ALDI 101: What To Buy At Aldi
This is the third and final post in our ALDI 101 series. But I have to be honest — I kind of don’t want this series to end!
I have been having so much fun reading your comments over email, tweets, Facebook, Instagram, and in the comment section below about Aldi! From those of you who have been longtime fans and have shared your great tips and favorite items, to those of you who may have never set foot in an Aldi but are considering giving it a try, it has been so cool to hear about each person’s unique experience with the store. I have to admit that a reader totally made my day when she shared that she ventured into an Aldi for the first time this week, and loved it. That is so cool!!!! :-)
Well after our first two posts — Why I Shop At Aldi and How To Shop At Aldi — today is the post that gets down to specifics on what to buy at Aldi. I feel like I should probably give a huge disclaimer that this post is based 100% on personal opinion. I have all of my own quirks and preferences, and as you will see below, there is a large section of the store (cereals, many non-organic meats, pet food, makeup, etc.) that I have not tried because those areas do not fall in my normal grocery shopping. And I’m sure there are plenty of items where our opinions may just simply differ! The pina colada popsicles that I adore just may not be your thing.
So please feel free to take this post with a a big grain of Aldi’s sea salt. ;) My hope is to offer a few starting points, and then hopefully you can try some new items and form your own opinions. To organize this post, I have included a few brief thoughts about each section of the store, and then a brief “to buy” and “not to buy” list of specifics. As always, I would love to have you share your thoughts on what you like to buy in the comments below.
This concludes our Aldi series! Thanks so much for joining in the conversation, and I look forward to resuming regular recipe posting with you tomorrow!
Pantry Items
The pantry items are where I recommend people start at Aldi. Almost everything I’ve ever tried in this section is high-quality and consistently way cheaper than anyplace else. Granted, again, there is only one of most items to choose from. So you do not get the option of white whole wheat flour, unbleached or barley flour — there is usually bleached all-purpose flour, and that’s it. But this is an awesome section to stock your pantry, and even try a few of their specialty pantry items in the process.
What To Buy:
- baking essentials (flour, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, basic spices, condensed milk, etc.)
- real vanilla extract
- chocolate chips (semi-sweet, butterscotch,
- nuts for baking (pecan halves, walnuts, almonds, etc.)
- garlic vinagrette (with the garlic floating on the bottom!)
- Fit & Active light balsamic vinaigrette
- natural peanut butter
- clover honey
- breadcrumbs
- whole wheat pasta
- potato gnocchi
- strawberry light & crispy cereal bars
- granola
- oatmeal (any kind — there are lots of options!)
- rice
- dried beans
What Not To Buy:
The only iffy pantry item I have tried at Aldi is their chili powder, but I’m a bit of a spice snob. I think that you get what you pay for anytime you buy $1 spices at a grocery store. I’m also not a big cereal connoisseur, but I do know that their version of Cheerio’s does not taste exactly like the original. Just like at any grocery store, many of the cereals or granola bars are made with extra sugar, so be sure to check out the labels if you’re going for healthy.
Snacks and Sweets
There is actually a really wide variety of snacks and sweets to choose from at Aldi! I don’t usually let myself buy potato chips at the grocery store, but when most all of their chips are under $2, I have to admit that I have now sampled quite a few. And they are pretty much awesome. :)
What To Buy:
- dry-roasted almonds
- waffle bowls
- tortilla chips (restaurant-style, blue and multigrain varieties)
- sweet potato chips
- kettle chips (sea salt & vinegar and jalapeno are my favs)
- moser roth chili chocolate bars
- anise pizzelle cookies
- Haribo cola candy
- chocolate-covered coffee beans
What Not To Buy:
I don’t have any no-buys in this section. I will just mention that occasionally the lower prices equal lower serving sizes in some products. Again, to use chips as an example, often their bags are only about half full. So plan accordingly. (Or just use it as an excuse for portion control!) ;)
Dairy & Refrigerated Items
This is one category where it is “to each his own”. The majority of Aldi’s dairy products are not organic, although more and more organic options (and alternatives like almond milk!) are starting to pop up. The refrigerated section also seems to have a lot of variety and turnover, so while there may be marscapone and brie some months, they might not be there year-round. Still, my cart is always filled with lots of items from this section each time I go! And I always stock up on butter each time I’m there. It tastes great, and it is always so cheap!
What To Buy:
- BUTTER!
- fresh mozzarella balls
- hummus (roasted red pepper, garlic and cayenne are my three favorites)
- fresh salsas (I love the medium)
- marscapone
- soft cheeses (gorgonzola, blue, goat and feta are usually available)
- cream cheese (regular and reduced-fat)
- greek yogurt (often they have the Fage brand, and I also like their black cherry)
- original organic soymilk
- natural almond milk
- skim milk, 2% milk, whole milk, half and half, heavy cream (none are organic, but they are pretty good!)
- eggs
- cinnamon rolls
What Not To Buy:
Obviously if you are looking for organic, anything that is not marked as such is a no. I also think that many of their block cheeses are ok, but probably about worth what you pay for.
Produce
Ok, people, this has become my favorite section of Aldi! Trust me — there is some amazing produce to be found here at some of the best prices I’ve found. But here’s the deal…
You must be smart about choosing your produce. Just like at the normal grocery store, not every piece of produce is going to be perfectly ripe or at its peak season each time you visit. Case in point — Aldi can have incredible deals on avocadoes. (They are $0.19 each this week!) But if the avocado is wilted, or hard as a rock, it’s probably not a good day to buy it. The same goes for if you see any produce that looks super over- or under-ripe. If it looks iffy, you should probably wait until your next trip. Or you may need to eat it immediately, or wait a week for it to ripen if need be. But most of the time, I am completely impressed with their selection of ripe, affordable, delicious produce.
Most of their produce is also not organic, so just a heads-up if that is an important factor to you. Also many of their produce items (onions, zucchini, oranges, apples, kiwi, etc.) come in bags or in bulk. So there is not always the option to buy a single of some items.
Still, I always load up my cart with Aldi produce, so here are some of my favs!
What To Buy:
- pineapple
- lemons/limes
- baby carrots
- celery
- mushrooms
- green onions
- sweet mini peppers
- specialty lettuce
- berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)
- zucchini and yellow squash
- kiwi
- pears
- mangoes
What Not To Buy:
Again, anything that looks iffy. I find that their roma tomatoes typically are not very ripe or flavorful. And I would also offer a special note on the bananas — they are awesome, but often they are over- or under-ripe, so you need to eat them in the proper timeframe.
Refrigerated Meats
As I said above, I prefer to buy most of my meat organic, so I haven’t tried tons of Aldi’s refrigerated meat options. But they have some killer deals on meats, especially in their weekly fresh meat special buys! Be sure to always check for those specials when they are published each Wednesday, as they tend to disappear quickly! A lot of the meat at Aldi is also seasonal, so be sure around the holidays to check out their hams and turkeys. They are amazing!
What To Buy:
- turkey bacon
- ground turkey
- thick peppered bacon
- spiral-cut ham
- turkeys
What Not To Buy:
Just a heads up that their cheapest bacon is really thin and not very lean. I would “splurge” and go for one of the thicker cuts, since that is practically the same price as the inexpensive bacon at the regular grocery store!
Canned/Jarred Goods
Thus far, I have had 100% positive experiences with the canned and jarred section at Aldi. They have a great selection of your basic canned fruits and veggies, and lots of canned sauces and such to choose from. And the prices are fantastic! Once again, I would caution to read the labels. Their canned peaches have a ton of sugar, as the generic canned peaches do at most stores. And some of their sauces and soups contain more processed ingredients than I prefer, as is common in many jarred sauces. But still, don’t be scared of any of the canned produce from Aldi — it’s awesome!
What To Buy:
- canned veggies
- canned fruits
- canned beans
- jarred marinara sauce
What Not To Buy:
Anything that you might be iffy about being overly-processed. (Look for some Gimme Some Oven recipes for easy alternatives to make soups homemade!) And again, keep an eye on the sugar content with canned fruits.
Frozen Foods
To be honest, this is a section that I don’t know a ton about. I usually stick with pretty straight “ingredients” in the frozen food section — frozen fruit, fish, veggies, etc. So if any of you have insights on more of the prepared frozen foods, would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
What To Buy:
- jumbo shrimp
- tilapia
- fruit popsicles (pina colada, lime and strawberry)
- moose tracks ice cream
- frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, mixed berries, etc.)
- edamame
- asparagus
What Not To Buy:
Any of their frozen shrimp that are not “jumbo” are tiny. I have also not been super impressed with their frozen salmon. Like most salmon in that price range in any grocery stores, it seems a little lacking in flavor. Also a heads-up that most of the frozen meats are not organic.
