Every bargain hitting Aldi middle aisle this week including giant sprinkler & chunky sandals – prices start from £1.29
ALDI fans better set their alarms, as a whole host of new bargain Specialbuys will be hitting stores in just days.
From an enormous garden sprinkler, to practical chunky sandals, the German discounter has everything you need to make the most of the heatwave this June.
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Aldi 's Specialbuys launch every Thursday and Sunday, with the budget store's middle aisle flooded with a whole host of bargains, from garden gadgets to beauty dupes.
Landing in stores this Thursday, June 19th is a selection of chunky sandals, priced at just £9.99.
The bargain ladies footwear comes in two colours, black or cognac, that will go with all of your summer outfits.
It comes in sizes four to eight, and the chunky soles will guarantee your feet remain comfortable whilst sightseeing on city breaks.
Aldi said: "Step out in style whilst maintaining comfort.
"Choose a colour to match your outfit and upgrade your summer wardrobe."
Also arriving in stores on Thursday are adorable pink and blue children's sandals, priced at just £3.99.
The adorable summer footwear features a sweet leaf pattern and is lightweight, making the shoes perfect for this week's hot weather.
And shoppers can also get their hands on sweet-smelling air fresheners for just £1.29.
The Chupa Chups car fresheners come in a wide range of flavours, including juicy apple and dreamy vanilla and are bound to make your vehicle smell like a delightful candy shop.
Cheapest supermarket revealed and Wetherspoons axe fan favourite menu item
On Sunday, June 22nd, a brand new set of bargains will hit the middle aisle, including a Giant Sprinkler.
The huge kids toy is priced at £19.99 and comes in either an octopus or a unicorn design.
The inflatable product shoots water out of jets, meaning your kids will be having a whale of a time, whilst keeping cool.
Aldi said: "Stay cool whilst having fun in the garden this summer.
Why do Aldi and Lidl have such fast checkouts
IF you've ever shopped in Aldi or Lidl then you'll probably have experienced its ultra-fast checkout staff.
Aldi's speedy reputation is no mistake, in fact, the supermarket claims that its tills are 40 per cent quicker than rivals.
It's all part of Aldi's plan to be as efficient as possible - and this, the budget shop claims, helps keep costs low for shoppers.
Efficient barcodes on packaging means staff are able to scan items as quickly as possible, with the majority of products having multiple barcodes to speed up the process.
It also uses 'shelf-ready' packaging which keeps costs low when it comes to replenishing stock.
"Not just for kids, watch the adults get fully involved with the action."
Also landing in stores on Sunday is a whole host of family games, including giant 4-in-a-row and a toppling bricks game for £26.99.
Sports fans can also get their hands on a basketball hoop for £39.99 and a garden tennis set for just £5.99.
And the kids are bound to have hours of fun in the garden with these Water Blaster Backpacks, priced at £6.99.
Shoppers will have to be quick to snap up all of these bargains, as with all Specialbuys, once they're gone, they're gone.
The full list of Aldi's latest Specialbuys can be found here.
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The Sun
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Racegoers go bright & bold for first day of Royal Ascot with celebs like Lottie Moss & Georgia Toffolo leading the pack
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The Guardian
an hour ago
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The best fans to keep you cool: 14 tried and tested favourites to beat the heat
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I'm also a menopausal woman in her 50s who honestly can't remember the last time she felt cold: I think that might be why we gravitate to wild swimming in middle age. Oh, and I have a degree in engineering. So I'm triply qualified to put these fans through their paces, scientifically and subjectively. I chose 14 fans, each from different brands, aiming for a mix of new and highly rated models plus a few stellar bargains. I wanted to make sure there was something for everyone before I put them through their paces. I used a power meter to measure how much electricity (and therefore money and carbon) the fans use, an anemometer to measure the air speed they generate on the top setting, and the Sound Meter app to measure the noise on the top setting (they were all too quiet to register on their lowest). I measured everything from 1m away, although in reality, you'll probably position a tower or pedestal fan farther away and a desk fan closer to you. That means the noise a desk fan makes matters more. I also measured them myself, as sometimes the official specs can be misleading or wrong. For example, I measured a tower fan that was supposedly 17cm wide, only to find that wasn't including the base. Here I've stuck with each fan's largest dimensions, including their footprint. I used a thermometer to