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All about Aldi. The Café's best tips and tricks for shopping at Aldi, as well as our favorite things to buy!
We have a little different type of post for you today, all about shopping at Aldi and some of the wonderful products we find there every week. We think Aldi is a little diamond-in-the-rough secret when it comes to finding great buys on groceries and we wanted to share some of our great finds with you.
Who am I talking about when I say "we"? Well, that's one other thing I wanted to share with you today. I'm excited to introduce you to an integral member of The Café team, my daughter-in-law, Lindsay. Lindsay has been working behind the scenes for us for quite a while now with social media and some of the nuts and bolts tasks that go with running a website.
Recently she's been contributing more as she's the one who's been putting together our special Sunday "What to Cook Now" posts. We've gotten lots of great feedback from you on her posts and I thought it was past due time for you to get to know this valuable member of our team. Meet Lindsay!
In addition to being a wonderful wife to our son Nick and mom to Emmy and Hayes, (two of our six grandchildren), Lindsay has an undergraduate degree in education and was a beloved 2nd-grade teacher before the two children were born. She's smart, creative, super positive and we love having her as part of The Café!
Lindsay and I have collaborated on this post as we both love shopping at Aldi and have found that it stretches our grocery budget while also allowing us to eat very well. By the way, this is not a sponsored post, we just really like Aldi!
Before we share a few tips on how to shop Aldi and some of our favorite products there are a few interesting facts about Aldi that you might not be aware of.
Aldi - did you know?
- Aldi was started by Karl Albrecht as a small family-owned grocery store in Essen, Germany in the early 1900s. The original store in Essen is still in operation!
- In 1946 the Aldi chain was founded by the two sons of Karl Albrecht, Karl and Theo. This new chain of stores was called Albrecht Discount and eventually, that was shortened to Aldi.
- Aldi now has over 10,000 stores in 20 countries!
- Aldi is growing like crazy all over the world. In England, a new store opens every week!
- In 1979, Theo Albrecht bought a small chain of stores in California called... Trader Joes! Trader Joes remains to this day under the same parent company as Aldi, Aldi Nord.
- Aldi has removed synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils and added monosodium glutamate (MSG) from their private label goods.
- Aldi's Simply Nature line of products are all organic or non-GMO Project verified. You also won't find any added artificial ingredients and preservatives, including artificial flavors, artificial colors, high fructose corn syrup as well as hydrogenated oils & partially hydrogenated oils. They also offer a gluten-free line called LifeGfree. The wonderful thing is that they offer these products at very reasonable prices.
- Aldi is spending $1.6 billion (yes, with a B!) on remodeling or rebuilding its U.S. stores. We just got a brand new Aldi in Asheville on the site of the older store. It's big, bright, beautiful and offers lots of new items.
- Aldi has been steadily rolling out "fancier" foods despite its reputation as a "no-frills grocery with rock-bottom prices", according to Business Insider. Look for artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, smoked salmon, quinoa and organic coconut oil, to name a few items.
How to Shop at Aldi
Aldi is one of our favorite places to shop for groceries and we're always amazed at the total bill when checking out. We're able to eat healthy, fresh, gourmet food on a budget! Aldi can take a little getting used to, but once you figure it out, we think you'll be hooked!
Bring a quarter with you when you shop at Aldi for your cart. The carts are attached together in front of the building. You place a quarter in the slot and it releases the chain connecting it to the next cart. When you are finished shopping, you return your cart and your quarter is returned to you. We always keep a few "Aldi quarters" in our cars. Returning your own cart means that an employee doesn't have to collect it, which is just one of the ways Aldi cuts costs and therefore saves you money!
When you walk in, you'll notice that all the groceries are in boxes on shelves. There are also fewer products than large chain groceries carry because Aldi sells a lot of their own brands. We like many of the Aldi brand products and it makes shopping simple and quick since you're not comparing prices between competing brands.
We bring our own shopping bags to Aldi. You can also purchase bags for a small fee, or you can grab empty boxes from the shelves to put your groceries in. After you check out, you bag your own groceries. One more way that Aldi is able to cut costs. And they definitely pass the savings on!
Our Favorite Products at Aldi
First things first! In many Aldi stores, the first thing you'll see is a large display of big European chocolate bars for about the same price you pay for a Snicker's or Milky Way bar at your local grocery. Some sources say that Aldi actually owns a German chocolate factory! Where ever they get their chocolate it's good and definitely a step up from every day chocolate!
We love all of their chocolate, but the Aldi regular and mini peanut butter cups are so... good - and to us, even better than the "famous brand". They're perfect for making a batch of these One-Bowl Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies (oops, we might have to change the name though since we're using Aldi peanut butter cups!)
Aldi's specialty cheese section is like an exciting treasure hunt! You never know what little gems you'll discover, and the prices are fantastic. We find that they're always adding new selections too. The smoked Gouda, Cheddar and Gruyere are some of our favorites, perfect for serving with our 30-Minute Clementine Pepper Jelly or our Cranberry Clementine Conserves.
