Aldi's helps me eat healthy and save money

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Replies

  • knwitall
    knwitall Posts: 420 Member
    I wish i had an Aldi's where i live. The only thing i have that's cheaper than regular stores is Save A Lot.
  • Ohhhhh I AM ADDICTED TO ALDI!!!! We feed our family of 5 on less than $350/month and it saves us well over $250-$200 month! I can't say enough good things about that store! I used to be a brand snob but their food tastes just as good as Walmart or Kroger! :love:

    EDIT: Let me add the only thing I don't like is bagging my own gorceries but thats only because I'm a little OCD and everything has a place! Lol
  • swonn
    swonn Posts: 323 Member
    Aldi's is too far and the closest store is not very clean. We have a Save a Lot in town that is a better deal for us.

    My ex husband and I used to shop at Save a Lot when we lived in Illinois. We were addicted to Mountain Holler - a million times better than Mountain Dew.

    Yes Mountain Holler is pretty good and so much cheaper than Mountain Dew!
  • I. LOVE. ADLI'S. Trader Joe's is OK if you're looking for something very specific but Aldi's has the best prices ever.
  • panicintheattic
    panicintheattic Posts: 102 Member
    Is Aldi in the USA now as well then? Are they just launching over there or have they been around a while?

    ...

    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!!

    I am 23 and they have been around as long as I can remember going to the store with my mom as a little kid. And the reason they are so fast is because they have to be! At least here, they have to move at a certain speed or they will get fired.

    But either way, I love Aldi as well, although I actually don't buy my produce or meats there (don't eat meat, and I am lucky enough to work at/be near a lot of farmers markets). But they are getting a lot better at stocking things that aren't so terribly processed, as well as often having random brand names things for a lot cheaper (the stores by me consistently stock Fage and rotate between Bolthouse and Naked juices). Plus, what with being a German company, they have the BEST chocolate!! But that's probably not a good diet tip haha.
  • wisebadger53
    wisebadger53 Posts: 382 Member
    Around here the produce can be questionable, but I can't complain about anything else I've purchased there. I love their fit & active line, it really helps when it comes to snack foods for work. I almost always have some of the fruit strips in my desk, only 50 cals and they're so yummy!

    ^This. I agree completely!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    We have Aldi and Lidl(same as Aldi I believe) here in my city, I get my cottage cheese, fruits and vegetables there, sometimes their goats cheese. They have baby plum tomatoes on offer in the Uk ones at the moment at 50p for a box.
  • ldstap
    ldstap Posts: 1 Member
    They're also in Indiana and Pennsylvania and Iowa.
  • I work there which is perfect :) work hard all day and eat their food
  • kuger4119
    kuger4119 Posts: 213 Member
    We've shopped at the Aldi in Wichita for years. They have great prices and their Fit-&-Active 100 calorie snack packs were one of the basic parts of the diet that I used to lose almost 30 lbs. Their whole grain ham & cheese pocket sandwiches are much better than you'd think and, as someone else mentioned, they have great frozen fish choices. My son is a big fan of tilapia thanks to Aldi. We also get their center cut, boneless pork chops and frozen asparagus spears. Their canned asparagus is the worst stuff ever sold in a store though.

    There are certain products that I won't buy there but in general, I can't imagine doing 75% of my shopping at Aldi.
  • Aldi and Lidl are both originally from Germany. Aldi was founded there (here) in the 1950s and has since been expanding around the globe. Lidl is following suit. As some of you have mentioned, Aldi also owns the US chain Trader Joe's.
    Growing up in Germany, Aldi has always been around for me, even as a kid in the 80s. Most of what they sell is decent quality and always dirt-cheap. But as far as fresh meat and produce are concerned, I prefer to buy regional products these days. I usually go to the Aldi next door about once a month, to buy shelf items like pasta, rice, wine (!), salt, flour, crackers, sugar, liquor, that kind of thing. I never buy fresh produce or meat there.
  • Aldi has been in the U S of A quite a while. I remember the first one in our area opening 15-20 years ago, long before my mom died in 1999.

    The newer stores tend to be cleaner.

    I only get 10-20 percent of my groceries there because a) produce is cheap but cheap for a reason ... it spoils much more quickly b) I buy my meat from other stores on sale or from a local butcher, I prefer hormone-free meat and like to freeze it so I can get a piece or two out at a time and c) they're not that convenient to get to. (that is, until my office moved to a town that hosts one!)

    I like their fit and active broths and soups, brown rice and dairy products. Will buy a frozen chicken from time to time.