Beverages
Gah, I wish I had more experience here! I promise you guys I’m not a super health nut, but I also pretty much stick to water, tea, juices and coffee in life. So I have hardly any experience here when it comes to beverages. But my friends tell me that most of their options (like the Aldi brand of Crystal Light, teas and flavored sparkling waters) are pretty much identical to the originals. Here are a few that I have tried.
What To Buy:
- sparkling juice (I love all of them!)
- refrigerated 100% orange juice (go for the nicer of the two options for better flavor)
- Naked juice (when in stock)
- flavored sparkling water drinks
- iced tea
What Not To Buy:
I am definitely a big of a snob when it comes to my coffee. So I shy away from any of the bulk or super inexpensive coffee options, but I am sure they are comparable to their counterparts in the regular grocery store. I was also unimpressed by the cheap refrigerated orange juice — seemed to concentrate-y for me.
Alcoholic Drinks
First of all, it’s important to point out that wine and liquors are not available in all Aldi’s. I live in KC, and our Kansas stores are not allowed to carry alcoholic beverages, but most of the Missouri locations do. So this will depend on your state.
A reminder to all who are iffy about the cheap wine at Aldi — this store is owned by the same company that is the home of 2-buck-chuck, Trader Joe’s! So before you immediately write off the drink section, I would recommend you try a bottle or two. In my experience, you get what you pay for and a little bit more. The $3 wines taste maybe like a normal $5 wine. The Bailey’s knockoff isn’t precisely like Bailey’s, but it’s darn close and a great deal for a fraction of the price. But my favorite of all time is available seasonally, and I wish it was offered yearround — Aldi’s sangria! Oh man. I never knew that I would like sangria from a bottle, but this stuff is crazy good. And you get an enormous bottle for like $4. If you see it, you must try it.
What To Buy:
- SANGRIA! (seasonal)
- wines in the $5-10 range
- Bailey’s
What Not To Buy:
I think you get what you pay for with the super inexpensive budget wines — they are definitely hit and miss.
Household Items
For some reason, I held out on this section of Aldi for years, and now I have no idea why. They have some terrific household products at amazing discounts! Especially since I typically get annoyed at having to spend money on these things anyway, it’s awesome to have a more affordable option at Aldi. Two areas that I have not tried are their pet section and the makeup. Would love to have you chime in if you have experience with either of these!
What To Buy:
- disinfectant wipes
- plastic freezer and sandwich bags
- trash bags (they are thin, but they do the job)
- Crest toothpaste
- women’s razors
- pain relievers (ibuprofin, etc.)
- ultra soft & strong toilet paper
- paper towels and napkins
What Not To Buy:
You totally get what you pay for with the super cheap ($1 for 4 rolls) toilet paper. It is super thin and not very soft. But their thick TP is awesome!
My Top 10 Favorite Items At Aldi:
10. edamame
9. roasted red pepper hummus
8. fresh mozzarella balls
7. sangria
6. sea salt pita chips
5. pina colada popsicles
4. artichoke hearts
3. almond milk
2. butter
1. pineapple
Other ALDI 101 Articles:
Thanks so much for following with the ALDI 101 series! Now it’s your turn to share — what are YOUR favorite things to buy at Aldi?
The Gyro kit!!! If you see it, grab it, and some cheap but delicious feta cheese. Winking owl wines are great.
Can wait to give Aldi a try. There has been one in a town about 20 minutes from me for about 1 1/2 years now. I had no idea all the treasures and bargins that it held inside. I have had the opportunity to shop at Trader Joes when I was in the Atlanta area and so I am eager to make Aldi’s my 1st stop on my next shopping day. Thanks so much for your very helpful post and to all your other readers who offered their input.
I have never been to Aldi’s because I also thought it was a dirty “poor people’s” store and how dare they charge me for a cart?! I cannot tell you how excited I am to go now. I don’t know how anyone who has read your last 3 post’s on Aldi’s will be able to stay away. I wanted to run out the door and go shopping after I read the first one!
Love this post. I have to admit I am an avid Aldi shopper and have been for many years. Admittedly I am not all that particular about what brands or whether or not something is organic so I buy most of my food from Aldi. I have never been disappointed in the freshness or taste of their products and I like the fact that they are now carrying a larger variety of ethnic and organic foods. Besides all that, the prices are WAY better than any other store in my area, even the other so called cheaper stores like Alps or Sav-a-lot. The only thing I do hate about Aldi is putting the little quarter in the cart…only because I seem to never have a quarter handy when I need one. LOL
Their make- up is actually really good! I won’t use concealer from anywhere else! Their own brand Lacura do great concealer, eyeshadow and caffeine roll on under- eye treatment, though I find the cleansing wipes are dry and sting my skin. They also tend to come out top on blind testing products that are done here in Britain. Just shows that you don’t always get what you pay for!
I’m from Germany,and love Aldi,welcome to Lawton Ok!
I love shopping at Aldi. Never knew they were in the states until last year. Unfortunately, the nearest one to me is 5 hour drive away ! Started shopping at Aldi in Denmark, my in-laws live there. It is a great place to find unexpected items and always reasonable prices, even in Europe.
I love their canned chunky soups and their frozen ravioli. Really, I haven’t tried much there that I haven’t enjoyed, quality-wise. From sandwich meat to bread to pastas and snacks, I love their selection! I would warn that the frozen chicken nuggets are definitely lower-quality than other grocery stores, but their frozen breaded chicken patties are great.
Ali,
I have been shopping at Aldi for ten years. I have found many of the same products you have mentioned and love the great prices. I must add the cut flowers by the check-out. I buy them and give them to someone feeling down or just for ME. Very cheap and brighten up your day. Ps. they don’t last long but who cares on a snowy day..
Oh, I forgot to mention – their take-and-bake pizzas! My cousin has a blended family, and on occasion comes over with her 2 children and his 5! With my two kids, and the neighbor’s kid that is always here (he’s a good kid, we love him like another one of our own) that can get pricey if we order delivery. I run down to Aldis and bought 5 HUGE pizzas and only paid $25. Everyone had more than enough to eat (I bought stuff to make salads there too) and the total bill ended up being about $35. Not bad considering we fed 4 adults and 8 children (two of them teens).
Some awesome things I’ve bought that are pretty much the same or better:
Frozen veggies – can’t tell the difference. At our house, we prefer frozen to canned,and I find these comparable to the regular store brand that we buy.
French bread pizza – My husband SWEARS by these on the nights he’s on his own. He says these beat Stouffer’s hands down. More toppings, better sauce.
Popsicles, fudgesicles, sugar-free of the same: My dad is a diabetic, and he loves the SF versions. It’s nice to have the same treat for him and my kids (they don’t eat artificial sugar).
Frozen breakfast sandwiches – again, my husband loves these. I’m not a fan of breakfast, so I’ll take his word for it.
I find the block cheeses are the same quality as the “regular” grocery store.
String cheese – my kids love it.
Produce – the only problem I usually have is the onions. I buy a bag there and they inevitably sprout in the next day or two. But the blueberries and avocados are AWESOME. And I get four cucumbers for the price of one regular store one.
You didn’t mention the fabulous bread! They have amazing multi-grain bread as well.
And as far as drinks – man I wish our store was allowed to sell wine! The root beer is fantastic – it’s called “Sudz.” The cola we found to have a strange aftertaste of…potpourri. Seriously. Orange and lemon-lime were also merely ok.
I love Aldis soooo much! I am living in Switzerland and there is even one here! I havent been yet but I want to check it out. Back in the states I loved their Frozen Turkey Corn Dogs. Soooo yummy! Also the lactose free milk was very good. :)
I’ve lived in Indianapolis my entire life (well, and a 4 year stint in Terre Haute, IN for school) and my family has been shopping at Aldi’s my whole life. My father hardly goes elsewhere for his groceries. He relies heavily on their pre-made or quick make items as he is a senior living alone.
You were absolutely correct that most aldi’s are set up the same. My biggest complain sometimes is that if you forget something at the beginning of the store, it can be hard to get back to it without going against the “traffic” of other shoppers.
When I was living with my father, I had experience with nearly everything the store had to offer…the chips, candies, baking items, cereals, dairy, canned goods, soups, produce, fresh meat, frozen foods, paper products, shampoos, toothpastes, and dog and cat food.
I saw someone comment that the sliced american cheese wasn’t good…they probably got the cheapest version…if you get the “middle of the road” american they offer, it’s awesome.
Last year, the aldi’s near me (I have 3 to choose from within 10 miles of my place) had an amazing deal on milk for about 6 months. I could get a gallon of milk for $1.69. And my husband and I go through a TON of milk (I’m talking 6 gallons for two people A WEEK) it was a GREAT deal that we’ve sorely missed.
Cottage cheese is great…yogurt, sour cream, half and half, eggs. I don’t care for their version of “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter” I prefer Blue Bonnet.
Most spices are just fine, ketchup, mustard, steak sauce is the same. I don’t care for the mayo, I’m brand loyal to Hellman’s Mayo.