You'll also enjoy their fresh and regular Mozzarella, Havarti, Brie, Parmesan, Swiss, Feta together with a plethora of other international artisan cheeses and delicious charcuterie items at a fraction of the price of other grocers.
We really enjoy goat cheese, but it can be so expensive. Aldi goat cheese is delicious and, you guessed it, is also an unbelievable deal! We love to make these Rosemary Pecan Goat Cheese Truffles with it.
Aldi brioche buns are our favorite for burgers! They're soft, buttery and delicious. They also carry brioche in sliders, hot dog buns and there's a brioche loaf (plain and chocolate chip) that is perfect for french toast and bread pudding!
This grass-fed organic beef is wonderful! It makes delicious burgers that we love to serve with the brioche buns.
Add a fresh salad like this Clementine Avocado Spinach Salad and you've got a fabulous and easy dinner that everyone will love!
This thick-cut bacon is another favorite. We love it for weekend breakfasts. It comes in several other options, hickory-smoked, applewood-smoked and pepper-coated. They're all wonderful!
We're nuts about nuts! And Aldi is our favorite place to buy them for a really reasonable price. We love using the pecans to make these delicious Easy Candied Pecans.
The cashews are great for snacking, topping salads or dishes like this Coconut Curry Chicken Ramen.
Aldi's sliced and slivered almonds and are great for baking - we keep a stock of them for one of our favorite breakfasts, this Best Ever Granola!
We also love the pistachios, pepitas and walnuts at Aldi.
Stocking up on baking supplies at Aldi is easy and saves lots of money. Coconut, oatmeal, chocolate chips, baking powder and soda, sweetened condensed milk, marshmallows, marshmallow creme, cocoa, pie filling, yeast, cornmeal and graham cracker crumbs are all among the great buys we find at Aldi. Coconut oil, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flaxseed are also good quality and much cheaper than you can find anywhere else.
The Aldi seeds are what we use in these Easy Pine Nut Seeded Crackers.
Aldi spices are wonderful, and they're around a dollar a bottle. You just can't beat that!
As much as we love all these other products, the produce section alone is worth the trip (including lots of organic produce)! And to show how healthy and reasonably you can shop at Aldi we decided to see just how much produce we could buy at Aldi for $25. Yep, $25 was our absolute limit.
Check out the picture above of what we filled our cart up with! Crazy, right? Asparagus was $1.19 per pound, oranges $1.99 for a BIG bag, 99 cents a pound for beautiful, sweet green grapes and mangos for 29 cents each. We also got Pink Lady apples, cilantro, zucchini, garlic, a fresh pineapple, bananas, a bag of onions, Meyer lemons, cauliflower and avocados. Lots of avocados!
At 39 cents each, I bought 10 of them. Definitely an inspiration to make this delicious Guasacaca (Venezuelan Guacamole)!
A little tip about Aldi avocados: their avocados are almost always pretty hard and green but they do ripen up nicely in 3-4 days. So plan ahead when purchasing Aldi avocados!
Another thing we always stock up on is spinach for smoothies like this Pineapple and Banana Green Smoothie. Apples, berries, peppers, broccoli and lots of other Aldi fresh produce are weekly staples for us.
There are really too many Aldi items that we enjoy to list them all! A few of the others are kids snacks, especially the applesauce pouches, big pretzel rods and White Cheddar Puffs (they're just like Pirate's Booty). We also buy our plastic storage bags at Aldi. Again, a great price and good quality. Canned beans, organic chicken and beef broth, milk, pure maple syrup, hummus, tortilla chips and canned tomatoes are also among our favorites.
Speaking of canned tomatoes, we buy Aldi's fire-roasted tomatoes by the case. We love using them in this Super Easy Pizza Sauce (and so many other things!).
Do we buy everything at Aldi?
Nope, as much as enjoy shopping at Aldi, it's not a store where we can do 100% of our shopping. While they are getting more and more specialty items, they don't have all the ingredients we regularly like to cook with. Asian and specialty international ingredients, certain herbs, unusual produce and brand name products we really like are things we buy at our local traditional grocery stores.
We're not crazy about Aldi Greek yogurt, flour, brown and powdered sugar (it tends to get lumpy quickly), paper products (napkins and paper towels) and a few other items. In the past, we didn't buy meat at Aldi, but their selection is getting better and better all the time. Last time I shopped at Aldi, I was in the checkout line and noticed the shopper ahead of me had lots of fresh salmon in her cart. I asked her how she liked it and she raved about it saying, "I love this salmon. It's better than anything I can buy around here." Guess what I'll be trying out at my next Aldi visit?
So that's our take on Aldi, in a nutshell! If you're an Aldi shopper we'd love to hear what your favorite products are. It's always great to learn from each other!
Happy Aldi shopping!
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Our family is doing about half our shopping at Aldi's. We like it for the common fruits and veggies for our smoothies (bananas, strawberries, pineapple and spinach). It is one of the few stores that also carry papaya in our area for our pineapple, papaya, ginger smoothies. We also stock up on the avocados here. I also like the ground turkey they have available. Our favorite snack that everyone loves (but is a limited run) are the sea salt quinoa chips. I also like the canned beans here (black beans, kidney and garbanzo). We use both the regular and organic versions for bean salads all the time.
