RegGuheert Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 The Guheerts just discovered Aldi about two months ago. I must say, that store really suits the cheap side of me! Here are a few of the products that get us into Aldi fairly regularly: Butter: $1.49/lb. Milk: $1.99/gal. (May have gone up recently...) Bacon: $2.49/lb. (More meat than any bacon we can get at Costco!) Spaghetti sauce (No MSG!) 100 tea bags: $1.69 Multigrain corn chips Sugar (cheaper than Wal-Mart) Summer sausage: $2.99 (No MSG! I had not had summer sausage in many years!) 8 GB USB drive: $14.99 (I had recently paid $35 and $25 for ones that failed. These seem better!) The kids LOVE having a quarter in the cart! Hey, if that saves me money, then I do too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I adore Aldi and they are everywhere here in Germany. The produce there is so much fresher than the commissary on post and I also get loads of meat, dairy from them. Baked goods are awesome as well. So much cheaper and fresher!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Sadly no Alid in Central Asia yet, but you can look up their special offers on the internet, which I do avidly and then tell my mum what to get for us :D 20 years ago Aldi wasn't that common in Germany and mainly immigrant Turks went there. But they've managed to be cheap and good quality consistingly and by now you can't only find them in every other village (like Tammy said), but they've really made it internationally, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyX8 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 We just got an Aldi. I walked in, walked down one aisle, back up the next, and then out the door. And I've not been back. I don't buy no-name brands that are here today/gone tomorrow. With the MIC issues, lead and BPA, I don't care to buy questionable items. Maybe stores vary, but I was not impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 The key to Aldi's is getting used to what they carry. They don't carry everything. I don' like going to four stores for groceries. We have Walmart, Krogers, Meiers, & Aldis. They are various distances and we have had good/bad experiences with some of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 We have one a few miles from here (actually, we have two). The store is next to the thrift store, in a questionable, run-down part of Prince William county. It's...idk, dirty? Not really dirty but just not attractive. Recently, I was in there checking for bargains and dd said it smelled like cardboard. But I still check every time I'm down there! They do have extraordinary bargains on hard goods, like (believe it or not) patio furniture and mosquito netting, gym bags and small appliances. Their produce actually looked pretty good. Stores can vary so much from place to place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 We have one a few miles from here (actually, we have two). The store is next to the thrift store, in a questionable, run-down part of Prince William county. It's...idk, dirty? Not really dirty but just not attractive. Recently, I was in there checking for bargains and dd said it smelled like cardboard. But I still check every time I'm down there! They do have extraordinary bargains on hard goods, like (believe it or not) patio furniture and mosquito netting, gym bags and small appliances. Their produce actually looked pretty good. Stores can vary so much from place to place. They do have that smell, just because there are so many boxes in there I guess. You're right Reg, they can't be beat on butter, cheese, etc. We actually do buy about 90% of our groceries there. I wish I could afford organic, but we can't. So I go for cheap but the healthiest of the cheap. They have a Fit and Active category with allot of good selections. We recently got a really good blender and have been making allot of smoothies. Their pineapple (Del-Monte) is 99 cents each and they have the F & A brand of frozen mixed berries, blueberries, and strawberries. They also have plain vanilla yogurt. It really helps our family out. Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Yes, I am bummed we don't have one here. I just saw, though, that they opened one up near my old house in MA!!! Guess that doesn't help me now. I used to like Aldi. It came to DK 30 years ago and we always went there for specific things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbeaser Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I'd stopped at an Aldi several years ago on a road trip to use the restroom. The store I'd stopped at was dirty and cramped and they didn't have a public restroom to boot. But, I have a friend that shops at Aldi here locally a lot, so I decided to give it a try. Both the stores I shop at (one in my parents town 50 miles away and one in the big town 15 miles away) are clean and neatly arranged. It does take some getting used to. What I do now is check the store ads for the other 3 stores I shop at, the go to Aldi and get what is cheaper there, then hit my other