Aldi grocery store - favorite foods!

kerriBB37

Love Aldi's! I buy everything I can there, probably 80% of the groceries. Sounds like some cities might have some products we don't have available. I love that they always have reasonable priced frozen shrimp and seafood. Living in Kansas seafood is pretty hard to get, and most stores have only a small selection and it's very expensive. Since this is cheaper I can try lots of new things!

I've been skeptical of the seafood but now I think I'm going to try some of their products out! thanks!!

SPBROOKS68

My favorite store - LOVE IT

kyodi

Really enjoy the stuff the wife and I get at Aldi. Except the turkey hot dogs. The consistency is that of a tire or old calamari. The Fit & Active stuff is really good, and they have a dark chocolate that is really good for a sweet tooth.

kerriBB37

Their frozen whole green beans are incredible!! Nice and skinny, tender beans - very close to "garden fresh." Also, my hubby has to have chocolate chip cookies at least once a week, and nothing pre-bought either! Aldi's semi-sweet chocolate chips are SO MUCH BETTER than Nestle. It's like they have a stronger chocolate liquer or something... calorie content is the same, so I'll never use Nestle anymore!

Every time I go I try to pick out something new and try it. I've had an Aldi in town ever since I can remember, and I always drove past it. This past year I decided to check it out - sure am glad I did!! Now I just wish that I'd REMEMBER to bring my grocery bags all the time - LOL!!

Here's what I do - take a plastic baby wipes container - the one that has the circular lid that opens up - stuff it with plastic grocery bags from other stores - and keep that in your car, in the trunk, or whatever. Then you always have bags for those trips to Aldi's or a garbage bag whenever you need one for whatever....

I love Aldi's - love their Mama Cozzi Mushroom spaghetti sauce, love the rising crust pizzas baked on our pizza stone, cheap bread, cheap condiments, cheap everything!

The key with Aldi, at least in our area, is to know what days the produce trucks come - ask the people working there, they usually come on a schedule - and go to the store that afternoon or the next morning for the best produce! My sis-in-law works at an Aldi, and she's been a mine of information, LOL.

I also love checking out their "special purchase" stuff - you know what I mean - usually near the produce, special purchases like tools, or lawn chairs, or exercise equipment..... That stuff gets marked down quite a bit when the supply gets low... We bought a propane patio heater that originally sold for like $150 - we got it for less than $40 cuz it was the last one (display model.) Total score!!!!

Asking about the produce truck is a GREAT idea! I think that all the women I've interacted with that work there are very helpful, kind and smart! I always compliment on how friendly and nice they are! It's always the same two working when I am there. Last time a guy in front of me (I think he was homeless) was trying to buy a bag of chips with pennies and he was short. I gave the cashier $5 and told him to go buy a couple more things. It broke my heart. She told me I was the kindest woman and now every time I see her she's really nice and has given me a few free bags haha..

Cindy311

:grumble:
No Aldi's in our town! Ugh! We've written letters to the headquarters though, several of them, so maybe one day they'll look here!

Fabnover40Kat

I was reluctant to try them but now I def will! Im a Walmart shopper only because that is the only grocery store in my small town besides the Piggly Wiggly and they are too darn expensive. ALDI recently opened in another town but on my way home so Im going there the next time I need groceries!

angijunbug

We love Aldi's & Sam's Club! Such a savings!

fuhrmeister

I love Aldi too!

I do eat a lot fo thier porduce. garlic, onions, celery and tomatos espically.

Check out the:

pastaccios
roma tomatos
TP
ibprofin
tissues
frozen chicken breast
frozen shrimp
and pckaged stir fry for nights when you need a quick meal.

bgrune131

Aldi used to have an awful reputation...that's why I've never been. After reading this thread...I think I may check it out! Sounds like I've been missing out on some great deals!!

brittldb

I've only been there once, but the way groceries are going up, it's worth another try.

bcf7683

I buy a lot of my basics there- veggies, fruits, salad mixes, egg substitute, skim milk etc. I do like their Fit & Active line, but you really need to watch the fat and sodium content in some of their foods. It seems like sometimes they just slap the "Fit & Active" name on it when it contains a lesser amount of calories or fat than their neighbor in the aisle, but if you don't pay attention to the actual nutrition facts, some of those foods can be almost as bad as the regular guy sitting next to it. A good example is their frozen dinners- the five cheese lasagna for example. They market them to be equal to "Lean Cuisine" type dinners (which can be not to good themselves) but they actually contain a very high fat and sodium content.