Thanks so much, Mary for taking the time to leave a comment and share your Aldi best buys!
Their assorted tzaztiki (sp? ) are quite good as well
Thanks, Susan! I haven't tried that but will keep my eye out for it!
Great thread. Weighing in here in favor of Aldi's plain Greek yogurt, which I eat on fresh (Aldi) fruit every morning. Tastes great to me! We are fortunate in the Baltimore area to have a lot of Aldi's -- there are four in my usual shopping range, and two are the superstores. I also have noted the locations of others I pass on my long trips to visit family, and often will pick up items on the way instead of having to pack an ice chest. I love their multigrain bread and sourdough bread, and I cook and bake with all their store brands including eggs. I previously lived in a town with a huge farm market, and thought I'd never eat well again on my retirement income here, but Aldi has filled the basket with about 80% of what I need and love, including lots of types of cheeses, excellent Italy-made pastas, pepperoni and antipasto meats and jarred artichokes, also jellies and jams, honey, frozen dishes, green teas and the fresh produce -- however, you have to pick carefully, especially with the produce and not expect a discount store to provide every single thing at top quality. The overall savings on staples and various specialties is well worth the self-packing and occasional checkout lines.
Thanks for joining in, Dana and for sharing your little treasures! I have to try those artichokes. Somehow I've missed them! Yes, you're right, you can't expect to find everything there but there's so much good stuff!
I agree with you about the Greek Yogurt. BUT! The Aldi near me has introduced a Specially Selected Honey yogurt that is fabulous. Beautiful, creamy texture, it perfect for parfaits, which I make with the fresh blueberries and raspberries that are half the price at Aldi!
Thanks, Michelle! That's so good to know. I will look for that yogurt next time I'm at Aldi!
Dittos on the Greek yogurt. I've tried it twice, several months apart, and still don't like it. It has a slight chalky texture which takes away from the flavor. But . . . those avocados!!! $.39 cents???? I bought a whole bunch as they were almost perfectly ripe! I will have to try their peanut butter cups. Mmmmm.
Although I have several Aldi stores (at least five) within 30 minutes of my home and two in my town, I don't have a Trader Joe's closer than 21/2 hrs away and like you love Aldi, I long for Trader Joe's. Would you have any idea how I could plead to the company to build in the growing Myrtle Beach area.
I bet it won't be that long, Sandy! Myrtle Beach is such a thriving area, I can't imagine that a store there won't be in the plans soon! I did find this FB group. https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Food---Beverage-Company/Bring-Trader-Joes-to-Myrtle-BeachSC-361049643910311/
You could chime in there requesting they come!
With two children that love raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries (all the expensive fruits!) Aldi makes it much more affordable. So many things we love at Aldi...their organic mixed green salad paired with their boxed organic linguine (tossed with a little lemon juice) is a favorite quick dinner. Some of their seasonal raviolis in the refrigerated section are good, like tomato and goat cheese ravioli. For dessert, their premium vanilla ice cream beats any name brand in our opinion! I could go on and on!
Thanks so much, Alison, I love all of these new ideas for our next Aldi trip!
I love Aldi! I just went yesterday. I thought I had gotten carried away since I went in hungry! Always a bad idea! So wonderful to hear $55.00 and 4 huge bags! I've started buying some meat and have yet to be disappointed. Irish butter and incredible cheese. I'm w/you on the yogurt. That's not for me. I guess I hadn't considered the chicken's life. The eggs work for me.
I especially like giving my cart to someone in the parking lot and saying, "keep your quarter." Have a Blessed day!
Hello Lindsay! I miss you all but esp. your sweet babies!
Thanks, Patti! Miss you! Wish we could shop Aldi together! I love your sweet pass-it-on habit, that's so... you!
Hi Chris, I've enjoyed reading all the Aldi comments. Would have added mine sooner, but we were away for a long weekend. I agree that Aldi has some great bargains. I've been shopping at one for years when there was a lone store about 4 or 5 miles from us Now we have our choice of 3 stores, all closer to home. We live in Northern VA and I have a feeling our produce prices may be somewhat higher than yours in NC, but they are still lower than the chain grocery stores.
Anyway, here are a couple of my favorite products:
Priano pasta sauce, $1.89 for a 24 oz. jar and the jar is reusable, like the canning jars. I've seen 3 different flavors, but there may be more. Really thick and rich.
Roger Wood "Lumber Jack" smoked sausage,$2.99 for 1 1/2 pounds, made in Savannah, GA, recipes at http://www.rogerwoodfoods.com. Not too spicy, but juicier than Eckrich, etc. I use 2 links in a recipe found in a full page ad in many magazines, Easy Smoked Sausage Skillet. It's an ad for Hillshire Farm smoked sausage and has red bell pepper, onion, broccoli, chix broth, etc., in it. Delicious! The sausage is kept in the same section as the bacon, etc.
We also like their large cans of baked beans, much cheaper than B&M, but just as good. And I always use their Half & Half in my morning coffee, whether fat free or full fat, whatever is in stock. It disappears from the store very fast.
