Aldi?

[moesy4]

Love, love, love Aldi...to me, they were the true winners of the recession. They capitalized on people shifting to them for financial reasons and made the store a great place to shop. I think they used to be pretty hit and miss for quality, but now I think most are consistently good. We never have produce issues. The only thing I don't typically buy there is meat as it isn't a great savings and I have had once or twice I wasn't happy with it (talking fresh meat, not frozen or deli).
We eat primarily whole foods and DH is Paleo and we still do 90% of our shopping there. We get organic ketchup, nitrate free bacon and lunch meat, wild caught frozen salmon, whole wheat pasta, tons of fruits and veggies, fruit squeezie pouches, steamable veggies, organic broths, greek yogurt, almond milk (organic), baking goods, and most snack items. We haven't tried an item we don't like I don't think.
We do occasionally fill in with a quick trip to Kroger for things they don't carry.

 

[MomofKatie]

We like Aldi for most of our weekly shopping. Produce is a bit hit or miss, and they don't carry many more unusual fruits/veggies. Their dairy items are great and very inexpensive. I don't usually buy their fresh meat, because I can find better prices when our regular grocery stores run sales. I do have great luck with cold cuts, hot dogs, and bacon. Their canned goods are a good deal, and paper products and personal care items are a good value.

I think our favorite things are the chips, cookies/crackers, fruit snacks, trail mix, and granola bars.

The biggest tips for shopping at Aldi are-
-make sure you have a quarter for the shopping cart
-bring your own bags (they charge for plastic or paper bags)
-go in with an open mind. Try their private label products- there might be some you aren't crazy about, but you won't know until you test them out.
-be aware that you probably won't be able to buy every single item on your list. Normal grocery stores carry more than twice the items Aldi does, but Aldi carries almost all of the 'staples' that most people buy.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I shop at Giant Eagle too! Small world : )

Aldi is no-frills, no choices shopping. They have one variety (usually generic) of almost everything, so it's fast and easy because there's no comparing ounces and prices across multiple brands to find the best deal. I buy my staples at Aldi--flour, sugars, eggs, milk, bread, cheese, frozen fruit and vegetables, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc. Which happens to be the bulk of my shopping because I prepare almost all of our meals from scratch, so I can't speak of most of their frozen prepared foods.

If your Giant Eagle's prices are similar to mine, then you will probably pay half as much for the same stuff at Aldi. I still make a trip to Giant Eagle about once a month for certain things, and just for the experience of being pampered. My Giant Eagle has a free childcare service that my kids love, and I get to shop kid-free. Giant Eagle has a better variety of brands (which is important when there are food allergies in the family) and has specialty items that I stock up on when I go.

I love Aldi, but like others said, there's no bakery or deli and the meat is factory processed. I will buy the sliced sandwich cheeses there, and occasionally I'll buy a package of the light turkey slices for my husband, but that's about it for deli offerings. I do buy the ground turkey, it's cheaper than the honeysuckle brand at Giant Eagle and it's leaner too (I think it's 93% lean, vs the honeysuckle in the 3 pound package at giant eagle which is 80%). 3 pound pack of ground turkey at GE is $10, one pound of ground turkey at Aldi is $2.30-ish.

Try Aldi, chances are good that you'll like it. It may take a few weeks of shopping to adjust but soon enough your inner cheapskate will come to appreciate it.

 

[agavegirl1]

One caveat, know the pricing at stores around you before thinking you are getting a better deal at Aldi. The store brand sugar, flour etc. is actually cheaper on sale at our other two grocery stores and is better quality. I made jelly last fall and thought I'd grab some sugar at Aldi since I was there getting some produce anyway. When I got to the store where I buy my meats and brand name products using the weekly ad and coupons. The sugar there was $.90 cheaper than Aldi for the same size (2 lb) bag. Within a few weeks, the Aldi sugar I didn't use became a giant sugar brick. I check more carefully now. During tax season, I don't take the time to go to three stores for the best deals but other times of the year I do.

