Shopping at Aldi's

[coppertop]

I'm annoyed that they haven't had the unsweetened vanilla almond milk in quite awhile.  They still have the "original," and they have the sweetened almond milk in vanilla.  This happens to me all the time at Aldi - items I consistently buy just disappear and often never return.  I found shelf-stable tofu a couple of years ago, but when it was gone, it never returned.  Vegan Italian sausages have disappeared now too. 

We do like the German-ground fair trade coffee and I hope that doesn't disappear from the shelves.

I find the opposite at my Aldi - I'm always looking for the unsweetened original almond milk - and they have anything but for weeks and weeks ... Anytime I see they have it, I pick up 2 or 3 of them to be safe.

Did your price go up? For a long time they were $1.99, but now they're $2.29

I think it's still $1.89 here in southeastern Pennsylvania.  The vanilla has reappeared for now.  I grab one every time I'm in so I have a small stockpile.

[BZB]

I'm excited about the cheese and wine advent calendars which I believe come out Nov 1. I hope my Aldi stocks them.
Anyone try their mini cucumbers? I am addicted. Also love the big boxes of triple washed spinach and arugula.

[Pigeon]

I bought a gigantic pumpkin for $2.99 this weekend.  It would have been more than twice that much anywhere else i shop.

[OtherJen]

Right now, our local Aldi has 3-packs of red and yellow bell peppers for $1.69. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen them that cheap. I bought two packs and am thinking I might buy a few more this week and dice them for freezer storage. They also had really beautiful cilantro for $0.49 and multipacks of jalapeños for $0.59. I foresee a batch of chili this week.

I will definitely have to look for the wine and cheese Advent calendars! I’m also hoping they stock the fancy jarred spicy olives again for Thanksgiving/Christmas. My mom and I were mildly obsessed with them a couple of years ago.

[Mgmny]

I'm excited about the cheese and wine advent calendars which I believe come out Nov 1. I hope my Aldi stocks them.

Whatttt? Our Aldi can't sell alcohol....

Same. It's one of the only drawbacks of living in MN

[Pigeon]

I'm excited about the cheese and wine advent calendars which I believe come out Nov 1. I hope my Aldi stocks them.

Whatttt? Our Aldi can't sell alcohol....

Same. It's one of the only drawbacks of living in MN

You must be kidding.  You have mosquitoes the likes of which I have never experienced anywhere.  Gigantic, blood draining droves of mosquitos.

[Mgmny]

I'm excited about the cheese and wine advent calendars which I believe come out Nov 1. I hope my Aldi stocks them.

Whatttt? Our Aldi can't sell alcohol....

Same. It's one of the only drawbacks of living in MN

You must be kidding.  You have mosquitoes the likes of which I have never experienced anywhere.  Gigantic, blood draining droves of mosquitos.

Haha ok, that's true, but no deadly snakes/spiders, and we have a reasonably low cockroach population compared to you southerners.

[Frankies Girl]

Just got back from Aldi run. I'm freaking out and giggling manically...

100% grass-fed organic ground beef: $1.39/lb. I bought them out. I now have 21 pounds of magnificent tasty beef in my freezer. I have lucked across it before on clearance but never that cheap. I think this may just be the most epic score I've ever made, but I'd have to go back and compare the Pork Tenderloin Deal of 2017 (and yes, that was worth making a note of, and using capital letters).

Also, they are selling insanely huge pumpkins for $1.99 each.

Also also, I am sad I missed the $10 Halloween inflatables. They were freaking adorable and I'm doing a haunted pumpkin patch this year and they had a ghost and a stack of pumpkins I somehow didn't notice in the sales paper.

[Gronnie]

Damn that's a good deal on that beef. It's 5.99/lb here.

[Tris Prior]

I'm excited about the cheese and wine advent calendars which I believe come out Nov 1. I hope my Aldi stocks them.
Anyone try their mini cucumbers? I am addicted. Also love the big boxes of triple washed spinach and arugula.

The Aldi nearest me doesn't sell booze. In my city it appears to vary by ward; there are also some CVS's and Walgreens that have booze and some that do not. Must be some weird liquor license thing. I'm looking forward to the cheese one for sure!

I love their spinach/arugula mix and it takes FOREVER to go bad, unlike pretty much any other bagged/boxed greens I have bought anywhere.

