We just got an Aldi's in town. What is good and what isn't?

[Denine]

Until tonight, I had never been to an Aldi's. I did buy some things but I really had no idea what was good and what wasn't. Enlighten me.

 

[mommyrants]

GREAT

Staples - Flour, Sugar, Salt, Spices
Frostings
Canned Beans
Olive Oil (Extra Virgin)
Taco Shells
Au Gratin Potatoes
Frozen Uncrustable Sandwiches

AWFUL
Coffee
Spaghetti Sauce
Pastas

Also - look for brand name stuff - they get close outs - merchandise and food.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

I like all of their cereals
DH & Kids LOVE their Poptarts
Their mac n cheese tastes the same as kraft to us
I like their mayo
Love their coffee
Milk & Eggs
canned corn & Beans
marshmallows
sugar
flour
hand sanitizer & lip balm
dried fruits & nuts

 

[Tampa Mousekeeter]

I think their brand of laundry detergent and liquid fabric softener is as good as Tide and Downy...

 

[MSSANDRA]

We like the prettzels, snack crackers and cookies, eggs, milk, some cerals, can fruits, can drinks, powder drink mix (crystal lite type), most produce, fresh meats, bread (they have a white wheat now that we like), rasins,

We don't like the can veggies, poptarts, coffee,frozen meats.

You have to read carefuly because lots of products labled fit & active have lots more fat/calories than name brands low fat products.

 

[tar heel]

I buy milk, eggs, butter, bagged salad, cheese (block cheddar, grated parmesan and crumbled blue).

I do staples like flour, sugar, basic spices, etc.

I get walnuts or pecans when I need them and sometimes dried fruit.

I also do fresh produce, especially avocadoes, limes, pineapples, apples, tomatoes on the vine, celery, red and yellow bell peppers. You will be shocked at the prices on some of these things.

I buy flour tortillas, pretzels, cinnamon graham crackers and taco chips almost every time I shop at Aldi.

I buy a couple kinds of canned food -- refried beans, chopped tomatoes and tomatoes with green chilies.

When they have it (it's seasonal and gone now) I get a cinnamon swirl quick bread mix that's excellent.

The frozen apple strudel is wonderful, but I don't do that often. I've also been known to buy the individually wrapped cinnamon rolls and even (yikes) tator tors -- all were fine.

The only thing I can think of we hated was the coffee.

 

[goofyforlife]

AWFUL
Spaghetti Sauce
Pastas

See i kinda like the premium meat sauce. Now a few years ago i didn't like their sauce but maybe it's a better brand now.

The two lb boxes of pastas seem ok to me.

Now my awfuls would be:
Cottage cheese (didn't like it)
the canned veggies (although the corn and black beans and the "baked"beans are ok )

Stuff we like:

chips/pretzels
cereals
pickels
ketchup
Milk (a bargain at $1.99 gl where i live)
bar-b hot dogs
block cheeses
polish kielbasa
frozen fish and shrimp
fresh fruit
wheat bread
canned tuna fish
Canned pastas (ravioli, spaghettio's)
Drink mixes (just like crystal lite)

 

[Jsme]

We use to go all the time then stopped for several years. Now I am back going again. We only stopped because the Walmart opened and it was closer, better stocked with cashiers and either the same in cost or just a few cents more.

I love their $4.99 wine. Not the winking owl wine. The other is better for just a few dollars more.

I also go to buy milk, some cheeses, potato chips, Frozen salmon, hotdogs, bread, snack foods, fresh produce is very nice. My kids like the popcorn chicken and the bagel bites.

Their meats look good but haven't tried them yet. I normally buy what is on sale at the grocery stores and plan my meals around that.

The cheese brauts are good. Not as chessy as some but I like that better.

 

[derocas]

My girlfriend swears by their New England Clam Chowder Soup.

 

[copper0426]

Ok, I wish there was an Aldi down here. We use to go when I lived in Ill, been down in FL for so long I forgot about them. Do you still need to bring your own bags? I know Cub foods opened up and alot of people started going there, their stores were huge.

We don't have them down here either.

Diane

 

[Jsme]

Ok, I wish there was an Aldi down here. We use to go when I lived in Ill, been down in FL for so long I forgot about them. Do you still need to bring your own bags? I know Cub foods opened up and alot of people started going there, their stores were huge.

We don't have them down here either.

Diane

You can buy bags but I normally try to remember to drive my car and use my "green" bags.

 

[dsny1mom]

I buy the following:

Tall trash bags (stronger than most store brands)

Pasta Salad box mix (The ranch bacon is awesome)

Taco Seasoning packet (at .29 it's a steal)

Garlic Mashed Potatos (box mix)

Will never buy again the following:

Cottage Cheese (nasty taste)

Paper Plates (too flimsy)

Paper Napkins (flimsy and small)

dsny1mom

 

[momx2]

Things we don't like:
coffee
shells and cheese
That's about it

We really like the products there. We buy most our staples there and the milk is just soooo cheap. The cereals are good also. About the only think we don't buy there is fresh meat, although I did buy a pork loin there once and it was fine.

 

[poegirl30]

My kids love their cereals!
We also get other staples (flour, milk, eggs, etc),
and we all love their orange juice!

 

[Melynny]

We do about 95% of our shopping at Aldi..
Great:
Precooked bacon
bagged Salads
Milk
Eggs
Crackers
Havarti cheeses, Regular Block cheese ( I now grate all of my own)
Premium Orange juice fresh squeezed
DH loves the Cottage Cheese
I love the 100 cal pack cookies
Peanut butter
Fruits of the Forest jelly
"House" salad dressings their better brand
mustards
Pasta Salad mix YUM
Red Beans and Rice MIx
Tub Lunch meats, turkey and ham
chicken Salad, Potatoe Salad Mac salad is good,
Frozen Mahi Mahi,
Frozen Coconut shirmp! A standout!
Fresh grapes
Fresh Apples
Fresh Bananas
Fresh celery
Onions
Potatoes
Dh eats thier cereal, I like the "Rice crispies style"
fresh 95 lean ground beef
fresh Sirloin steak
Fresh center cut and full cut pork chops
Pre made heat and eat meat loaf
Ice cream,
Wild berry and Orange cream frozen bars.. YUM
Precooked sausage patties
Fresh flowers
More but I'll stop now

 

[wdwiala]

I like their refriderated canned cinnamon rolls...and they are kosher (I don't know if they are officially). Unlike Pillsbury....

 

[mom_of_3_mousketeers]

I go there every week and buy 90% of my stuff there. The only things I won't buy are the produce (it goes bad very quickly IMO compared to another store I go to that is the same price), meat, and certain products like spaghetti sauce (Hunt's or Ragu only), mac n cheese (Kraft snob) and cottage cheese. My kids love their yogurt, and all the snacky type foods and I love their prices.

 

[kat_balou]

I really like their trash bags. We buy alot of the staples - sugar, cooking oil, cereals, oatmeal, cheeses, tomato sauces/paste, ketchup, herb & butter boxed mashed potatoes. Produce is a hit and miss sort of thing and bananas especially seem to go bad on us.

Aldi's is certainly a money saver!

 

[windycitymom]

I like Aldi's and buy alot of their things. Whatever you do, skip the frozen burgers - they burn on the grill and taste awful.

 

[fakereadhed]

I have to step in here and say a word for the coffee. We are Starbucks Verona ground only kind of people and we love Aldi's Kona coffee for $3.99.

I just don't get what the Kona is about. It says Kona and under that "100% Arabica". Who cares since it gives Starbucks a run for its money for under four bucks.