 per kg

Tesco: £0.84 per kg

Veg:

And of course a meal would not be a meal without some vegetables.

Carrots (1kg):

Aldi: £0.57

Lidl: £0.57

Tesco: £0.58

Canned Tomatoes (400g)

Aldi: £0.28

Lidl: £0.28

Tesco: £0.35

Frozen Peas

Aldi: Everyday essentials garden peas (907g) - £0.62

Lidl: Simply garden peas (907g) - £0.62

Tesco: Garden peas (1kg) - £1.20

Iceberg lettuce

Aldi: £0.62

Lidl: £0.62

Tesco: £0.65

Ingredients:

Cooking oil and onions, they pretty much go with everything. So of course I had to add these into my basket.

Sunflower Oil (1 litre)

Aldi: £1.09

Lidl: £1.09

Tesco: £1.10

Brown onions (pack of three)

Aldi: £0.47

Lidl: £0.47

Tesco: £0.85

Carbs:

At this point, it became apparent that Aldi and Lidl were the cheapest spots to buy carb related products.

Basmati Rice (1kg)

Aldi: Classic Basmati Rice - £1.29

Lidl: Taste of Basmati rice - £1.29

Tesco: Basmati Rice - £1.60

Potatoes (2.5kg):

Aldi: £1.29

Lidl: £1.49

Tesco: £1.75

Penne Pasta (500g):

Aldi: £0.29

Lidl: £0.29

Tesco: £0.53

Meat:

For anyone who regularly includes meat in their dishes, they may find purchasing meat to be pricey. Here is what I found at the stores.

Large chicken breast fillets

Aldi: Ashfield Farm chicken (1kg) £4.89

Lidl: Birchwood chicken breast fillets (1kg) £4.89

Tesco: Two chicken breasts (300g) - £1.80 (Three boxes make 900g and is £5.40) 

British Pork sausages

Aldi: (400g pack of 6) £.199

Lidl: (400g pack of 6) £1.99

Tesco: (454g pack of 8) £1.70

Beef Steak Mince, 15% fat

Aldi: (500g) £2.25

Lidl: (500g) £2.19

Tesco: (750g) - £3.70

Tinned tuna chunks in spring water

Aldi: £0.79

Lidl: £0.75

Tesco: £0.95

Household stuff:

And of course, here are some essential household products.

Toilet roll

Aldi: Everyday essentials (pack of six) £1.99

Lidl: Simply toilet tissue rolls (pack of six) £1.99

Tesco: Spring Force toilet tissue (pack of four) £1.20

Multi-surface spray

Aldi: Multi surface anti-bacterial power force, lime & mint (750ml) - £0.69

Lidl: W5 Antibacterial multi-surface cleanser (750ml) £0.69

Tesco: Antibacterial surface cleaner (750ml) £0.80

Laundry detergent capsules

Aldi: Lamar 2 in 1 liquid sachets (20 capsules) £2.49

Lidl: Formil 2 in 1 liquid tabs (20 capsules) £2.49

Tesco: Tesco biological laundry (20 capsules) - £3.00

Washing up liquid

Aldi: Magnum apple washing up liquid (500ml) £0.45

Lidl: W5 washing up liquid, apple (500ml) £0.65

Tesco: Tesco original wash up liquid (450ml) £0.60

So the total saved may be less than £2, but does that make a difference to where you will next shop when on a budget?