FrankiesGirl, how did the beef end up being? I don't eat meat, but Boyfriend has tried meat a couple times from Aldi and found it to be horrifyingly bad. I haven't seen organic/grass-fed at my Aldi, but to be fair, we haven't been looking that hard since the Gross Chicken Incident occurred. It would be great if he didn't have to make a separate meat grocery run.

[coppertop]

In Pennsylvania, Aldi, Trader Joe's etc. can't sell alcohol because you have to have a "cafe" in order to do so.  We have a very provincial liquor control board here, so we miss out on this type of deal, sad to say. The state is in the business of selling wine and spirits in its own stores, and it controls prices.

[Roadrunner53]

In CT no booze is sold in Aldi either.

[Frankies Girl]

I'm excited about the cheese and wine advent calendars which I believe come out Nov 1. I hope my Aldi stocks them.
Anyone try their mini cucumbers? I am addicted. Also love the big boxes of triple washed spinach and arugula.

The Aldi nearest me doesn't sell booze. In my city it appears to vary by ward; there are also some CVS's and Walgreens that have booze and some that do not. Must be some weird liquor license thing. I'm looking forward to the cheese one for sure!

I love their spinach/arugula mix and it takes FOREVER to go bad, unlike pretty much any other bagged/boxed greens I have bought anywhere.

FrankiesGirl, how did the beef end up being? I don't eat meat, but Boyfriend has tried meat a couple times from Aldi and found it to be horrifyingly bad. I haven't seen organic/grass-fed at my Aldi, but to be fair, we haven't been looking that hard since the Gross Chicken Incident occurred. It would be great if he didn't have to make a separate meat grocery run.

The organic beef is fine; it is much less fatty than the regular GB and the texture is different so it took me some getting used to but I can tell the difference in flavor from the organic to the regular (and it's the same manufacturer/distributor as other store/chains - the packaging is the same they just change the labels).

We love their pork tenderloin, but we also follow the revised temp for doneness and let them be a bit pink on the inside so they are not dried out and stay tender. Plain and teriyaki are the faves but we'll take the mesquite and peppercorn and wash them off - those two are too much seasoning for us as is. Lemon pepper is too weird so we avoid that one even if it is on sale/clearance (couldn't get rid of the overly artificial lemon flavor no matter what sauces were used). Pork tenderloin is as lean as any cut of chicken, low in carbs (or zero if you get the plain no seasoned) and super high in protein, and goes in a variety of dishes as well.

I don't usually buy their chicken parts, but the whole chickens in the past were decent and I do remember getting some wings once that were nice. Their chicken breasts weren't as good so I don't buy them much. There was a discussion on another forum I recall that mentioned chicken breasts in general that had white striations - like most of the cheapy chicken deals in all stores - tend to taste weird and are tougher due to the chicken raising techniques/packing or something to that effect.

We are addicted to their prepared chicken tho. There is a limited run every few months of a product called Fit & Active Grilled Chicken Bites. We buy them out every time and even go hit additional stores. They are basically naked, no carb chicken nuggets with lowish sodium and decent flavor (there are an occasional oddly strong flavored CHICKEN one, but overall they are great). They are pre-cooked so it's amazingly easy to add them to anything chicken-y. Just ~3 minutes in the microwave and you have decent protein without having to cut up/deal with raw chicken. I use them with low carb bbq or horseradish sauces on the side, or toss them into rice/sauce blends for a fast meal.

[Davnasty]

Just got back from Aldi run. I'm freaking out and giggling manically...

100% grass-fed organic ground beef: $1.39/lb. I bought them out. I now have 21 pounds of magnificent tasty beef in my freezer. I have lucked across it before on clearance but never that cheap. I think this may just be the most epic score I've ever made, but I'd have to go back and compare the Pork Tenderloin Deal of 2017 (and yes, that was worth making a note of, and using capital letters).

Also, they are selling insanely huge pumpkins for $1.99 each.

Also also, I am sad I missed the $10 Halloween inflatables. They were freaking adorable and I'm doing a haunted pumpkin patch this year and they had a ghost and a stack of pumpkins I somehow didn't notice in the sales paper.

So jealous, the bragging about that kind of score is almost worth more than the savings. I'd much rather find a 20lb bag of rice for $1 (true story) than find a $10 bill on the ground (rice is a little over $.50/lb for me). After all, I'm still talking about that rice from 10+ years ago...

