On a budget to save for WDW....anyone grocery shop at Aldi's???

[DiznEeyore]

My one complaint with Aldi's (other than the fact that their produce seems to go bad very quickly) is that there's not a whole lot of "healthy" food available. Most things are prepackaged and full of sat. fats, etc.

I used to shop there all the time, but since we've been trying to eat in a healthier way, there's not much I can find there.

 

[my2tinkerbells]

I'm giving another thumbs up to Aldi's! I am a home daycare provider, and we have 2 girls of our own and another on the way. That store saves us sooooo much money. Yes, I am one of the people with more than one cart, lol! Last night I got almost 2 whole cart fulls at Aldi's for $120. I can get 2 cart fulls at Wal-Mart for $300....big difference! There are some things that we still go to Wal-Mart or Kroger for, but for the most part we get all of the basic stuff at Aldi. I think there quality has really gotten better over the past few years.
I say shop there and enjoy!

 

[becky7953]

I love Aldis!!!!!!! Great idea about saving for WDW. We save 1/2 our grocery bill. It has helped me be able to only work part time. This way we do not need child care.

 

[disneygirl1977k]

YOU GUYS ROCK!!!! Thanks so much for everyone's opinions.....I have made up my mind, I am going there to do some shopping......I will try anything if it saves me money for WDW....well maybe not anything, but you know what I mean......I think I will leave my son with my DH or mother though after reading the threads...due to crowds and long lines, he wouldn't make it very long in that stuff.....thanks again, you guys are the best.
Kristy

 

[Ozymoe]

Kristy,

Yes, do leave your little one with DH or your mom, especially the first two or three times you shop there. It will take that many times to get familiar with the store. Once you know the store though, you can shop like the wind because you will know what you want.

Tip...pick up small empty boxes as you go through the store shopping. Several small boxes are easier to load/unload than a few large ones.

 

[JoyG]

I can't believe no one has mentioned their flowers! Our local Aldi's carries bouquets of fresh flowers and bouquets of 6 roses for $3.99!! I buy roses every week for myself!

I don't like some of the produce because it doesn't look very fresh, although I do like their apples and mangoes.

I do like most everything else though esp:

butter
milk
cheese
bagged salad
bacon
instant oatmeal
cold cereal
peanuts
garbage bags
tissues
diapers
lunch baggies
rice
frozen salmon filets
texas toast

 

[MOMOFMNM]

I can't believe no one has mentioned their flowers! Our local Aldi's carries bouquets of fresh flowers and bouquets of 6 roses for $3.99!! I buy roses every week for myself!

I don't like some of the produce because it doesn't look very fresh, although I do like their apples and mangoes.

I do like most everything else though esp:

butter
milk
cheese
bagged salad
bacon
instant oatmeal
cold cereal
peanuts
garbage bags
tissues
diapers
lunch baggies
rice
frozen salmon filets
texas toast

our roses are 2.99...
difference between Iowa and NY I guess!!!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

I can't believe no one has mentioned their flowers! Our local Aldi's carries bouquets of fresh flowers and bouquets of 6 roses for $3.99!! I buy roses every week for myself!

I don't like some of the produce because it doesn't look very fresh, although I do like their apples and mangoes.

I do like most everything else though esp:

butter
milk
cheese
bagged salad
bacon
instant oatmeal
cold cereal
peanuts
garbage bags
tissues
diapers
lunch baggies
rice
frozen salmon filets
texas toast

Our roses are 2.99 also. In fact, I bought some for my parent's anniversary party last night. I am a SAHM also and do not know what I would do without Aldi's; esp since recently my girls are eating us out of house and home. (Must be all that swimming!) I don't think anyone mentioned Aldi's brand of Crystal Lite. Large sized container only around $2!! That's a great saving and it tastes the same to me.

 

[kaddjr]

I shop at Aldis too. I coupon A LOT and my rule of thumb is if I can't beat Aldis price w/coupon + sale, then I get it at Aldis. I do have to say however, I live in an area that offers everyday $1 doubles and triples to .50¢ and that is a MAJOR help! For the most part my Aldis purchases include canned fruit, canned vegetables, some fresh produce, canned pastas w/meat, some snacks, frozen burritos/chimmichangas, trash bags, freezer bags (great place to buy those 2 gal bags for packing!), water softner salt, bread, buns, and the "Budding" type meat. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head that we've tried and didn't like was the Velveeta type cheese- DH told me to never bring that home again. My mother uses their brand of pizza mix and she swears it's the same as the name brand.

