Shopping at Aldi's

[Pigeon]

I've never been to Aldi.  There is one approximately 25 miles away from where we live and 10 miles from my work in the opposite direction from home.  Would the savings be worth it?  It would also increase my time sitting in traffic if stopping on my way home from work.  But I am very interested in lowering our grocery budget.

The one closest to me is out of my way as well.  I go every six weeks or so and stock up on the stuff that is routinely much cheaper there, but I don't have time to go every week.  I wish I did.

[Rural]

I've never been to Aldi.  There is one approximately 25 miles away from where we live and 10 miles from my work in the opposite direction from home.  Would the savings be worth it?  It would also increase my time sitting in traffic if stopping on my way home from work.  But I am very interested in lowering our grocery budget.

I'm in a similar situation, and the one nearest me is not worth it, but I've definitely  been in an Aldis that was worth it, near my mother. I'd say it's worth a trip to determine which sort of Aldi you have, because the potential payoff is large.

[rockstache]

I love Aldi. The produce is generally terrible, but the meat is good, snacks, dairy, hummus (which DH would eat by the spoonful if he could), and canned goods are awesome. We really like the frozen pizza too, so maybe it has improved from what it used to be.

[Giro]

They just remodeled our Aldi and did a re-opening and sent us a coupon.  I decided to try it again.  it's still horrible.  The produce goes bad before you make it home.  The meat is sketchy and the only other thing I would be interested in are canned beans but it's SO not worth it to make an extra trip. 

Yuckamadoo

[rubybeth]

I wonder if the hit-or-miss factor on the produce has to do with what region people are in. I'm in Minnesota, and the produce at our Aldi is pretty good--I always look things over to make sure it's ripe or not over-ripe or whatever, but I do that in any grocery store. Our store was just remodeled/expanded and re-opened this week, so I'm excited to see what new things they carry. My sister's regular Aldi in the twin cities area has a few things we don't have in our city, like Apfelschorle (fizzy apple drink that's a German favorite), and I'm hoping they'll carry more specialty products like that.

If you've had a bad Aldi experience, I really challenge you to try it once more. They really do seem to go for constant optimization, and are always working at improving.

[Rosy]

Aldi came to our area about three years ago and Walmart is feeling the hurt:)

We are lucky - the closest one is about a mile away -ours is great - fresh produce, excellent meat buys every Wednesday. Their expanding cheese selection is half price what it would be elsewhere. Love their Italian and German week. Two more are 4 miles away in opposite directions. So when they have a great special and they sell out at one location we hit the other two:)

Batteries, detergent, ibuprofen, light bulbs - well worth it. A lot of organic choices and great pasta as well.

Of course we don't like all their products, in the beginning it was more of a trial and error, so now we know their bread selection is fresh and fabulous. I buy a big loaf and freeze it in sliced portions. Their canned goods are all fine too and whatever frozen seasonal veggies they have we've been pleased with, especially the family sized sweet potato casserole.

Best place to buy garden furniture and always check their reduced section ... so yeah, I'm a fan.

We now have a Trader Joe's, but it's about 20 min by car, so I haven't been there yet.

[Sofa King]

Aldi's is a great store but stay away from the frozen pizza. It is the WORST.

[LennStar]

Aldi's is a great store but stay away from the frozen pizza. It is the WORST.

LOL
Actually - at least here in Germany - LIDL has the worst frozen pizza.
You get what you buy. If you think you get great pizza for $3 you are wrong.

But putting a bit of salami and a bit more of cheese on one of those can make even them quite good. Better is to bake pizza yourself, of course. Doesnt need to be a "real" pizza, just dough and tomato and salami or whatever you want. Half the price, double the yum.

[MandalayVA]

An Aldi's opened up about a mile and a half from my sister-in-law's place in the West End of Richmond this spring.  Meat prices were excellent--95 cents a pound for chicken, for example--but overall I wasn't super-impressed with it. 

[HipGnosis]

Aldi ... excellent meat buys every Wednesday.

Is this true for all Aldis?? 

[HipGnosis]

I love Aldi. .. hummus (which DH would eat by the spoonful if he could)

Unless it's a diet restriction, perhaps you should be making your own hummus.

