Shopping at Aldi's

[Aelias]

One big win with this trip was the discovery of their house brand flavored water for the kids.  DW has been adamant about giving them this stuff, but has been buying these Aquaball drinks that are extremely pricey, much to my chagrin. 

They love the Aldi flavored water, and the price per ounce is about 1.6 cents, rather than the ~11 cents we were paying.  I'm definitely a fan of an 85% price drop!

Good on your for dropping the pricey flavored water, but  . . . seriously, flavored water?  Whatever happened to just water-flavored water?  It makes up 60% of your body!  It quite literally tastes like life itself!

But, I get it --  baby steps.  And let none of us be judged by our kids' ridiculous tastes in food and beverage.

[OurTown]

Aldi is a great choice.  As a very unscientific comparison, the total damage at "Sprouts" yesterday was $50 higher than the grocery bill at Aldi from a couple of weeks ago, for approximately the same amount of food.  Obviously not the same items, etc., but still significant. 

[Arbitrage]

One big win with this trip was the discovery of their house brand flavored water for the kids.  DW has been adamant about giving them this stuff, but has been buying these Aquaball drinks that are extremely pricey, much to my chagrin. 

They love the Aldi flavored water, and the price per ounce is about 1.6 cents, rather than the ~11 cents we were paying.  I'm definitely a fan of an 85% price drop!

Good on your for dropping the pricey flavored water, but  . . . seriously, flavored water?  Whatever happened to just water-flavored water?  It makes up 60% of your body!  It quite literally tastes like life itself!

But, I get it --  baby steps.  And let none of us be judged by our kids' ridiculous tastes in food and beverage.

Preacher, meet choir.

[soccerluvof4]

I don't know if its just by me but as an Aldi's lover i have noticed compared to the other stores in the area there prices are going up at a faster rate.

Bummer! I haven't noticed that yet in my area, where Aldi prices are still on par with Save-a-Lot and better than the other chains. However, the prices at my local Meijer stores have increased to the point that it's only worth shopping there when they have major sales or if I need a rare product that I can't easily find elsewhere (almost never, as the local Kroger has expanded yet again and offers good Plus Card deals).

One thing that these forums have definitely taught me is that grocery prices/selection are extremely location-dependent.

One of the employees told me that each Aldi's location has to price compare to the competition within a certain Mileage of there store. Thats why the two i go to the prices are sometimes alot different other than whats advertised in there mailer. But I have noticed things we get for the kids lunches like chips last year were a 1.19 a bag and now there 1.79. Cheese has gone up. There Chicken has gone way up and its not as clean as the other store I go to so I dont buy that at Aldis anymore. Dairy I find you still cant beat. But definitely cheaper but not as big as a gap as a couple years ago, at least by me.

[Aelias]

One big win with this trip was the discovery of their house brand flavored water for the kids.  DW has been adamant about giving them this stuff, but has been buying these Aquaball drinks that are extremely pricey, much to my chagrin. 

They love the Aldi flavored water, and the price per ounce is about 1.6 cents, rather than the ~11 cents we were paying.  I'm definitely a fan of an 85% price drop!

Good on your for dropping the pricey flavored water, but  . . . seriously, flavored water?  Whatever happened to just water-flavored water?  It makes up 60% of your body!  It quite literally tastes like life itself!

But, I get it --  baby steps.  And let none of us be judged by our kids' ridiculous tastes in food and beverage.

Preacher, meet choir.

The struggle is real.  We've spent an unconscionable amount on mini Babybel cheeses over the years.

[Stachetastic]

I have been running a fundraiser this holiday season selling homemade spiced/candied nuts and puppy chow. I am donating all of the supplies/ingredients, and Aldi has saved me SO much. I buy the rice chex and almonds by the case, not to mention peanut butter, chocolate chips, powdered sugar, mixed nuts, and peanuts. I've checked every store in my city, and none can come close to Aldi prices.

[OmahaSteph]

This week our Aldi slashed the price of a 10-lb bag of potatoes in half. We picked up two, figuring we can process one whole bag (hashbrowns, etc.) and freeze before they go bad. They also have 3-lb bags of sweet potatoes for 99 cents. My son is the only one who really loves them, but he's 12 going on 20 and eats EVERYTHING. These can be pureed and frozen, as well, for a casserole, etc.