Last year, they had a good price on Arnold Palmer’s half tea half lemonade cans that were great in lunches. We bought those every week. Their lunch meat (ham, turkey, chicken) are comparable to any other pre-bagged lunch meat.
My dad swears by their instant coffee. Drinks it all day, every day. He also swears by their instant iced tea mix, too.
I LOVE their condensed chicken noodle soup. I always have it in the cabinet for sick days. I also really like their mac n cheese, shells n cheese and potatoes au gratin. Their pasta sauces are good and their salsa is great.
We have bought dog and cat food there because we couldn’t get to walmart or sams club, but it isn’t the greatest quality. I only buy my dog rawhide chews made in America, as other countries process the beef hide with formaldehyde! So I steer clear of the dog treats.
Paper plates are inexpensive as are paper towels. Spring for the thicker toilet paper…it’s exactly the same as the wal-mart brand TP.
Produce is usually really great at my stores. Great fruits and veggies and potatoes and onions are a great buy (if you can use them all before they go bad) that’s sometimes hard to do in a household of two.
Love the great prices on bread and buns!
Fresh meat can be hit or miss on prices compared to other store sales. But their pork chops are great.
I LOVE their spiral sliced hams!!!!!!!!!!!!
After the big holidays they usually go on sale and you can get a 10lb ham for $7…after thanksgiving last year, my husband and I bought 7 hams (some spiral, some not) and spent $40…we had over 60lb of ham! We froze them and pull them as wanted. Thaw over night and bake off…perfectly delicious! :)
Their frozen prepared meals are pretty far from HEALTHY….lots of calories and processed “junk” that a lot of people don’t like. Their 4 ounce chicken cordon bleu’s have nearly 500 calories!!! The frozen burritos aren’t much better…tasty, but not exactly healthy. The frozen pizzas compare to the cheap frozen pizzas other places. The ice cream is just as good, too.
As far as cleaning products, can’t beat the price on sponges or the cleaning wipes. Sandwich bags, foil and plastic wrap are just as good and work just as well as any other brand, in my opinion.
Aldi’s is a great place to save some money and I feel the brand has made great strides in the past 10 years, especially, to change its “poor man’s grocery store” image it had. The newly opened stores are bigger, airier, well lit and I feel the staff makes themselves available if needed.
there’s always going to be items that you prefer the taste of or performance of over the aldi brands, but for the price, it’s worth trying to see if you like it…
oh and their light and fit chocolate weight shakes are AMAZING and cheaper tahn anywhere else in price AND has way more nutrience than anywhere else. I had these all the time was i was pregnant and always neasia or couldnt eat. must try also great to supplement your diet because of all the nutrience
I am a HUGE fan of Aldi and do tons of my shopping there. I craved green bean casseroles every day and I mean EVERY day. their knock of french fried onions taste exactly the same and are half the price. ive searched all over for knock offs and these are the only ones that are good. their cream of mushroom soup is about 60% cheaper than anywhere else and is good. there are 2 things I would NOT buy 1-frozen green beans (sometimes thick and hard stringy not always but somtimes) and 2-their knock of Flaming hot cheetos=horrible. everything else i love there
Great article! I love shopping at Aldi, but one warning — never, EVER buy their individually wrapped cheese slices. I don’t have a clue what is in those suckers, but they DO. NOT. MELT. It’s the grossest thing I’ve ever tried.
My favorite products are their Light and Fit hamburger (excellent flavor), fresh country pork ribs, Light and Fit weightloss shakes (in a can) that I sometimes have for breakfast when I’m in a rush (flavor is SO much better than Slim Fast), multi-grain tortilla chips, chocolate hazelnut bars, and marinara sauce.
Also, it’s just plain fun to go see what they have during different seasons/holidays. During Octoberfest they were carrying these frozen Weinerschnitzel patties that were just awesome in flavor and jars of purple cabbage.
Love, love, love Aldi! I was previously one of those coupon ladies with two separate binders full of coupons. Three years ago, I discovered Aldi and shop there for everything! I only go to the another grocery store for Heinz and Helmann’s. We like everything there but their mayo!
Great article! I buy their frozen meals for nights when I get home late and don’t feel like cooking from scratch. The Fusia Asian meals are pretty good. Their ham is to die for as well! I shy away from the red meat except for ground beef. I do buy fresh chicken, pork, and pork tenderloin there. They have some great marinaded tenderloin. I also get Parmesan cheese there because it’s a staple in my house along with pasta and sauce. They sometimes have delicious kiwi-mango or strawberry-banana juice in the fridge section for $1. Awesome store for newly weds and new grads (I am both!)
I love their shrimp Lo mein in the frozen section!!! I’ve eaten this for years!! Great proportion, flavor, and price. Christmas I always get a cheese ball or two and thanksgiving I love their sweet potato casserole (It goes quick so stock up! And it’s not as good as our family recipe but its great for week day meals) thanks for the advice on the refrigerated section! I usually shy away from there.
Great post! I love Aldi. I do want to point out, as a fellow coffee snob, that their coffee is actually very decent! It’s shocking, since it comes pre-ground, but it actually has a good flavor for everyday coffee. If you’re looking to save money and also try to get in all your errands in one stop (aka mothers of toddlers), it is a good buy. Of course, I would definitely splurge for the good stuff every now and then, but I gotta say, Aldi’s coffee actually does the trick!
I love Aldi too. One simple reason is because I can get in and out fast. Although I don’t shop there on a regular basis,I do have some favorites. I am completely addicted to their Choceur dark chocolate bars. Out of this world. I also buy canned refried beans the weeks I don’t have a stash of homemade. They have some coffee beans lately too that are really good, I”m thinking they are the same brand as the donut shop ground coffee they have. I like their sweet potato chips and sometimes they have these peanut puffs that are really good. I just love walking around and seeing what they have – this week I stopped in and they had cheese from Ireland so I got some for my husband and he said it was wonderful.
I mainly shop at Aldis, have for at least 30 yrs. They have gluten free rice chex type cereal that I buy for my husband, he is a cereal freak, and I use it for making rice crispy treats, with a recipe that does not use marshmellos or cornsyrup. I think the choices they have are really great and I usually spend about $75-$120 a week depending upon what I need. They other day they had packs of green onions and cilantro, I use those a lot. I was very happy to get them there. It is the best place if you are on a budget or just want to save money.
I’m going to be the first to say this but I do not like the produce at Aldi. A couple of weeks ago we bought a bag of Cuties that were so sour we couldn’t eat them. I was going to return them but they rotted, seemingly overnight, and started attracting bugs. I pitched them. Potatoes sprout and get mushy quickly. Fresh berries don’t last longer than 48 hours.
I do like staples like butter, milk, eggs, baking supplies. Their 12 grain bread is better than Brownberry. I also go there for bagged lettuce, sliced cheese, canned veggies, tortillas, Light & Fit drink mix, plastic garbage bags, zippy bags, specialty cheeses, and the frozen chicken pot pies.
I really like the specialty items they have at Christmas: stollen, baklava, gingerbread cookies. As someone already stated, these are German and EU products and it’s fun to try new and “exotic” things.
I am a crazy couponer and can often find name brands cheaper, but when it comes to basics, Aldi is my go-to grocery!
In the refrigerated items, my family will NOT eat their hot dogs OR bologna. We do however, LOVE their crescent rolls, and buy them weekly.
Friend who works for Fresh Express said that the Aldi ready to eat salads are the exact same thing just in a different bag.
I had never heard of Aldi before we moved to Missouri 2 1/2 years ago. Several people told me about it, and since I love a good deal, I tried it out. I don’t love it as much as some people, but there are certainly things I appreciate about the store.
The produce prices are at the top of the list of things I appreciate. Mostly I buy the produce that is on sale there (and the produce sales are awesome)! They always have the sale produce in stock and I love that! I almost always buy canned mandarin oranges there as they are cheaper there than anywhere else and not an item that frequently goes on sale.
I like that they sell a wide variety of products, but that there is little variety of each item. It makes it easy to tell which is the best deal at their store. :)
Aldi is also very convenient for us-about 5 minutes away. The quality of their products is very good. Many of their items are comparable to the name brands. The one thing we do not like from there is the macaroni and cheese. For months now, our 4-year old has not eaten any macaroni and cheese because he was so turned off by the Aldi brand.
Aldi is not a “stock-up” store for me. Only about 1/3 of the items I regularly buy are cheapest at Aldi when you compare regular prices. I can often get most items cheaper on sale elsewhere. So I stock up at other stores when they have a sale and buy things at Aldi when I run out and need to buy at regular price. Combine the sale prices elsewhere with the 1-2% cash back I get with a credit card and Aldi is not often the best deal.
Our Aldi is always busy and the aisles are narrow. Around the produce gets especially congested. It makes shopping there less than fun, especially since I almost always have kids in tow.