Last, but not least, I enjoy reading your recipes and printing them. I want to try them all, but at 90 years of age, my days of standing at a kitchen counter chopping veggies, etc., are long gone. LOL
You are amazing, Doris! Such a great, thoughtful and detailed review, it's hard to believe you're 90! I hope I can be like you when I grow up 🙂 Thanks so much!
I love Aldi. The only things I dont buy are meat (including salmon) and salad dressing. Aldi has come a long way from what it was as I remember it in the 80s. It's part of my childhood. My mom worked there 30+ years starting in 1978 in Villa Park, IL. This was a store Karl Sr and Karl Jr would visit regularly. I remember most of the store was just pallets of canned foods and pop. I started shopping there as a broke college student. Now I shop there because I love it.
Wow, you do have quite a history with Aldi, Amy! Thanks for leaving your interesting review!
I love to purchase my avocados at aldi,'s,I also like to check their dry seasoning rack and their frozen section as I always find gems there.
As a person who not only loves cooking and being experimental with foods,Aldi is my grocery store.
Joseph.
Amen! Thanks, Joseph!
We love shopping at Aldi. So we we are on a limited income we try to avoid the big chain supermarkets. We have found Aldi's meats and produce much better than WalMart. Our only problem is finding some sugar free items in stock, such as coffee creamer. They only put two bottles in a case of 12 and they are always gone before the other regular creamer. I don't think they realize the demand is higher than the supply.
Thanks for your review, Jim. I find the same thing true with sugar-free items everywhere. That is frustrating indeed, for those who need to watch their sugar intake.
I have been shopping at Aldi for a few years in East Texas. It didn’t take me long to get used to it. I love the savings and their products. Their organic almond milk is good and a great price, as well as their brand of organic peanut butter. Just peanuts and salt. You do have to stir it, but it doesn’t have to be refrigerated. I love their cheese. And the produce is almost always good. I haven’t had good luck with their Brussels sprouts and onions, as they have always been brown on the inside. Across the board, it’s a great place to shop. Lots of quality items at great prices. One more thing. The single packs (box of 6) of guacamole are really good. They have Classic, Homestyle, and Spicy.
Thanks, Barb! I will try the peanut butter!
Love Aldi get the best produce and fruits. I would highly recommend Aldi's to everyone. The sampler cheesecake for 8.99 services 12 and so great for a party. My husband and I go there at least twice a week it's very close very convenient and the prices are fantastic. Thanks Aldi's for coming to our town.
Thanks, Mary. That's great to know about the cheesecake! I had no idea.
I have to completely disagree with this article. My wife shops at Aldi all the time, and although she saves a few dollars, what we lose is not worth the savings. Adli meats are truly the WORST you can buy. The Pork Chops with the 12% disgusting sulution added are uneatable, they cook up gross don't taste good, and that solution is throughly horrible for you. You cut into thier onions and half the bag has rotted from the inside out. Your soups have no flavor. yes Aldi can save you money, but to not expect quality products, Aldi does not have them.
Thanks for sharing your opinion, William. It's nice that we live in a country where we don't have to all agree.
We LOVE Aldi here...I just wish it wasn't so out of the way for us. We make a trip once a month and stock up on things.
I won't use any other mayonnaise but their Burman's brand....we absolutely love it. At Christmas time they have a Salted Caramel ground coffee for $3.99 a bag that is Soooooo good. We always love looking in the cheese section to see what's new. They just redid the store here and they carry so much more.
All the produce I've bought has lasted longer than what I've bought at the regular grocery store we shop at and it's so much cheaper. We like their multigrain breads too.
I use sugar free vanilla pudding mix in overnight oatmeal (I get my old fashioned oats there too) and it's only 49 cents a box...I can get 2 boxes for what I'd pay for 1 brand name box in the regular grocery store.
I get all mu canned tomatoes there, and I like to grab a couple cartons of their Fit and Active chicken broth for when I run out of homemade stock in the freezer. We always buy one of their big 5 cheese fresh pizzas-I don't recall the name exactly..Mama something, and I doctor it up with fresh vegetables before baking. They're as good if not better than the local pizza shop-and $5.00....equivalent to an extra large pizza you buy out. Can't beat that deal.
Their frozen fruits are very good...and I love looking at their specialty items. I got a skillet there a few years ago like the granite skillets they're selling on TV now and it's still going strong...it didn't even cost $15.00. They only carried them once a year so the next year I grabbed another one as a spare should anything happen to the one I'm using now. Haven't had to replace it yet-the thing is a workhorse.
I've had good luck with their flour, sugar, cream cheese. nuts and things like baking powder and cornstarch are always cheaper....and they always seem to be lower in price on eggs too. I stock up on my baking supplies and different items there too-always great prices.
I'm sure there are more items but I can't think of them all now. I only wish they'd open a store even closer. I think I could do a good 75-80% of my grocery shopping there.
Yes, we LOVE Aldi and shop there for at least 80% of our groceries now. We don't worry about what may seem like long lines at times, as the checkers are great, almost all of the products have scan codes on all 4 sides, so check out is a breeze and the line moves fast!
