Aldi's helps me eat healthy and save money

Options
2456

Replies

  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    Options
    where do you all live? i thought they were only in missouri and illinois...I live in Missouri and shop there! :)

    Aldi is actually a German chain (that's where I fell in love with it) and yes, is indeed pretty awesome as discount stores go. We jokingly call it "Feinkost Albrecht" after hearing so many of the locals reder to the store that way.

    My chief complaint about the US version is a lack of whole grain products. Not a total absence but just not as abundant as I am used to. But produce and staples like eggs or cheese are easy to afford and the quality is good, so I can live with having to make a second stop for bread. :smile:
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
    Options
    When I was a student I lived on about £50 a month because of Aldi. Brilliant stuff.
  • Mguilmot
    Mguilmot Posts: 232 Member
    Options
    Now that's an advantage of living in Belgium or Germany: you have an Aldi AND a Lidl in every single little town lol. :-)
  • marcoscu
    marcoscu Posts: 99 Member
    Options
    There are many Aldi stores here in the UK. I don't what they are like in the USA but here they have fairly basic in store layouts and displays but often have unusual but high quality food and hardware goods always at bargain prices. However, the stock changes all the time and you can't be sure of ever buying the same item two weeks running.
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    Options
    Love, love, LOVE Aldi's!! I don't understand the stigma with shopping there.

    The Aldi stores local to me are in the 'ghetto'. I went there once and a woman slammed the door in my face. It also wasn't clean or very well stocked. Maybe just a bad experience at that particular location, but those kind of things are important when choosing somewhere to shop.

    REPORT THEM!!! Call, email or somehow contact headquarters. I have shopped Aldi stores, Nord, Süd and US (Tennessee & Mississippi) and never ever ever had such an encounter. That is not the norm.
  • Yes2HealthyAriel
    Yes2HealthyAriel Posts: 453 Member
    Options
    Just started shopping Aldi's recently. A lot of the things I want from ads end up being sold out when I get there. They have cheap fish, also the low cal/low sugar snack bars are only 88 cents a box. Got some ground turkey this week and it was cheaper than the hamburger. Also got bags of jerky for the kiddos for only a buck each. Produce is cheaper to but a lot of times they are out especially when they have there 5 pound bags of red potatoes for only 99 cents.

    Oh and for the person who wanted to know where people are located, I am in South Carolina.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    Options
    The one near me that I used to go to, always had bruised fruits. It was upsetting. Moved away a few years, just moved back.. I will have to try them again, I guess.
  • tubbyelmo
    tubbyelmo Posts: 415 Member
    Options
    We have Aldi in Scotland too, the weekly offers in fruit and veg are fabulous, I can't understand the folk that avoid Aldi, they must have money to throw away!
  • rachaelclark1
    rachaelclark1 Posts: 4
    Options
    where do you all live? i thought they were only in missouri and illinois...I live in Missouri and shop there! :)

    I live in Pennsylvania and we have 2 in my city. I love aldi's and their prices. I was afraid MFP wouldn't have aldi's brand foods for the food tracker and I was so excited when I found out they did. It's a great place to shop and recommend it to everyone!
  • jennismagic
    jennismagic Posts: 243 Member
    Options
    Aldi ends to be hit or miss for me. I get produce there when it's worth getting, and some meat and dairy products, but that's about it. I prefer Sprouts, though.
  • Techn0mancer
    Techn0mancer Posts: 46
    Options
    My main problem that I have with Aldi (and it's becoming more prevalent in other stores too) is that the meats that are such a "great deal" are actually "enchanced" with broth/"solution." What this means is they plump up your meats by injecting them with salt water. If you're ok with that, you may as well buy a flavor injector, get your meats elsewhere and inject your own salt water.. store brand gallons of water are cheap and tap is even cheaper.. salt is cheap.. flavor injectors are cheap.. paying $1/pound of water is not cheap
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    Options
    We are able to get about 3/4 of our groceries at Aldi. Good stuff, good prices. We save a bunch on things like cereal (check out the high protein, high fiber all natural cereal...yummy), oatmeal, beans and produce when it's good/in season. Oh, the chicken is way cheaper than our other grocery stores - frozen breasts and whole chickens and the fresh cuts.
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    Options
    Now that's an advantage of living in Belgium or Germany: you have an Aldi AND a Lidl in every single little town lol. :-)