[Tris Prior]

I don't usually buy their chicken parts, but the whole chickens in the past were decent and I do remember getting some wings once that were nice. Their chicken breasts weren't as good so I don't buy them much. There was a discussion on another forum I recall that mentioned chicken breasts in general that had white striations - like most of the cheapy chicken deals in all stores - tend to taste weird and are tougher due to the chicken raising techniques/packing or something to that effect.

We are addicted to their prepared chicken tho. There is a limited run every few months of a product called Fit & Active Grilled Chicken Bites. We buy them out every time and even go hit additional stores. They are basically naked, no carb chicken nuggets with lowish sodium and decent flavor (there are an occasional oddly strong flavored CHICKEN one, but overall they are great). They are pre-cooked so it's amazingly easy to add them to anything chicken-y. Just ~3 minutes in the microwave and you have decent protein without having to cut up/deal with raw chicken. I use them with low carb bbq or horseradish sauces on the side, or toss them into rice/sauce blends for a fast meal.

Good to know - Boyfriend eats a lot of chicken and he thought it was gross and tasted weird and (TMI) was extremely flatulent afterwards. I think that was his one experience with Aldi meat.... and, well, my feeling is that if he must eat meat, I would rather he was eating good quality stuff. I don't want him eating scary meat.

[rantk81]

I regularly buy the Aldi chicken breasts, and I have not had the problem with overly tough and stringy chicken from Aldi....  But the last package of chicken breasts I bought from Jewel-Osco (Albertsons) certainly had that problem, and it was absolutely disgusting!  I haven't bought chicken from Jewel ever since that.

[Pigeon]

I've seen the stringy chicken from other stores.  I don't think it's so much the store as wherever they happen to source the chicken.  I tend not to buy meat at Aldi though as it's one area where around here they generally are more expensive as compared to the local grocery stores' loss leaders for the week..

[OtherJen]

I've never had a problem with chicken from Aldi. I usually buy the antibiotic/hormone-free packages. Our local store also carries 1-lb packages of organic grass-fed ground beef for a regular price of about $5/lb. As this is the same price/lb as Costco, I don't have a preference for either store on this item as the quality is the same.

[Frankies Girl]

Just an FYI...

they just recently (like in the last day or so) tweaked their store return policy.

Returns are still "twice as nice" for ALDI brand food items, WITH a receipt. You can not return something and get a replacement and refund without the receipt. Used to be they'd honor it no matter since it was obvious what was Aldi stuff, but apparently they've been seeing lots of issues/losses so they're cracking down.

And to return national brand stuff or ANY non-food item (even if it is their store brand), you can't get money back without a receipt. Only store credit. And in the case of the non Aldi stuff, they can outright refuse to give you anything back, not even store credit.

And some stores are being told by their GMs that despite the wording on the new policy cards at the registers (light blue/white cards reading "twice as nice" to explain the new policy) that they are not allowed to do any returns - in direct opposition to the written corporate rules... so that's going to be fun to challenge. :(

So save your receipts if you had gotten lax - I had, and of course had something I'd have liked to return and can't now...

[Lauran75]

I'm annoyed that they haven't had the unsweetened vanilla almond milk in quite awhile.  They still have the "original," and they have the sweetened almond milk in vanilla.  This happens to me all the time at Aldi - items I consistently buy just disappear and often never return.  I found shelf-stable tofu a couple of years ago, but when it was gone, it never returned.  Vegan Italian sausages have disappeared now too. 

We do like the German-ground fair trade coffee and I hope that doesn't disappear from the shelves.

I find the opposite at my Aldi - I'm always looking for the unsweetened original almond milk - and they have anything but for weeks and weeks ... Anytime I see they have it, I pick up 2 or 3 of them to be safe.

Did your price go up? For a long time they were $1.99, but now they're $2.29

I won't do premade almond milk anymore, nor will I go through the trouble of making it from scratch, either. What's coming is not an Aldi tip, but useful tip for almond milk people none-the-less, such as @coppertop and @Lauran75 here.

What I do is buy some bulk Bob's Red Mill almond flour (not meal, but blanched flour) from Sam's Club using a guest pass, and throw 1/8th of a cup of it and 8-16oz of water along with a pinch of salt into a cheap smoothie blender and run that for about 30 seconds, let it sit for a few minutes, and run it again for another 30 seconds.