Finally, while the cashiers at Aldi are super fast, I find their customer service overall to be mediocre. They often have the next person’s items mostly rung up before I’m even done paying. Even Costco cashiers take more time to acknowledge your presence and I always thought they were bad. I rarely see employees working in the store so if I have a question while I’m shopping there is no one to ask. By the time I get to the register, it’s not worth it to ask the question and then go back into the store for whatever I need.
I do really like Aldi and I shop there frequently (once every 1-2 weeks). I enjoyed reading your series about it. There were a few things I wasn’t aware of about the store that you brought up. Sounds like I really need to keep an eye out for awesome clearance deals!
Here via Pinterest and I too am an ALDI lover. My parents also do at least half of their weekly shopping at ALDI so I grew up eating a lot of their products. I wish there was one closer to me, but I may have to start making special trips there since my boyfriend is on a quest to eat me out of house and home, lol. Great review!
I bought some of the Makeup and face cleanser, and wish I had my money back. My husband and I actually love the coffe, we buy the big can for like $6. We buy the dog chews but I wouldnt buy the dog food, cause the dog has no way to tell us anything, unless he has a reaction. Just some thoughts on some of the things you hadnt tried. Most everything else I agree with you on, I do buy the meats and havent had any complaints.
If the cleanser was an Aldi store brand, you can request a refund. All of their store brands have a money-back guarantee. You can bring it to the store, or sent them an email via their website.
I have bought Aldis dry dog food to stretch the more expensive dry dog food that I get. My dogs don’t seem to mind seeing as the ratio is almost 3 to 1 the name brand.
I do most of my shopping at Aldis. One of the biggest things I like about shopping there is that it is a small store and I know exactly where everything that I need/like is. I can get my shopping done in no time at all.
The only food item that i will not buy there is the hard cheeses. I haven’t tried the soft cheeses yet.
A couple of times I have returned an item and it was either replaced or refunded no questions asked.
In my experience, the produce at Aldi is not high-quality. Bananas especially are always green. Also, household items like toilet paper and facial tissue are actually cheaper at Walmart.
Being something of a peanut-butter snob, I also disagree with your endorsement of Aldi’s natural peanut butter. The label says, “Compare to JIF,” and that is what it tastes like. As I said, I’m a pb snob, and I don’t like JIF natural peanut butter. (But that’s just me.)
I would add that their bottled water is a good buy. And their coffee IS better than any other inexpensive coffee I’ve ever had.
These are helpful tips; thanks for taking the time to share these!
I LOVE Aldi! I have always shopped there as an adult. Before being diagnosed with celiac disease, my absolute favorite thing to buy there is the oat bread. It is a great way to get extra nutrients without tasting like cardboard. It’s a great price, too! I also loved to buy the Fit N Active pastas. Now that I have been diagnosed with celiac, it’s still very easy to shop at Aldi. They do a great job labeling their products. As gluten free is becoming more popular, they are carrying more GF items. The sweet italian turkey sausage and pepper trio are my new faves. I can’t beat Aldi’s prices anywhere!
Another Aldi lover here! I had seen them around, but figured it was just another grocery store until an elderly gentleman I knew was raving about how good it is. I had to check it out–that was 15 years ago and I still do the majority of my grocery shopping there. Hubby doesn’t like the cereal, not so much because of taste issues, but because there is significantly less in the box. Not the big savings you might think it is. Other than that, can’t think of any real clunkers. Years ago they made two spaghetti sauces, one was way cheaper than the other and out of curiosity we decided to try it. It was terrible! Turns out it was flavored with beet juice–and needless to say they don’t carry it anymore ;)
I haven’t seen this mentioned yet- the Fit & Active Peppercorn Ranch dressing is amazing and under $2. I buy it just for dipping carrots and celery for lunches or snacks, and its the only kind I buy now. It doesn’t have HFCS, either.
Other Aldi’s products I love are their cheeses (esp. love to try out the imported varieties when they are available), milk, eggs, butter, sour cream (tastes just like Breakstone’s, my fave name-brand), chocolate (all, but we especially love the Mint Melt-aways), fresh boneless chicken fillets, pasta sauce, the veggie chips (best I have tasted from anywhere), and heavy-duty paper plates (exactly like Dixie brand for nearly half the price).
I also try to buy as much of my produce there as possible. Obviously there are some produce items they never carry that are staples for us(kale, green onions), so I try to stock up on those when I go to Target for our toiletry items. As far as the quality of Aldi’s produce, the only issue I have (with my particular Aldi’s store) is with the bananas- for whatever reason they always seem to be a bit overripe for my taste, which is strange because almost all the other fruits and veggies look and taste very fresh. Broccoli, romaine lettuce, carrot sticks, onions, potatoes, grapes, and lemons are some I buy regularly at Aldi’s, and I have always been happy with the quality and amazed at the prices!
I have to disagree about the avocados. Most of the time they are hard, BUT if you know that and expect it, you can buy them ahead of time for later in the week. The quality of the avocados is the best out of any other store in town (except maybe Whole Foods or Trader Joes). Just keep them on your counter until they are ripe (feel like the tip of your nose if you press it).
Other favorite buys…
Whole wheat bread (no HCFS, whole wheat is first ingredient)
Sponges with scrubby part on one side ($0.99 for a pack of 3!)
apples (if you’re willing to buy non-organic)
string cheese sticks
sour cream
fritos & tostitos (generic store brand)
spice blends in grinders (love their pizza & pasta one, but they didn’t have it last time I looked for it)
chewy granola bars
onions when they’re on sale
alfredo sauce
~Betsy
I am a new ALDI shopper and have fallen in love with this store. Fiest of all, My 4 year old loves the face that we put a quarter in the cart and if she is good in the store, when i take the cart back she gets the quarter. I have found many products that are well worth the savings and that are just as good (if not better) than name brand products. My kids love the fruit snacks and cereal. I loved the Nutella and pita chips with red perrer hummus. Milk is an amazing buy and im excited to try the butter. I love ALDI!!!!
While I do a bit of shopping at Aldi and love their sale prices on produce, I find that a lot of other things I can buy cheaper elsewhere. I can say this with confidence as I have price-compared 190 food items that I buy on a regular/semi-regular basis at 6 stores. Aldi only has the lowest regular prices on about 1/3 of the items. A lot of those items I find cheaper at other stores on sale. Also, I don’t like having to use my debit card there. We use our credit card for almost everything and pay off the full balance every month. We rack up cash-back, and though it’s usually only 1-2%, it all adds up. Overall, I like Aldi as a store, but to me it’s only as good as any other store. Plain and simply, I buy things where I can get them the cheapest and that’s not always Aldi.
I used to work for Aldi and I loved a lot of their products. Their milk isn’t organic, but it is hormone free. Eggs are another great deal.
Also Hamburger & Hot Dog buns are good.
Every morning they hand sort through their produce and put out fresh.
Also not everything is available all the time. If the sign is in black it is a regular item that is carried year round. If it is in black & has written @ the top SEASONAL ITEM it will only be there for a season. If the sign is printed in red that means it is a special purchase, and will be there until supplies run out. They get a new shipment of special purchase every week. I like a lot of their special purchase items that are not food.
Hope this helps and draws in more Aldi customers. It is a great store with great deals.
Aldi’s has the best frozen pierogies I’ve ever tasted, and that includes ones from high end stores.
I’ve tried the makeup. For me, it was hit an miss. The mascara was goopy and never really dried properly. The face power is adequate, but comes in very limited colors. The Day/Night creams are hydrating, but break me out. :/
There are some reviews of the Lacura brand on YouTube, if that interests you.
LOVE Aldi frozen Lemonade. Seasonal so buy when you can!
Aldis owns Trader Joes so their milk is from the same company.
WAIT a minute! I live in KC, too! Where are you finding the edamame?!? I love ALDI and am there almost every week, but haven’t seen edamame, yet! Please share! I like on the KS side.
It is not a regularly carried item,,It is a special buy item. Therefore it is only brought in every so often.
I saw the frozen edamame at Aldi for the 1st time last week. I’m not really sure how to prepare the frozen whole beans or how long to cook them.
I do love Aldi’s and am so glad they moved to town. I shop there first and then fill in the rest of my shopping at Publix or Walmart. I will say there are just a couple of things I won’t buy there – their refried beans (blah, yuck, gross), their frozen hamburger (its knuckly), their cheapest bacon (for the same reasons stated in your article), and their cheapest american plastic wrapped cheese (the next price up is fine; tastes like Kraft). Oh – and I am very selective with their produce. I will get my root veggies there (potatoes, onions, carrots), and if the produce is in season, it usually is pretty good. I just recently purchased cuties mandarin oranges there and I could have eaten the entire bag!! I did want to say that their block cheeses are very good – especially their Wisconsin sharp cheddar and their Monterrey Jack, and their canned coffee is just as good as Folgers for a way, way cheaper price. Glad to read someone’s post that their laundry detergent is just as good as Tide; I’ll give that a try next!!!