 

[sheetz]

I'm always amazed by how much I can fill my shopping cart at Aldi for under $50.

 

[Beezle2]

I shop Aldi and my list of things I buy there keeps getting longer! I just found out we like their salmon fillets. They have wild caught skinless and I was surprised and happy to add them to my list, I was sort of stuck on the Sams ones we buy. Anyway I buy staples there sugar, flour, canned beans, butter,sour cream, oil, bacon, roll sausage (don't like their link ones), tortilla chips, salsa, hummus, crackers, they have cookies that are from the same bakery as Girl Scout cookies, we like the cereals we have tried, quick cooking steel cut oats, some of their fruits/veggies but I dont like their bagged bananas they go bad too quick. The organic ones cost more but don't brown as fast. I buy broccoli, green onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots, celery etc. I like their Tuscano bread, eng muffins, frozen blueberries, ice cream, orange juice. I am kind of picky about meat and usually buy at Earth Fare but I have bought burger at Aldi and thought it was fine.

Aldi also has wonderful chocolate and special items during the holidays. We have loved their cookie tins and other items. Also have to say we have not liked their baking mixes for cakes..they seem weird to me but that may be just a personal issue. Aldi also has a wonderful "try it" policy, if you don't like it just return it. We don't do much processed food so I don't have thought on any of those items

 

[KayW]

I love Aldi. On my trips our big items are the tortilla chips, kettle chips, mini muffins, baking supplies, and produce. Their blueberries were on sale this week so I stocked up on those. Freeze some for later. I like their holiday items-you can always get some different treats at Christmas.

I have also picked up gift items and items for outside there as well. We got patio furniture one year for under $125. Everyone compliments us on it.

 

[hsmamato2]

Aldi is an amazing store, and it has many products for different price levels, from the barest bones 'cheapo' foods to really nice organic(think european standards and quality) items -all at a substantial discount from regular store prices! There are some drwabacks to shopping there for me, so I go there a little less than I would otherwise.... #1 being I like to pay for groceries with a cc,and they only take debit and cash. That's an issue for me,as I spend a lot on food monthly,and I want my rewards. That said, the organics natural items are stellar,as are the GF foods you can buy there (the GF cake mixes are perfect,and inexpensive) - really they are the BEST place to cut down on grocery spending overall

 

[hsmamato2]

I prefer OG etc type of meats only, they even sell ground beef OG at Aldi now.... that was good for our budget

 

[neatokimmo]

Yay an Aldi thread! Here is my list, let's start at the front of the store....

Round tortilla chips
Salsa
Peanut butter
"Honey nut Cheerios"
Organic tahini salad dressing
Self rising flour
Brown sugar
White sugar
Cake mix
Apple juice
Bottled water
Mixed juice like mango
Chili lime peanuts
Tons of Chinese sauces
Sauerkraut
German sausages when they have them
All produce on sale (1.29 pineapples, baby carrots for 59 cents)
Fresh boneless chicken breast it was $1.49 this week
SPIRAL hams, much better than Smithfield and only a dollar a pound now.
Eggs 99 cents!
Milk
Fancy orange juice in the carafe
Sour cream
Cottage cheese
Block cheese
Occasional low salt turkey lunch meat
Green salsa in the cold case (love it)
Hummus
Bacon
Box upon box of organic chicken broth
"Stove top"
Pesto
Plain pasta
Pasta salad
Dirty rice
Peas
Corn
California mix

And because everyone loves pictures right? $51 including 14 pounds of chicken breast. I went back two days later and stocked up on ham. I spent $88 in a week and got enough meat for all our dinners for a month.

 

[hsmamato2]

Oh you mean exact items? Ok list...
Organic ground beef
GF pasta
frozen taquitos (when there's a party)
Organic corn chips
some of the dark chocolate bars
Froz. skinny green beans
Organic milk
Almond milk original
Friendly Farms greek Yogurt,32 oz,plain
whatever fruit veg is on sale in the fresh section
The 'special; deli items like brie (see parties,above) and manchego
Hummus
Fresh pico de gallo
Gf yellow cake mix
gf brownie mix
gf 'bisquick' stuff
reality for me now is I can also get a lot of these items at the same price at Costco,so I do that now b/c as I noted earlier,I prefer to use my cc to pay. But Aldi is great when I want just a couple of things, and the GF pasta prices are the best. I will usually do a costco run every 2-3 weeks,and stop at aldi for the cake mixes, the pasta, and the almond milk(since I don't buy much)

 

[neatokimmo]

How does the organic beef compare to other brands? We occasionally get it at kroger.

Oh you mean exact items? Ok list...
Organic ground beef
GF pasta
frozen taquitos (when there's a party)
Organic corn chips
some of the dark chocolate bars
Froz. skinny green beans
Organic milk
Almond milk original
Friendly Farms greek Yogurt,32 oz,plain
whatever fruit veg is on sale in the fresh section
The 'special; deli items like brie (see parties,above) and manchego
Hummus
Fresh pico de gallo
Gf yellow cake mix
gf brownie mix
gf 'bisquick' stuff
reality for me now is I can also get a lot of these items at the same price at Costco,so I do that now b/c as I noted earlier,I prefer to use my cc to pay. But Aldi is great when I want just a couple of things, and the GF pasta prices are the best. I will usually do a costco run every 2-3 weeks,and stop at aldi for the cake mixes, the pasta, and the almond milk(since I don't buy much)

 

[hsmamato2]

it's fine.... I haven't noticed a difference in most brands- I usually buy the costco version lately

 

[LilyWDW]

Okay... I think you all have convinced me!

I don't have any extra money this week to make a trip there but I will go in a couple weeks for sure (my next grocery shopping day). Though if I get stir crazy on my days off later in the week I may head there anyway to just get out of the house. I need to save some money. My rent is increasing starting next month and they are adding a pet fee. I've already saved $150 a month on health insurance and will be dropping my cable (or switching companies to get a better deal for a couple years), but the next spot I can save will be grocery spending. Which sucks because I love food and cooking so it's been a bit depressing not being able to get what I want. But I am learning!

 

[Callie]

I love Aldi...I wish the one near me wasn't 15 minutes away. I generally go to the two grocery stores that are literally across the street from my apartment.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

Quick question for you all... I am an aldi shopper already but I just wonder if any of you have tried the cat litter. I like Tidy Cat clumping litter. Thx!!

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Quick question for you all... I am an aldi shopper already but I just wonder if any of you have tried the cat litter. I like Tidy Cat clumping litter. Thx!!

I saw a lady with a cart load of cat sand. I asked her about it. She said she really likes. I tried and I really like it. Seemed to work better on odors. I switched between Aldi and the Tidy Cat.

 

[Dashzap]

How does the organic beef compare to other brands? We occasionally get it at kroger.

I like Aldi's organic ground beef better than what Costco carries. Laura's Lean is a close second.

Ground beef should smell good....like you wish you could risk tartare....and the stuff from Costco doesn't.

 

[KayW]

We use the cat litter and have had zero problems. Only one cat, who is a princess, has two litter boxes. Lasts a long time too. Plus I like that it is in a container and I can pour it out.

 

[manning]

some ways Aldi keeps costs down

Many of the house brands are re branded major brands (they come off the same line

The quarter for the carts-- Don't need someone to collect carts

Take a look at the cans. You will notice the bar codes are there four times, 90 degrees from each one. You won't find this on name brands. They only have it once. Now you know why they are so fast in scanning at checkout.

The product shipping containers boxes) are designed to be appealing. This eliminates having to take product out of the container and put it on the shelf (double handling). They are stacked. when one stack is empty another one is put into it's place.

There are no cashiers, stockers or janitors. Everyone does every thing. Keeps costs down.