Best almond milk ever, and it's literally made on demand - though you could probably do larger batches to refrigerate if you wanted. You can even control and add your own sweetener, a little oil, or flavors in small batches, too. No cheesecloth filtering, no soaking, just almond milk in a couple minutes. And if you want thicker almond milk, toss in a half teaspoon of unflavored fiber supplement at the same time. The psyllium does wonders to thicken.

Technically, 1/8c to 16oz gives you a similar calorie profile to unsweetened premade. At that ratio, even with the 10% premium for non-members, $15.40+tax and that 3lb sack gives you around 12.25 gallons of shelf stable almond milk mix, or $1.26/gallon, or 63¢/half gallon. Even if you double the almond flour (which I do), it's still cheaper than the cheapest almond milk on the market - and far richer and tastier.

Walmart also has a 4lb. bag of almond flour from Nature's Eats for $20 (so less hassle than trying to get it from Sam's without the membership), but the quality of almond flour just isn't the same. The Bob's makes a far creamier and less stale tasting milk.

Last tip for a treat:
Almond Flour Chocolate Mint "Milkshake"
1.5 C water (cold)
1/4 C almond flour
1 tsp ground psyllium fiber
pinch salt
sweetener to taste (stevia, agave, honey, sugar, whatever)
1 rounded tbsp dutch cocoa
fresh mint leaves (or splash mint extract)
1 tbsp oil (grapeseed works well)

Blend for 30 seconds, let sit for 2-5 minutes or until the foam visibly rises to the top. Blend for 30 seconds again, let sit another 2-5 minutes. Much less foam should rise to the top this time. Blend another 30 seconds. Drink.

This recipe also makes a decent sorbet if you have a churn.

EDIT: I was trying to think of a way to loop this post back around on topic, and I think I've got it.

Don't have a blender to work this magic with? Don't bother with buying some fancy Vitamix or whatever. Aldi should still have in stock a personal smoothie blender for something like $16 with a three year warranty. You should see an ROI on your almond milk costs with this thing before the bottom of the first bag of almond flour, even at their own almond milk prices.

HA! HA! HA! Cookies on dowels Back on topic!

@Daley Thank you! I will have to give this a try.

[Roadrunner53]

Okay, I never shop at Aldi and have been there maybe 5 times and never was impressed with anything. The store in my town just had a major renovation and is having a grand reopening this week. They sent me a $5 coupon and I can only use it if I spend $30. I can go to any grocery store and spend $30 without blinking my eyes but my question is what would you buy at Aldi's if you were not a regular shopper and just want to get stuff that is healthy. I don't want cereal and I had a horrid experience with a piece of meat with bacon wrapped around it. It was like shoe leather, BLEH! One time I bought some frozen fruit. Just not feeling the love for Aldi's. I want to love it and so many people praise it but in the past the produce was either non existent or really not fresh looking. Ho Hum or I just let the coupon go...

[Cranky]

Do you bake? Granola bars (they have a wide variety.) Frozen vegetables? Fresh vegetables? They have grass fed ground beef which tastes fine to me. Plain yogurt? Almond butter? Scented candles are on special this week.

[HipGnosis]

I had a horrid experience with a piece of meat with bacon wrapped around it. It was like shoe leather, BLEH! One time I bought some frozen fruit. Just not feeling the love for Aldi's. I want to love it and so many people praise it but in the past the produce was either non existent or really not fresh looking. Ho Hum or I just let the coupon go...

When did you have the meat experience?  Aldis had poor (to bad) meat and produce years ago.  They have improved vastly.  I now don't hesitate to buy anything at Aldis other than bags of produce that would spoil before I could consume it.

[Roadrunner53]

The bad meat experience was around 2 years ago. Someone told me Aldi's has these small steaks with bacon wrapped around the outside. They looked a bit like fillet mignon. They were tough as shoe leather.

I suppose I should go there and see what looks good. The only thing I bought there that I did like was there fresh prepared pizza's.

I am making home made yogurt in my Instant Pot so I guess I could look for frozen fruit and nuts.

[Nightwatchman9270]

Back when eggs were as low as 39 cents a dozen at Aldi's I used to go all the time.  Now not so much.  My wife and I like their $4 Savignon Blanc ok so that alone makes it worth it.  The Wal-mart nearby thats closer to my house pretty much price matches them weekly so there's less reason to go.  I agree about the red meat, it's not very good.  We only eat red meat once a week anyway.  The small amount of non-fruit produce is good and the cheapest I have found.  Stay away from the bagged lettuces they are basically half-slimy compost.  Actually better to stay away from bagged lettuce in general.

