Cheaper Alternatives to Popular Family Food Brands
From crisps to nappies: how switching to own-brand could save you hundreds a year without sacrificing much at all.
I’ll be honest with you. Growing up, I was embarrassed to have the budget stuff. Smart Price yoghurts in my lunchbox. Yellow labels I’d try to hide from my friends. In year one and two I remember having the yellow label Smart Price kids yoghurt and wishing the ground would swallow me up. In secondary school, if people found out you shopped at Netto, Lidl, Farmfoods or Heron Foods, you’d never hear the end of it.
But something has shifted. Maybe it’s the cost of living. Maybe people have just grown up and got wise. Either way, more and more families are making the switch to own-brand and they’re not looking back. Whether it’s food, toiletries, household goods or baby items, the stigma is fading fast. And honestly? Good.
I shop mainly at Aldi and Asda, and I’ve been genuinely surprised at how much I save and how little difference there actually is. Some of these products were probably made in the same factory as the big names, with the same ingredients, just slightly tweaked or repackaged. Here’s what I’ve found.
Crisps & Snacks
Aldi’s crisp aisle is quietly doing the most. They’ve got alternatives for almost every big name going, and for a fraction of the price.
| Big Brand | Big Brand Price (approx) | Aldi / Asda Alternative | Alternative Price (approx) | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCoy’s Ridge Cut (6 pack) | £1.75 to £2.35 | Aldi Snackrite Ridged Crisps (6 pack) | £1.09 | Up to £1.26 |
| Pom-Bear (6 pack) | £1.53 | Aldi Teddy Faces | ~£1.15 | Up to £0.38 |
| Monster Munch (12 pack) | £3.24 | Aldi Monster claws (10 pack) | ~£1.29 | Up to £1.95 |
| Kettle Chips lightly salted (5 pack) | £1.75 to £3.00 | Aldi Specially Selected hand-cooked crisps (6 pack) | ~£1.49 | Up to £1.51 |
| Branded nacho salsa dip | £1.50 to £2.00 | Aldi nacho-style salsa dip | ~£0.95 | Up to £1.05 |
Prices are approximate and based on typical supermarket shelf prices at time of writing. Always worth checking in store as prices vary.
Biscuits
The biscuit aisle is where own-brand really shines, because let’s be honest, a digestive is a digestive.
| Big Brand | Big Brand Price (approx) | Aldi / Asda Alternative | Alternative Price (approx) | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McVitie’s Digestives (360g) | £1.88 | Aldi / Asda digestive biscuits (400g) | ~£0.59 to £0.65 | Up to £1.29 |
| Jammie Dodgers (140g) | ~£0.84 | Aldi Jammie Wheels | ~£0.59 | ~£0.25 |
| Fox’s Mini Party Rings (6 pack) | ~£1.43 | Aldi own brand Mini Iced Rings (6 packs) | ~£0.85 | Up to £0.58 |
Prices are approximate and based on typical supermarket shelf prices at time of writing.
Kids’ Drinks
| Big Brand | Big Brand Price (approx) | Aldi / Asda Alternative | Alternative Price (approx) | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit Shoot (8 pack) | £2.75 to £3.54 | Aldi / Asda kids fruit drinks (8 pack) | ~£1.79 to £2.08 | Up to £1.75 |
Prices are approximate and based on typical supermarket shelf prices at time of writing.
Fizzy Drinks
Now this one deserves its own section, because I’m not going to mention the big brands by name. I don’t support those particular corporations and I’m not here to do their marketing for them. But you know the ones. The dark fizzy one on every restaurant menu since the dawn of time. The diet version with the silver can that’s basically a personality type. The clear lemon-lime one. The bright orange one. They’re everywhere, and they charge accordingly.
Aldi’s own VIVE range quietly does the same job at a fraction of the price. Here’s how they compare:
| Aldi VIVE Drink | What It Replaces | Branded Price (approx) | Aldi Price | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIVE Cola / zX Cola (2L) | The dark fizzy one on every restaurant menu since forever | £1.85 to £2.14+ | 49p | Up to £1.65 |
| VIVE Diet Cola (2L) | The silver can diet version that’s basically a personality type | £2.14+ | 49p | Up to £1.65 |
| VIVE Lemonade (2L) | The crisp lemon-lime one on every restaurant soft drinks menu | £1.98 to £2.20 | 49p | Up to £1.71 |
| VIVE Orange Zero Sugar (2L) | The bright orange fizzy one | £1.98-£2.20 | 65p | Up to £1.55 |
| VIVE Tropical Blast Zero Sugar (2L) | Something a bit different, tropical and fizzy without the premium price. Discontinued name brand | £1.50 to £2.20+ | 65p | Up to £1.55 |
Think about it this way. If your family gets through fizzy drinks regularly and you switch from the big names to VIVE, you could easily save £5 to £10 a week. That’s potentially £400 or more over a year, just on drinks alone.
Aldi prices correct at time of writing. Branded equivalents based on typical supermarket shelf prices for 1.5 to 2 litre bottles.
Baby Essentials
Growing up, the babies around me were all kitted out in the two big nappy brands, the ones that rhyme with “hampers” and “buggies.” Nobody questioned it. Even those who were really struggling financially wouldn’t consider anything else, maybe because back then those really were the only ones that could prevent leaks and stand up to the job.
But nowadays Aldi’s Mamia and Asda’s Little Angels ranges are genuinely excellent. They hold up, they don’t leak, and they cost significantly less, which adds up incredibly fast when you’re going through dozens of nappies a week.
| Big Brand | Big Brand Price (approx) | Aldi / Asda Alternative | Alternative Price (approx) | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big name nappies size 3 (40 pack) — the ones that rhyme with “hampers” and “buggies” | £8.00 to £11.00+ | Aldi Mamia size 3 (58 pack) / Asda Little Angels size 3 (56 pack) nappies | £2.85 to £2.89 | Up to £8.15 per pack |
| Big brand baby organic food pouches | £1.48 each | Aldi Mamia pouches | ~£0.59 to £0.72 | Up to £0.89 each |
| Branded organic baby rice cakes / snacks | £1.58 to £2.00+ | Aldi Mamia readymade snacks | ~£0.75 | Up to £1.25+ |
Prices are approximate and based on typical supermarket shelf prices at time of writing.
Chocolate
Aldi’s chocolate range genuinely deserves a shoutout. Their Moser Roth bars and seasonal chocolate selections are on par with much more expensive name brands, sometimes better honestly. If you haven’t tried their chocolate yet, you’re missing out and you’re overpaying elsewhere. They have a brand called ‘Dairyfine’, I’m sure you can guess what it’s name brand replacement is? A 200g bar of Dairyfine is £1.95, whereas a 180g bar of the branded version will cost you £2.74. That is a 0.79 saving plus you get 20g more!
The Factory Secret
Here’s something worth keeping in mind. Many supermarket own-brand products are made in the same factories as the name-brand versions. Sometimes it’s the exact same recipe, sometimes there’s a small tweak, but often the main difference is the packaging and the price tag. Growing up I’d turn my nose up at these alternatives, but the more I tried, the more I realised I’d been paying a premium for a logo.
That’s not to say every own-brand product is equal. Some things genuinely do taste different and there are certain things people will never swap. But for a huge proportion of your weekly shop, the switch is more than worth it.
What About You?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments. What’s one thing you happily swap for a supermarket own-brand and roughly how much do you save? And on the flip side, what’s the one thing you’d never swap because you can genuinely tell the difference?
Let me know below!
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