Cheap if not cheerful

Blog on here:Own-brand cornflakes are always problematic, alright, but Lidl and Aldi have a fantastic selection of continental foods - salamis, wurst, pickles etc.

Given that I couldn't even find a single chilli pepper for sale (fresh or pickled) in my local Tesco's last time I looked, I'll stick with Lidl for most of my shopping . . . great shops altogether. - Justin

I would be lost without Aldi! It is so much cheaper there. I get a good 90 per cent of my groceries there. I don't buy meat there, but I wouldn't buy meat at Tesco or Dunnes either. A lot of their "own" brands at Aldi are actually made by the normal brands, they just have to be packaged differently so as not to upset the big retailers. - Deborah

If you are not tied into a particular brand, Aldi and Lidl offer huge savings on cheeses, cold meats, yogurts and deli items and many other products across the range. Their egg and dairy range (including milk) is far cheaper than either Tesco, Dunnes or Superquinn. When I am shopping, I am shopping for essentials and am not looking for an "atmosphere" that will encourage me to spend on products that I didn't set out to buy. Long live choice! - Valerie Morrissey

Ryanair ups and downs

Over the last few years I have flown regularly with Ryanair. The longest delay I have experienced has been 20 minutes and they have never lost my luggage. I have even found the staff helpful and generally good humoured - which is more than can be said for some of the passengers I have witnessed abusing Ryanair staff when they have not turned up on time or overloaded their luggage despite ample warnings.

I usually travel with excess luggage but read the fine print and realise that I will be charged. Even then I have often been charged less then I expected.

I travelled on a one-way flight to Biarritz last year for €20 including taxes and charges - which was €12 less then the taxi ride to the airport. You can't beat that for value.

I take the precaution of allowing a reasonable time between connecting flights and going to the airport in plenty of time. By doing this I have avoided any problems. Travelling with any airline can be a source of problems. I have had many delays with other more "respectable" airlines.

- Michael Slattery

This week I will have to cancel four flights because a family member has been admitted to hospital. The taxes and charges on these flights will be approx £100 and I have no expectations of any recompense from Ryanair. I have used this company since their inception and my observation is that they have adopted collective behaviour patterns based on the public persona of their leader, Mr O'Leary. This gives free rein to every trait exhibited by bad companies starting with an absolute disdain for their customers.

It is not productive to rail at Ryanair as they simply do not care. Ryanair do not seem to understand that consumers are smarter than they believe; we buy into two aspects of their business model - on-time flights and lowest ticket prices.

However, the unpleasant side-effects that they seem to believe is justifiable collateral may just kill them in time. Eventually, we all need friends and Ryanair have none that I am aware of. - David Raby