    Indeed, not mention easier Sunday beer runs!
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    Options
    My main problem that I have with Aldi (and it's becoming more prevalent in other stores too) is that the meats that are such a "great deal" are actually "enchanced" with broth/"solution." What this means is they plump up your meats by injecting them with salt water. If you're ok with that, you may as well buy a flavor injector, get your meats elsewhere and inject your own salt water.. store brand gallons of water are cheap and tap is even cheaper.. salt is cheap.. flavor injectors are cheap.. paying $1/pound of water is not cheap

    I noticed this too (when I was going there 10 years ago and not nearly as concerned with nutruents)- the meats they had them were 'added salt water, enhanced solutions', etc... I was hoping after 10 years, that may have changes.
  • Chrisremi12
    Chrisremi12 Posts: 9
    Options
    I agree I LOVE there brands!!!!! All of the lite and active foods are yummy!! I dont buy meats from there but the snacks and lean pockets are great!!!
  • awilmeri
    awilmeri Posts: 218 Member
    Options
    I've been thinking about shopping there but I'm terrified that the reason they are cheaper is because they are more processed, have more anti-biotics, have more pesticides, or are just overall crap compared to foods at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. I want to shop there, but first I need to know why they can undercut their competitors by 20% when they are essentially giving the same products.

    Visit their website the exact reasons should be found there, but I know that they don't have plastic/paper bags, you have to bring your own or use boxes from the packaging. They don't lose money on lost grocery carts because you have to use a quarter to get one out of the line. They have all the products stacked in their shipping boxes to form the aisles. And they don't have to pay for the brand name advertising since its mostly all their own brands.

    Aldis is owned by the same company as trader joes...

    The reason it's cheaper is they don't have to hire extra people to take care of carts or bagging, don't have to buy bags, they buy in bulk! They don't accept credit cards and limit the types of items they sell.
  • meggers123
    meggers123 Posts: 711 Member
    Options
    My main problem that I have with Aldi (and it's becoming more prevalent in other stores too) is that the meats that are such a "great deal" are actually "enchanced" with broth/"solution." What this means is they plump up your meats by injecting them with salt water. If you're ok with that, you may as well buy a flavor injector, get your meats elsewhere and inject your own salt water.. store brand gallons of water are cheap and tap is even cheaper.. salt is cheap.. flavor injectors are cheap.. paying $1/pound of water is not cheap

    I noticed this too (when I was going there 10 years ago and not nearly as concerned with nutruents)- the meats they had them were 'added salt water, enhanced solutions', etc... I was hoping after 10 years, that may have changes.

    Tons of brands do this- Guess the difference is that they tell you.

    http://www.foodwhistleblower.org/blog/22/198

    http://blog.fooducate.com/2011/07/22/are-you-buying-meat-but-paying-for-salt-water/

    http://www.wtop.com/253/2979224/Are-you-eating-pumped-up-meat-
  • felicia8604
    felicia8604 Posts: 274 Member
    Options
    where do you all live? i thought they were only in missouri and illinois...I live in Missouri and shop there! :)

    theres one in council bluffs iowa.
  • swaymyway
    swaymyway Posts: 428 Member
    Options
    Is Aldi in the USA now as well then? Are they just launching over there or have they been around a while?

    They have been in the UK for some time now but it's only in the last three years or so they have got more popular. I shop at Lidl and Aldi all the time and it amazes me that people are snobby about it, it's just the exact same stuff you'd get in the larger supermarkets but for half the price and a lot of their stuff is NICER than the name brand stuff.

    If you have never shopped there before give it a chance, you'll never look back.

    The only down side is that next time you go in to your regular supermarket you'll be frustrated at how slow the checkout girl/guy is at scanning your stuff, they are like scanning NINJAS!!
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    Options
    I used to shop at Aldi when I was in college and loved it. One recently opened where I live now, and I went there hoping to find the same quality of food and prices but was very disappointed. I couldn't find much I wanted to buy, and most things weren't that much cheaper than the regular grocery store. I don't know if Aldi is just not as good as it used to be or if it varies from location to location.

Categories