I'm making my first trip to Aldi tomorrow...any advice, recommendations, etc.?

[Kathleen in VA]

A brand new Aldi just opened in my town and I will be shopping there tomorrow. I know they only sell one brand and so their selection is very limited. A neighbor told me he didn't like their ketchup and a friend told me she didn't like their salad dressings. I'm just wondering what folks here think are worthwhile items and what things I should avoid. Thanks!

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

Our Aldi has the cheapest milk around, by far. I never pay attention to brand of milk anyway (since I don't drink it :)), so cheap is good.

[edithcrawley]

Don't forget to bring a quarter for the cart. Also, bring your own bags unless you want to pay money (10-15 cents) for each bag you want.

[Melissa in Australia]

I love the chocolate from Aldi, it is from Belgium. I find cheese and butter 1/2 the price of anywhere else.

[AuntieM]

Ditto on the milk!

 

Things I like at Aldi:

coffee ( I like decaf)

chocolate chips

nuts

the produce (great for price)

cheeses

 

Those are the main things. I pick up other items, depending on what's on sale.

 

Oh, I also like to get whole turkeys and bread. Eggs are usually a bargain as well.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

First, they take cash or debit cards. No credit cards. Secondly, bring your own shopping bags, or you will have to buy them for a dime or so each.

 

I found the selection of foods very limited. Think pantry staples. All store brands that I've never heard of.

 

They seemed to have a good variety of ethnic/spanish foods at good prices.

 

Produce was hit or miss in quality.

 

We tried a few things and liked them:

 

- Coffee is cheap and worth a try. $3.99/12 oz. :D. Learned that here.

 

- Cereals are cheap and my kids thought they tasted better than Walmart's store brand.

 

We don't eat a lot of processed foods, so I can't vouch for any of their frozen or boxed foods. They seemed to have good prices on it.

 

Well, hope this helps. Happy shopping!

 

K

Edited May 14, 2010 by NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too
typo

[Chelle in MO]

They do have national brands in some things. I've seen Pringles, M&M's, Red Baron, Breyer's. The thing is, you can't count on them being there all the time.

 

I like their:

 

pretzels

 

potato chips

 

almonds

 

eggs

 

milk

 

stick butter

 

spiral ham

 

cheese

 

frozen fruit

 

produce--fabulous pineapple and 3# yummy oranges for 99 cents, organic USA tomatoes (can't remember the price, but it was good)

 

bread crumbs

 

The only thing I can think of that I've tried and didn't like was their canned tomato juice.

 

Happy shopping!

 

Chelle

 

Goodness gracious! He did it again! After I posted, I noticed that dh changed my avatar from the "Zip It" guy to this baseball thing! I've got to change my password!

Edited May 14, 2010 by Chelle in MO
Goofy dh, again!

[MomsintheGarden]

Ditto on the milk and cereal. We also usually find their butter, eggs, and bananas to be cheaper as well. We like their summer sausage and canned chicken. Sorry, but I like Lindt and Costco chocolate better than Aldi's.

 

Also:

You may use any box you like for your groceries.

Usually the aisle in the middle back is for "specials" that are seasonal, special deals, or clearance items. For instance, right now they have a lot of garden-related items.

There are usually only two people working at a store at the same time. This means that they are generally maxed out.

If you go at a non-busy time, you can get someone to help you get something heavy (like water-softener salt) out to your car.

If you go to the Aldi website, there is a tutorial on how to shop there:

http://www.aldifoods.com/us/html/company/shopping_smarter_ENU_HTML.htm?WT.z_src=main

 

Have fun!

GardenMom

[OrganicAnn]

You can see their ads online at Aldi.com to give you and idea of some of their special deals.

[RegGuheert]

I've added an 'aldi' tag. Just click it below to see some of the previous discussions of what people are buying there.

 

We bought 8GB memory sticks there for $15 last Christmas that have been fine. This was quite a bit cheaper than Amazon had...