One Fit & Active food that I have a soft spot for is their rice cakes, the cheddar and ranch in particular. A lot of people see that they only have 70 calories a serving and think they're God's gift in place of potato chips, but these also contain a high level of sodium, so I watch how often I include these in my calories for the day.

My last example is their salad dressings- Italian particularly. Yes, it contains less calories and fat than regular, but if you can just splurge the extra $.75 at a "regular" grocery store and get a fat free variety, you'll be saving yourself tons of calories and grams of fat compared to the Fit & Active alternative.

I'm assuming that since Aldi's thrives off of it's own brands costing a fraction of the price of regular supermarkets that they don't necessarily have highly qualified strict dietitians working on their side, so they're just trying to take a shot at the "light" food market to widen their variety and advertising ammo when comparing themselves to other stores. They do have some worthwhile choices, but you just need to watch what is really in the Fit & Active line, don't just grab it and think it's a healthy alternative because it is branded that way.

kristen6022

Oh yeah, Aldi is the best. And it's walkable from my new apartment so I'm totally siked!

Their produce is the freshest and best in town. Their prices can't be beat.

You list the Orange Cream Bars, the Chocolate ones are KICK BUTT. That's my treat for after workout...YUM! I'd say 95% of my groceries come from there. I get very excited when they come out with a new product that is good for me!

JmeJinxx

I LOVE Aldi!

I pick up their Fit & Active protein meal bars (compare to Special K) 6 for $3.99
Milk is $2.69 a gallon there, a *whole dollar* cheaper than Walmart.
Right now asparagus is $1.49/lb which is amazing! They have really good pricing on most produce.
A lot of the dairy stuff is great like cream cheese, shredded cheese, string cheese, yogurts - they even have store brand greek for 89c/cup.
Also the Millville oats & peanut butter fiber bars are fantastic!
And the chunk light tuna is the cheapest price I've found around here at 59c a can.

I've never bought anything there that I was disappointed in.

bella_babe_86

I shop at aldi all the time now! I cant imagine going anywhere since I can buy eggs for $0.33 a dozen and gallons of milk for $0.98! I also buy the fit & active stuff, pasta, soups, cereals and yogurts. My favorite thing about Aldi is the fresh produce and the fact that they sell it in bulk rather than by the pound, it saves a ton of money and keeps my fridge stocked in fresh veggies and fruits! I have never had a problem with the meats, I buy the frozen chicken breast and ground turkey on every grocery store trip, the only issue I have EVER had is that their beef roasts and steaks arent as much of a bargain and not much variety as far as that goes either, but I dont have a problem going somewhere else to get a really good steak!

kerriBB37

Good post about the sodium and fat content! I personally don't track either of those but I can see how that could curb some people the wrong way. Good points I tend to eat full fat things (sour cream, cheeses, etc.) because I have a higher calorie diet and I feel like I feel fuller, longer!

I forgot to add the rice cakes to my original list I LOVE the carmel ones.. I keep a roll in my desk at work!
I also forgot to add their hummos!!! I LOVE the red pepper kind. It is way better than the $4 at the other stores and it's under $2!

eriemer

Used to love Aldi but their prices have gone way up in the past 10 yrs. I've done some cost compares in our area and have found their generic cereals at $1.99 while I can get name brands at local store for $1.79-2.00 and use coupons (sometimes double coupons), same thing with canned goods, I can get them cheaper locally and use coupons for a deeper discount. My local Festival will often put their condensed soups on sale for $0.33-0.49 per can while Aldi is over $0.60. Local Walmart granola bars, salad dressing, salad, and fruit snacks still cheaper. I collect weekly flyers and clip coupons, price match, and shop around. I stopped at Aldi for years but the more I shopped around the less I shopped there. Now I don't even bother anymore.

I know in bigger cities where prices in local stores are higher, Aldi's may have the best deals, but where I live I no longer find them to have the best deals.

getfine2015

I've been shopping there for the past 15yrs and haven't had any problems with any food...I save about $150-$200 a month. Also other stores price match their fruit and veggies with the aldis add paper that s always a plus because their prices are so low they sell out quickly of their specials...that's when I take the paper to my local grocery store and still get the deal.