measure the impact of the evaporative coolers I tested, and took note of everything from how cooling each of the fans felt, how annoying the noise was and how good the controls were. I also considered how they looked and how small they packed away, as well as the price tag. All the fans that weren't returned to the manufacturers were donated to Furnishing Futures, a charity that furnishes the empty social homes in which women and children are placed after domestic abuse. £129 at AirCraft£119 at AO This pedestal fan was hard to fault, with an elegant design that boasts a dimmable backlight (three brightness levels or you can turn it off, all with the remote control). It's billed as height adjustable, but rather than scooting up and down, you can remove the bottom pole to convert it into a 63cm desk fan. There's an LED display and touch controls on the front, and other features include a 12-hour timer and a sleep mode. In fact, of all the fans I tested, this one is probably the best for sleeping: alongside the sleep mode, it is the best for low noise relative to wind speed. Why we love itI loved the AirCraft for many reasons. It's light but with a reassuringly heavy base, giving it Weeble-like stability: it's difficult to knock over. It packs away pretty small for the winter because the pole comes apart. I also liked that the packaging is almost plastic-free. It oscillates both horizontally and vertically, so it can circulate air nicely around a whole room. Most importantly of all, this fan can really shift air – its 5.9m/s (metres a second) was the best on test, and you can really feel it. When the heatwave hits, this is what you want. All for a reasonable price, too. It's a shame that … there's nowhere to stow the remote control when it's not in use. Style: pedestal (or desk)Dimensions: 37 x 28 x 95cm (WDH)Number of speeds: 12Remote control? YesPeak noise level on test: 55dBPower use on top setting: 18WAir speed on top setting: 5.9 metres per second £49.99 at Devola £49.99 at AirconCentre This affordable desk fan punches well above its weight, with good features and powerful airflow. It has a display, touch controls, a remote, a timer and sleep mode. 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Features include 90-degree oscillation, a 0- to 12-hour timer, a sleep mode where the fan speed decreases gradually, and an auto mode that adapts the fan speed depending on the room temperature. Why we love itAt full blast, the Dreo felt positively windy and was definitely cooling on a hot day. On the two lowest settings, no sound was audible, but I could still feel a gentle breeze. I also liked the recess at the top-back that makes it easy to carry with one hand. It's billed as a '25dB silent bladeless fan', but I measured 60dB on top whack from a metre away. The sound wasn't too annoying, though, and the fan's powerful cooling made it forgivable. It's a shame that … its energy consumption is relatively high. We're talking pennies in electricity, but still, energy efficiency is good. Also, there's nowhere to clip the remote control. Style: towerDimensions: 32 x 32 x 106cm (WDH)Number of speeds: 9Remote control? YesPeak noise level on test: 60dBPower use on top setting: 29WAir speed on top setting: 3.6m/s £39.99 at Morphy Richards£39.99 at Ryman This is the fan you can take with you anywhere. I don't mean to fan yourself by hand: it folds down small and it's cordless and USB rechargeable, so you can be the smuggest person on the train and a very happy camper on a hot day. It can also give you a breeze on a still day on the patio. The battery will last from four to 17 hours, depending on fan speed. And you can plug it into a laptop at your desk or even a power bank for more juice. Why we love itThe 2.6m/s air speed can't compete with the big fans on test – but it's not trying to. It's an electric fan that can go anywhere, folding down to a cylinder measuring 18 x 18 x 12cm. You can even hang it on the wall, if you wish. There's no timer or sleep mode, but there's a 'nature mode' that varies the speed to mimic a breeze. And it does oscillate (to 90 degrees). It's also quiet: I couldn't hear it on the first of its three speeds, and it was never loud enough to be annoying. It's a shame that … air speed dips slightly when it's not plugged in, but only slightly (2.5m/s instead of 2.6m/s) Style: deskDimensions: 18 x 18 x 22cm (WDH) Number of speeds: 3Remote control? NoPeak noise level on test: 35dBPower use on top setting: 8WAir speed on top setting: 2.6m/s £69.99 at Swan£69.99 at Amazon The air speed may not be great, but this Swan model is still a good buy because it's an evaporative cooler, meaning it uses water from its five-litre reservoir to cool the air it blows at you. It can be used as a regular fan, too. Evaporative coolers are much more energy-efficient than air conditioning, so they use much less power (and therefore less carbon, assuming you're not on a renewable tariff or producing your own electricity). Why we love itOf the two evaporative coolers I tested, this worked the best. I could see the temperature on the thermometer go down: it cooled