[KarenNC]

I just made a run today. The things I get there:

lemon juice

fat free refried beans

canned diced tomatoes

neufchatel cheese

fit and active canned peaches

frozen fish fillets (not breaded)

mushrooms

oranges

apples

cereals (usually bran flakes, other plain things)

canola oil

baking basics---sugar, brown sugar, etc

canned diced green chiles

sundried tomato pesto when they have it

Mexican chili beans (the regular kidney beans have HFCS, these don't)

onions

watermelons in season

 

Things I actively avoid:

bananas (any bagged ones from anywhere seem to go brown too quickly)

half hams (last one I had was too salty, though the spiral ones, as I remember aren't as bad)

most baked goods (HFCS)

[Avila]

We had these back in St. Louis, and I have missed them! The one here is opening this weekend though!

 

My kids love the yogurt. We also do most of the other dairy products, the bagged lettuce, canned vegetables, canned fruit, frozen vegetables and eggs. We don't like the ketchup, canned soups, any of the ice cream, or spaghetti sauce.

 

Basically, I found that the less processed items were better. If you normally buy generic items at the grocery store, it is usually worth trying Aldi brands.

[simka2]

just got back myself! :)

[PentecostalMom]

was Aldi stateside! We were in Europe several years and haven't been back long. Need to see if there is one near me! I am sure they have different things than they did overseas, but we liked a lot of things from there. Anyone been around Christmas? Do they carry all the cool various chocolate from overseas?

[KJsMom]

I'm so jealous. I am always reading about great deals at Aldi and they aren't anywhere around here.

[scmama]

I shop at Aldi's all the time. I can say for the last 2 years, I have never had anything that tasted or smelled bad. I do go to Walmart for some name brand items, or Dollar General for cleaning supplies. But I've never had a bad experience there! Yes the milk is a lot cheaper there, which is great for growing families. And my kids also think their cereal is much better than Walmart. I have saved tons of money by shopping there!!

[Sahamamama]

We basically go to Aldi for snacks for the girls. It's about the cheapest place around here (NJ) to find things like cookies, crackers, pretzels, and cereal bars. The girls don't eat a ton of these every day, but they do like their little mid-morning snack!

 

Another thing we find at Aldi is the produce, which (IMO) is fairly good quality -- but you have to watch the price. It may be cheaper than a farmer's market/produce market or grocery store... or it may be a higher price. Just watch the prices on the produce and compare with what you know your regular store charges for the same. When we go, we generally get:

 

bananas

romaine (hearts, in a bag)

celery

carrots

potatoes

onions

broccoli

cabbage

cucumbers

 

and perhaps: berries, other fruit, asparagus, maybe sweet peppers (last time, we thought they were pricey).

 

A few other things we like at our Aldi -- the Mexican chili beans (can) and the vegetarian (lard-free) refried beans (also in a can). These taste great to us, make a quick meal, and are very versatile. We eat a lot of beans! :D

 

Off topic, sort of... our family's favorite beans, HANDS DOWN, are the dried Roman beans in a 10 lb. bag at Sam's Club. About a year ago, YOU sent us a packet of ancient Roman recipes, and we bought these Roman beans to make at home -- we've been hooked on them ever since! :lol:

 

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=155987&navAction=push

[happi duck]

Don't forget to bring a quarter for the cart. Also, bring your own bags unless you want to pay money (10-15 cents) for each bag you want.

:iagree:

It's no fun juggling your items because you couldn't scrounge up a quarter!

[mom2abcd]

You've gotten some good ideas. Be sure to take debit card or cash, bags (or recycle their boxes), a quarter...

 

We've been shopping at Aldi for years and it's hard when we don't live near one. You can save a lot of time and money by shopping there!

 

A man in the checkout line once told me that he worked at a cereal factory near Chicago (Kellogg's, I think) and that it was the same cereal, just different boxes.

 

They have a couple of brands of ice cream now, but I really think the ones in Breyer's-shaped containers is the same stuff.