[Arbitrage]

Our Aldi had a one-day only sale on beef tenderloin - trimmed USDA choice for $9.99/lb.  Even my wife got excited about it for Christmas dinner, and went to work late in order to pick one up.  There was a line of people waiting for it a la Black Friday, and Aldi was planning on metering them out throughout the day.  She got the last one they put out at store open; phew!

[Mgmny]

This week our Aldi slashed the price of a 10-lb bag of potatoes in half. We picked up two, figuring we can process one whole bag (hashbrowns, etc.) and freeze before they go bad. They also have 3-lb bags of sweet potatoes for 99 cents. My son is the only one who really loves them, but he's 12 going on 20 and eats EVERYTHING. These can be pureed and frozen, as well, for a casserole, etc.

I am 99% sure you aren't supposed to freeze fresh potatoes....

[Roadrunner53]

I was unsure of this but looks like you can freeze potatoes if blanched:

https://www.wikihow.com/Freeze-Potatoes

[OmahaSteph]

I was unsure of this but looks like you can freeze potatoes if blanched:

https://www.wikihow.com/Freeze-Potatoes

Yes. We peeled, shredded and placed in a bowl of water with a little white vinegar in it to keep them from turning. Flash froze and then bagged and put them in the freezer. Some we vacuum-sealed. We plan to do the same with some slices using the mandolin, and dicing others. PITA, but super convenient during the week when you're in a hurry.

[Roadrunner53]

If you are lazy like me sometimes, when you grow tomatoes and you have too many and don't feel like doing anything with them at the time, did you know you can wash them, dry them off, take off the stem cut out any black spots and throw them in a ziplock bag whole, then freeze. When you want to make sauce out of them, you can thaw them a little and drop them in hot water to take skins off. Or, you could just blend them all up when thawed and incorporate the peels into the sauce. This does take up some space in your freezer if you have a lot of tomatoes but when laziness hits, have to do what we have to do!

[Mgmny]

I was unsure of this but looks like you can freeze potatoes if blanched:

https://www.wikihow.com/Freeze-Potatoes

Yes. We peeled, shredded and placed in a bowl of water with a little white vinegar in it to keep them from turning. Flash froze and then bagged and put them in the freezer. Some we vacuum-sealed. We plan to do the same with some slices using the mandolin, and dicing others. PITA, but super convenient during the week when you're in a hurry.

Well! Color me impressed! I had no idea.

I also didn't realize you could flash freeze at home, but a Google search learned me that as well! And I thought I wouldn't learn anything today!

[FireAnt]

If you are lazy like me sometimes, when you grow tomatoes and you have too many and don't feel like doing anything with them at the time, did you know you can wash them, dry them off, take off the stem cut out any black spots and throw them in a ziplock bag whole, then freeze. When you want to make sauce out of them, you can thaw them a little and drop them in hot water to take skins off. Or, you could just blend them all up when thawed and incorporate the peels into the sauce. This does take up some space in your freezer if you have a lot of tomatoes but when laziness hits, have to do what we have to do!

I do this too when I have an abundant tomato crop. I usually make tomato soup with it over the winter (and I keep the skin on). Nothing like garden fresh tomatoes in the middle of winter :)

[Roadrunner53]

If you are lazy like me sometimes, when you grow tomatoes and you have too many and don't feel like doing anything with them at the time, did you know you can wash them, dry them off, take off the stem cut out any black spots and throw them in a ziplock bag whole, then freeze. When you want to make sauce out of them, you can thaw them a little and drop them in hot water to take skins off. Or, you could just blend them all up when thawed and incorporate the peels into the sauce. This does take up some space in your freezer if you have a lot of tomatoes but when laziness hits, have to do what we have to do!

I do this too when I have an abundant tomato crop. I usually make tomato soup with it over the winter (and I keep the skin on). Nothing like garden fresh tomatoes in the middle of winter :)

Oh, cool! You are the first person I have heard that does this! My aunt, God rest her soul, who lived in KY consulted with the Farm Bureau or some organization and they said it was an approved way to store tomatoes. I haven't done it in a while but when I did I still found it 'weird' to pull out whole garden tomatoes out of the freezer but they were always excellent!

[BlueMR2]

I like our Aldi's, but we don't shop there all that often.  The prices seem a little better on average, plus it's the closest store (other than the Dollar Tree).  The downside though that keeps us from going there most times is the selection.  You go to "normal" grocery stores to buy what you want for your planned meals.  Aldi's selection is so hit or miss you can't go in with a plan of what you want.  You have to go in, buy what's available and then make your meal plans around what you were actually able to get.

