March 7, 2016

Tips For Shopping At Aldi

My love for Aldi runs deep and I make no secret of that. I started shopping there over the summer after hearing numerous radio commercials about how "new and improved they were".  I also have a good girlfriend who loves shopping there and finally convinced me to give it a try.  Two words...

Life-changing.

Holy cow was I blown away the first time {and still, actually} I shopped there.  I got everything I would normally get {and then some, as usual} and my total was less than HALF of what it normally is at our local supermarket.  I buy organic produce and meat at Aldi.  I get all of the kids's snacks, cereal and organic juice there {so cheap}. I've not bought, but I've heard, they have good wine too {for like $4}.  I get all of our camping needs- foil, paper plates, plastic baggies, plastic silverware, and paper towels- at Aldi. There are a couple of things, however, I still buy at Kroger like soups, mac & cheese and coffee.  I just haven't had good luck with those things at Aldi yet.

Since I proudly proclaimed my love for Aldi on Instagram last week I got lots of requests to share my tips for shopping there.  I love sharing tips for saving money and good deals and Aldi has both. This is not sponsored, by the way.


1.  Don't forget your quarter!  To save money on employees to wrangle the carts in the parking lot there are no cart corrals at Aldi.  Instead the carts are located at the front of the store and "chained together". To use a cart you simply need a quarter to pop it free and, don't worry, you get your quarter back {but I like to leave mine for the next person}.

2.  Bring your bags.  Aldi doesn't provide shopping bags so you have to bring your own.  I know a lot of people do this nowadays so this won't be a surprise/change.  If you forget your bags or stop on a whim and don't have them handy you can usually find a box {similar to Costco/SAMS} that you can use or they have reusable bags for sale {$0.10- I think}.  You also have to bag all of your items so get your littles ready to help {Kendall loves this part}.

3.  Did you know Aldi owns Trader Joe's? I know everyone loves Trader Joe's so maybe this will convince people to give Aldi a try.  I've shopped both and honestly I think some of Aldi's products are the same as Trader Joe's just in a different packaging {and cheaper}.  So that's cool, huh?

4.  Aldi is not a big box store.  Aldi is tiny, they cut lots of corners to keep their prices low so you won't have the same "experience" as you would at a big box store.  There is no bakery, meat department or pharmacy.  They also don't have quite the selection you would find at your neighborhood grocer but I like that because I get overwhelmed with too many choices sometimes.

5.  Aldi has name brands!  Now not everything is name brand but they have Golfish crackers, Bob Evans sausage, Diet Coke, Pampers, Gatorade, Pringles, Lucky Charms, Cheerios, Bolthouse Farms-just to name a few.  I don't really care about name brand and usually buy store brands anyway but some people might take comfort in knowing they might find some of their favorites there {and way cheaper}.

6.  Aldi carries organic!  I buy organic produce {bananas, apples, carrots, lettuce, you name it} and I actually prefer Aldi produce to our grocery store {especially their strawberries}.  They have no hormone added, free range chicken and organic beef.  Their uncured bacon is HALF the price at our grocery store.  They also have lots of organic snacks for the kids including yogurt, fruit snacks, applesauce and cereal bars.  I buy all of my nuts/trail mixes there.

7.  Pay however you want.  Aldi used to be cash or debit only but they just recently started accepting credit as well.  I don't use credit but I know that made a couple of my friends really happy.

8.  Go with an open mind.  The first time I went to Aldi, years ago, I was underwhelmed.   I guess I was expecting all the fancy stuff that comes from a big box store and Aldi seemed very "low budget".   I think that's why it took me another 3 or so years before I tried it again.  Well now I appreciate that about them.  I like that it's simple and no frills, I actually prefer it.   There won't be any big fancy displays and no free samples but that is what helps them keep their prices so low.

I think that's it.  Listen, I could go on and on about the reasons I love Aldi but I think those are the main points.  Since the closest Aldi is about 25-30 minutes I don't shop there every week because our local grocery store is literally three miles and convenience wins sometimes.  I can say that when I do choose convenience I am always, always disappointed because my bill is more than double what it would have been had I taken the longer trip to Aldi.