OMG I miss Aldi!!! I had one within a couple miles of my home when I lived in SC. Now, I live in SA, TX and there’s not an Aldi in sight!
I love shopping at Aldi!! My favorite item would have to be their cake mix, it’s 99cents and I’ve never had a miss with anything I’ve made with it!
The only bad item I’ve gotten there was Mayo, I don’t know what it was but it had a very off putting taste to it
I am a loyal Aldi’s shopper. I do the bulk of my shopping there, the rest is done pricematching at Wal Mart and then a few here and there stops for meat and specialty items. I buy all of my baking supplies at Aldi, the price for vanilla can’t be beat. During the holidays the price of chocolate chips drop to 1.29, stock up! These are great baking chips. I love their tortilla shells, they are one of my favorite items from there! Please try their diapers!!! I think they are the best out there and they are 4.99, at least $1 cheaper than any other generic counterparts. Love their wipes, I did notice that they have made the .99 package smaller as of this last shopping trip, but it is still a good value.
Now for my two ultimate favorite products ever! From anywhere! lol
1. Pumpkin cream cheese is a seasonal item that is just beyond words. I eat 5 pieces of toast a day when I have it. Soooooo Good!
2. Their version of nutella is great! It isn’t quite as creamy, don’t expect the exact same. However the price for it is 1.99 as opposed to 3.49 for the same size Nutella. Well worth the savings!
I also will have to disagree with your statement about the cheese. I am not a big cheese fan at all, but I think their block sharp cheddar cheese is great! I also enjoy the slices.
Don’t be afraid to try anything! They have a double guarentee!
You are definitely wrong about the wines! Winking owl-their under $3 bottle of wine and their 2 buck chuck equivalent-consistently scores high on professional, independent rankings as well as personal word of mouth. Google the brand and you’ll see how much people like it! I can attest personally I love it and every one I have ever served it too comments that it’s a nice wine.
Also, the chili powder is great! You’re easily spending 4x the amount you would by buying name brand. Give it a try! Cooking is my hobby and it’s the only chili powder I’d use. And yes, I have bought bad $1 spices before-just from other stores, not Aldi.
Check the country of origin. Last time garlic was from China. In regular stores I cannot find mandarins oranges from China no matter what brand.
I LOVE Aldi! I don’t get there as often as I’d like being there are 3 food stores closer to me, but when I do , I love their cake mixes (always get compliments how moist and good the cake is), their frozen cheescake slices (2 per pack ) for 1.99 AWESOME!!! they sometimes carry wholly guacamole at a fraction of what it cost elsewhere..and they have some really fantastic chocolates too…I could go on and on…I think I will be doing my grocery shopping this week at aldi’s! thanks for a great blog!!
I totally agree with EVERYTHING you said here! I will add their laundry detergent in the red bottle. Its exactly like Tide and works and smells AWESOME.
Thanks so much for sharing your tips! Despite being raised shopping at ALDI, I learned some new things! Where my husband and I now live, ALDI is a bit further than our local Meijer, so I do my weekly shopping at Meijer, and visit ALDI about once a month. I, too, always stock up on butter and chocolate chips! Something else you might want to try is their version of Simply Lemonade and Limeade. They are almost as good as the original, and WAY cheaper.
Last year, I did a price comparison with ALDI vs. Meijer. I took a blank chart to ALDI and wrote down the price and size of everything we might buy there, then took it home and typed it up in my computer. I printed that out and took it to Meijer to compare. Of course most things were way cheaper at ALDI, but I was surprised by a few items that Meijer sale prices beat (like pretzels). It took forever, but was so worth it, especially because I now have the prices in my computer, and I can just double-check a sale price against the ALDI price to see if it’s worth it.
Thanks for posting on Aldi. I’ve been a shopper for awhile now and totally love it! I go there every other week and stock. My usual trip is to the Aunt Millies Thrift store for my bread products (if you spend $5 you can get their bagels, cinnamon swirl bread, hawaian bread, or english muffins for 49 cents!) I then stop at Aldi and then on to Meijer for anything I need that’s name brand.
My Aldi deals that can’t be beat (I’m not an organic mom):
-paper towels (3 rolls for $1.89!!!)
-bottled water- purified tastes better than the spring- 24 pack for $2.29!!
-Deli meat pack- makes 6-10 sub sandwiches at 80 calories a sandwich $4.99!!
-I love their coffee! I’ve read the negative posts but I like it!
-creamer- they have pumpkin spice in the fall and now they have italian cream!! Love it!!
-of course and you said it REAL BUTTER for (somtimes)$1.99!! It varies but still cheaper than bigger grocery stores.
-The cheeses, the cheese cakes, the cream puffs!! All perfect for showers and parties.
-Frozen pizza! $3.99 and very good! (I have teenagers)
-the produce!! strawberries for 99 cents sometimes!!
and someone mentioned it but their home store is awesome and around the Christmas season TOYS!!! at good prices! Crock pots, pots and pans, bathroom accents, rugs, workout equipment, in the summertime patio sets, garden supplies, etc. etc. etc. at the best prices!! and if you wait and keep an eye out their prices go down and down on these items!
Thanks again for the post! I knew I wasn’t crazy when I got addicted to Aldi’s!!
Love this store!!! Can you tell I love it by all the !!!!!!
Wow, you didn’t even talk much about the great non-grocery special buys they have there! I have bought so many things for my kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, garden – you really never know what you’re going to find. They plan the items seasonally, so for example in January there are alot of health related items like workout gear, then in spring lots of gardening stuff (can’t wait for that!).
My favorite things to buy there:
Whole Wheat Bread
Cheddar Cheese Rice Cakes – my 4 year old loves them!
Greek Yogurt – Peach and Pineapple are my fave
AA and AAA batteries – 1.99 for 8 and they last a long time!
Razors
Pasta Sauces – They have a ton of variety now
Bananas – 10-15 cents cheaper/lb than Price Chopper!
Bagged Lettuce
Cheese – Again, it’s 50-75 cents cheaper there and taste is same or better than Kraft or Best Choice
I could go on all day about Aldi!!! Love them! Thanks for the series!
One of my other favorite things to do there is to let someone have my cart and tell them to keep the quarter. It’s a tiny Random Act of Kindness :-)
I must warn everyone… Do NOT buy their dishwasher detergent, it doesn’t work!! I love Aldi’s for produce and pantry items. Their Kitchen Living items are wonderful! I just wish there was a store closer to me, I drive 30 minutes to the nearest store.
AMEN to that!! That is the only product of theirs that has not been a winner.
You didn’t mention the Animal Crackers. OH MY GOSH they are a wonderful shortbread with just a hint of lemon. Also their chex style mix called Party Mix-better than the name brand!
I can shop for my family of 5 for $300.00 including meat/dairy/snacks for kids! I love Aldi’s!
We
shop at Aldi’s frequently as well and we love absolutely LOVE their sirloin steak but it is one of those things you have to get there early for. I love all of their meat they carry there it was always tender and delicious
We all love their Savoritz “cheeze-its”. My kiddos prefer them over the name brand, we love their 12 grain bread and cinnamon raisin bread too :)
My choices in SWMO are Wal-Mart or Aldi. I choose Aldi, and exclusively and it’s working well.
Faves:
Hummus trio (cilantro…yum)
Jarred jalapenos
Winking Owl wines
Moser toffee milk chocolate, orange dark, or chili dark
Parmesan pita chips
Cranberry orange oatmeal packets (seasonal)
Vanilla almond milk
Romaine lettuce trio
Tzatziki sauce (can’t get this anywhere in this region)
Pepper trio (red, yellow, green)
Baby portabello mushrooms
Frozen breast meat chicken nuggets
Bratwurst and smoked sausage
Jarred marinara sauces
Fresh salsas
If I need to bring something to a party, and I don’t have time to make one of Ali’s recipes ;) I go straight to the deli section and grab cheeses, meats, dips, etc. Perfection.
I Just found this post and I told my hubby I will start shopping at Aldi’s again. We have one in the next town over(it’s about a 10 minute drive). I used to shop there when we had our first apartment, but haven’t done much shopping there since. I always liked their take and bake pizzas, we like to get those or parties and cut them into the smaller square pieces. So yummy! I also really enjoy their veggie chips! They taste just like the ones you could pick up at Festival(I believe it is a midwestern/Wisconsin thing)in the organic/natural foods section for almost double the price.
There are a few things I wouldn’t buy there. Like milk for example, I am extremely picky about milk. I will only buy it from few places. (And now I may start buying it organic because they are petitioning to add aspartame to milk as a hidden ingrediant and I am allergic). The other thing I wouldn’t buy is the frozen dinner type meals and the meat. A few weeks back a read an article about how their frozen lasagna and a few other frozen dinner type meals tested positive as horse meat. I’m good. I like my meat to moo, not nay. ;)
We also like to buy food for our son, who has severe heart defects, as organic a possible, so I usually purchase his frozen foods from our other local grocery. He loves chicken nuggets.