Another hint on their cake mixes- if you don't have an extra egg to add, try adding about a half cup of mayo or miracle whip to the batter.

 

[sln88]

I like Aldis- esp for produce prices, BUT find that I can do much better on prices with a good sale and a coupon. I wish they took coupons there!

 

[Danemom]

...oh...and I bought a breadmaker there a while back for $39.99 and have just used it and used it! It turned out to be one of my favorite Aldi buys...

That's a great thing about Aldi too - they have great buys on non-grocery items too. I was going to buy a new Market umbrella for the patio at Sam's club for $100 when I saw one at Aldi for $30. It was only 9 ft (vs 11 ft) but just as nice. I also bought a hammock and stand for $40 that I have really enjoyed. I'd always wanted a hammock but was too cheap to buy one!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

do they have a website that explains their policy, to bring a bag, etc?

 

[lisajl]

What about their frozen chicken, etc? I have tried some of the meat and did not like the quality of it.
Plus...ours is in another town, so it makes it very hard to buy frozen stuff and then drive 35-45 minutes home.
That one is a small store, too. How big are the Aldi's where you shop?

 

[TNKBELL]

do they have a website that explains their policy, to bring a bag, etc?

Try www.aldi.com Just had to add...I totally love Aldi for the great prices, however the customer service leaves something to be desired, my Dh and I frequently refer to the employees as Soup Nazi's (Seinfeld)! There are definately procedures that should be followed, I just learned the other day that I am not allowed to place a box on the conveyer belt with my few items inside, I was told they might not be so "nice" about it next time! What would they do? Not refund my quarter from the cart? This doesn't upset me, but I take great amusement in it! Maybe Disney should be consulted for some happiness training!!

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

We loves Aldi's. There are probably 20 to 30 items that we regularly buy there: milk, eggs, butter, cheese, salad mix, chips, pretzels, garbage bags, sandwich/freezer bags, produce, (yes, you have to be careful picking some items) canola oil, etc.

You wouldn't believe (or maybe some of you have heard them too!) the negative comments I have heard from friends and co-workers. "Why do you shop there?" "You don't need to shop there." "I can't be bothered with stopping at 2 stores."

When I look at the amount of money we save by shopping at Aldi's, nothing else matters! Of course, it helps that it's right on the way to the other grocery store that we buy the rest of our groceries at.

 

[chrismiss56]

Morning!!

Have never been to an Aldi's but after reading this thread am definitely going to try. What type of payments do they accept?

Thanks and Have a Magical Disney Day!!

 

[Danemom]

What type of payments do they accept?

Our Aldi accepts cash and debit card only. No checks or credit cards.

 

[hlane]

We did our grocery shopping at Aldi's on Saturday. I love it! I even got Boca Burgers. We got a whole cart of stuff including trash bags, dishwasher stuff, fabric softener, and a bit of junk food and spent less then $65.00. I don't care for the dishwasher stuff just because it left water spots but it did get everything clean. I LOVE the trash bags, they are so thick, you can barely rip it if you tried, 36 to a box for $1.99 & I like the fabric softener sheets, they smell pretty good, they work well & were only .99¢. The kids love those frozen Kid Cuisine meals, they are anywhere from $2.00-$3.00 at the other stores, Aldi's had them for $1.49.

One thing to note if you've never been there, at least at mine. They toss your stuff into your cart as they scan it. Once you pay you move over to a table like area in the front of the store to bag/box your purchases. DH was scolded for trying to bagging as the cashier tossed our stuff into the cart. She told him to wait until she was done, she didn't want him to get hurt.

 

[rockyroad]

What about their frozen chicken, etc? I have tried some of the meat and did not like the quality of it.
Plus...ours is in another town, so it makes it very hard to buy frozen stuff and then drive 35-45 minutes home.
That one is a small store, too. How big are the Aldi's where you shop?

The frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts are good. I have used them several times and they have never been "tough" like the Kroger brand ones. You may find that there is a difference in the size of the pieces, but that seems to happen everywhere.

By the way, they are small here(Memphis) too, but I have never encountered long lines and the produce seems to be equivalent to the grocery stores. You just have to look carefully at the produce everywhere. The people at Aldi can tell you what day their produce comes in, which might help. Sometimes the day before it comes in they seem to be out of some produce items.

 

[ChrisLei]

I felt the same way you did at first. But I tried it and it is great! My friend told me that most of the foods that are pacakged that we buy brand name, are made in the same factory that the "generic" are made. We pay for the packaging and the name. Funny huh!