by more than 1C in less than 30 minutes. And it felt like a cooling breeze. In fact, it felt a bit like air con. I just filled it with water, but it comes with two ice packs that you can pre-freeze and throw into the reservoir for even colder results. The breeze felt wide, rather than focused. This is a question of personal taste: some people want a powerful fan that's focused to blast just them, while others prefer a room-filling breeze. In oscillating mode, it's wider still, as the grille at the front rotates, which is a bit hypnotic. It's good-looking, too, in a coffee-coloured oatmeal or grey finish. It's light and on casters, so easy to move around, and its modes include normal, natural, sleep and timer. It's a shame that … you can hear the water in the pipes: it sounded like a leak. You might even find yourself needing the loo. Style: towerDimensions: 29 x 24 x 71cm (WDH)Number of speeds: 24Remote control? YesPeak noise level on test: 45dBPower use on top setting: 26WAir speed on top setting: 0.9m/s £71.99 at Amazon Best for: a quieter tower fan This produces a narrow beam of air, so you need to point it at you just right or set it to oscillate (90 degrees). It's billed as a '20dB silent tower fan', and it's inaudible on the lowest four of its 12 speeds, but it was considerably louder at top whack. It's good-looking, and I liked the space in the back to stow the remote control. There's a 12-hour timer and a sleep mode, too. It didn't make the final cut because … for the same price, the Dreo is more powerful, which is what you need on a really hot day. Style: tower; dimensions: 29 x 29 x 92cm (WDH); number of speeds: 12; remote control? Yes; peak noise level on test: 50dB; power use on top setting: 40W; air speed on top setting: 1.7m/s £159.99 from Vortex Air Best for: style, and its all-in-one heater and fan design Vortex Air bladeless fans look modern, very Dyson-esque, and this one comes in 10 colour combos. It's useful year-round, too, doubling as a fan heater. But it's hard to categorise: too short for a tower fan, too tall for a desk fan. There's a timer and it oscillates horizontally (71 degrees) and vertically (180 degrees), though it's hard to imagine why you'd want to point it completely down. The touch controls are at the base, which isn't very practical if it's on the floor, and the display was a bit hard to see. It didn't make the final cut because … I found the noise a bit annoying; I could hear it at levels 2-10. Style: tower; dimensions: 25 x 24 x 65cm (WDH); number of speeds: 10; remote control? Yes; peak noise level on test: 35dB; power use on top setting: 28W; air speed on top setting: 2.9m/s £74.99 from AirconCentre£79.99 at B&Q Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion Best for: a quiet evaporative cooler A chunky tower fan with an extra skill: you can turn on evaporative cooling, using water to cool down the air it puts out. Its swing mode moves horizontally, and you can manually move the grilles to angle the air up or down. It's on casters, too. I liked its large (10-litre) water capacity and how quiet it was, but the fan wasn't strong enough, and the evaporative mode wasn't cold enough. I tried it several times, and in half an hour, it never managed to cool the area in front by a degree. It didn't make the final cut because … it didn't cool the room down enough. Style: tower; dimensions: 31 x 30 x 75cm (WDH); number of speeds: 3; remote control? Yes; peak noise level on test: 30dB; power use on top setting: 39W; air speed on top setting: 1.8m/s £249.99 at Shark£250 at Argos Best for: pointing in two directions at once This bladeless fan's unusual T-shaped design has arms that stick out left and right, each putting out air, or you can turn them by 90 degrees for a tall, thin fan. You can angle each arm independently, good for pointing at two people. It's height-adjustable and can oscillate (180 degrees) horizontally too. I liked that the remote attaches to the top with a strong magnet. It's powerful, but the sound is very annoying: it sounds like a vacuum cleaner, and I wanted it to stop. It also used the most power on test; even still, a 60W fan costs less than 2p an hour to run at the current energy price cap, so it's pennies compared with air con. It didn't make the final cut because … I hated the noise it makes. Style: pedestal; dimensions: 80 x 30 x 78-95cm (WDH), or 124 x 30 x 114-130cm in vertical mode; number of speeds: 10; remote control? Yes; peak noise level on test: 35dB; power use on top setting: 60W; air speed on top setting: 3.1m/s £179.99 at Duux£179.99 at Amazon Best for: smart controls This took quite a bit of assembly, but it's good-looking, can be converted into a 54cm-high desk fan by removing a pole, and the tech is clever too. You can control it with an app or by voice (Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant) to set up to seven schedules. There's an optional battery and charging dock to make it cordless. It's fairly quiet and oscillates well, vertically and horizontally, but I found the standard controls annoying. The display on the base points upwards, so it's hard to