 

The last year or so I've noticed that the milk I buy there spoils more quickly than the milk from other stores.

 

Their yogurt, cheeses, Romaine heads, etc. are just outstanding!

 

Did you know that the same brothers that own (and started) Trader Joe's also own and started Aldi? That's why they have many of the same things. (Dunkers, chocolate, etc.)

 

One more thing-- they've had some wonderful self-rising crust pizza that hasn't been there the last couple of times. It tastes the same as Di'Giorno pizza of the same type. (And at almost half the price!)

 

Enjoy!

[tex-mex]

:confused: I don't know about coupons... but the prices are so LOW that coupons would be silly, IMO. We love the ice cream, pasta, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, white bread (75 cents) and hot dog buns (65 cents). The front of the main door aisle usually has candy/popcorn. I love the yellow cake mixes and use them for "doctored" up cake recipes. I love Aldi!

[OnTheBrink]

Do they accept coupons? I'm guessing not since they sell generic or private label.

 

No, no coupons.

 

But, bear in mind their foods are not "second quality" or "name brand rejects". Aldi contracts with major food brands to use the same exact products under the Aldi labels. You will even find Trader Joe's foods there. They're owned by the same people.

 

While I've been getting more and more food from our food co-op, before I joined the co-op, I regularly bought the following:

 

chips

crackers

cereals

salad dressings

ketchup

mustard

mayo

cake mixes/frosting

sugar

flour

butter

eggs

milk

cheese (best price ever on cheese!)

spaghetti sauce

tea bags

coffee

pasta (they have whole wheat pastas now)

bread

Toilet paper

paper towels

lunch meat

hummus

tomatoes

celery

peppers

potatoes

apples

bananas

chorizo

canned green beans

refried beans

canned peas

deodorant

shampoo

trash bags

cat food

tortillas

half and half

occasionally wine and beer

[Teri in VA]

I like their wine and their dark chocolate.

 

They occasionally have chocolate croissants in the freezer section that are *to die for*!! I'm talking crazy good.

 

The only thing I've ever tried that I didn't like from Aldi was their hummus.

 

Happy Shopping!

[JFSinIL]

Take a quarter for the shopping cart, your own bags to carry stuff home, and either cash or a debit card. No checks or credit cards.

 

You won't find 100% of what you need at Aldi, but probably enough stuff cheap enough to make it worth your time.

[Alison in KY]

We buy 90% or more of our groceries from Aldi. I think they have a pretty big selection.

 

What I don't like are their own Mayo and Miracle Whip...we have to get the name brand on these. I also prefer Kraft mozarella cheese, but it's gotten so pricey that I have to go for the Aldi now. I also don't like their broccoli. That's all I can think of on the dislike list.

 

Their new vanilla and choc. soy milk is great!

 

Alison

[seibert4kids]

Just remember your quarter!!!

We found the milk prices to fluctuate a LOT, especially during the summer. At one point 1 gallon was as low as $1.50! It steadily increased, but still stayed cheaper than WalMart.

Things we used to buy from there on a regular basis:

Chocolate chips

Vanilla

Spices

MILK!

Butter

Frozen juice

[Blueridge]

The girls and I are making a trip there today! If you start watching the online ads, you will be amazed at the weekly sales they have. A few weeks ago they had Japanese Maple trees for $12.00...I absolutely love these items and get them each time we go:

Grandessa brand *House* salad dressing (like a slightly sweet Italian)

bottled spices, some with top grinders

multi-grain tortilla chips

Fit n Active dried fruits and low-sugar jams

frozen berries

frozen salmon

hummus dip

boxed granola

tea bags and bagged coffees

100% bottled juices

They even have Lacura face products, and the intensive serum lotion is amazing.

Have a great time!

ETA: Oh, yes, those frozen chocolate croissants...get them them...trust me!