stores. Last week milk was $1.79 a gallon there and the week before it was $1.69 a gallon! I wanted sour cream and got 16oz containers for 89c each and I got bacon this week and it was 1.99 for a lb. And, although the butter said it was 1.99 on the shelf, it rang up at 1.49 (so I went back and got more, butter freezes really well!). Their lunch meat isn't bad (we just don't eat a ton of lunch meat) and their canned goods have excellent prices as well. So, yes, I love Aldi as well :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivetails Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 The Guheerts just discovered Aldi about two months ago. I must say, that store really suits the cheap side of me! Ha. I misread the title and was rather puzzled by what I could see of the thread from the main page ~ it showed what I'm quoting and I was thinking to myself "that's his idea of cheap??" Aldo shoes. ;) [we don't have this 'Aldi' store here] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Our local Aldi store is nasty. I have been there maybe three times. It is dirty and smelly and I felt terrible being there. Maybe the condition of the store depends on the manager. Evidently ours doesn't place high priority on cleanliness. For the longest time our Aldi offered two ways to pay, Food Stamps or cash, advertised in that order. I am not on Food Stamps and rarely carry cash so I never went. They do accept debit cards now so maybe I will give it another go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Aldi is owned by the same company as Trader Joes, and both of them are primarily store brand only. The store in our old neighborhood (neighborhood that was plummeting downhill, btw) was not the most pleasant shopping experience. The ones in our new area are much nicer and cleaner. Some things I buy, some I don't I buy at Aldi: butter light cream cheese canned Mexican beans (no HFC) fat free refried beans lemon juice jarred minced garlic (if I forget to pick that up at the dollar store) sundried tomato pesto when they have it (I stock up on this as it's a recurring item, not constant) canned tomato paste canned peaches (fit and active brand) canned diced tomatoes raisins bran flakes cereal shredded cheddar cheese (if I haven't stocked up on a buy one get one plus coupons at a different store) block cheddar for sandwiches (not the best, but fine for sandwiches) mushrooms (probably other things I can't remember right now, but these are staples) What I buy elsewhere instead (as opposed to things I just don't usually buy anywhere): most produce---the bananas especially always go from dead green to dead black very quickly milk--trying to avoid growth hormones in our liquid milk at least--yes, I know that isn't consistent with other dairy products, but I make the changes where I can based on our budget baked goods---trying to avoid HFCS eggs--trying to go more cage free when possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Yes, cardboard is not that offensive a smell! Our local grocery smells like bad fish when you enter. Much rather smell boxes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 They don't carry the 1% milk we like, so I do not use them. Too many packaged goods. The flour is not unbleached. I really can't get much of what we use there...and if I need butter, I stock up when it is on sale anyway elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrumm4448 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I have shopped at Aldi for years. In the last year I have gone organic so I shop at Trader Joe's which is owned by the same parent company. You can't beat the Aldi prices. I am American and I had a hard time in the beginning adjusting to the atmosphere of the store. Europeans may be used to shopping in a sparer environment than we are here. They're the smart ones. The only thing that really matters is the quality of the food, which for most (non-organic) things I found to be very high. I spent several years working in Ulta's buying office (way back when it was Ulta3!) and one thing I learned is that private label food items typically are a from a manufacturer of name-brand items. They just slap a new label the jar. Private-label cosmetics tend to be copies (ingredients literally copied from the label of a name-brand cosmetic!) I used to go out and buy name-brand cosmetics of something we wanted to private label and send those samples to the lab. They figured out an exact or very close match for usually a much cheaper price. Food stores with a great atmosphere and high prices do a ton of advertising and marketing, obviously. That's what you're paying for. Jewel can aggressively market their choice Angus Beef, but they still get whatever's left after the mom-and-pop private suppliers choose their sides of beef. Grocery stores get meat with less marbling, therefore less flavor and tenderness. Just an example. I don't even eat a lot of meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 The Guheerts just discovered Aldi about two months ago. I must say, that store really suits the cheap side of me! Here are a few of the products that get us into Aldi fairly regularly: Butter: $1.49/lb. Milk: $1.99/gal. (May have gone up recently...) Bacon: $2.49/lb. (More meat than any bacon we can get at Costco!) Spaghetti sauce (No MSG!) 100 tea bags: $1.69 Multigrain corn chips Sugar (cheaper than Wal-Mart) Summer sausage: $2.99 (No MSG! I had not had summer sausage in many years!) 