It’s an expensive time of year.

And if you’re looking for ways to reduce food waste and make the Christmas grocery shop a little easier on your pocket, Aldi has announcerd a handy change to its its popular Too Good To Go ‘Surprise Bags’.

The bags, which cost just €3.99 each and contain at least €12 worth of food approaching its sell-by or use-by date, are available for reservation earlier than ever before for Christmas and New Year’s Eve this year.

Customers will be able to reserve a bag via the Too Good To Go app up to five days in advance, giving shoppers even more flexibility during the busy festive period.

This means that bags for Christmas Eve will be available to order from Thursday, December 19th for collection and bags to collect on New Year’s Eve can be ordered from Friday, December 27th.

Affordable food, less waste 

“We’re making our Too Good To Go bags even more accessible this Christmas and New Year.” said Liz Fox, National Sustainability Director at ALDI UK & Ireland.

“By allowing customers to reserve their bags earlier than ever, we hope to provide even more people with affordable items that also help to reduce food waste.

“This partnership continues to play a vital role in supporting our sustainability goals, and it has been incredible to see how many customers now regularly use the service.”

In addition to its Too Good To Go partnership, ALDI’s Irish stores donate surplus food to local causes year round via its successful partnership with FoodCloud. On average each month, ALDI stores donate the equivalent of more than 100,000 meals to local charities and community groups across Ireland.

Stores will open from 8am until 10pm in the lead up to Christmas Eve and until 7pm on Christmas Eve.