But all in all, I am all for saving some money, so I am excited for my grocery tip next week! And I love your post! Especially hearing that they are bringing in more and more organic products. I can’t wait to check that out! <3
I’d just like to point out that I live here in the UK, and it was only our Aldi’s that were affected with horsemeat. They’re not shipping that stuff internationally from Germany to the States, so you have nothing to worry about (and it was just the pre-packaged frozen lasagna and spaghetti bolognese).
I would just like to say that Aldi Baby Nappies (Diapers,I live in England)are the best, far better than named brands and half the price, In England we pay £5 for a pack of 48 Aldi nappies, amazing price. I remembered reading somwhere that Aldi had won awards for them and when my Grandaughter gave birth to her little girl she decided to try them and I can honestly say that the nappies are wonderful,no leaking during he night so far and Lola is 9 now months old,I also have a 18 month old Grandaughter and I buy them for her and my daughter in law prefers them to Pampers, so we stock up well!! Also the make-up, face cream and body lotions are fantastic such good value, There are 3 generations of females in our family and we wouldn’t use anything else
Just browsing food blogs and came across yours. A bit excited,not gonna lie.. I often wonder why my Nana enjoys Aldi, now I have some idea. Will definitely be checking it out now! Thanks for all of your information.. really enjoyed reading this :)
Thanks for these helpful suggestions — now I’ve got a few new things to look for.
One of the things I like about Aldi is that, because it’s a German company, they tend to have imported foods from the EU. E.g., in December, they have German stollen. (However, not everything in Aldi is from the US or the EU, so you still need to read the “Made in…” labels, if origin is important to you.)
One of the things I dislike about Aldi is that you can’t always count on finding the same items each week. Seasonal items, I understand. But my favorite salsa? I use the artichoke heart “salsa” as a bruschetta topping … or rather, I used to.
BTW, I live in a small town in SE Kansas. I usually drive to Pittsburg to go to Aldi’s. We do most of our grocery shopping in KC –Costco, Whole Foods, Hen House, Trader Joe’s, McGongle’s, Cosentino’s, and for splurges Better Cheddar or Dean & Deluca– but for some reason Aldi’s isn’t part of our regular KC circuit. Is there one store in KC that you prefer over others, or are they all about the same?
We got to know Aldi in Belgium and we were so glad when they came to the Washington DC area. We buy the bulk of our groceries at Aldi so our kids grew up on Aldi cereals and some of the kids actually prefer them to name brands. When you are going to feed a crowd, Aldi is a great resource. I like the olives and pickles and the canned tomato products. The olive oil is okay for cooking; look elsewhere for the higher quality for salad dressing. The canned evaporated milk, flour, brown sugar, and white sugar are all good buys. Right now our Aldi has Kefir so we are buying boatloads. And my husband buys me a bouquet of fresh flowers from Aldi two – three times a month!
I am so glad that someone else loves Aldi as much as I do! I’d like to add that we have tried the whole frozen duck and it was great. It was the exact same brand that our “for everything else” grocery store, but seriously $7.00 less. I can also attest to the jarred roasted red pepper and the jarred artichokes. They don’t always have them, so I stock up when they do. And I live on their greek yogurt, the peach is a favor of both mine and my four year old. Highly recommend it!
OH My!! How I LOVE Aldi’s!! We almost exclusively shop only at our local Aldi’s store!! Here are a few of my fav’s. Wine – We are so amazed at Aldi’s Landshut Riesling – AMAZING!! So good in fact we served it our Rehearsal Dinner and everyone loved it!! And at $4.99 a bottle it was a steal!!! Their Brie is fantastic!! I make Brie en Croute with it and you would never know we only paid $2.99 a wheel. I Love their produce – all of it is wonderful good quality!! I have to admit I have tried a few of the frozen items – their broccoli stuffed chicken breast may not be the healthiest option, but I have fixed them for my husband and myself ocassionlly and very much like them and only $1 each. Also, not homemade but a cheap,,quick, and decent meal is the lasagna – really good. Some of the Asia dishes for stir fries are good as well. Also, have purchased shrimp, salmon, tilopia all good quality. Their Kitchen Living items are Great!! I have purchased several of the coated cast iron cook ware costing no more than $30 each and they perform as well as the Le Creuset’s costing much more. I also purchased a mandoline and it slices time and time again perfectly. Hoping this helps!!
Thank you so much for making others aware of them gem we have in Aldi’s!!!
I just bought a bottle of the Riesling last week and was very pleased!
I grew up on Aldi between my mom and the home daycare we went to. I love their produce and most of the time I can get away without having too much since its just me. I love their breakfast sandwiches, especially the Fit&Active. I love their canned soup, I will only eat their clam chowder. Fit&Active cheese sticks are a mainstay in my lunchbox for work. Their boxed baking mixes are police and fireman approved…I use them when I do my monthly gift to my hometown stations. I get almost everything there and what I don’t get their I can get monthly at Aldi’s sister store when I’m in the city on an off day.
The spiral sliced ham is perhaps the best deal ever at Aldi. I believe $2.78 a pound regular price, but at certain times drops to under $2 a pound. Other than Honey Baked is my favorite ham around and price factored in can’t be beat.
Hi Ali, I was so happy to read your 3-part series on Aldi. A few weeks ago, I discovered that there is an Aldi under construction just 15 minutes from my house. I had only just recently heard about it but did not know much about it, so your posts were very helpful. I am definitely going to check them out for certain grocery items once they open. Groceries have gotten so expensive and although I try to be careful, I could stand to reduce our grocery bill. I’ll be saving your posts for reference for when our new location opens here in Katy, Texas. Thanks!
Don’t get jealous guys-I have an Aldi underneath my building where I live! I don’t even have to step outside, I take the shortcut through the garage! It’s awesome!
I was practically raised by Aldi and my parents always bought us snacks from there, we played outside a lot and burned it off and we turned out fine :-) Their canned tomato sauce is great for cooking. I agree with the items mentioned.
During Christmas at mine they bring in toys for the kids, my husband bought my 9 month old some V-Tech baby toys for fraction of the cost!
Aldi is my favorite grocery store. I shop there every week. I find they have really good yogurt (Light & Fit) as well as the bagged salads. You can’t beat their prices and the quality of their food is comparable to any grocery story.
#1 THEIR BRAND of ham, everyone including the one that HATES ham loves this ham at the family meals.
#2 BUTTER
#3 baking supplies
#4 produce
#4 thin bagels…they just started carrying this locally…
First off, I love Aldi, too! You are absolutely right about their produce, I buy berries and pineapple and most of my salad makings there. The ground beef is great, especially the higher (85% or 90%) percentages. I found the cubed steaks and stew meat to be gristly. The cheap wines are positively wonderful for cooking! My son loves to cook with wine and we keep a red and a white on hand for that. Before Christmas last year, they had a chicken salad with walnuts and cranberries in the deli section that was positively to die for! I miss it. Thanks for this series, I’m going to link to it on fb so my friends can see it!
I completely agree with your selections!!! I would add the lunchbox cheese snack sticks, both mozzarella and cheddar/mozzarella blends, I also use the canned soups (especially tomato, cream of chicken/mushroom to use in recipies.) The cranberry juice blends are fine too. I have recently tried their “silver” vitamins for those over 50…identical to the name brand. The bagged oranges last for weeks and are incredibly reasonable. I LOVE ALDI!
I’ve been trying to post a comment since your first aldi post. I’ve never tried it, always been a bit leery and now I CANNOT WAIT TO GO!!! Thank you SO MUCH for putting this all together!!!!
So my hubs and I tried Aldi yesterday and I think I’m in love! We had a cartful and I was getting worried about how much the total would be and was then SHOCKED that it was only $45! I about fell over. We were able to get everything on our list too except for 2 things (air freshener and C batteries). Thanks for all the tips – they came in handy and we will definitely be going back!
Well done, Ali! My daughter sent me your link to read. I will now enjoy your blog as well. I just wanted to add that I feel Aldi’s has really stepped up their product lines and offer so much more than years ago. It really just used to be the basics, but now they even carry real maple syrup and steel cut oats. A friend brought over a jar of name brand Tostitos salsa recently and the Aldi’s brand I had were in identical jars and the look and taste were the same as well. Also their specialty aisle has some amazing products with their ceramic cookware in blue and red for under $30 they feature in the fall a steal!
I just said the same thing. Growing up I was always told not to buy meat at Aldi’s but over the past few years I have noticed their meat selections have gotten so much better. We actually bought all of our employees hams and Butterballs Turkeys at our Aldi’s for their Xmas “gifts”. I think that Aldi’s has definitely stepped up their game.