see from across the room, and you have to point the remote very accurately at it. I did like the compostable packaging. But unusually, it drew far too much power (2W) on standby. Less than 1W is the norm. It didn't make the final cut because … of the annoying controls. Style: pedestal; dimensions: 34 x 34 x 92cm (WDH); number of speeds: 30; remote control? Yes; peak noise level on test: 40dB; power use on top setting: 9W; air speed on top setting: 3.1m/s £49.99 at VonHaus£64.99 at The Range Best for: room-filling breeze This desk fan has a display and touch controls on the front. And it oscillates well: it turns 90 degrees vertically, 80 degrees horizontally or both together to create a room-filling breeze. I couldn't hear the lowest five of its 12 speeds, either. It looks good, and the controls are easy to use. Features include a one to 12-hour timer and a sleep mode that decreases fan speed every 30 minutes through the night. It didn't make the final cut because … I liked the Devola desk fan even more, but this is a solid buy too. Style: desk; dimensions: 30 x 21 x 36cm (WDH); number of speeds: 12; remote control? Yes; peak noise level on test: 45dB; power use on top setting: 13W; air speed on top setting: 2.7m/s £249 at John Lewis£249.99 at Dyson Best for: looks and design You can see a lot of thought has gone into the CF1's design. Not just its simple, circular air multiplier, but every single detail. The display is small but very readable. The oscillation (15, 40 or 70 degrees) works well. The magnetic storage on top for the remote control is clever. The controls work well and let you easily set the timer and sleep mode. I couldn't hear this bladeless fan on the first six of its 10 speeds, and I found the noise easy to live with even at higher speeds. It didn't make the final cut because … the price is hard to justify. Money no object? Go for it! Style: desk; dimensions: 36 x 16 x 55cm (WDH); number of speeds: 10; remote control? Yes; peak noise level on test: 35dB; power use on top setting: 20W; air speed on top setting: 2.9m/s £79.99 at Meaco Best for: a cordless fan This is an impressive, new cordless desk fan with a battery life of four to 17 hours, depending on fan speed. I couldn't hear the first seven of its 12 speeds. It oscillates and you can manually point it up or down, and features include a timer, night and eco modes. Its three-year warranty is a bonus, too (most have two). Overall, I liked it. It's good-looking and pretty strong, although it's weaker when cordless; for example, air speed dropped from an impressive 4.6m/s to 3.1m/s when I unplugged it. Still, if you want a desk fan that can sometimes be cordless, it's a good buy. It didn't make the final cut because … the USB-powered Morphy Richards is even handier. Style: desk; dimensions: 26 x 20 x 38cm (WDH); number of speeds: 12; remote control? Yes; peak noise level on test: 55dB; power use on top setting: 10W; air speed on top setting: 4.6m/s £299 at Amazon Best for: hay fever and allergy sufferers This is also a fan heater (so it's useful all year round) and an air purifier (ideal for allergy sufferers). It cleans the air in a room in 12.5 minutes or a small house in an hour, removing airborne particles such as pollen, odours, dust and smoke. On test, it created a good breeze, even though the anemometer only read 0.8m/s. And on cooler days, it can send purified air upwards instead, circulating air in the room as well as cleaning it. The controls and display are on top, making them hard to see from across the room. But there's an app and Alexa control as well as a remote. The three-year warranty is nice, too. It didn't make the final cut because … it's expensive as a fan (but great as an air purifier). Style: tower; dimensions: 24 x 24 x 50cm (WDH); number of speeds: 4; remote control? Yes; peak noise level on test: 35dB; power use on top setting: 21W; air speed on top setting: 0.8m/s Bladeless fans aren't magic; they just don't have visible blades. The work is done inside the body of the fan, and then air is pushed out of a nozzle. The Dyson, Vortex Air and Shark above are all bladeless. They look modern and are easy to clean. And there are no moving parts on show, so zero chance of getting your hair caught. Most fans oscillate (move back and forth) by swivelling on their base, and some let you select how wide an the angle you want. If it's just for you, pick a narrow angle; if you're cooling the whole office, go wide. Some fans achieve the same effect in other ways, such as by moving louvres. And some oscillate up and down too, so the fan can circulate air all over the room to create a gentle breeze. Most fans have a sleep mode, where every 30 or 60 minutes the fan lowers its setting until it reaches a certain point. This is a good compromise that helps you get to sleep without wasting energy, minimising the risk of waking up in the middle of the night suddenly cold. Start by lowering the fan speed to the point where you don't find it annoying. In fact, some people find the white noise of a fan helpful at bedtime. Then use sleep mode. For personal comfort, simply point it