[Cranky]

I plan my meals around what Aldis has! And then I fill in a few things from other places occasionally.

[Dicey]

No Aldi where we live, but several near our rentals, which are seven hours drive from home. I googled one along the way and we stopped in for provisions. I like the compact footprint and focused selection. My usual grocery loop is 99 Only-Grocery Outlet-Costco, with a very occasional side of Winco for bulk items. I wasn't overly impressed with the pricing at Aldi, but it was fun to have a completely different selection within the same price range. The exceptions were avocados for 39 cents and post-Christmas spiral cut ham marked down to 95 cents a pound. Bought thrree of the former and none of the latter. I suspect this was a higher priced store, despite being located in a less expensive area. The store was spotless and the staff helpful.

[MrBojangles]

I just joined this forum yesterday...so maybe one of the posts brought it up previously.

I WANT to shop at Aldi for all my grocery shopping needs.  I and my wife don't have fancy diets so it would probably work fine...

EXCEPT Giant offers gas points, and store coupons, which "addicts" you to Giant.

Has anyone done a cost comparison?  In the end it is probably cheaper to shop at Aldi and pay full price for gas, but maybe not???

[Arbitrage]

Shop at Aldi and bike everywhere, eliminating the need for gas.

:-)

For cost comparisons, at least where I live Aldi is much cheaper than the regular grocery store.  It also beats out Walmart and Target.  Not on everything, mind you; you do have to pay attention.  In my experience the staples, produce specials, and almost all of the store brand stuff is cheaper.  Sometimes the store brand isn't cheaper than, say, a bulk purchase from Sam's Club or Costco, though. 

Just returned from a bike trip to Aldi to shore up our groceries for the week. 

[Cranky]

I think it would be dependent on how much gas you buy every week?

Here, the gas station at the grocery store is more expensive to begin with, and we’d probably save $2 or $3 a week shopping at the more expensive store for the discount on the more expensive gas.

[LennStar]

Here, the gas station at the grocery store is more expensive to begin with,

Thats interesting!
Here if there are "shop-run" gas stations (on or right besides the parking lot), they are always cheaper to lure customers in.

[JoJo]

So I bought the Winking Owl Shiraz for a party.  I swear I drank over a bottle of it and didn't feel even a buzz.  At 13% alcohol, this isn't normal.  Anyone else notice this?

[HipGnosis]

Here, the gas station at the grocery store is more expensive to begin with,

Thats interesting!
Here if there are "shop-run" gas stations (on or right besides the parking lot), they are always cheaper to lure customers in.

That's the difference between a grocery store with gas and a gas station with groceries

[LennStar]

Here, the gas station at the grocery store is more expensive to begin with,

Thats interesting!
Here if there are "shop-run" gas stations (on or right besides the parking lot), they are always cheaper to lure customers in.

That's the difference between a grocery store with gas and a gas station with groceries

Ah, so the "gas station at the grocery store" did not meant a gas station (made by) the grocery store, but two completely different entitites? Then I have misunderstood that.

[JanetJackson]

I just joined this forum yesterday...so maybe one of the posts brought it up previously.

I WANT to shop at Aldi for all my grocery shopping needs.  I and my wife don't have fancy diets so it would probably work fine...

EXCEPT Giant offers gas points, and store coupons, which "addicts" you to Giant.

Has anyone done a cost comparison?  In the end it is probably cheaper to shop at Aldi and pay full price for gas, but maybe not???

I'm very curious about this too, as Aldi, Lidl, AND Kroger are almost precisely the same distance from my home, but only Kroger offers fuel points.

[boyerbt]

I just joined this forum yesterday...so maybe one of the posts brought it up previously.

I WANT to shop at Aldi for all my grocery shopping needs.  I and my wife don't have fancy diets so it would probably work fine...

EXCEPT Giant offers gas points, and store coupons, which "addicts" you to Giant.

Has anyone done a cost comparison?  In the end it is probably cheaper to shop at Aldi and pay full price for gas, but maybe not???

How much do you "earn" in gas savings when shopping at Giant? From my comparisons with Giant Eagle and their "Fuel Perks" I'd increase my weekly spending ($80 to about $120) by switching over and only save about receive one free tank of gas ($25-35) per month. The math doesn't seem to work for me.