We buy organic but only the dirty dozen.  I'm not convinced the rest matter. 

[Roadrunner53]

Our Aldi does not sell wine or anything alcoholic!

Maybe people who have kids find stuff cheap there like cereal, crackers, cookies, snack foods. The bigger grocery stores have beautiful displays of fresh fruit and veggies. I found Aldi had bare baskets of picked over vegetables and not much to choose from. I find it weird there is no fresh cut meat or a butcher there. Glad others find good stuff there but we have a store in CT called Big Y and it has just about everything I want and if not, there is a Stop & Shop that is bigger and has everything.

[Davnasty]

The bad meat experience was around 2 years ago. Someone told me Aldi's has these small steaks with bacon wrapped around the outside. They looked a bit like fillet mignon. They were tough as shoe leather.

Those little fake fillet things are terrible no matter where you buy them. I don't know what they are, I doubt they're even a consistent cut. It seems like they just take some scrap meat, wrap it in a slice of bacon, and smash it into a round package so that it has the filet shape. I've had them from 2 different stores and they were both awful.

[Roadrunner53]

The bad meat experience was around 2 years ago. Someone told me Aldi's has these small steaks with bacon wrapped around the outside. They looked a bit like fillet mignon. They were tough as shoe leather.

Those little fake fillet things are terrible no matter where you buy them. I don't know what they are, I doubt they're even a consistent cut. It seems like they just take some scrap meat, wrap it in a slice of bacon, and smash it into a round package so that it has the filet shape. I've had them from 2 different stores and they were both awful.

LOL! Funny because the person who told me about the meat thingies said "they were SOOO good"! BLEH!

Here you go, $1 steaks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tIHicqWJoc

[OtherJen]

Items like 1-lb packs of organic grass-fed ground beef, eggs, coffee beans, canned beans and tomatoes, pasta, rice, jarred pesto, jarred olives, basic condiments, and baking supplies are always good values at Aldi. Non-food items like aluminum foil, parchment paper, cling wrap, and tissues are also good buys.

Aldi is also advertising their holiday special buys, which usually include good fancy cheeses. Hopefully they’ll also have packages of smoked salmon.

[Nightwatchman9270]

Eggs USED to be a good deal.  Last week they were $1.39/ dozen which is not a great deal.  I buy the 5 dozen boxes at walmart for 97 cents a dozen.  Yeah....we eat a lot of eggs.  My wife eats 5 hard boiled egg whites every day so we go through them pretty quickly.  You are right about the grass fed beef though.  I've recently been converted to the idea of eating grass fed after reading enough about the corn and crap fed cows.  We just eat smaller portions of it.  It's reasonably cheap at Aldi.  Cant speak for all the processed crap (cookies, crackers, cereal).  We won't buy it. 

[Tris Prior]

The cranberry white cheddar, which I believe is a holiday item, has arrived at my Aldi. YUM!

[Arbitrage]

Had my first Aldi trip last week!  I was impressed.  Not everything was super cheap, but there was plenty that was.  The fruit I got was pretty good (the mandarin oranges/Cuties weren't great, but it's a name brand and it's not quite the season for them now, so I'm not blaming Aldi for that.  The 39 cent mangoes were fantastic. 

Really trying to sell DW on it, who does most of the grocery shopping.  I think if we could use Aldi to replace the majority of Albertson's runs (still would have to pick up some stuff at Target and Sam's Club), it might save us as much as a couple hundred bucks a month.  Last weekend, she went back to Albertson's because she 'didn't have enough time to try the new store and wasn't sure what she could get there.'  Hopefully this weekend I can get her to Aldi.  She seems open to it, unlike the MIL ("I hate Aldi.  I'm very brand-loyal").  MIL can do what she wants, but for my groceries, I'm interested in saving money!

[OtherJen]

The cranberry white cheddar, which I believe is a holiday item, has arrived at my Aldi. YUM!

Yay! I need to pick up a couple of things today. A wheel of that cheddar might find its way into my basket.

[OurTown]

Actually I just went back to Aldi this past weekend, first time in a long time.  Produce has been very fresh.  I cooked up a whole head of cabbage with some sliced kielbasa, really great.  Also noticed a lot of their meat is vacu-sealed.  I got a ribeye, cooked it up in Kerrygold butter with a chopped onion and a little can of mushrooms.  Fantastic, better quality steak than the grocery or even Costco.