BUT I want to politely differ with your opinion on the Greek yogurt. We love plan, non-fat Greek yogurt and have purchased/consumed just about every brand that is sold in America. And we think BY FAR, that Aldi's Greek yogurt is the best, in terms of flavor and smooth texture - not to mention the great price!
I agree about the check-outs, Donna. I never have to really wait that long. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the yogurt too!
I love Aldi. Have shopped there specifically for the past 20 yrs or so. Save about 50 % compared to the big supermarkets, Wegmans or Tops. I do buy my meat at the meat market though. The only thing I don't like is the way they remodeled the stores. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for the way products are laid out. I have a hard time finding what I'm looking for. I had no problem before. Still will continue to shop there, just will wander around the store more.
Thanks, Sheryl, it is definitely a different set up than the old model. I think I have finally gotten used to it 🙂
Glad this popped up in my feed.
I love Aldi's Belgian truffles, give them as gifts every Christmas and always hear rave reviews from the recipients. I used to make a special trip to Trader Joe's for theirs, but when I compared the two, Aldi's wins easily.
Nuts about the brioche bread toasted with butter.
On the downside:
Aldi English muffins are dreadful.
Can't buy the eggs as I figure, at that price, the hens must have a miserable life.
Hi Regina, I wondered about the truffles. Good to know! Thanks for taking the time to share your favorites!
Chris,
I live in the Knoxville area, and right down the road from me is an Aldi's... But I have been shopping at Aldi's for about 5 years... as you say I can get about 75% of my shopping done with out a problem. But you may need to expand yourself at the meat counter. Lately we have had Leg of Lamb @ 6.29 a lbs. Bone in Ham @ 1.19 per pound. And my husbands favorite, their Ground Beef; the 75/25 hamburger, at 1.99 a lb.. I know that it a lot of fat; but for grilling burgers it is perfect. They come out flavorful and juicy.
I also get a lot of my seafood from the frozen section...
I have since introduced my single son, and married daughter to the budget friendly shopping experience...
I know that some of you have complained about the lines in the store, and long they are.... but have you ever noticed at the speed that they get you through... I have actually ask them to slow down so I can catch up to them... LOL!!!
Thanks, Elizabeth, I can't wait to go back to Aldi now and try more of their meats!
Just another plus about their cart policy - the carts are always clean and dry because everyone returns them to the weather-protected cart corral! I wish other stores had the same policy!
I never thought about that but you're right Heather!
I've been shopping at Aldi for several years and have noticed the quality of many items getting better and better while still maintaining those reasonable prices. The one item I am ecstatic about is shredded vegan cheese. My Aldi has it for $2.99/8 oz. bag while it can be almost double that price at other stores. My daughter is lactose intolerant but loves pizza and grilled cheese. I'm so excited that she can have them whenever she wants without breaking the bank. She's a college student and since she's been shopping at Aldi with me, she's teaching her friends about it now.
That's wonderful to hear, Kim. Now I know where to get shredded vegan cheese when I have guests with dietary restrictions! I never noticed it!
I really enjoyed reading your article. Aldi's has been my favorite store since opening in Lithonia Georgia in 2005. If Aldi doesn't sell it, I don't buy it. I use all Aldi's products, specialty products, cheeses., fruits , vegetables, meats and fish. I brag about Aldi's to anyone who will listen. I am always encouraging families to shop at Aldi's for the outstanding groceries and prices. I am always pleased with the non grocery items I purchase at Aldi's. Affordable and great quality.
Thanks, Elizabeth! I love your Aldi loyalty! You should do PR for them 🙂
You forgot to mention their wines, some that have won awards! 😉. And at Christmas, they offer a wine Advent Calendar....how fun is that!
Hi Mary, we haven't tried a lot of Aldi wine. I think we did in the early days and didn't care that much for it but we will need to revisit that. I'm sure, just like everything else at Aldi, the wine section has also been improved. Which ones do you really like a lot?
Its interesting that traderjoes an aldi nord brand, while aldi.us is aldi sud. Aldi split into two companies when the two brothers that owned it disagreed if they should sell cigarettes at the checkouts.
So interesting, Peter!
What a great addition I am sure Lindsey is to this spot. And what fun to live near 2 of your grands! I sure enjoyed it with mine! I hadn’t been to Aldi’s in awhile since it is a trek from our house, but went there last Monday on my way home from a friend’s. I love their produce & the reasonable price they offer it for. I wasn’t buying a lot (forgot my quarter...), but they had only 2 checkout lanes open & lots of customers with lots of groceries. It will likely be my last visit. I wasn’t in a hurry, but it was so long that I met a couple of new friends! There recently has been a Leidle’s open in Wake Forest where Gretchen now does all of her shopping: it is very nice, good quality & low prices (may be owned by same company). Maybe you will get one of those soon, too!
How nice to hear from you! Hope all is well. Yes, we do love living near these kiddies 🙂 They’re so fun and funny!
Don’t give up on Aldi. I’ve found that, for the most part, they’re really responsive when the lines get long and they call someone up quite quickly. Plus the checkout people (again, for the most part) are faster than blazes. It might have been a bad day. When you go to WF check out the Aldi there. It’s SO nice.