[Jack]

Aldi's is a great store but stay away from the frozen pizza. It is the WORST.

The Aldi here has some special "Greek gyro" and "Cuban sandwich" frozen pizzas right now and I decided to get them. So far, the Cuban has been pretty good. I haven't tried the Greek yet.

[HipGnosis]

I love Aldi. .. hummus (which DH would eat by the spoonful if he could)

Unless it's a diet restriction, perhaps you should be making your own hummus.

Meant to include;
It's really MMM badass if you buy dry chickpeas
It's really easy if you use sesame oil instead of tahini

[Sjalabais]

I fly to Germany once or twice a year from Norway. 20kg is the load linit on my carrier. It's used up in its entirety for Hungarian salami (unbeatable world's best use of pig meat), chocolate, cheese and alcohol.

[velocistar237]

It's really MMM badass if you buy dry chickpeas
It's really easy if you use sesame oil instead of tahini

Thanks for this. Just made hummus for the first time for a birthday party.

[Emilyngh]

Ohhhh, we just had an Aldi open this summer.   I'd never been and was skeptical thinking that maybe it'd save us 10% or less....but, been going for several months and it saves us more like 30%!

We buy almost all of our groceries there now.   The only things I go elsewhere for now are fake meat products (like boca burgers and morningstar), Asian things (Asian noodles, tofu, etc), and fresh herbs that we don't have in our garden.   I've found nuts to cost the same as the store brand/sale price at the grocery store, and everything else I buy there is no more expensive than the super bottom sale price elsewhere and usually considerably less.   With this said, my mom has an Aldi near her and it's not nearly as good as ours, so they vary greatly.  Things I especially love to buy at Aldi:

-produce!!!!! avocados, berries, watermelon, apples, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, etc, etc, all the produce at super low prices!   I have found the quality to be the same as the regular grocery store, if not better.   Really no issues.
-milk (almond and regular)
-nuts and dried cherries
-fair trade coffee and dark chocolate
-their brand cheerios (they are different but DD and DH don't mind)
-pretzels and any snacks
-tubs of hummus, especially the spicy one
-cheese/cheese sticks when we buy it for a treat (not often)
-frozen veggies and berries
-whole wheat pasta, wheat gnocchi and tomato sauce
-baking supplies and oils
-whole wheat bread
-taco shells, dried beans, and canned beans
-natural peanut butter and whole fruit (no corn syrup) preserves

Really I could go on and on b/c we buy very close to everything there....I've found all of it to be good, except their brand of nutella.   It's not as good, but that's pretty much the only thing I've found so far....

[Emilyngh]

I love Aldi. .. hummus (which DH would eat by the spoonful if he could)

Unless it's a diet restriction, perhaps you should be making your own hummus.

We used to make our own hummus.   Now I just buy Aldi's and have no regrets.   It's tasty, $2 a tub, and ready to eat whenever I want.  They also have a spicy kind that's just addictive.   Seriously, it's my vice right now.

[Emilyngh]

And if my credit card didn't work, I'd just use debit instead, no big deal to me, I'd definitely still shop there. I often only spend like $20-$30 each time I go and am usually amazed I manage to get so much food for so little money.

If they accepted credit card, I would shop there, but I don't right now. I get 6% back on groceries on my credit card, making my local grocery store slightly better than Aldi, and pretty close to Costco, except for a few items.

I get 6% back on my cc too (although there is a $75 a yr fee), and thought with the difference in distance and this Aldi probably wouldn't save us much.   I was wrong and will have to compare the difference in savings on gas with the card, but will probably be canceling it before the next fee.

[MrsCoolCat]

Love Aldi & following this post for later, but the produce def varies. Sometimes it's like jackpot buried treasure. Other times it's like everyth is out of stock or not fresh looking.

[drdollars]

I recently came across this side-by-side price comparison sheet between Aldi, Sam's Club, and Costco. Here's  link if you're interested: http://passionatepennypincher.com/2015/09/the-ultimate-aldi-costco-sams-club-comparison-chart/

I have been VERY impressed with the produce at Aldi. They generally have many organic options at mine. I, like others have said, was not a huge fan of the frozen pizza, but there's a lot of great stuff to be had with the added benefit that you don't have to walk into Walmart!