Aaah! How funny. Before I left Texas, we didn’t have Aldi there. Then I came here and was introduced to it (it’s a German company). At first I was very much, “Eeeeh? What?! No! I’m not shopping there! There’s a normal grocery store across the street!” but then I got it. And my what to buy list is pretty much the same as yours. The only thing I won’t buy at Aldi is their meat. It’s just not comparable to what I can get at a normal grocery store.
I’m not sure if anyone commented on this, but in my area (southern Indiana) Aldi is the only store that has normal carts with TWO child seats side by side! At every other store you have to get the big ‘ol semi-carts to get an extra seat or two. So I think that’s awesome!
YES! Great thinking Aldi! Multiple points on the double seats from this mom! :)
Yes, ours has these too! It threw me off the first time I went because I kept trying to put my baby in the middle but couldn’t buckle it right. Then I figured it out and thought it was so neat you could fit two kids in there!
My friend and I bought the cheap-o ground coffee to be thrifty and we regretted every cup. I’m not a coffee snob by any means, but it was not good. I think after a couple pots we threw it out and stuck to just cheap brands from other stores.
Don’t throw anything from Aldi away. You can bring it back to the store with your receipt and they will refund your money! It makes all their products worth trying. If you just got a bad batch of something, you can get a new item AND your money back, if you so choose. I personally didn’t like their dishwasher liquid so I returned it and just got my money back. No need to get another one since I knew that bottle wouldn’t have been any better. You get what I mean.
if you don’t want it replaced, they will double the money they give you back… you can choose between money back and a replacement, or double money back! we have only done this once, but i was super impressed with their satisfaction guarantee policy.
After reading all of your tips, my husband and I decided to try out Aldi today. It was the first time I’ve been there in my adult life and I must say, I was pretty impressed!! The store was bright, clean, organized and the staff was crazy efficient! Since i was a child, Ive always viewed this store in a negative light… it was far different than i remember ( in a really good way).We were actually able to find organic milk and the avocados were a third of the price we pay at out local grocery store. I really had no idea you could buy so many staples and fresh items at Aldi!!Thanks so much for this series, it really opened my eyes!!
I drive around my local area a lot for work and always made it a point to stop when I was near an Aldi (it was about 45 minutes away!) I was super happy when they opened one only about 20 minutes away and typically along my work route – as a result I stop by now once or twice a pay period.
I typically shop at Aldi for meats, canned goods, chocolate treats (soo good!), milk, eggs, and of course PRODUCE!
The chicken breast (when on sale, frequently I may add) is 30 cents cheaper a pound than the cheapest name brand store sale price. I buy several packages, rebag into smaller containers and freeze. I also pick up the manager’s specials on meats or anything else that is appealing – got corned beef for St. Patricks day for $7 and that was regular price.
Products I absolutely love:
The shampoo and condition – it is knock off of matrix biolage and smells just like it. I also realized that my wavy hair is less frizzy.
Cocoa Rice cereal – I have always preferred the off brand of this type of cereal. No idea why :)
Coffee House coffee – it tastes great. The ground type has an uneven grind (and I recently read a story about many companies mixing in cheaper ingredients to ground coffee to offset price so I may invest in a coffee grinder and buy the whole bean). Back on topic, the taste is great even if the ground is not very consistent.
(Brown Bag) Tortilla chips – we eat lots of tortilla chips (and pretzels) and my husband commented on how tasty they were. I don’t like them as much as they are more like a homemade type as they are thicker but that is a personal preference.
And of course the produce and fresh meats. The take and bake pizzas look great but I haven’t tried them yet.
I get the refrigerated biscuit dough, frozen italian meatballs, lobster tails, triscuit-like crackers, chili con queso cheese, cajun rice mixes, pasta side dishes, small salad bags, German beer, Riesling wine, O’Donnell’s Irish Cream, Lambrusco wine, and butterball turkeys. One time I was there and they were selling gallons of whole milk for a quarter!
I never comment (just found you via Pinterest) but I’ve got some Aldi tips as well. I loved it, stopped going for a couple years, and I’m back now that I’m a better label-reader.
Don’ts (in my opinion): Soda (brand used to be called GT Cola – or as we dubbed it “Gross Tasting” Cola!), Aldi Oreos (ew – get the original!)
Loves: fresh mozzerella, shredded cheese, cream cheese, butter, pasta, mushrooms, frozen tilapia, bags of baby spinach
They used to have yummy frozen crab cakes (2 for $3.99, I believe) which were great for work lunches, but I haven’t seen them in awhile.
Just wanted to chime in on the pet product section. I’ve tried their cat litter and it has been hit or miss for me. The first time I bought it I really liked it and it was such a great deal! The next time I bought it I found it to be really dusty. Haven’t bought it in a while so might have to try it out again soon. Other than that I have really liked most things I’ve bought there! Thanks so much for your recommendations…looking forward to trying some new things out! Oh and my boyfriend really likes their brand of “Honey Smacks”, even says he likes it better than Kellogg’s.
I really love that Aldi labels its food so well since my son has Celiac disease and I need to shop gluten-free. I don’t have to worry at Aldi–things are almost always labeled gluten-free if they are and it is easy to find it on the packaging. My kids are huge fans of the Fit and Active Fruit Strips. Really I just love Aldi though. I have gotten to the point where I too buy probably 50% of our groceries there. My weekly routine involves buying milk, eggs, produce, chips, fruit strips and whatever else I need for that week. I did not care for the flour tortillas at our store. I noticed they carried different ones in FL (versus OH where we live). We love the generic Chex from there, and it is gluten-free. I have the same issue at my store where the bananas are always in bags. Sometimes they are okay and sometimes they are not.
I am fairly new to Aldi and like all stores and brands, you have to try it to see what you like and what you don’t. I definitely stock up on staples, cereal, eggs..etc… at Aldi. We like their juice, milk, most cereals, yogurt covered raisins…and I stocked up on canned pumpkin during the holidays!!! The only things I have had that I did not care for were the frozen tilapia and frozen salmon. And the bananas are always in the bags at my store so the inside ripens quicker than the outside so I have bought green bananas hoping to let them ripen at home only to find the inside had already ripened. But everything else I have tried has been great! Just a tip…I rarely have cash/change so I keep a quarter in my cup holder in the car and it is my “Aldi Quarter.”
I too have an “Aldi Quarter” in my van. :)
Aldi is a weekly stop for me. I buy my monthly shopping elsewhere, but my weekly milk-eggs-bread shopping is at Aldi. Where else can I buy honey crisp apples for $1 a pound?! I haven’t been very adventurous with their prepared items, but I haven’t had anything bad in the dairy, produce, or meat departments. One item that I haven’t seen mentioned is the Southern Style Chicken Breast in the frozen foods. For $5, you get 9 large servings of seasoned, breaded chicken breasts. It is delicous and easy to prepare. Also, I buy whole frozen chickens there for less than $5. Score!
We LOVE the Southern Style Chicken Breasts! I get those and we have chicken sandwiches on the weekends for lunch or for a quick dinner during the week. They are really tasty! I used to buy the Tyson breaded chicken patties – not anymore!
I love Aldi. I have been excited to see a number of organics the last few times I have been to our store. Apples, lettuce, potatoes, and raw cheese were among the organics I found. They save me so much money, and the quality of most of their items is great.
I don’t shop there a lot but like their frozen cordon bleu chicken breasts ($1 each!) which my kids & husband like (def not organic, but easy & cheap for weeknight dinner!) Also like their chocolates, frozen berries & fresh strawberries when on sale. The hummus is very good. They unfortunately seem to never have romaine lettuce or green onions. I tried a frozen lasagna from there and we threw it out it was so bad. So definitely hit & miss. Was not impressed with the fresh meats.
some of the items I have loved from Aldi’s –
1. Small dark chocolate bars in a 5pk I think.
2. Some kind of creamy coconut ice cream bar in a blue box. Think it’s different that your pina colada.
3. Spaetzle
4. seasonal- jarred saurkraut
5. Seasonal – beer bread mix
6.Have tried their ground coffee that’s in a bag like Dunkin Donuts – very good
7. red pepper hummus -I agree
8. Weekly specials in the center,esp. kitchen deals – good buys
9. All the baking supplies and nuts
I agree with Cynthia! I love their bagged coffee. I use the ground coffee with the blue or red on the label. (opened my last package so I don’t know the name!) My daughter uses the donut shop coffee exclusively. They’re great and I’m a coffee snob! Plus the one pound package is $4.99.
So enjoyed reading this mini-series! I’m a huge fan of Aldi and have shopped there for years, but this post encouraged me to try a few things I’ve shied away from before– and I didn’t know about their app! That’s going to be super-helpful. :) One of my family’s favorites is Aldi’s spaghetti sauce– it’s SO cheap and tastes infinitely better than the expensive brand-name sauces I grew up with. Thanks again for the great series.