They also had a frozen duck (with a packet of orange sauce).  Purchased but have yet to try.

Aldi now takes Amex, so I get my 4% cash back on groceries.

[OtherJen]

The cranberry white cheddar, which I believe is a holiday item, has arrived at my Aldi. YUM!

Yay! I need to pick up a couple of things today. A wheel of that cheddar might find its way into my basket.

Sadly, the holiday cheeses have not yet arrived at my store. But I did get several hard squashes for $0.59/lb, organic chicken stock for $1.49/quart, and 10-oz. bags of pecan halves for $4.99.

[FireAnt]

I just want to share my LOVE for Aldi's! I shop there first to get as much stuff as possible, then go to Meijer for the rest of it.

It has definitely made major improvements over the past few years. They have a TON of organic and natural foods that are far cheaper than competitor stores. I do buy the Never Any chicken and have never had an issue. Can't say much about the beef because I buy a quarter cow.

Things I always buy there: organic tortilla chips, organic salsa, almond milk, organic ketchup, almond and peanut butter, cheeses, some fruit/veg's -- always have the best avocados, whole wheat pasta, marinara (1 kind that doesn't have added sugar), Never Any chicken, Never Any chicken sausage, canned tomatoes, organic spices, Kerrygold butter, dark choc. covered espresso beans, dried beans, oats when I'm out of Costco ones, riced cauliflower, the list really just goes on!

Side note- I stopped by Aldi on Wednesday after work to check out the Advent calendars. They said the wine one sold out in minutes and they had a line of 30 people out the door. The cheese one sold out by the afternoon. Bummed!!

[OtherJen]

So it turns out that the Aldi near my house is a smaller store and doesn't always get stocked with everything. There's a newer, larger Aldi about 6 miles away that had all of the fancy smoked salmon and meats and many types of fancy cheese, including a sage Derby cheese that my father-in-law absolutely loved. I think I know where I'm stocking up for Christmas entertaining.

The store near me did have a very good pitted olive blend in the cold case. I'll need to stock up on those too.

[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.

[OtherJen]

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.

[slackmax]

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.

Raisin bran went up from $1.99 to $2.19 a box (18 ounces) at my eastern Pa Aldi's   !

[coppertop]

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.

Raisin bran went up from $1.99 to $2.19 a box (18 ounces) at my eastern Pa Aldi's   !

There have been other such increases as well on the items I buy the most, including their High Pulp Orange Juice, which not only went up in price per jug, but each jug now contains seven ounces less juice. 

[Frankies Girl]

If you live in an area where they have several Aldi stores, it might pay to check them all out. There are huge price differences in my area Aldi stores depending on the neighborhood. I know to never expect to get a good deal on milk/eggs/staples from the one near my gym because it's always at least 50¢ to a full dollar higher than the one near my house. And one in a densely populated area near a huge amount of apartments for some reason is always super cheap compared to any of the others.

[Arbitrage]

Been loving the new Aldi.  Finally got DW to go after two previous unsuccessful attempts, and I think she was largely impressed.  I've been getting the family to try out various Aldi brands, and mostly they've been fine with the substitutions.  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!

Hoping with Aldi and a few other changes I've made, we'll get our grocery bill for four from its current $850 to perhaps $650 or so.  Still not what many around here manage, but on the right track!

[BrightFIRE]

I went to Aldi Saturday because they were advertising 2.99/lb chuck roast. I get there, and there is no signage for this deal, or even this cut of meat. I was pretty annoyed. Then I noticed a label on a piece of meat that said "Chuck Roast" - I flip it over, and it's the advertised price. So I grabbed the 4 largest (put 3 in the freezer).

I've never noticed this with any other meat, but I thought I'd mention to double-check for the deal price even if you don't see the label on the shelf.

[OtherJen]

I went to Aldi Saturday because they were advertising 2.99/lb chuck roast. I get there, and there is no signage for this deal, or even this cut of meat. I was pretty annoyed. Then I noticed a label on a piece of meat that said "Chuck Roast" - I flip it over, and it's the advertised price. So I grabbed the 4 largest (put 3 in the freezer).

I've never noticed this with any other meat, but I thought I'd mention to double-check for the deal price even if you don't see the label on the shelf.

Argh! I looked for this deal yesterday and didn't spot it. I'll try again tomorrow. Thanks.

[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.