I love Lidl too. It’s Aldi’s main competition although we don’t have any in this area. I used to shop at Aldi and Lidl when we were in Raleigh. They’re different but both really good. Lidl is a little more expensive but carries things that Aldi doesn’t and vice versa. The produce at Aldi is one of the main things I love. I’m always so shocked at their specials, the prices are ridiculous. Like those avocados for 39 cents. It’s always something crazy like that.
Love Aldi. I save @ 45% off my grocery budget by shopping there. I do have a handful of things I still buy from other stores, like dill pickles and I am not fond of Aldi's sandwich bread. Love getting milk at $1.79 a gallon. The Aldi German chocolate is fabulous - much better than Hershey's. It takes some getting used to not shopping name brands, but once you get past that pre-programmed mind set, you will love the money you save by shopping at Aldi.
Thanks, Peggy! We appreciate your input! You're right, it does take some time to get used to. It's not like any other store, but it's so worth it!
I also shop at Aldi's all the time. I love the price of the almond milk and buy it weekly as my husband uses a lot of it on his cereal that we buy at Aldi's. I always have good luck with their produce. I'm going to get the fire roasted tomatoes the next time. I wait until the chicken thighs are on sale then buy a lot of them and make my own chicken broth then freeze the cooked thighs for later use. I have found out that their buns don't stay fresh enough for us, probably because we don't eat a lot of bread products but love the butter prices.
I love your idea for chicken thighs, Diana! Bravo!
I love Aldi's. Their fruits and vegetables are really good. Everything that I have bought there I have no complaints. The money I save is Awesome !!
Wholeheartedly agree! Thank, Pam!
I'm an American living in Germany, and this is really interesting to read. 🙂 The two divisions of Aldi here (Aldi Nord and Aldi Sued = north and south) often sell different products, and Aldi Sued has a reputation for having a better selection. I find it interesting that Aldi in the US has such great produce because the selection here often doesn't look so good. I do enjoy their cheese and smoked meat/sausage selection, and they have more and more specialty items. Their store brand chocolate bars are, in my opinion, better than the name brand ones or at least as good. Some of my favorite products to buy there are nuts, which oddly enough are from the Trader's Joe brand. Does Aldi in the US have weekly specials, like clothing and home items? Those are generally pretty good here, too.
So interesting to hear your point of view, Alicia! Thanks for sharing this info.
Yes, Aldi does have weekly specials and you just never know what they're going to have.
I have been buying all the meat and fresh salmon for quite a while. I have never been disappointed. I use the beef country style ribs to make short ribs. The salmon that is preseason is spectacular. I also had very good luck with their paper products. If you read the package it'll tell you what it is comprable to so you know exactly what kind of toilet paper or paper towel you should expect. I also tried in the freezer section the Cattleman burgers and they were amazing. Always hope to see if they have a specialty item.!! Their Bakery items a really good also.
Thank you, Joanne for your great tips!
I love Aldi's! I think it is indeed a hidden secret mainly because many people think it is a store filled with low quality food. The fact is that the food more often is better at Aldi than at many stores and is as you mentioned a great deal. I love when you go to Aldi's and they have random sales, I purchased little plastic containers of cherry tomatoes last year for .19 cents, the same ones for sale at my local grocery for $3.00! I went back and purchased 2 cases full, then I washed them placed them on sheet pans with cloves of garlic and basil and baked them at 400 until the tomatoes popped. I put the mixture in the blender and coarsely chopped it and then froze it in batches to use as the base to pasta sauce, tomato soup and so many other recipes.
What a delicious and wonderful idea, Elizbeth! Thanks for sharing! Yes, you never know what the next great deal at Aldi will be!
I first shopped Aldi in Dusseldorf Germany in 1986-87 where we lived while my husband did his dissertation research. It was very close to our apartment and I went often every week. Aldi sustained us while we finished grad school and through those first few years of adjunct teaching before we got a tenure track job. Now my car just automatically pulls into the Aldi lot! I am fortunate to have a Trader Joe's and an Aldi that are within feet of each other, so I can shop both easily. I agree with you about almost everything. Their fresh fish is good but I don't care for the frozen. I do buy some meat and while it's adequate I mostly buy meat someplace else. I love the lunch meat and cheese section mostly because you never know what treat you'll find. This week it was Irish cheese and boy was it good. I could not have feed my family in those early years without Aldi. My kids always had milk, eggs and fresh fruit because of them. Thanks for the post and good to meet you Lindsay.
What a great story and tribute to Aldi, Renee! I love it!
I don't love that I missed that Irish cheese!!
Been an Aldis shopper for about a year now and for the most part I love it. However, I don't buy the produce anymore. It tends to spoil quickly and never has a really fresh taste. I havent bought meat or there either, just didnt trust it. But milk, cream, dairy, (except eggs) bread, most canned good and for sure cookies & chocolates.
Thanks, Vicky! The cookies and chocolate are definite winners!
Really like the Burman’s mayonnaise and of course the produce. Also agree I am not a fan of their Greek yogurt
I just returned from Aldi and opened my email and found your post. ALDI-how do I love thee; let me count the ways! (I feel like Aldi is not given the respect it deserves in my middle + community!)