I'm very curious about this too, as Aldi, Lidl, AND Kroger are almost precisely the same distance from my home, but only Kroger offers fuel points.

[Mgmny]

I just joined this forum yesterday...so maybe one of the posts brought it up previously.

I WANT to shop at Aldi for all my grocery shopping needs.  I and my wife don't have fancy diets so it would probably work fine...

EXCEPT Giant offers gas points, and store coupons, which "addicts" you to Giant.

Has anyone done a cost comparison?  In the end it is probably cheaper to shop at Aldi and pay full price for gas, but maybe not???

I'm very curious about this too, as Aldi, Lidl, AND Kroger are almost precisely the same distance from my home, but only Kroger offers fuel points.

How much does the gas savings really save you? Even if you end up with like $0.30 off per gallon, and you put in 20 gallons, that's only $6... I save over $6  per week on lettuce alone at Aldi between their organic spring mix and Caesar salad mixes vs traditional grocers...

[Fomerly known as something]

At Christmas time I bought "fancy crackers," is this a seasonal thing that I need to worry about stocking up on next year?

[Tris Prior]

Has anyone's Aldi started carrying the 80s cheese yet?
https://thetakeout.com/aldi-cheese-80s-songs-grammys-1832466435

[Mgmny]

At Christmas time I bought "fancy crackers," is this a seasonal thing that I need to worry about stocking up on next year?

Maybe. The price tag at Aldi will tell you if it's seasonal or not. i think they call them "Seasonal Favorites" or something like that.

[frugalone]

I'm in love with the 6 bacon wrapped Sea Scallops for $6.99 in my NE Ohio area Aldi's.  They are a seasonal item.
I bake them in the oven and add a bag of frozen Brussels sprouts to the pan so the bacon grease flavors the sprouts. Delicious. 

[Loretta]

I would like to get my grocery costs down in 2019 so I’m thinking I need to branch out from my most convenient nearby stores.  Does Aldi have decent quality detergent, dish soap, trash bags, household stuff like that? 

[Frankies Girl]

I would like to get my grocery costs down in 2019 so I’m thinking I need to branch out from my most convenient nearby stores.  Does Aldi have decent quality detergent, dish soap, trash bags, household stuff like that?

Yes. But with certain exceptions so you'll need to do some price comparisons and decide if you like their store brand products. If you don't, just make sure you save your receipt and you can return them no problem. They have an excellent return policy and shouldn't give you any problem with returning most things if you're unhappy.

They aren't great for some things like toothpaste since they don't take coupons, and I can find better deals at say, Target since I stack red card discount with cartwheel discount and then can use a coupon and get a few tubes of crest complete for like 75¢/6.2 oz tube... but we do get things like Omeprazole or deodorant or pads/tampons there now that they're making store brand stuff for WAY cheaper.

I use their trash bags (both draw string and the even cheaper flappy tie it off yourself) and like them. Laundry detergent - both the super plain stuff and the Gain-knockoff for about a buck more. I really really like that. The dishwasher liquid stuff and the pod knockoffs are good, and I LOVE their liquid handwash dishsoaps (they do seasonal scents and end up marking them down for super cheap after sales).

They do have name brand stuff for less but not a wide variety - they carry Tide and Gain in laundry detergent and Dawn dishwashing liquid for instance.

[OtherJen]

I would like to get my grocery costs down in 2019 so I’m thinking I need to branch out from my most convenient nearby stores.  Does Aldi have decent quality detergent, dish soap, trash bags, household stuff like that?

Paper products (paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, kleenex) are all fine. I also like their plastic food storage bags, plastic cling wrap, aluminum foil, and parchment paper. I wasn't impressed with the dishsoap.

[frugalone]

Re: the dish soap.  My local one carries Dawn dish soap.   Also some brand name laundry detergent too.

[Tris Prior]

My Aldi has Dawn and name-brand dishwasher detergent. I HATED their store brand of dishwasher detergent. Household stuff like trash bags, ziplocs, TP, foil seem fine.

[HipGnosis]

I buy Dawn and the Aldi's dish soap, and mix them together.  I also have a small bottle of Dawn  (that I refill from big bottles) at the sink for 'as needed'.