Resalyn

I probably save about $150 to $200 a month. I can go to Aldi every other week and buy a cart about half full of food for $75 - and that same cart at Hyvee or Walmart would have cost me about $150. We used to have one in our small town of 6000 people, and it unfortunately closed due to some arguments with their landlord over rent. There is one 35 miles away in the bigger metro area where i work, so I usually go there after work and can still save. I really miss having one close to home, tho - for those quick items that I forgot or if we get a sudden craving or something.

I can tell you that the older people (the ones on fixed income) in our little town are really sad that it is gone - they can't drive the 35 miles to the other stores, and it costs them a lot more to shop at Walmart or Fareway!

If you like hummus - the Grandessa Roasted Red Pepper hummus is really to die for!

MomMel65

Not that ANYone here would ever THINK of eating Nutella (LOL)..... but the kids forced me (again, LOL) to pick up a jar of their brand Nutella, and it's really quite delish!! Again, not encouraging anyone on here to buy it and eat it, but if your kids ask for it, it's pretty tasty!

Oh, and at Christmas-time last year they had these GIANT pointsettia plants, like the kinds you'd get at a flower shop, just big and beautiful, for $4 each. You'd easily pay $30 for them at the florist. I picked up one for a friend at a Bible study we were doing and she said "Oh, you shouldn't have spent so much on me!!" I was busted and had to tell her I only spent $4. And they weren't second-rate either, lasted forever!!

r1ghtpath

i've been shopping at aldi for almost 2yrs now. i can afford shopping for 6 people there, no problem! i do have to drive a bit to get to one though. about 30+ min. there are two grocery stores in my town, Giant and Food Lion. they are both crazy expensive!!!! i spend 75.00 and i walk out with like 5 things. it's really sad.

for about a year, i was feeding 6 of us on less than 300.00/ mo because of using aldi :-)

i've been pleased with most everything i've ever gotten there. i've never had an issue with the produce either. at times i do want organic foods, so i will shop at an organic co op near by, or wegmans.

recently i compared prices of shopping at aldi for 2weeks of groceries vs. super walmart and wegmans.

at aldi it was 120 at super walmart it was about 180 and wegmans was 210. the biggest difference being, that at wegmans i bought organic and gluten free items in addition to the cheap generic items.

bcw660816

Thanks for all the tips on great things to try! I'm heading to Aldi's tomorrow and am going back through this thread and making a list.

msunluckythirteen

Ours has feta cheese and blue cheese that I add to my salads. The hummus is really good too and the Fit and Active cheese sticks. We usually get our meat at the local grocery stores when they have their sales, but I will occasionally pick up meat there and it's always been good. Especially the pork loin. We buy our frozen tilapia and shrimp there also.

LovelyLibra79

Frozen Tilapia, Fruit, Chicken breast and wings, & fudge popsicles (40 calories)

ValerieMartini2Olives

There was a pizza they sold there for a limited time. It was a stone cooked thin pizza with 4 kinds of gourmet cheese. It was incredible.
I love Aldi. My family has stopped there for years. I shop there as often as I can.

Spamee

Thanks, Great tip! I love Aldi

The key with Aldi, at least in our area, is to know what days the produce trucks come - ask the people working there, they usually come on a schedule - and go to the store that afternoon or the next morning for the best produce! My sis-in-law works at an Aldi, and she's been a mine of information, LOL.

Pinkigloopyxie

Aldi's has a lot of foods with Hydrogenated Oils and I also tend to avoid foods with high fructose syrup and enriched bleached flour.

That said, I get Moser Roth 70% dark chocolate bars, avocados, tanimura & antle lettuce and I always check out their imports.

Fave thing I've had were blueberry and strawberry frozen yogurt bars. Haven't been able to replicate them. Ooooooohhhh and the best best best thing I ever had was Tiramisu Gelato, imported from italy, oh god it was so good. They haven't had it in years.

And they discontinued my Grandessa coconut cranberry almond granola cereal. Jerks.

pixtotts

Orange and carrot juice!! i think the aldi one has something else in it too... but its my favourite!! x

mitch16

I've never shopped at Aldi--all of the ones near us tend to be in 'rough' neighborhoods.

Did you know, though, that Aldi is the parent company of Trader Joe's? Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum...

Goal_Driven

Aldi is amazing! I need to shop there more often!

derekj222

I am very frugal and Aldi's helps that a lot, especially with produce, it is always so expensive at other stores, but especially in the summer your can get strawberries and a whole pineapple for $.99! yes!!!! Love how their stores are simply laid out as well, in, and out!