[justajane]

I recently came across this side-by-side price comparison sheet between Aldi, Sam's Club, and Costco. Here's  link if you're interested: http://passionatepennypincher.com/2015/09/the-ultimate-aldi-costco-sams-club-comparison-chart/

The problem with these side-by-side comparison sheets is that price is highly regional. Hell, the Sam's Clubs in my area vary dramatically. I've found things $2-$3 more expensive 5 miles away.

I would pay decent money for an app that would price compare Sam's, Aldi and Costco for me instantaneously, but I think it's impossible, also because prices change from week to week. Bacon at our Costco has vacillated from $7.99 for four pounds all the way up to $13.99 in the last few months.

[ChandraNH]

Aldi has an excellent hot giardinera in stores right now. Used it for italian beef sandwiches today. On the aisle where they keep seasonal and special buys. And Oktoberfest products should be rolling in from Germany soon.

I'm a huge aldi fan, love the compactness and ease of shopping (though I get my meat from a farmer).

All their imported stuff tends to be excellent, though my husband grumbles when I bring something fantastic home, only for it to disappear as a special or limited buy.

[The Accidental Mustachian]

Specifically

Tomato Ketchup - for years i have tried alternatives to Heinz but found them horrid. Aldi one is indistinguishable to my mind and loads cheaper.

Almat - washing machine liquid and dishwasher tablets. Cheap and easily as effective as branded stuff.

Cycling Sunglasses - £4.99. Come with dark, yellow and clear lenses. They are equal to much more expensive pairs and at the rate i misplace them they are just the job!

Generally, i did my first big shop at Aldi last month. (i don't keep spreadsheets on my grocery shopping (Mmm Heresy i know... shoot me) so i have to go on general feel) I was surprised at how much cheaper it came in for my basic monthly shop. I would guess it was 15 - 20% cheaper. The stuff i bought all got pretty good reviews off the kids. (i have to be honest though and say i did find the experience a bit more stressful than the normal big shop as i didn't know where everything was and i have been conditioned over the years to spotting the brands i know and lobbing them in the trolley. Also i felt under pressure packing my bags - a bit like one of those clips on tv of people taking part in a bag packing competition!!)

[MrsCoolCat]

I posted this a while back (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/weekly-grocery-list-how-i-save/msg528837/#msg528837) but now I usually buy organic bag of popcorn, spaghetti sauce, can tomatoes, can black beans, chicken stock & animal crackers. Also, non-organic unsweetened almond milk, fruit specials (they currently have a bag of navel oranges for $2.49 & mandarins for $3.49), bananas, turkey bacon, wheat wraps, wheat bread, cheese, OJ, cream cheese, hummus, potatoes, oatmeal, can cat food, various can veggies & beans/lentils, dishwasher detergent and the 80/20 ground beef has been fine for my shepherd's pie, cheeseburgers & lasagna. I might buy more but that's what I remember.

[MsChewieBear]

I used to love Aldi, but it seems like it has been going downhill lately. Like others said, you can't rely on them having a particular type of produce. They didn't have cucumbers like 12 weeks in a row at one point, and they are often out of scallions (which I use frequently since I am on a low-sodium diet and need something else to add flavor to food). I do not buy milk or eggs there; I've gotten bloody eggs several times, and the milk always went bad a few days before the sell-by date when I bought it there.

[G-dog]

I used to love Aldi, but it seems like it has been going downhill lately. Like others said, you can't rely on them having a particular type of produce. They didn't have cucumbers like 12 weeks in a row at one point, and they are often out of scallions (which I use frequently since I am on a low-sodium diet and need something else to add flavor to food). I do not buy milk or eggs there; I've gotten bloody eggs several times, and the milk always went bad a few days before the sell-by date when I bought it there.

Sounds like the local manager isn't doing their job. Having milk go bad makes me think it is not stored at the right temp. If there is another Aldi in town, it may be better.

[ChandraNH]

Our aldi always has the same great produce. Aldi stores do vary by location, I have a primary and two backup for times there is a special buy I want to get more of.