Edited May 14, 2010 by Blueridge
added a goodie

[Jen in PA]

What we always get there:

Lacura night cream (moisturizer)

milk

choc. chips

tortilla chips

pretzels

cheese -- blocks, shredded, string, they rotate specialty cheeses and some are very good

cinnamon graham crackers

cream cheese

cottage cheese

butter

kiwi

lots of baking stuff

I no longer need them around here, but we loved their diapers

peanuts, almonds, raisins, dried apricots and cranberries

they have a nice green tea with lemon and ginseng

frozen wild-caught salmon

canned tuna

frozen berries (and frozen mango when they have it!)

grape juice

dishwasher detergent

 

What we skip:

mayo

paper towels

fabric softener

[teachermom2834]

Most of what we like has already been mentioned.

 

Those mini rice cake snacks (I think they carry cheddar and caramel) are very good. I buy several bags of those for on the go snacks.

 

The chocolate chips are good and I like buying spices/ baking and cooking staples there.

 

The frozen berries are good and we really like the frozen green beans.

 

There are some frozen Asian meals that dh likes for when he is on his own for dinner.

 

Salsa/ jalepenos/ other Mexican items are other things we stock up on.

 

I buy chips/ pretzels/ snack stuff there. We don't use alot of those things but I like to grab a bag of pretzels when we're heading off to the park. Prices and quality are good on the snacky stuff.

[Karenciavo]

I must have the worst Aldis in the world near me. They are loaded with crappy processed food and produce a day or two away from the compost bin. I hope to see one of the Aldis with the Belgium chocolates one day. :lol:

[Dad 4 Boys]

A man in the checkout line once told me that he worked at a cereal factory near Chicago (Kellogg's, I think) and that it was the same cereal, just different boxes.

 

I was told personally by a Keebler plant engineer that the only difference between the Keebler and private label fudge covered cookies sold at Aldi was the color of the fudge. Also, the private label was about half the price of the Keebler. This was more than 10 years ago, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were true today.

 

At the time I watched fudge covered cookies like Keebler deluxe grahams roll off the production line to be packaged as private label. They were produced using the same equipment and raw materials as far as I could tell.

 

It would be nice if there was some source to cross reference between the name and private label brands, but I haven't been able to find it.

[Erica in PA]

Everyone else has had good tips, and so I'll just add a couple notes. Aldi's is the best for stocking up on the basics. Flour, sugar, oil, eggs, milk, sugar, baking powder, beans, canned items, etc. It is well worthwhile shopping there for just those things alone, imo. The only thing I have ever tried and not liked was pasta sauce, but that was so many years ago, they may have changed their recipe by now. Just read the ingredients and make sure that they sound good... if they do, then you will probably like it. I bought some chocolate gelato yesterday that is really good! Also, keep an eye out for handwritten signs advertising a manager's special, because these are really great deals... yesterday I got avocados for 25 cents each, and bags of spring mix salad for 75 cents.

 

While I can't get everything we need at Aldi's, it does save us a lot of money when I buy everything I can there, then buy the rest at another store. I hope you enjoy it!

[Dad 4 Boys]

Just remember your quarter!!!

 

Also, don't be surprised when you're pushing your cart back toward the cart parking area and someone walks up to you and hands you a quarter. They just want your cart.

[Frontier Mom]

I like our Aldi's. In fact, I have been trying Couponing the last few months and I'm not sure I'm saving much. I use the sites but I liked Aldi's because I could jump in, get what I wanted and get home! Quick and simple. I think couponing takes more planning and scheduling so I am still giving it a try. Just not sure how sold on it I am at this point.

 

I love everything at Aldi's except just a couple of things. My kids don't like their Doritos type chips. I don't think their dishwashing detergent suds very well and I love Dawn so that is what I buy. I also have terrible luck with their bananas here. They go from green to rotten.

 

However, Aldi's is terrific for feeding hungry teens. And, I really like their Light & Fit things when I can find them.