So, tell me, do you sop at Aldi?  Do you love it as much as me?  Have you heard about it but haven't been brave enough to try it yet?  I hope this post helps because I think every can benefit from switching to Aldi.

12 comments:

  1. I never wanted to try Aldi because it was in the shady, unsafe-feeling parts of town. But, I got over it. I went to Shoprite yesterday and like you said, I was so pissed bc I spent $75 on what felt like nothing - I cld have gotten the same stuff for so much less had I just gone to Aldi!

    I tend to hit Aldi first and then go to Shoprite for things they don't carry like dove body wash or contact lens solution. But I'm always pleased. I just wish they wld carry organic milk, I haven't seen it there yet. Also free range eggs. But hey I'll go to Shoprite for that, I don't mind.

    Their frozen items are amazing as well! No preservatives on their pizzas! They're so delicious!!

    And their produce is great! Sure you have to pick through some stuff but who cares!

    I sing the praises of Aldi with you, my friend. My only regret is I didn't try it sooner.

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  2. Oh and I actually really like their coffee! The donut shop k cups are so good!! Haha. And we are addicted to the savoritz brand of ritz bits. Lol. And they have GLUTEN FREE STUFF THE CHEAPEST I HAVE EVER SEEN!! My boss' boss has celiac's and she loves going there.

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  3. I love Aldi too! And, I agree with everything you shared. I appreciate the fact it is not a big box store. And, the prices? Holy smokes! Awesome. I love the grass fed meat and feel like the prices are so much cheaper than the other options we have here, and I do spend 1/2 of what I would normally in a grocery store. D2 has gymnastics twice a week, and if do not make it to Aldi for his first practice we do for his second practice.

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  4. I LOVE Aldi's I once went for food for 2 four day camping trips, a birthday party for 50+ and my ususal every two week groceries for home trip... this was all 1 trip people... and I only spent $175.

    Like Shannon I leave my cart at the from for someone else, it may be just a quarter but it makes a difference to someone who else.

    I normally take my 31 utility totes for my shopping trips. I do have a few of the Aldi re-usable bags too... My love for that place is deep. I just wish there was one closer to my house.

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  5. Yes yes yes! I started shopping at Aldi in September. My monthly grocery bill is literally half of what it was then. I do one big Walmart and Sams Club trip at the beginning of the month and then every other week at Aldi for fresh fruit, produce, and perishables. I'm amazed by Aldi and it makes me sick to my stomach to think about how much money we wasted at the grocery store!

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  6. We love Aldi! We used to do our big fortnightly shop in a bigger supermarket and it would come to anything between £120 - £180 dependant on what we had to buy. Changed to Aldi and now our fortnightly shop is anything between £70 and £120! I love the place :)

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  7. I've heard of Aldi, but because we don't have one close, we never thought about going there....I think we're gonna make the 25 min trip this weekend and try it out!!

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  8. OMG - I love to leave my quarter in for the next person too! Around Christmas once I filled all the carts up before I left - happy heart!!

    I personally LOVE bagging my own stuff ... I organize it based on where it goes in the house!

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  9. Love Aldi! Had the same thoughts as others from years ago, but we've been shopping there for about 5 years now. My favorite part is all the random items they have (home items, toys, etc) - like I bought a great wagon for my girls for cheap, cheap! Like someone else said, my husband grabbed groceries from Walmart for about $70 to tide us over until we could get to Aldi, I have no idea what he spent the money on, $70 at Aldi would cover at least a week's worth of food (3 meals a day for 3 people eating)! Love me some Aldi!

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  10. I love their coffee, especially the kcups

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  11. You've officially inspired me to try shopping there! Thanks for the information!!

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  12. I love Aldi because I have Celiac and they have a HUGE Gluten Free variety there. At least ours does. Its the only place with Gluten Free bread that I actually like and so many more options. :) GF stuff is already so pricey as it is so I love that we have the option to shop there for that along with everything else being so much cheaper.

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