8 GB USB drive: $14.99 (I had recently paid $35 and $25 for ones that failed. These seem better!) The kids LOVE having a quarter in the cart! Hey, if that saves me money, then I do too! We've had a 17 year love affair with Aldi here. It's the best store for a growing family & their growin appetites. I fully expect to survive the budget crunch coming whenthe boys start to hit their growth spurts because of Aldi. In the spring/summer there are frozen mangos that are delish! I buy a case to have in the freezer for smoothies. It's a seasonal item so stock up when it's around. The frozen raspberries are also a fav. here. tuna, pasta, plain yogurt, fruits & veggies, toilet paper, paper plates, peanut butter bars, cream of wheat, granola bars (green box), and strawberry fields cereal are a few that seem to make it into the basket each time. We love that the store is smaller. The kids ask for an item to go and get for the basket off my list. I slowly weave through the store making sure I didn't forget anything while they go and get the list items for me. I can keep an ear & eye on them at all time. For a two grocery cart family, this place rocks. Interesting factoid: The owners of Aldi are also the owners of Trader Joes. :001_smile: I didn't know that until recently and those are pretty much my two stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 We just got an Aldi. I walked in, walked down one aisle, back up the next, and then out the door. And I've not been back. I don't buy no-name brands that are here today/gone tomorrow. With the MIC issues, lead and BPA, I don't care to buy questionable items. Maybe stores vary, but I was not impressed. Aldi doesn't carry no-name, here today, gone tomorrow foods. What they carry are name brand foods that are packaged under the Aldi name. They contract with the same food brands in regular grocery stores to carry the items significantly cheaper, but ONLY under the Aldi brands. The quality is just as good as Kraft, Dole, Delmonte, etc, because they're actually selling you Kraft, Dole, Del Monte, etc. Aldi is also owned by the same folks who own Trader Joe's, so many of their products are also TJ products. There is nothing at Aldi that's "questionable". They also offer a refund on any product you're not happy with, no questions asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I love Aldi's, too. Like others have noted, I can't find everything there, but what I do find there saves me so much $$$ that I don't mind making a trip to two stores to complete my shopping. My Aldi faves: best produce around here - very nice and bargain priced milk and butter chocolate chips - better than Nestle's, IMO nuts coffee - I like Aldi's better than Folger's canned fruit bread Just getting the above items at Aldi's saves me a good bit each week. I have recently stopped buying sugar there, though, because it's not labeled pure cane sugar and I think it must be beet sugar at that low price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted January 2, 2010 Author Share Posted January 2, 2010 ...I think it must be beet sugar at that low price.Is that a bad thing? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Is that a bad thing? :bigear: Honestly, I think it's perhaps a good thing, health-wise! So, if I were getting it for tea or coffee, it's not a big deal. However, when I buy quantities of sugar, it's usually birthday or holiday time and I'm doing some baking. DH did a baking taste test a while back and decided he thinks there is a taste difference (the resident expert sweet-tooth ;)), so we buy cane sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I think we have 3 Aldi's locally. They have inexpensive produce, but I moved onto locally grown, organic or at least US grown veggies. I'm also picky with milk and want only hormone and antibiotic free more local brand. I do occasionally still shop there depending on the season, in summer they stock local growers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I was pleasantly surprised by many of the specialty items they stocked this year through the holiday season. It saved me a trip to Trader Joe's to buy the same items! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdeno Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I buy my flour/wheat berries, raw sugar ect from Dutch Valley but I try to buy as much of the rest as I can from Aldi. I have liked most of their brand items. I have been shopping there for about 11 years. The stores around here are pristinely clean. The only thing I don't like is bagging when I am oh.so.tired. Kari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Mom Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 We just got a brand new one and it is sooo nice!! With my teen boys, I find Aldi's make the grocery budget manageable. I buy lots of cereal there too because my guys eat cereal as a snack all day. We really enjoy their pretzel sticks too. They are just a great snack while the dc's are doing schoolwork. I was reluctant to get their meats but have been pleasantly surprised. Their bacon is great! Also, I bought a roast the other day and it was probably one of the best I have ever fixed. I just poured Coke on it and baked it in the oven for three hours. It was great. I'm not very good at keeping up with coupons so Aldi's is the ticket for me. I bought about $180 there last week which was a huge buggy full. I figure it would have cost at least $300 at any of the local grocery stores we have. I don't even mind bagging my own groceries. Since I bought some great bags from reusablebags.com as mentioned here, I like sporting my new bags in - sad as that might be! So yes, we are Aldi's fans here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Every time I go to Aldi, I have a run in with, shall we say, odd folks. If it's not loudly adding the price of all items in your cart and maintaining a running monologue, it's something else. Last time I went I didn't even make it in the door before the craziness started with the woman who said to me (as we got our carts), "I'll bet you OBAMA doesn't have to pay a quarter for a cart!" :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie~Phlox Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I coupon, so really for me Aldi's is a waste of time. It's not nearby and I can stock on on things that we use at a much cheaper price. My friends swear by it, but when I can get Peanut butter for .20 a jar, I stock up at that price and I can get free frozen vegetables with double coupons, so that's another item that I would not buy there, plus I am partial to Sam's Club frozen broccoli. I live a mile from Meijer, so I buy my produce there, or where it's on sale with coupons. (yes, there are produce coupons out there occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 (edited) Aldi doesn't carry no-name, here today, gone tomorrow foods. What they carry are name brand foods that are packaged under the Aldi name. They contract with the same food brands in regular grocery stores to carry the items significantly cheaper, but ONLY under the Aldi brands. The quality is just as good as Kraft, Dole, Delmonte, etc, because they're actually selling you Kraft, Dole, Del Monte, etc. Aldi is also owned by the same folks who own Trader Joe's, so many of their products are also TJ products. There is nothing at Aldi that's "questionable". They also offer a refund on any product you're not happy with, no questions asked. SolaMichella is correct. Aldi's products are name brand foods packaged in different packages. This has been verified and I personally stood in line at Aldi behind a man who told me that in college he worked at a Kellogg's cereal plant and they poured the SAME cereal in Kellogg's boxes and Aldi boxes. Here are some websites that might be of interest: http://www.menus4moms.com/articles/aldi.php Pricelists http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/aldis/94197-aldis-price-list.html According to my local store manager, every Aldi's prices their products according to the neighborhood. I can find an item at my store for say 99¢. If I stop at the Aldi's 5 miles away, the same product is $1.39!! -- http://momadvice.com/food/aldi_supermarket.aspx Aldi menus http://momadvice.com/food/aldi_meal_plan1.asp I've been shopping at Aldi for almost 20 years, except for a few years when we were 1 1/2 hours away and even then I did the "stock up" shopping when near an Aldi. I love not having to compare prices, roam around a big store, etc. We do probably 90% of our shopping at Aldi. Edited January 2, 2010 by mom2abcd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 We just got an Aldi. I walked in, walked down one aisle, back up the next, and then out the door. And I've not been back. I don't buy no-name brands that are here today/gone tomorrow. With the MIC issues, lead and BPA, I don't care to buy questionable items. Maybe stores vary, but I was not impressed. This is exactly my experience. astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Our local Aldi store is nasty. I have been there maybe three times. It is dirty and smelly and I felt terrible being there. Maybe the condition of the store depends on the manager. Evidently ours doesn't place high priority on cleanliness. For the longest time our Aldi offered two ways to pay, Food Stamps or cash, advertised in that order. I am not on Food Stamps and rarely carry cash so I never went. They do accept debit cards now so maybe I will give it another go. Again, EXACTLY my experience with my local Aldi's. We could be talking about EXACTLY the same Aldis store. Ewww..... astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineFarmMom Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 