- I love the Greek yogurt and have completely eliminated mayonnaise out of my life happily.
-unsweetened almond milk and non specialty cheese are so cheap I feel guilty!
- eggs are a fraction of a typical grocery
- the ORGANIC PRODUCE prices blow the competition out of the water in my area
Here is one you won’t expect: I bought 2 expensive chairs from CRATE AND BARREL and just could not justify the cost for an ottoman. I’m frugal to the core and this was a stretch. Shortly after I found an ottoman the matched PERFECTLY at (drum roll please) ALDI! Yes! They are grey and the exactly matching fabric. The ottoman looks like it was made for the chairs and was $39. ❤️
I love it, Marcy! Who would have thought?? What a find!
Thanks, Julie! Haven't tried the mayo but will pick some up next time I'm there!
Agree with you about the sugar from Aldo: it gets lumpy quickly. We like their butter, eggs, milk, cauliflower and other produce. We don’t buy meat there and I’m not much of a packaged foods person. I tend to be brand loyal on the packaged foods that I do buy. I’ll have to try the fire roasted tomatoes. Love those and they can be pricey elsewhere.
Thanks, Vicky! I haven't tried a lot of their meat either but after hearing some of the other reader's comments, I'm going to start trying it more often!
We have celiac and gluten intolerance in our family. Aldi is our go to place for bagels! I'll be checking out your suggestions and sharing this with friends! Thanks!
That's so good to know, Karen! Some of those kinds of "specialty items" can be so ridiculously expensive at other stores!
I am a big Aldi fan as well. I regularly purchase many of my veggie stables there— especially cauliflower, carrots, Vidalia onions, spinach, broccoli, romaine hearts, artisan lettuce, melons, berries, lemons, and pineapple. Condiments such as mustards, vinegars, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and even their brand of ketchup, as well as Kalamata olives, pimento-stuffed green olives, and canned salmon and tuna are frequent purchases of mine. As for fresh meats, I buy their ground turkey, pork ribs, chicken thighs and wings, and corned beef brisket. Some of their ice cream bars are very good also. Their prices can’t be beat!
Hi Donna! Thanks for your great review! Some of the things you have mentioned I definitely haven't tried but will be on the lookout for them!
Hi Chris! Welcome, Lindsay! 💕 I have really just started shopping at Aldi. I love their fresh produce most of all, their organic eggs, and specialty cheeses too. I also buy their brand of lemon flavored water, like La Croix, only cheaper. I’ve noticed more organic meat offerings, so I’ll stay tuned to see how that improves. Another great reason for shopping there is that I pass right by Aldi on my way to and from work every weekday. Thanks for the great suggestions.
Thank you for your suggestions, Rhonda! I haven't tried their flavored waters. It's fun learning all this good stuff from each other!
An Aldi just opened up about 5 minutes from my house---and I still haven't gotten there, though I've been to other more distant Aldis in the past. Now that I'm armed with a must buy list, I'll be there this week. Thanks!
Yes, try it out, Liz! You definitely can't buy everything there but they have some good quality, wonderful buys!
We live in Northern California and we do have Trader Joe's and I do shop there but they aren't a very big store so there aren't a lot of choices. They do have some organic but not everything is organic. I am trying to use organic as much as possible. I have never heard of Aldi but it sounds like my kind of f store. Thanks for all the tips. I love your emails and love your recipes thank you so much.
Christy
Thanks so much, Christy! I hope Aldi expands to your area. I think you'd really like it!
I'm an Aldi shopper too. I start there with my list and usually find 75% of what I need. Produce is fabulous!!! The Envy apples are super crisp and juicy. They have the best prosciutto I've found anywhere at any price. I'm picky about marinara sauce and usually make my own, but I do like their tomato basil sauce. They carry 3 different ones so I have t o make sure I grab the right one. It's a great base and easy for a quick meal. The regular price on butter is great, and often in the fall I've gotten it for under $2 a pound and fill my freezer. Have always been picky too about bone in ham. I finally tried their Appleton Farms and really loved. Will grab the thick sliced bacon next trip.
Thanks for sharing your favorites! I've never tried the marinara. I'm like you kind of picky about it but I will pick some up next time. And I wondered about the ham too! That's great to know!
Sounds wonderful, but not available in my part of Canada
So sorry Heather. I have a feeling that, with the way Aldi's expanding, it won't be long!
I agree with your review of Aldi’s, as my husband and I have been shopping there for about ten years now! My husband, of course, is a big fan of their snack section, especially their chips. I’m always drawn to their “Special Buys,” especially seasonally and at the Christmas holidays!
Thanks, Kathleen! Yes, I love their special buys too. This past Christmas I found candles there that were Anthropology copycats - they were beautiful and smelled amazing (almost exactly like Anthropology's) but for a fraction of the price. So cool!
Thank you for the informative review. I have a new Aldi store nearby but never stopped in. After reading your review I’ll give it a try. My husband read an article stating Aldi offered some great wines, too.
Thanks, Susie. Do try it, I think you'll be surprised!