[ahawkchick]

I love ALDI!  However, they do vary by store.  When I was growing up one did not want to go to ALDI.  But the one by where I live now is awesome!  The produce is good.  I especially love the avocado's.  They sometimes have them for 29 cents each.  I agree with others about the good chocolate.  They do also sell organic ground beef (at least at mine).  And they sell decent wine too.  Oh also, lately mine has been selling organic milk too.  $2.99 for a half gallon.  I love ALDI.  I feel it's very underrated, at least in my circle.  It does take some planning and meal prep to use it to it's full advantage though. 

[dungoofed]

We hit Aldi before we go to the supermarket chain next door. Even so, we're usually spending 1/3 of our weekly bill food at Aldi, 2/3 at the regular supermarket. I think our Aldi just has a lot of cheap things that we don't buy.

[Trudie]

Here are some on my better Aldi purchases:

- Chocolate (the REAL deal; excellent quality)
- Boxes of couscous
- Large bags of dried beans
- Huge/cheap bags of rice (including jasmine and basmati)
- Cheese: unique varieties; great sliced cheeses
- Table wine
- Tortilla chips with Sea Salt (excellent and lower in sodium)
-  Flour, baking soda, sugar (basic baking goods)
- Pita chips
- Guacamole (tastes quite similar to Wholly Guacamole and probably really is)
- Spices
- Crusty breads (Italian, Ciabatta)
- English muffins (as good as Thomas' to me)

I have put out their specialty cheeses and have been asked by foodies if I got it at our local co-op/cheese store.  Hmmm...........

I also find that sometimes they offer neat specialty items like fizzy lemonade or nifty cookies around the holidays.

I keep an eye on new items.  I'm also a big Costco shopper and tend to have my favorite items at different places, but lucky for me Aldi just built a store right next to my Costco.  They practically share a parking lot.  Aldi isn't stupid.

[Trudie]

I wonder if the hit-or-miss factor on the produce has to do with what region people are in. I'm in Minnesota, and the produce at our Aldi is pretty good--I always look things over to make sure it's ripe or not over-ripe or whatever, but I do that in any grocery store. Our store was just remodeled/expanded and re-opened this week, so I'm excited to see what new things they carry. My sister's regular Aldi in the twin cities area has a few things we don't have in our city, like Apfelschorle (fizzy apple drink that's a German favorite), and I'm hoping they'll carry more specialty products like that.

If you've had a bad Aldi experience, I really challenge you to try it once more. They really do seem to go for constant optimization, and are always working at improving.

Yep - I've found the produce at the Aldi stores I go to in Wisconsin and Minnesota to be on par with what I find at our conventional grocer.

[MVal]

They always have the cheapest avocados at Aldi. In fact, they have good prices on a lot of their produce. I'm also a fan of their chocolate!! For ladies, I really love this CoQ10 face cream they have called Lacura... it is so great and so cheap!

As a child all the cereal we ate came from Aldi and most of it was really good. They also have the best boxed brownie mix around...try it and prove me wrong!

In college, my sister and I lived off their $5 bags of frozen chicken breasts. Haven't bought those in a while, though.

[justajane]

They also have the best boxed brownie mix around...try it and prove me wrong!

I completely agree! The only other one that competes in my opinion is the Ghiradelli's Dark Chocolate, but it costs much more per ounce. Aldi's Baker's Corner Fudge Brownies FTW!

[jb14]

There's no Aldi's , just like there's no Nordstrom's or Barnes and Noble's. It just ALDI, Nordstrom, and Barnes and Noble.

[pbkmaine]

You've got to let it go, jb14. Otherwise, the people who say they are trying to loose weight and don't know the difference between it's and its will drive you insane.

[Thinkum]

I just went back today to really give them a fair shot. I took my quarter too, so I meant business. I took my time, read the descriptions instead of solely looking at the packages and was shocked. Lots of good stuff at really great prices. The produce was pretty good as well, though the prices on certain things we not as good as Sprouts, others like red potatoes were awesome. So Aldi has made it into the rotation for sure. Thanks to this thread I gave them another try and discovered a lot of products I buy elsewhere for slightly more.

