Tuesday, December 12, 2023

I wanted to share what I got on my recent Aldi trip and talk about some of the pros and cons. I also snapped photos of some of the many seasonal items.

I arrived right after they opened at 9:00 on Saturday. That is kind of a late opening for a grocery store, but it works for me. It’s about a 10 minute drive and I’ve decided it’s just a lot to try to do after school due to the traffic by the time I can leave. Plus, my baby Ernie is waiting on me!

I would love to quit Kroger, but Kroger is like 1/4 of a mile from my home and there are just some things that Aldi doesn’t have that my family wants. Maybe one day I can get a schedule down where I go to one store one week and the other the other week?

I was talking to my friend Victoria and asked if she has tried it. She said she hasn’t, but her college daughter loves it (love to hear these stories about college kids being frugal!) Victoria said one reason she hasn’t gone is that she is particular about her meat and prefers organic, but the meat at Aldi seems pretty good to me and they even have organic meat, too! I believe they also have a pledge about not carrying certain ingredients in their stores that aren’t so healthy for us.

Here is the ground beef I buy:

I believe this is $5.99 so quite a good savings compared to Laura’s Lean ground beef that I buy from Kroger. I believe that the last time I checked Laura wanted $8-9 dollars for the same size!

This time I bought rice cakes to try this snack and I love it! You add a Laughing Cow wedge and everything but the bagel seasoning. I have enjoyed taking this for my morning snack over the last week.

There are name brand items at Aldi like you would see at your regular store. They carry Kevin’s products, Pillsbury pie crusts, Pillsbury Christmas tree cookies among other things. Also, look at the cute holiday shaped cheeses. I didn’t buy any of these things, but I snapped photos for you to see.

I thought these plates and napkins were adorable! They also carry Pantene shampoo and conditional and Olay body wash. They have Tampax brand and Crest brand in their very tiny toiletry aisle.

People call this the “aisle of shame” and I thought this chalkboard candle was so very cute! It comes with a piece of chalk and you could even write a message for the recipient before giving it to them. How cute is that?

Ok – look at how many everything but the bagel seasoning flavors they had! They had regular, too, and one of them was asiago cheese flavored! So many of their products will definitely remind you of Trader Joe’s!

How cute are these cake bites?

They had an ugly sweater cookie decorating kit and these Rice Krispies treats kits, too.

And, they also had these:

I brought home a box of the vanilla Christmas tree ice cream bars:

I tried one and it wasn’t that good – so this would be a skip for me next time.

I love checking myself out there, whereas I don’t really like doing it myself at Kroger. At Aldi no one is assigned to watch over me like I’m a criminal and it just seems easier, for some reason. The automated voice on the self-checkout isn’t as aggressive as at Kroger.

Must haves:

The produce is a bit hard – you can’t buy just one of something; it is bagged or packaged. Now, usually that is not an issue. I can buy a pack of mushrooms, a bag of onions, a bag of little or regular potatoes, a couple of heads of broccoli packaged together, etc. It’s not really a problem for me.

The cheeses – they have Boursin, Laughing Cow, and I buy their cheese slices (a really nice selection of different types) and their shredded cheeses (a really nice selection of different types including a gruyere/swiss blend that I have not seen elsewhere).

Chips – my family is a family of chip snobs but they do have Sun Chips, Scoops, and Doritos. What I’m saying is that I can’t get away with dupes for most brand name chips. They have pretzel sticks that I have been buying to pair with their dip.

Creamer – They don’t have much sugar free selection if any but they do have some seasonal creamers.

We really like their french onion dip to go with pretzel sticks or cut up vegetables.

Milk – Tom says he doesn’t like their skim milk so I get that from Kroger or Tom picks it up

Meat – I have bought salmon, ground beef, chicken, bacon, and chicken or turkey sausage and have been very pleased.

German products – Because they are German/were German they have some German sausages, German candy/chocolate, and German seasonal treats that I buy sometimes because Tom is from Germany.