Thanks Ali for this 3 part series! I am an Aldi regular, but must admit haven’t tried their pineapple. Shame. I also love their sangria. I did not know they were owned by the same people that own TJ’s. Now I love them even more. :)
I have just loved this series! It just affirms my love of Aldi even more :) Mine and my husband’s favorite buys are: eggs, parmesan cheese, greek yogurt (when I don’t make my own), edamame, sweet potato chips, frozen berries, avocados, and pickles! We just love Aldi and do most of our shopping there. I can say that every time I get pistachios they just don’t taste that great to us, but I also used to live in California so might be spoiled by the fresh nuts I got right on the side of the road from farms :)
While their milk is not organic, it is hormone free. I get it all the time, and use their whole milk and their plain yogurt with cultures to make homemade crockpot yogurt. I use their simply fruit spread to sweeten and flavor the yogurt. As cheap as Aldi’s little tubs of yogurt are, the homemade is even cheaper!
I find their coffee comparable to Folgers or Maxwell House in taste, but not in price. The BIG can is only $5.49!!! No amount of couponing or shopping at a warehouse club store will get it that cheap. If you want fancier coffee, they do have their brand of that as well, but I’ve never tried them.
I’m relatively new to the Aldi scene, but was immediately hooked after my first trip last fall. I was convinced to go by a coworker who was a former regional manager for Aldi. She shared stories of traveling to produce packing houses and seeing identical produce being packaged for Aldi, Kroger, etc, with a different price point placed on each item depending on its destination store! My family became hooked on the Choceur brand Belgiun Chocolate Truffles that were in stock over the holidays. They sold for $2.49 per box and truly rivaled Godiva! My brother-in-law, not knowing where they came from, said they were the best truffles he ever tasted. I ended up buying MANY of them for holiday entertaining and to use for teacher gifts. A pretty ribbon and a label further dressed up the packaging for gift giving. They were a hit! I can’t wait to try the Sangria.
I’ve been an Aldi shopper for several years but just recently discovered how inexpensive their baby wipes are. They beat just about any sale at 72 wipes for $0.99, which works out to 1.4 cents per wipe!
I bought my husband their generic ground coffee and he didn’t like it at all. To the point that he threw it out, rather than drinking it. We figured it was worth a try though.
The gallons of regular milk is a fantastic deal. I’ve rarely seen them priced over $3 a gallon lately. Insider tip: it is Prairie Farms milk! I don’t know how to explain it, but a local dairy farmer friend who sells to Prairie Farms explained the coding to me. It’s got a different label, but it’s the real deal for half the price!
I just went today for the first time in over a decade thanks to your lovely reporting :) I couldn’t believe how much I was able to get for the money and was impressed especially by the meat section, which I had assumed would not be that good. I know that I easily saved $20 at least from what I would’ve paid at HyVee for the same items, and although I certainly can’t by everything there, I can at least spend a lot less time and money at the bigger grocery stores now. Love the Fit&Active brand too. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
This is soooo great! I am making my first trip this weekend and I am so excited about being super prepared and saving some $! Thanks for sharing!
Love this series on Aldi’s!
My top ten must buy things at Aldi are-
Fresh veggies
Fresh fruits
Deli sliced swiss cheese
Dry Pinto beans
Milk
Half & half
Fish oil/ vitamins
Chorizo
Butter
Salt & vinegar kettle chips
Anett- I can remember when our Aldi cashiers had to memorize the codes for all the items in the store too.
Thanks so much for this series. I just moved to Missouri and we have an Aldi here. I had never heard of the store. I went once and it was a disaster because I didn’t know I needed a quarter for my cart, or that I needed my own bags, etc. But after reading all your articles I am definitely going to give Aldi another chance. Thanks!!!
I buy the dog products including dry and canned food and my dogs love! And WAY cheaper!!! This has become my new favorite place!!!
My son loves the Light and Fit Brand (I think that is what it is) of cereal with red berries (it’s like the Special K with red berries). We buy it by the case. It is actually cruncher and has more flavor and berries.
I’m kind of obsessed with aldi! My usual aldi buys are… Sweet potato chips, dark chocolate, cashews, pistachios, tortilla chips, dried cranberries, dried apricots, natural PB, milk, eggs, cheese, spinach, avocados (even if they are rock solid. I put them in a paper bag above the fridge a few days to ripen. Bonus is that they won’t be bruised) onions, celery, cabbage, oranges, baby carrots, frozen veggie pizza…. Then I zip across the street for fresh tortillas, cilantro, and garbanzo beans. Aldi takes some trial and error but once you know what you like there, it’s easy to save time and money by relying less on the big stores. Great series Ali :)
I’ve only been to Adli once, but we’ve been talking about switching over recently to save money, and now we definitely will – thank you very much for sharing your advice in this series, I’ll let you know how the switch goes!
My husband and I love to shop at Aldi! We usually do most of our grocery shopping here. He loves the tortilla chips, better than name brand chips. The kosher dill pickles in the refrigerated section are the best pickles I ever tasted! We also buy the almond milk, butter and the blue, Gorgonzola and Parmesan cheeses here. Very delicious, especially on the salads made with their romaine lettuce in the same section. I can go on and on but I will add one final item, their chocolate is the bomb! And they have an awesome nut selection :) (ok, two final things)
This is my favorite post of the series yet, because this is always what I think about when trying out a new grocery store – what is worth buying, what is not. Even when something’s cheap, it’s the WORST when you try it and it’s just plain bad. This series has been SO helpful to me, and I’ve already got my first Aldi trip planned for this weekend – so pumped! Now on to making my list… :)
I love it! I think I might make a trip there today for some of this sangria you talk so highly of. We might need a little on Saturday :-)
I’ve shopped at Aldi on and off for awhile – it’s a great store! Thanks for reminding me of so many awesome reasons why I need to make it a priority to shop there all the time for the basics. Great series, Ali!
I really loved to read your articles about shopping at Aldi. I live in Germany (so please excuse any mistakes in this post :-)) and we have an Aldi in nearly every city. I want to tell you a few funny stories about Aldi here in Germany.
For a long time Aldi was „the poor man store“ in Germany too. People came with their Mercedes, shopped and packed their goods in bags with a logo from a shop with a better reputation. Today nearly everybody shops at Aldi.
A few years ago, shopping at Aldi was very trendy. There were several Cooking Books published all focused on things you only could buy at Aldi, they were called „Aldidente“:
http://www.amazon.de/Aldidente-preiswert-schlemmen-Discounter-erforscht/dp/3821815892 or http://www.amazon.de/Aldidente-italiano-Susanne-Fr%C3%B6hlich/dp/3821835591/ref=pd_sim_b_7
The cashiers are really fast. In Germany Aldi refused to install scanner checkouts for a long time because it would have slow down the checkout-process. The cashiers had to tip a three-digit number for every item in the store, and they had to learn them before they were allowed to work at the checkout.
Please forgive me but I had to laugh a little bit about your „how to“, bringing your own shopping bags, the cart-debit system, not accepting credit cards and bagging your items by your own is normal for every store in Germany not only Aldi. I think, if I will come to the USA, I will really really need some advice for shopping at another store than Aldi.
Fit and Active Carmel Rice Cakes are fabulous!
Fresh Sweet Onion Salsa is the best ever!
You are spot on, Ali! I am a nut for their steam in bag edamame in a pod. I buy their chunk light tuna (because there is VISIBLE tuna fillet in the cans for $0.69/can) and their butter like I’m doomsday prepping. I love their tortilla chips and while their orange juice concentrate isn’t great for drinking, it’s FAB for cooking with- I like a dollop or two in the slow cooker with a pork shoulder. I’m not super huge on their fresh meats, but adore their frozen salmon and tilapia! ALDI is an important tool in feeding a family of 7!
Thanks so much for this series! I too love Aldi. We are coffee snobs as well, but i can vouch for their whole-bean coffee in bags. I wouldn’t use it for pour-over coffee, but it is a decent substitute for high-end drip coffee every once in a while.
Thanks so much for this series. Im going to check out aldi this weekend for the first time!
I stock up on a lot of pantry items there, and I’m always amazed at how cheap their eggs are! Plus, I really like their seasonal section. They always have something interesting I want to try. I was giddy for days when I saw they had knock-off Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies there for a couple of weeks. I won’t tell you how many boxes I bought ;-)
@Trish Dollar General stores also sell knock-off GS cookies. They don’t have all of them, but they do have Thin Mints.
Thanks for the tip! I know where I’m heading to later :)
I LOVE Aldi and am a huge fan of their Fit and Active line of products. However, I will never, ever again buy diet soda there. I know I should not drink diet soda at all…. but since I do, the Aldi brand just does not cut it. Thanks for highlighting such a wonderful grocery store! I don’t understand the stigma against it — it has saved us lots of money of the years.