Sunday, September 29, 2013

A Trip to Aldi



I've been shopping at Aldi for over 20 years. 
I don't go as often as I should. 
There seems to be a weird stigma about shopping at Aldi and 
it's unfortunate because they have great stuff!


A few things you should know before venturing into Aldi:



1. Be Prepared. 

Aldi doesn't look like a traditional grocery store. They stack the boxes, do very little 'merchandising' and it's all bare bones... it's more like a warehouse store.







2. Take a Quarter

If you need a cart, you will need to place a quarter deposit in your cart. This is so people don't leave the carts standing in the parking lot and their employees won't need to go and gather those carts.  You may think a quarter is no big deal but I've never seen a rogue cart in the parking lot so it works.




3. Take cash, a debit card or EBT card.  

Aldi doesn't take checks or credit cards.




4. Be Flexible.

Understand that Aldi has the basics and some odd 'limited time only' things so you won't find everything you're looking for there and you may not find something you got there the next time you go. I still need to go to my large grocery store for the specialty items I buy, but they have most everything I want for a basic gathering of items. They mostly have their brand of products which are name brands with a private label. They also have brand name items that change each week. 

The have a decent variety of  chips, candy, crackers, cookies, spices, condiments, cereals, baking items, dairy and meat products, household items, diapers, paper and plastic goods, frozen convenience foods, veggies, fruits, pet food, breads, snacks, boxed goods, pasta, jarred and canned goods. 




5. Bring Your Own Bags... 

... or you have to buy them there. 
You will be bagging your own groceries.



The Trip



The haul shown in the photo was about $68 plus an additional $15 I spent for the cat scratching post.. I also bought some items not pictured but I subtracted those out. They have very odd things each week at Aldi. You just never know what you'll find! 

(3) bags of spring mix at $1.99 each
(2) cucumbers at 39 cents each
(2) pineapples at $1.29 ea
(1) corn tortillas at 99 cents
(1) carton almond milk at $2.49
(1) bag of crinkle cut fries at $1.89
(1) bunch bananas at $1.03
(1) pkg green grapes at $2.99
(1) 4 lb bag of sugar at $1.89
(1) bottle of extra virgin olive oil at $2.99
(1) sandwich cream cookies, double stuff at $1.49
(1) fresh squeezed orange juice (not concentrate) at $2.49
(2) pkgs of zucchini (came out to be 5 total) for $1.39 each pkg)
(1) 10 lb of russet potatoes at $1.99
(1) kumato tomato sleeve at $1.29
(1) bag wavy potato chips at $1.49
(1) 3 lb bag of gala apples at $1.99
(1) pkg mushrooms at $1.49
(1) carafe of lemonade at $1.69
(1) huge loaf of pane italian bread at $3.79
(1) bag of green onions at 99 cents
(1) pkg brussels sprouts at $2.39
(1) bag of waffle fries at $1.79
(1) 40 oz jar peanut butter (for my dogs!) at $3.99
(1) steak sauce at 99 cents
(1) large can pinto beans at $1.19
(1) bag of red onions (4 in the bag) at $1.99
(1) can olive oil spray at $1.69
(2) cans of whole kernel corn at 48 cents each
(1) can diced green chiles at 69 cents
(2) cans black beans at 59 cents each
(2) cans tomato paste at 39 cents each
(1) bottle of lemon juice at $1.89

Aldi has some great prices and you can get a lot of food for the money here. 

They also have a double guarantee on their Aldi brand products... if you aren't satisfied, they will replace the item AND refund your money! So.. give them a try!!

You can check out their weekly specials on their website and find the closest location to you. They are all over the world!











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