[coppertop]

You've got to let it go, jb14. Otherwise, the people who say they are trying to loose weight and don't know the difference between it's and its will drive you insane.

Thank you so much for my chuckle of the day! 

We have a local restaurant called "Arpeggio," and it drives me nuts when people say they are going to "Arpeggio's," as if Arpeggio is a person. 

[justajane]

There's no Aldi's , just like there's no Nordstrom's or Barnes and Noble's. It just ALDI, Nordstrom, and Barnes and Noble.

There is when you use it as in its possessive form above, i.e. Aldi's brownies. But I'm sure you take issue with me not writing it ALDI's. Oh, well.

[MVal]

You've got to let it go, jb14. Otherwise, the people who say they are trying to loose weight and don't know the difference between it's and its will drive you insane.

Yes, that was my faux pas. I actually hate it when people say "Walmart's," so I will face punch myself.

[jb14]

There's no Aldi's , just like there's no Nordstrom's or Barnes and Noble's. It just ALDI, Nordstrom, and Barnes and Noble.

There is when you use it as in its possessive form above, i.e. Aldi's brownies. But I'm sure you take issue with me not writing it ALDI's. Oh, well.

Good point, @justajane! Aldo's brownies are fantastic! (As I type this from the Aldi parking lot in Minneapolis)!

[MrsCoolCat]

Our new second Aldi opened up 3.5 miles away! I have one 2.2 miles away. The new one is in a nicer neighborhood and the store is bigger though there aren't more items (so they told me). I am predicting already that because of it's location they will have better management and stock/supply, but the "more ghetto" one will be where all the organic and weird specialty items won't be touched and therefore where I will profit and get things marked down on Clearance. I've already seen it happen but it's just a hunch.

[FIence!]

Aldi is the only place we'll buy almond milk (the 40 calorie variety), at $2.29 or $2.49 depending on the week. The one thing we'll never buy there is counterfeit Cheerios (the Aldi version is like sawdust-Os).

[Thinkum]

Their in-house brand cereals are not too good. I also noticed they use artificial flavors. They did actually have Nature's Path Pumpkin granola cereal for like $2.79 or so. Pretty good price. Their turkey lunch meat was way too salty and tasted off. Their tomato pasta sauce with no added salt was great and a killer price at under $2! So there are definitely some things great and others eh.

[pbkmaine]

I do not like the luncheon meat but love the sausage, salami and cheeses. I don't buy any of their cereal except for the rolled oats. Baking supply prices are good, but can be beaten by Sam's Club if you want to buy a huge quantity. The Aldi generic brand of Triscuits is a dead ringer for the name brand. I like their pretzel rods. They tend to have the best prices in the area on bananas, very good prices on most fruits and vegetables, and are always among the lowest on milk, eggs, cottage cheese and quarts of plain yogurt. They tend to be low for noodles, pasta and rice as well. Canned goods are well priced. Any of the Aldi prices can be beaten by BOGOs or special sales, but day in day out I tend to spend less there.

[justajane]

Do any off brand Cheerios taste good? That's one thing we only buy name brand - usually in bulk on sale at Costco. I think ounce for ounce that beats generic at Aldi.

As I type I am eating some of the Tear and Share Chocolate Lovers Brioche. Damn that stuff is good!

[Cyanne]

Went shopping at Aldi today and found SweeTango apples! I bought two bags and it save me a trip to the orchard!

[Thinkum]

Do any off brand Cheerios taste good?

The Trader Joe version is great, though I prefer the Honey Nut version, Honey Nut O's. Pretty cheap, I think it's $1.99 for the box of Joe's O's.

[Nickyd£g]

I went to Lidl yesterday (brother to Aldi), and bought a full weeks worth of produce, free range/wild caught eggs, meat and fish and spent £27.  Then I got £5 on a promo card they are doing!  [That's about $33].  I would never get that in any other store in the UK for that price!

[ChandraNH]

Aldi has a dead ringer for Girl Scout samoa cookies. They are caramel coconut something and fantastic.

[Trudie]

I like Aldi for flour/sugar/baking supplies.  I buy at Costco and great deals can be had, but I don't usually like keeping huge Costco-sized supplies of flour and sugar around.