towards you. The cooling feeling is because the moving air from the fan displaces the warm, humid air near your skin, which in turn helps your sweat evaporate, cooling your body down. It's like a breeze rather than a still day. Or why it feels colder swimming in a river than in a lake, even if the water temperature is the same. Evaporative coolers, of which I've included two above, use water to actively cool the air. Never place a fan up against a wall because there needs to be air flowing into the back. If the air's cooler outside, put the fan in front of an open window or door to bring in the cooler air. I'll set out the maths. For each fan here, I've measured its power use on the top setting, in watts (W). Electricity costs are in kilowatt hours (kWh). If, for example, you were using a 30W fan for five hours, it would use 150Wh. Divide by 1,000 to convert it to kilowatt hours: 0.150kWh. The energy price cap for 1 July to 30 September 2025 is 25.73 pence per kWh. Multiply this by the last figure and you'll discover it will cost just under 4p to run that fan for five hours. Or £14 to run it for five hours every day for a year. Running fans is pretty cheap, then, and a good fan will keep you cool enough to dodge buying any kind of air conditioning. An evaporative cooler is a good alternative to air con. The two I tested used 26W (Swan) and 39W (Honeywell), so they use less than 3% of the electricity of a typical portable air conditioner (1000W). The effect isn't the same: you can't turn your bedroom into a fridge. But you can cool the air enough to make a big difference when there's a heatwave. If you're in the UK, honestly, no. It's tempting to turn your bedroom into a walk-in fridge on a hot day, but fans are great and use much less electricity (and therefore money and carbon) than air con. Unless you're on a renewable tariff, electricity use accelerates climate breakdown. Caramel Quin is a journalist specialising in consumer technology. She prides herself on real-world testing and plain language. Her pet hates are jargon, pointless products and overcomplicated instruction manuals. Caramel is an engineering graduate who has won awards for communicating hi-tech subjects to normal people. When she's not testing gadgets, she's feeding pets (16 beasts at the time of writing) or pottering at the allotment
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Home Bargains is selling ‘novelty' £4 ornament that adds a ‘whimsical touch' to your garden & is £12 cheaper than Amazon
ADDING a budget buy to your garden can help to brighten it up as well as give it a fun look. Home Bargains is selling an affordable decor item that gives your space a "whimsical touch" this summer. 3 If you enjoy spending long summer nights in your garden, then lights are an absolute neccessity to set the vibe. And while you may be tempted to opt for a traditional string light or flower bed lanterns, this item can add more personality to your set-up. The Firefly Garden Gnome Solar Light is currently available for just £3.99 from Home Bargains. "These playful gnome lights charge by day and shine with a warm white glow at night, adding a whimsical touch to flowerbeds, pathways, and more," the product description read. There are a variety of colour combinations available with these gnomes, though online shoppers do not have the option to choose. According to manufacturers, these buys help to "add a whimsical touch to your garden". Described as "charming" and "novelty" lights, the gnome ornaments are said to "bring a unique, playful vibe to your outdoor space". They provide a perfect way of lightng up your for flowerbeds, pathways, tables, or decking areas. Both practical and fun, they instantly brighten up any outdoor spot with ease. And since they are completely powered by the sun, you don't have to worry about remembering to switch them on or the cost of running them. Watch the moment home owner walks over their new-build's lawn and shows how landscaping turned it into a water bed "A fun and distinctive way to light up your garden, these gnome lights are sure to delight both family and guests alike," manufacturers said. And if that's not enough reasons to opt for these warm LED white lights, Home Bargains customers are also in for big savings. A similar item is available from Amazon for the slightly higher price of £15.99. This means shoppers can save a whopping £12 if they opt for the Home Bargains version. And another while making it look like something out of Bridgerton. Meanwhile, Amazon has a £14 privacy buy that is described as "perfect" for summer. Another privacy fence is also available from Amazon, for just £5. B&Q has an affordable privacy fence currently on sale, and you can put it up yourself. And a £10 B&M product adds inches to your fence, elevating your garden's privacy. You can also add a stylish touch to your privacy fence with another B&M buy. And its not just fences that can help give you privacy in your garden, one B&M item can help shield you from nosy neighbours and the sun. Meanwhile, another Home Bargains buy is said to add a touch of glamour to your garden. 3 3