[Mgmny]

i don't think mine carries their own brand of powder dishwasher detergent which is scientifically the best at cleaning dishes - only liquid, so i use Up&Up brand for my dishwasher.

Their dishwashing liquid (Radiant) has worked out just fine for me. If someone isn't getting clean i usually bust out barkeepers friend or let it soak, so the liquid isn't a big deal if it's dawn or radiant or w/e.

i also use all their paper products, and i do complain about their Willow "kleenex" but it's better than using toilet paper as tissue for guests, and not nearly as expensive as Kleenex itself.

[Cranky]

I think aldi’s dish soap is fine. I like their trash bags better than the name brand.

[I'm a red panda]

I love Aldi cling plastic wrap. I think that's the only thing I've bought from that section of the store since I avoid plastic bags for the most part and make my own soaps.

[Tris Prior]

The other day I saw a bag of almond flour at Aldi for $5.99. I don't use it myself but that seems like a pretty good price - I once had a recipe that called for it but ended up not buying any because it was like 9 bucks for a little bag of it at Jewel. Wanted to pass that along for any gluten free/paleo folks.

Also bought some "mixed berry" paleo granola that was, I think, $2-something for the bag. It's pretty good.

Also bought a 3-pack of mini pizza crusts, also for $2-something. They were AWFUL. Cardboardy and tasteless. And they stuck to the baking sheet. I used homemade sauce rather than the sauce packets that came with it, so can't speak to the quality or lack thereof of that. Oh well.

[OtherJen]

The other day I saw a bag of almond flour at Aldi for $5.99. I don't use it myself but that seems like a pretty good price - I once had a recipe that called for it but ended up not buying any because it was like 9 bucks for a little bag of it at Jewel. Wanted to pass that along for any gluten free/paleo folks.

Also bought some "mixed berry" paleo granola that was, I think, $2-something for the bag. It's pretty good.

Also bought a 3-pack of mini pizza crusts, also for $2-something. They were AWFUL. Cardboardy and tasteless. And they stuck to the baking sheet. I used homemade sauce rather than the sauce packets that came with it, so can't speak to the quality or lack thereof of that. Oh well.

I did see the almond flour on my last trip. If I didn't have a full bag from Costco, I'd stock up. That's a very good price.

The Aldi gluten-free selection is mostly good, and they're great with labels. The GF pasta is very good, the bread and wraps are decent, and the black sesame-brown rice crisps are so good that we would buy them even if I didn't have celiac disease. For frozen pizza, though, I stick with the Costco gluten-free cheese pizza.

[Tris Prior]

Yes! We are not GF but we try to limit white flour, and the brown rice and quinoa pastas are staples in our house. They're pretty good, though I find they get dry and gluey if I cook the whole bag and refrigerate what I don't eat. The sweet chili crackers are pretty good too. Haven't tried the black sesame ones, but I'm going later today and may pick some up on your recommendation!

[seattleite]

Just went to Aldi today - Man, I love that place. What's particularly impressive is how fast they can go through your groceries at the checkout line without the need to pack the bags. Wow, they are impressive.

I've been keeping a price per unit spreadsheet lately and Aldi wins vs TJs, Walmart, and Kroger most of the time.

[OtherJen]

This morning’s Aldi flier is advertising avocados for $0.35 each this week. Excuse me while I make an extra trip to stock up...

[Tris Prior]

I went to the nicer Aldi near me (which, oddly, is in a worse neighborhood - go figure!) and finally found some of the 80s cheese. Girls Just Want to Have Fontina. The label has a cow dressed like Cyndi Lauper on it. The cheese is good, nothing special, but it makes me laugh. (Realizing now that I didn't make a note of the price; oh well.)

Also got a large thing of blueberries for $1.39. They probably taste like sand as they are out of season. I guess I'll find out; if they're terrible then I'll just stick them in oatmeal or muffins or something.

[Cranky]

I got blueberries yesterday, and they were delicious!

[2Birds1Stone]

$.49 avocados today, stocked up on 6

They have had cheap avocados this winter, and they are PHENOMENAL! We've been eating a ton of avocado toast, guacamole, and adding them sliced to cold cut sandwiches.

[Tris Prior]

I got blueberries yesterday, and they were delicious!

Yeah, I had some today and they are not bad, considering they're not in season!

I have never had luck with Aldi avocadoes, though. They go right from hard as a rock to mushy and brown and gross with no good-to-eat stage in between.