Hi, I am living in Calgary, AB. Trader Joes is a name I am familiar with. However, as far as I know, operating only in the USA. Does Aldi have stores in Western Canada???..
Can I take this moment to say how much I enjoy your e-mails, always forward them onto friends
Thanks..
Annie
Having difficulty forwarding, being classed as a "duplicate comment)???...
Thanks, Annie! I'm so happy you enjoy getting our emails and appreciate you passing them on to your friends. As far as I know, Aldi is not yet in Canada but from what I've read, it's coming! https://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/canada-could-be-in-for-an-even-tougher-grocery-war-after-european-mass-disruption
We LOVE Aldi (we live in Illinois)!! We are snowbirding in AZ right now where there are no Aldi stores and miss some of our favorite products. There is a Trader Joes, however, so we can at least have our favorite things from there! If you are a regular shopper at both stores you will see tons of similar products just with different labels. I usually make most of our snack-y foods from scratch but once in a while I love to eat the packaged cookies they carry. The Bentons brand is yummy! Plus they have (at least) 3 dupes for Girl Scout cookies that are tasty.... In my opinion better than the actual GS cookie! Thanks for this post. We love AZ but will look forward to being around an Aldi again.
I'm sure that Aldi is one of the few things you miss about Illinois at this time of year 🙂 (I know as we used to live in Wisconsin.)
Thanks for sharing your favorite products, we will try the Girl Scout Cookie copycats!
Hi, I am living in Calgary, AB. Trader Joes is a name I am familiar with. However, as far as I know, operating only in the USA. Does Aldi have stores in Western Canada???..
Can I take this moment to say how much I enjoy your e-mails, always forward them onto friends
Thanks..
Annie
I shop weekly at Aldi too! Their meats are good, and the chicken, and we sure enjoyed the corned beef they had for St. Patty’s Day. I agree with you on the bacon, but we’re happy with the flour, brown sugar and confectioner’s sugar. The latter may be because nearly the whole bag gets used at one time though. The paper products are fine...if you can get it (our store sometimes has problems getting stock in), the red label “strong” toilet paper is the best. And the dairy products...milk is much cheaper than the grocery store! And the half and half too. I’m not crazy about their breads, but the brioche is good. Keep an eye on the produce, sometimes it can go quickly. I’m still a Quaker Oatmeal fan, I didn’t care for Aldi’s. Or the grits. But their cereals are generally as good as name brands.
Thanks for sharing your favorites, Kim! It's fun to see so many fellow Aldi fans 🙂
I too love Aldi and am shopping there more and more. My daughter-in-law is a huge fan. I love their produce, especially their cauliflower and white mushrooms. Totally agree about the nuts and chocolate. Their dark chocolate covered almonds and sea salt caramels are wonderful! You can't beat their cheese prices. I love the plastic bags and I do like their paper towels. I recently bought the fire-roasted tomatoes per your suggestion for your Chicken Tortilla Soup. They were wonderful, as was the soup. I can't wait to make it again! Your recipes are all so wonderful, and it is so helpful to have your input on your favorite sources for ingredients. On another note, your Ridiculously Easy Biscuits are a family favorite - I am making way too many of them lately!! I love your blog and check in every day. Thanks for what you do!!
Do try the bone in pork chops’s. I refuse to buy them anywhere else. They are always tender, and because they aren’t super thick they cook up quickly. I always put a balsamic glaze on them just before removing from the pan. I also like their eggs and butter...where else can you buy a pound of butter for $2.89 a pound. The t hing I dislike most about the store is lack of enough cashiers and they don’t list a phone number
Thanks, Judy! I will definitely try the pork chops! The balsamic glaze sounds wonderful too!
I loved your post and am sharing it with "my Daughter-In-Law"! She is a huge Aldi fan! Her slogan is : "If you can't find it at Aldi, you probably don't need it!" I am becoming a bigger fan with every shopping trip. I just bought the fire roasted tomatoes, per your suggestion, for your Chicken Tortilla Soup. I must say that just may be the best soup I have ever had! I love their cauliflower-it is always fresh and large and soooo much cheaper than at the chain store. Their white mushrooms are also a fantastic buy. I am a Costco ground beef lover, but I will try Aldi now. My son loves their salmon, and they do buy all their meat there. I totally agree with you about the nuts and chocolate. Their dark chocolate covered almonds and sea salt caramels are wonderful. I also agree with you about the wonderful cheese selection and prices! Their heavy duty aluminum foil is wonderful - I made a mistake and bought the regular the last time - not so good!! Plastic bags are great and a great price. I also like their paper towels. I am a Penzey spice girl, and I did buy Aldi spices recently - the cumin and oregano were good . The paprika was a liitle flat. This was a great post, as are all of yours. I so enjoy your blog, and know I will like anything I try! I am making your biscuits way to often lately! I made some for my daughter to take on a ski trip recently, and she now requests them whenever she stops by. Thanks so much for all your great ideas and stories. I can't wait to see your new kitchen - I know I will love it!
Thanks so much, Becky, what a great review on Aldi. It's so helpful to hear other's favorite. I have some new ideas for next time I shop Aldi!