[Lynn in WI]

Aldi is the only place I've seen where the shredded cheese is cheaper than the block cheese, ounce per ounce.

 

If you care about additives and preservatives be certain to read the labels on your dairy products. I stopped buying their half & half after I read the ingredients and noticed an expiration date six months into the future! I like my half & half to be just that: half milk and half cream.

 

Their frozen orange juice is delicious.

 

Aldi is a wonderful place but I especially love it because I can be in and out in 20 minutes.

[susankenny]

I'm going to Aldi today. I can honestly say we like everything from Aldi. In our area, the produce is exceptional. My local grocery store (Bi-lo) and Super Walmart are much more expensive and their fruit is very hit or miss. With Aldi, it is always good. I get 80% of my groceries from Aldi, and about 20% from Walmart. It is awesome!

 

 

Susan

 

 

ETA, I've never tried their non-food products though. We make our own laundry detergent (awesome!), and I use Dawn and Cascade only for dishes. I've always regretted purchasing other items.

Edited May 14, 2010 by susankenny

[Kathleen in VA]

Wow, thanks everyone!!! All this advice is just awesome. I feel like I could have quoted everyone's post so will just say a collective THANKS!! I went to the website and read the tutorial and looked at the specials - I'm so psyched!!!! Things are very tight this year and I've been desperate to lower our food costs - I feel so blessed to have this Aldi open up right where I usually do all my shopping. Before this one opened, the closest one was about an hour away and my car is not reliable enough to drive that far. I am so excited to try all these things and I just stuffed a couple of quarters in my wallet (out of my change stash on my dresser). It seems a little silly to get this worked up over grocery shopping, but I can't help it - I'm just so thrilled to be able to save so much money.

 

Oh, and another added benefit for me personally is the size of the store. Some of you may remember that I have back issues - my lower spine is fused together with six screws and two of my vertebra are rubbing together bone-on-bone (I need another surgery but am avoiding that with all my might) - so navigating a large store is a huge discomfort/pain for me. Being able to do all my shopping in a smaller store should be much less stress on my back. Good thing I have helpers to load the bags and car. Usually grocery shopping is very depressing for me so WOO-HOO! - hooray for Aldi!! Now to go grab a bunch of grocery bags.:)

[Peri]

Don't get any of the can or jar veggies. They are so low quality that they are gross (except for the tomato paste). I would get stuff like dry pasta, beans, and rice. Their freezer items are not bad. The flour they have is also good if you do a lot of baking. Get sugar, salt, butter, milk, and stuff lke that. Stick to the basics when you go shopping there. I never liked their cookies and chips and stuff like that. I highly recomend their fresh fruits and veggies.

[Frontier Mom]

May be too late to let you know, but their makeup is awesome. It's probably my favorite ever and I got the suggestion here! I never would have tried it otherwise.

[Maddysmom26]

THey have great prices on frozen strawberries and mixed berry blends! Great for making smoothies! I also buy the shredded parmesan and romano cheese, really cheap there! Their fit n Active items are great! We also bought their frozen real fish filets which are individually wrapped, I think it was $3.99 for a huge bag, that had at least 15 fillets. It was really good , cant remember the name of the fish, Im not normally a fish eatter but that was great! They also have great veggies, the frozen are great deals too! have fun! :)

[Kathleen in VA]

May be too late to let you know, but their makeup is awesome. It's probably my favorite ever and I got the suggestion here! I never would have tried it otherwise.

 

I haven't left yet - will be heading out about 2:30 EST. I did check out the skincare and makeup when I was at the website and this trip I am going to try the mascara and moisturizer. I feel like I'm about to get on a plane headed for Disneyworld.:D

[Starr]

I haven't left yet - will be heading out about 2:30 EST. I did check out the skincare and makeup when I was at the website and this trip I am going to try the mascara and moisturizer. I feel like I'm about to get on a plane headed for Disneyworld.:D

 

If you time it right you can even get a long line at check out. :D

[Chelle in MO]

If you time it right you can even get a long line at check out. :D

 

But, hopefully, she won't see any giant mice!

