Opinions on Aldi?

MoniMoni2u

My aldi's list includes:
Chips (for the family)
green & black olives
banana pepper rings
salt/pepper/spices
flour, sugar, brown sugar (we don't go through much sugar)
canned pineapple & mandarin oranges
canned green beans, beets, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce & tomato paste (fire roasted tomatoes when they have them)
Canned beans (black, kidney, great northern) and garbanzos when they carry
Canned tuna (the more expensive stuff there) and canned salmon
L/F chicken broth
Block cheeses (swiss, monteray jack, cheddar, colby jack, mozzarella)
Low fat cottage cheese
Low fat sour cream
eggs

Frozen veggies
Frozen fish (salmon, talapia, shrimp) I get all of our frozen fish here
Frozen whole chickens
100% grape juice concentrate
Frozen fruit
Keep the $1 pizzas in the freezer for the kiddos.

Veggies (Very picky) Can almost always pick up carrots, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cabbage & lettuce/spinach and sweet peppers
Can normally pick up potatoes & squash (zuchini and yellow summer)
Sometimes eggplant, avacados,
Fruit...sometimes grapes, apples, bananas, pineapple, strawberries (in season only)

I cook...don't eat a lot of processed stuff but I do fill in with some canned stuff. I start at Aldi's and get what I can for fresh and then fill in at another grocery.

Meat, I'm particular on. I get my beef from a local farmer. Chicken breasts I get on sale for a very good price at a local grocery. Other chicken products I get at Sam's club their "natural" stuff.

You have to get past the whole "NO NAME BRANDS" thing...then again, I made the choice to get over it 18 years ago when I decided to stay at home with my kiddos...Hmmmmmmm...name brand veggies/beans or stay at home with my kids? Yep, I chose my kids and to pocket the money! LOL

ETA that Aldi's is 1/2 block away from Super Wal-Mart & Sam's Club. Very easy to run in there first, get when I can and then go directly to one of the others and pick up the rest.

BTW, I NEVER buy meat that is in a container that has a lot of "dead air" space...I cant' stand whatever it is they fill that space with to keep the meat pink...not just at Aldi's but Wal-Mart/Sam's club too. YUCK.

wikitbikit

I was not terrifically impressed when I checked them out several years ago, but maybe I'll give it a try again. We do most of our fresh food shopping at Costco and I'm generally quite pleased with the quality.

girllovedcupcakes

I love my Aldi! Maybe the stores vary by region but in Missouri they always have fresh produce and it lasts longer than other grocery stores for me. In the last few weeks I was able to get strawberries 99c lb, blueberries for $2, Pineapple for $1.50, and today I got 3 bell peppers for only $1.

bhalter

I only just started going to Aldi's last year, but really like it. They built a new one in our town, and it's right across the street from Wal-Mart. I typically go to Aldi's first and try to get everything on my list, and then run into Wal-Mart afterwards for a few things Aldi's may have not had or were out of.

I actually still have my receipt with me, so here's what I purchased for this week:

100-calorie whole-grain sandwich thins, hamburger buns, bread, green beans, pasta sauce, organic canned tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese & colby jack cheese, bagged spinach, bananas, biscuits, orange juice, eggs, vegetable stock, cauliflower, and grape tomatoes.

They often have name-brand products too, so I also grabbed Fage Greek yogurt, Bolthouse Farms baby carrots, Mini Babybel cheese, and Uncle Ben's rice.

All of that for $42! (With several multiples of some of them.) I like their Fit & Active line, they have great lunchbox snacks for my daughter, I like that it is small and usually not crowded. I keep a quarter in my car just for Aldi's, so that makes it easy, and I don't mind using our own bags.

We just had a blizzard roll through, so their stock was low because they missed their delivery, so I had to pick up my meats from Wal-Mart, along with some random items I couldn't find at Aldi's (marshmallow fluff, etc.)

Dolci07

I adore Aldis Their produce is good if you plan on using it the same day but it spoils pretty fast. If you buy produce for dinner that night you will be fine, and MAYBE the day after.