So, that’s it for my recent thoughts on Aldi!

Amy

22 thoughts on “Aldi Trip”

  1. I haven’t been to our “local” Aldi in ages but I used to have to combine it with a trip to our regular store too as I could never quite get enough at Aldi to satisfy everyone for a whole week.

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  3. I need to get back to Aldi. I still have a few of the sweet snacks that I like, but once those are gone, I need to make a stop at Aldi. Hopefully over break. Maybe I will pick up the ground beef…you are right – Laura’s lean is usually $7-8.

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    1. This would be a good time to go for the cheese for a charcuterie board alone for the holidays. I also like our Walmart neighborhood market and find their prices are really good compared to Kroger on canned and packaged things, especially.

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  5. I can tell by the pictures that your Aldi is better than mine! Not all of them are created equal, I’ve discovered. 🤣 When I go and can find things, I enjoy going there! I do love all their specialty cheeses and most of the dupe brands they have. I’ve heard if you buy the dupe, you save money, but if you buy the name brand, you pay about the same as you would somewhere else.

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  6. I can’t do Aldi very often. I have a big problem with impulse purchases, and I always spend way too much there on things that look interesting just because I want to try them. Plus, my Aldi’s produce section is usually pretty sad.

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    1. I am getting to where I have a very specific list and can stick to it. It took me a while to learn what we liked and what was in fact, a good deal! Yeah, the produce could be better.

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  7. If you buy the Aldi cereal
    It does not have the dyes in it. The ranch dressing is better than the ones at Walmart/Kroger. I do love Aldi but can’t solely shop there either.

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  8. Jack likes to get the bag of peeled garlic. I haven’t bought it yet, but its a bargain and probably better tasting than the jarred minced garlic. Many of their things are like TJ’s, and I think they are owned by the same company. We bought Aldi brand Fruit Loops, and they are just like the TJ’s version with natural colors and not quite as sweet. Also, Jack told me that the prices at the Houston Aldi were higher than Auburn. That makes sense. Oh, and our Aldi has a cashier not self check. I plan to go for a big shop there to get baking supplies and snacks before the kids come home.

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    1. Oh, I haven’t even seen that! He is becoming quite the cook! Good to know about the cereals. Also, interesting about the prices! Get some cheeses, too! Their cheese selection is quite good and I have noticed a selection of British cheeses that you might like!

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  9. I’m with you….Kroger is 10 minutes closer and that makes a difference to how often I go to Aldi. When I do go, I love saving money and buy staples there. I also like to buy produce and meats there, yet there are still a few products I still have to Kroger for as well. The write on candle is a cute thing I haven’t seen! Also, I haven’t been to an Aldi that has self check out, but that is a great feature!

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    1. Yes, it does! I really like their self checkout option. I would like to do Kroger one week, Aldi one week, and maybe Trader Joe’s one week but I know I will never be that organized!

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  10. We have an Aldi near us, and we go once in a while. I like their sandwich thins and brioche buns, their cheese tortellini, their garlic and herb cream cheese, stuffed shells, and salmon. Our Aldi’s produce is very poor. It’s strange because their distribution center is right behind the store. I avoid the seasonal aisle because of the temptation, and I didn’t buy any gingerbreads this year because they were outrageous. I like the self check out; the long lines before that gave me anxiety because I always chose the slow line!

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    1. I have not bought any of those things, so thanks for the tips! I wouldn’t say my produce is poor, but it’s limited and limiting. Good idea to just avoid it.
      There never seem to be long lines when I go but only one cashier and like 6 self checkout options!

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  11. Honestly, I need to just go in and try it. It’s been years since I’ve been in an Aldi. We have a new one here in Brownsburg. My daughter says it is really nice, but she shops at Kroger! Well, and Costco because she has a teenage son who has hollow legs!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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    1. Do it! Do it! This would be a great time – get some cheeses to have on hand, look at their seasonal stuff. There is definitely a learning curve, but my store is small and manageable and not like Trader Joe’s where you can’t even see anything.

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