The Guheerts just discovered Aldi about two months ago. I must say, that store really suits the cheap side of me! Here are a few of the products that get us into Aldi fairly regularly: Butter: $1.49/lb. Milk: $1.99/gal. (May have gone up recently...) Bacon: $2.49/lb. (More meat than any bacon we can get at Costco!) We don't have an Aldi. I'll have to look the next time we're in the "big city". I just wanted to note that on the above items, that is what we pay at Wal-mart. I think butter may have gone up to $1.75, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 sundried tomato pesto when they have it (I stock up on this as it's a recurring item, not constant) Karen, This item sounds interesting. How do you use it? Thanks! GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted January 2, 2010 Author Share Posted January 2, 2010 We don't have an Aldi. I'll have to look the next time we're in the "big city". I just wanted to note that on the above items, that is what we pay at Wal-mart. I think butter may have gone up to $1.75, though.Aldi is about 1 mile from the Wal-Mart I prefer. Before Aldi, Wal-Mart was charging something like $3.29 for milk. Now they have dropped the price to $2.29 IIRC, but still are not as cheap as Aldi. Since they are so close, we will do most of our shopping at Wal-Mart and then run over to Aldi to finish up. We often find that we bought several items at Wal-Mart that are cheaper at Aldi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Every time I go to Aldi, I have a run in with, shall we say, odd folks. If it's not loudly adding the price of all items in your cart and maintaining a running monologue, it's something else. Last time I went I didn't even make it in the door before the craziness started with the woman who said to me (as we got our carts), "I'll bet you OBAMA doesn't have to pay a quarter for a cart!" :001_huh: UGH. :001_huh::confused::blink: astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I think there is a huge difference in quality from one to another. I hear so many people rave about them but our just isn't that good. The produce is scary at best. The meat is about double the price of any other grocery store in the area, and the employees are about the most unhelpful group of people I've ever had to deal with in my life. On the other hand, in an Aldi's 45 minutes away where my parents live the produce is fantastic. They have 4-5 kinds of really fresh produce on sale each week for 49 cents a package. My mom regularly buys my produce from there because it's such a great deal. The rest of my family shop there weekly. About once I year I get brave enough to walk in mine and then remember Oh yeah, this place is horrible and leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted January 2, 2010 Author Share Posted January 2, 2010 I don't buy no-name brands that are here today/gone tomorrow. With the MIC issues, lead and BPA, I don't care to buy questionable items. Maybe stores vary, but I was not impressed.For years we have been actively trying to find substitutes for many national-brand products since many (most?) of those contain toxic non-food ingredients in them. (Kudos to whichever poster used that term on this forum. I hope you don't mind that I have adopted it for my own use!) The summer sausage is an excellent example. Yes, it does have nitrates and nitrites, but it does not have any form of MSG and therefore does not give me a headache when I eat it. That is not to say that Aldi is a health-food store. It is not. There are some really scary items on the shelves, but I was pleased to be able to find something I enjoy that the national brands have ruined for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I like Aldi for certain things. We usually do a big trip there once every couple of months and stock up on stuff. I buy cereal there, some baking stuff (cocoa, white flour, sugar, cooking oil), and a lot of snack food (they have great organic blue corn chips). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Karen, This item sounds interesting. How do you use it? Thanks! GardenMom On pasta (a little goes a long way), as the "sauce" on English muffin pizzas (split English muffin, top with a bit of the pesto, turkey pepperoni and shredded cheese, then bake), mixed with cream cheese for a spread---places you might use regular pesto. My husband prefers the sundried tomato one to the basil one. Now they do have items that will be there for a while and then not come back for a few months (like the pesto--it's there when they do the Italian specialty items). They do this with German foods, Italian, Asian, etc. They will also have special buys, often on name brand products, that will only be in the store for a certain length of time. I did buy a smoked ham (not spiral sliced) there this year and found it to be very salty, so that's another thing I don't pick up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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