    Oh and they don't have brand names for the most part, which keeps the prices down!
  • NaurielR
    NaurielR Posts: 429 Member
    I love Aldi too! Their canteloupes and pineapples are great! At other grocery stores I do my best to pick out the best looking melon/pineapple, but sometimes I'll cut into it at home and it just doesn't taste that good. For some reason, I've had fantastic luck at Aldis. It seems their stuff always tastes great.
  • elizabethis
    elizabethis Posts: 155 Member
    I've been shopping at Aldi (Indiana) for years. We really like the produce and dairy products especially. Some stores must be better than others - ours is very new. Produce turns over really quickly, so quality is not generally an issue. On a couple occasions I have had - a moldy orange or roma tomato, I took them back and received a whole new bag/package. They are very good about accepting returned things! I LOVE their Fit and Active mint ice cream sandwiches. Just for fun, I bought those and the much higher priced Skinny Cow ones and my husband and I did blind taste tests. They are virtually indistinguishable. In fact, I picked the Aldi one over Skinny Cow just barely, because I thought the chocolate cookies tasted a little bit better! Give them a try. You will save money. The downside is, they don't carry everything, but that's okay, it's worth it for what they do.
  • Ibelievenme2
    Ibelievenme2 Posts: 96 Member
    Yes it is a great store. I have to go to another town, but it is worth it. I just wait until I am going that way so I wont waste gas. Every penny helps. I get enough for a month. I just hate the fresh fruit don't last that long. I freeze the vegetables even the green peppers after I cut them up into 1 cup measurements.
  • I keep meaning to check out Aidi's. I like shopping at Trader Joe's, but saving money on certain items would be nice.
  • lioness0806
    lioness0806 Posts: 115 Member
    where do you all live? i thought they were only in missouri and illinois...I live in Missouri and shop there! :)
    I live in Georgia, theres been one here for years.

    There's one down the street from e and I'm in Dallas.
  • where do you all live? i thought they were only in missouri and illinois...I live in Missouri and shop there! :)
    North Central Texas
    I've been shopping at Aldi for over a year. The items there are very good and great prices!! I rarely shop anywhere else. When I do it is because I need something that Aldo doesn't stock. The store is small and saves me time and aggravation.
  • dontquitforreal
    dontquitforreal Posts: 9 Member
    When I got married, my husband always went there so that's where I mainly shop now, getting all the staples. There are less choices, but what they have is usually good. I get all cheese, milk, eggs, pastas, etc there, plus the bread brand they have is very good as well! The label on the 100% whole wheat bread is actually all natural and whole, just like it should be. I now get overwhelmed in bigger grocery stores and can go through Aldi's practially without a list because everything I need is right there.
  • MaryJane_8810002
    MaryJane_8810002 Posts: 2,082 Member
    I first went to an Aldi's in Jersey on the way to the train station. Let me tell you, soooo much junk food! And its right there when you enter the store! But I have gotten better since I currently live in Florida. The fruits and veggies at certain locations are a hit and miss. I just purchased some boneless ribs and now I am hesitant to consume it considering what I heard. I stay away from cat products, detergent, and cold cuts, But its a great store to go to if you are hard on cash or have a lot of kids.
  • Phatgirl420
    Phatgirl420 Posts: 197 Member
    where do you all live? i thought they were only in missouri and illinois...I live in Missouri and shop there! :)
    I live in Maryland, we have them here as well :)
  • I have been shopping at Aldi for over a year now.. I still don't understand why some refuse to by milk, and meats there.. My store has near perfect fruit every day.. (its pretty busy because of the traffic and my town) I think that helps.

    Ask the store staff what the brands are.. Some of the stuff i agree is hit or miss on the chips and sodas.. The chicken is Tysons and the Milk is bordens.. i can't remember all of them but I get 90% of my groceries there.. the only thing i don't buy there is I make my own salsa and the only peppers they have are jalapenos. Krogers is a quick stop across the street.
  • I live in Australia and we love aldi here as well. the fruit and vegetables are great and cheap. The cereal is not bad either. we often shop at aldi and get a lot for our money. wilma1234
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    Aldi's is too far and the closest store is not very clean. We have a Save a Lot in town that is a better deal for us.

    We have a Save-a-Lot here too and I will not buy meats there because it has always had a dirty feel to it. When I go into the store and can see the gnats before I even get to the produce section, well...

    I'm sure no matter what chain store we discuss, the local management has some impact on the cleanliness, quality and freshness.
    Yes, Aldi has a lot of overly processed foods, just like any other store, but I don't buy those. It is the only local place I can get Muesli and know that it will be the same product I am used to getting in Germany, unlike so many other brands that call themselves Muesli.
  • i use to love aldi's when I ate poorly-but IMO they are not a great place to shop for healthy food..But I did love shopping there, it was cheap with lots of variety.
  • I LOVE Aldis. They have a lot of really good food choices. AND they have super awesome deals on other things too. I recently bought a digital food scale there for 5 dollars!!!! Bargin! Their fresh produce is always pretty good to pick from. They have their "Fit and Active" options too that are pretty tasty. I just recently got ham and cheese fit active "hot pockets" and they're really good. I have a save- a- lot right down the street from Aldis that's actually really clean and well kept. Sometimes they even have a better selection of produce there than Aldis. I love saving money! who doesn't??! makes eating healthier an easier thing to do when i don't have to worry about money being an issue.
  • Kimber415
    Kimber415 Posts: 31 Member
    I get there unsalted almonds...much cheaper! Shrimp is much cheaper....bottled water is a must if you drink bottled water! Many good things to choose from
  • jensan37
    jensan37 Posts: 151 Member
    I could not agree more... I LOVE Aldi... you can save so much money there. I love their produce and the "Fit and Active" and "Friendly Farms" brands. A couple of my friends are snobbish about shopping there but I tell them they're crazy!
  • jensan37
    jensan37 Posts: 151 Member
    Is i true that Aldi is owned by Trader Joe's?
  • becs_91
    becs_91 Posts: 180 Member
    I'm all about some Aldi! You really can't beat the prices. However, I do definitely prefer Trader Joe's - I like to call it the Aldi of Whole Foods. I almost never have issues with quality or selection. Obviously not quite as amazingly priced as Aldi, but definitely less than other major grocery stores.