 

Chelle

 

O.k., dh. Cut out the avatar silliness! You have work to do!

Edited May 14, 2010 by Chelle in MO
That darn dh!

[OnTheBrink]

May be too late to let you know, but their makeup is awesome. It's probably my favorite ever and I got the suggestion here! I never would have tried it otherwise.

 

That's the one thing I can't use from Aldi. I was so excited to try it but it makes my eyes swell. I don't know if it's the scent or what, but I was heartily bummed. :glare:

[LauraGB]

O.k., dh. Cut out the avatar silliness! You have work to do!

 

:lol: Oh my goodness! Keep that avatar - I love it!!

 

(Sorry for the interruption - I couldn't help it. Carry on.)

Edited May 14, 2010 by LauraGB

[Kathleen in VA]

If you time it right you can even get a long line at check out. :D

 

:lol:

 

But, hopefully, she won't see any giant mice!

 

:lol: (It took me a minute, but I finally got it.)

 

:lol: Oh my goodness! Keep that one - I love it!!

 

(Sorry for the interruption - I couldn't help it. Carry on.)

 

Quite all right.:)

[Orthodox6]

Thank you for this thread ! An Aldi is opening up near our house, perhaps it is today. It sounds like a very strange store, but I look forward to investigating the place.

[Chelle in MO]

:lol: Oh my goodness! Keep that avatar - I love it!!

 

(Sorry for the interruption - I couldn't help it. Carry on.)

 

Continuing the interruption...

 

Thanks, Laura! I like all the avatars he gives me, but it's causing an identity complex! ;) I didn't have an avatar for my first 1,500 posts, and now I've had 3 or 4 in as many days! He's a character, that's for sure!

[Chelle in MO]

Yoohooooo! Kathleeeeeen! We're all anxiously waiting to hear about your shopping trip! What did you buy? What did you think of the store? Was the checkout line long? What did you think of the prices? Did you see any mice? ;)

 

I hope it didn't make your back hurt (any worse than usual, that is).

[Kathleen in VA]

Yoohooooo! Kathleeeeeen! We're all anxiously waiting to hear about your shopping trip! What did you buy? What did you think of the store? Was the checkout line long? What did you think of the prices? Did you see any mice? ;)

 

I hope it didn't make your back hurt (any worse than usual, that is).

 

I'm baaaaccckkkk!!!!! Whew! I'm tuckered out.:) The shopping didn't take as long as usual but the packing took a 1/2 hour. I filled up two baskets and they are on the large side. Even with 8 reusable grocery bags and 5 or so boxes I ended up having to buy paper bags, and then I had to figure out how to get it all in my teeny tiny car. We were smushed! It took at least an hour to get it put away once we got home.

 

I thought the prices were awesome on most things. Some things were about the same as Walmart - can't remember just what but there only a few items. Most things were less.

 

I bought more than I usually do so I was a little shocked at the checkout, but it should last quite a while. I wrote down all the dinners I'll be able to make and it covers at least three weeks - more if I have leftovers which I always do. I got a little carried away because I knew I was saving money on each item. I'll try not to make that mistake again.

 

The only thing I was disappointed in was the produce. It was just okay. There were actually rotten potatoes and rotten onions in some of the bags - my nose noticed right away.:tongue_smilie: Also, as I think someone mentioned, all the baked goods have HFCS in them so I will have to steer clear there.

 

But all in all, I think I could buy about 80-90% of my groceries there on a regular basis. I won't really know until the month is out and I've tried most of the food to see if I like it.

 

Oh, and it was very clean and orderly and the checkout clerk was extremely helpful and kind.

[BeckyFL]

I must have the worst Aldis in the world near me. They are loaded with crappy processed food and produce a day or two away from the compost bin. I hope to see one of the Aldis with the Belgium chocolates one day. :lol:

That's exactly what mine was like. :crying: