Aldi?

[LilyWDW]

Hey all.

So, I am looking to lower my grocery bills as much as possible. I have heard a lot about Aldi and how inexpensive it can be, but I don't know much more about it. Is it really worth shopping there? What products are good to get there? Not so good? I also have a lot of food "issues" due to a medical condition. Can you find foods that don't have a ton of preservatives there?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Capang]

I love Aldi. It is cheap, I spent $50 there yesterday and left with six bags and one giant freezer bag full of food. Don't count on finding brand names. They really don't carry them except for the occasional item. Their frozen food is very good and so are their snacks. I buy as much produce there as I can. I did notice a ton of gluten free stuff there yesterday. I don't know what allergies you have or what specifically you need to avoid but it is worth checking out. Tips:
1. Bring a quarter to get a shopping cart. You will get it back when you leave,
2. Bring your own shopping bags to avoid paying for them. I do buy a freezer bag as those are pretty worth it and reusable.
3. Be warned you may not find everything you need.
4. Go early if you are looking for bread or milk or eggs.
5. Bring cash. That's all they take.

I saved at least $50-70 yesterday just at Aldi. I still buy meat from our regular grocery.

 

[powellrj]

Our aldi does take debit cards too. There isn't a fresh meat case, so all the meat comes pre packaged, so I still by meat at my meat market.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Agree - I just got back from there. It's cash or debit cards. Use Aldi's to stock up on produce, dairy, and staples (oil, flour, sugar, bread, eggs, etc) and leave deli/meat/fish for elsewhere...snacks are personal preference - I hate most of their store brand, but the pretzel rods and the low sugar dried cranberries are hits in my house, so when I go, I get 3-4 of each (I only go every 2-3 weeks, when the produce is really what we like...same with frozen foods - they are also hit or miss - got an amazing stuffed shell deal a few weeks ago and we LOVED them (and we like the ravioli), but my family hates the chicken in all forms (nuggets, frozen breasts, etc)...

It reminds me of Trader Joe's in a way - outside of the produce,dairy, and staples, you have to unearth your favorites 1 at a time and then stick to buying them as they are available...

 

[aaarcher86]

I usually get everything there aside from meat and produce.

I think I spent about $100 there on snack foods and it lasted my kids all summer. I usually go there first and then go to meijer for whatever is left to get.

 

[m&m_mom]

Mine is pretty good. They take cash & debit cards. They also have fresh meat & bakery items. The produce quality is hit or miss. I also can't find dried beans vs. canned beans. Like everyone else has said, you might not find everything on your list but you can probably get a good chunk of it there.

 

[Dashzap]

I buy dairy, coffee beans, fruits, vegetables, ice cream, meats (like their organic ground beef), and canned tomatoes at Aldi.

Their BBQ potato chips are yummy but I try not to buy them.

I dislike their frozen prepared foods. I've tried their lasagna, breaded fish, eggrolls, stirfries, and chicken nuggets. They were all pretty lousy compared to Meijers or Jewel, our other local grocery stores. Not that these kind of prepared foods are ever gourmet.

Unfortunately most of the breads and bakery goods may contain nuts, so we can't eat them.

I haven't tried their laundry soap yet.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I really like Aldi. I don't go there a ton because it isn't super convenient to my house. One thing that I really like is their "compare to Angel Soft" toilet paper. It is $6.99 for a large pack.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

I buy milk and eggs there. The frozen broccoli florets are really good. We also like the tortilla chips, nacho cheese in a jar, jelly, produce at times is very good. I've bought the cat sand and liked it. Sandwich thins are much cheaper, spices.
I've never bought meat except at Thanksgiving a frozen already cooked smoked butterball turkey breast, that was very good

 

[Capang]

Agree - I just got back from there. It's cash or debit cards. Use Aldi's to stock up on produce, dairy, and staples (oil, flour, sugar, bread, eggs, etc) and leave deli/meat/fish for elsewhere...snacks are personal preference - I hate most of their store brand, but the pretzel rods and the low sugar dried cranberries are hits in my house, so when I go, I get 3-4 of each (I only go every 2-3 weeks, when the produce is really what we like...same with frozen foods - they are also hit or miss - got an amazing stuffed shell deal a few weeks ago and we LOVED them (and we like the ravioli), but my family hates the chicken in all forms (nuggets, frozen breasts, etc)...

It reminds me of Trader Joe's in a way - outside of the produce,dairy, and staples, you have to unearth your favorites 1 at a time and then stick to buying them as they are available...

Trader Joes and Aldi's are "related."

 

[Jake&IzzyLand]

I went on Thursday and milk was $1.69 and eggs were $.99, those prices are great!

 

[MochaDrinker]

We do Aldis all the time. I really like the chicken salad

 

[TwoMisfits]

Trader Joes and Aldi's are "related."

Yes, I know...and even though they are different "chains", they have a lot of similarities...that's not always the case in corporate conglomerates (no one would say KFC and Pizza Hut have a lot in common, even though they also are the same parent company...

 

[zoemurr]

A lot of the items are brand named, but are rebranded for Aldi. There are websites to explain that more. Their large frozen pizza is very good. I'm always amazed that I can get a full cart for $40 or so. I love my Wegmans but Aldi is definitely cheaper and we have liked most of the things we have gotten there. I agree produce is hit or miss (clearly flown in where Wegs is local) and I don't buy meat there. Try it. Definitely worth a trip.

 

[agavegirl1]

Most of Aldi's branded products are very good. Their produce is very fresh because it turns over quickly. I especially like their bagged salads. I didn't shop there as often as I should because I like to earn Disney reward points on groceries but guess what? The Aldi's in our town now takes Visa and Mastercard.

 

[Vernie822]

I LOVE ALDI. Seriously, I swear by it. We have Wegmans and Giant Eagle nearby as well so anything I can't get at Aldi (specialty spices, certain cheese, etc) I'll get there. 2 shopping trips is kind of a pain, but the GE isn't too far away so I don't mind doing both. We certainly save quite a bit. I have a friend who thinks Aldi is "gross" and pretty much groans when I tell her I shop there - to each their own but I love it.

Their Organic product line is really great, I just love it. We get their blue corn tortilla chips all the time. Love those. The produce at our store is great, 3 years ago when I first started shopping there, the selection wasn't nearly as expansive.

I'm brand-particular on a few things but I've recently been converted on things such as coffee creamer, coffee (SimplyNature K Cups are great), yogurt (still really like Chobani), etc. Shopping there is just so simple. My fiance hates grocery shopping but is always surprised when we are in and out of there in 20 minutes.

 

[LilyWDW]

Alright... some great responses and suggestions. Right now I am averaging about $120 every 2 weeks for just myself, but that does also included over the counter medications, kitty litter, paper products, and things like that. I shop mainly at Market District which has a nice range of prices and selection. Everything from the cheaper Giant Eagle brand of products, to specialty cuts of meat and cheese, to your name brands.

What I think I will do is head to Aldi later in the week, but not as my main shopping trip. More of a special trip to see what they have and pick up one or two items to try before committing to a bigger trip.

 

[Chrelaine]

I love Aldi and have quite a few items that I will only buy there. Here, in the Syracuse, NY area, all of our Aldi locations now take credit cards which was great for me because we use our SW miles card for everything. You can't beat the convenience of covering an entire store in 20 minutes or less.
I have not loved the cheese I have purchased there...rather flavorless. Other than that, we have never been disappointed.
I only buy produce if I plan to use it right away, because I have found it turns quickly. I have never really tried most of the meat because it is cheaper on sale in the grocery stores.
We really like the ice cream novelties, snack foods and cereals. The price on containers of chicken broth can't be beat. They have a great low calorie line Fit & Active. They also carry a lot of gluten free items. At holiday time the spiral hams are really good. I buy their gallon freezer bags for so much less than anywhere else.
It really is worth a try.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

We love Aldi. We get a good bulk of our groceries there, but stick to our primary grocery store or Sam's for our meats and Target for our cleaning/laundry supplies and toiletries (utilize the Cartwheel app for those items ). I love their snack items (great for my kids' packed lunches), dairy, produce, spices/seasonings, and frozen foods. Their canned foods are hit or miss IMO. Our Aldi has a great selection of glutein free items and organic items as well. I recently discovered their trail mix and coffee. I buy their version of the "k cups" for my Keurig - just as good and a great price.

 

[kidshop]

I never shopped at Aldi, until I moved into an area that had them. Over the past almost 3 years, I have slowly converted to buying most of our food there. I do not buy much meat, only if I need it for a right now kind of thing; and I do not buy the frozen processed foods. I don't buy much of that anywhere really. We do love all the ice creams/novelties/frozen fruit bars etc. Very good! The milk has been $1.49 a gallon for about the last year, eggs are cheapest around, produce is so inexpensive and so fresh where I am. Bananas .29 pound, blueberries 1.69, baby carrots .49 for a pound bag. fresh pineapples were .99 last week! We get almond milk, half and half, creamer, butter. where I think i save the most are the snacks, tortilla chips .99 to 1.19 a bag, potato chips, crackers, pretzels, graham crackers. we like them all and they are about 1/2 the price of name brand.

a funny story....my 16 was complaining about the 'off brand' ketchup one day. I happened to have a small bottle of heinz so we did a blind taste test with all five of us. Ds was convinced he could tell which was 'real' ketchup. They did taste different, but it turns out both ds and dh preferred the Aldi brand! I actually preferred the Heinz...it was sweeter and thicker, and what I grew up with! The other 2 liked them both the same. I had a good laugh about it!

I have been very happy with the quality.