Aldi's: Is It Worth It?

Just in case the giant sucking sound coming from your wallet hadn't yet clued you in, groceries are just a bit expensive right now. 

For years, I've shopped occasionally at Aldi's, a chain discount grocery which appears, unfortunately for some of you, not to be available in every state.  Every time I shopped at Aldi's, I had a vague sense that I was saving money on staples (which is, for the most part, the only things they stock, except for occasional special items).  But I'd never done an item-by-item comparison to get a real sense.  Was it worth the trouble?  Because shopping at Aldi's isn't exactly easy--you have to take your own bags, bag your own groceries, even pay a 25-cent deposit to use a grocery cart (refunded when you leave), and they only accept cash or debit cards.

As grocery prices have continued to go up (and, as it turns out, so have the appetites of my growing boys), I decided it was time to get serious about comparing if Aldi's shopping was worth the effort.  I took a list of grocery staples to both Aldi's and then Wal Mart, where I normally do my grocery buying.  I did an item-by-item comparison, comparing Aldi's price with the cheapest available brand at Wal Mart.  This spreadsheet was the result (click on it to view):

Download aldis.pdf

(And?  I don't want any lip from anyone that we list cheese puffs and popsicles as grocery staples.  Thank you.)

The few items in red are the ones actually more expensive at Aldi's.  All the others are either even or cheaper.  (And let us pause for a moment of silence in memory of the brain cells I overwhelmed in building a color-coded spreadsheet).

I was blown away by the results, actually.  I knew I was saving something by shopping at Aldi's, but I had no idea it was adding up so quickly.  I can see how going to a little extra trouble will easily save substantial money each month.  Most of the items listed are generic, which is the way I generally shop (except for a few items, paper towels--you'll have to pry my Bounty from my cold, dead fingers).  I have never had any quality issues buying generic at Aldi's.

If you don't have one of these stores where you live, I extend my full sympathy, but I suggest you look around.  Most cities have some sort of warehouse-type grocery facilities available.  If you're willing to shop around, you might be surprised what you find.

Any other's Aldi's lovers out there?  What have you learned shopping there?  Have you ever had any issue shopping their generic brands?  I'm curious to hear...

(P.S.  Of course, if you use this list, take into account differences regionally in grocery prices.  GOD BLESS the great state of Oklahoma for having a crazy-low cost of living, and things might be priced differently where you are.  But it's a good place to start, and maybe it will inspire you to draw up your own comparisons, spreadsheet-inducing anxiety notwithstanding.)

Comments

[Jen]

When I moved here two years ago, I discovered my closest Aldi was a good 45-50 minute drive. So I made that trip on calculated occasions. And since this is small-town NC, some people worried that I was running a daycare with my overloaded cart. I assurred them that I was only feeding 5 teenagers. I talked with cashiers, begging them to open a store in my town. I talked with store managers. I wrote to the company. And in short order, they opened a store in the town 30 minutes south of me. That's also where my Sam's Club is located, so I do make that trip about twice a month. Apparently a town has to have at least 30k people to qualify for a store; we only have about 20. But we did qualify for a Sav-A-Lot, which is a huge disappointment after you've been to an Aldi. More expensive and catered to a more economically challenged clientele -- go figure!
Aldi has recently been improving their stock as well. I get their newsletter via email every week. And I think I may continue to lobby for a store located here, in my town. We could sure use one.
xox

[chanelireli]

we don't have an aldis but we have a win-co. and I heart my winco even if I have to bag my own groceries. Thank goodness we don't have to pay for carts, cause I rarely have quarters.

[Tammy]

I like to shop at Aldi's as well. In our area, the eggs fluctuate in price. So sometimes it is cheaper to buy at Aldis, sometimes at Meijer. When I'm doing the shopping (which isn't now, because I have morning sickness big time and there's no way I can walk through a store without at least gagging! Bless my dear dh for doing the shopping for me!) I make my list based off the sales at Meijer, and then go to Aldi to get staples and see if items are less.

I don't like their generic cream of mushroom, and I am pretty happy with most generics. Campbell's COM has much less junk in it compared to Aldi's generic brand. So when I buy COM, I buy Campbell's! :)

Oh, and my Aldi's produce section is pretty bad, so I generally do not buy produce from them.

[Amanda]

In Southern California here, we have a WinCo Foods that sounds almost exactly like your Aldi's.

[Nic]

Hey, I thought I was the only Dutch lurker over here. Apparently Marit is here too! I was about to say "you have to take your own bags, bag your own groceries, even pay a 25-cent deposit to use a grocery cart (refunded when you leave), and they only accept cash or debit cards" that's the only way of getting groceries in the Netherlands! And what is up with all those useless plastic bags for a gallon of milk anyway?

[Cheri C.]

We don't have Aldi's, but we have Winco. Sometimes, you can get things cheaper with in-store coupons and sales at other places, but that's only a few items. Then then end up charging an arm and a leg for everything else, especialy produce. I'm no fan of going to 3 stores to do my grocery shopping. I stick with Winco for the extra savings . . . . I did a spreadsheet like you did, too, and I was amazed at my findings :-)

[Tanager]

I love Aldi! If you happen to be there on the day before their hamburger expires, they sell it half off their already low price of 1.89/lb. We just buy it and freeze it...no problem. At .95/lb. that's huge savings.
When we were completely broke, I managed to feed our little family of three on $40.00 dollars every two weeks by shopping at Aldi (and sticking to a very strict menu). It wasn't always gourmet cooking, but we ate well and no one seemed to mind.

[Kelli@CountryMommie]

Aldi makes me soo happy! It only takes about 25 minutes to get there from home (which is the same as going anywhere from here). Just the milk helps my budget so much it's worth the drive. Not including all the things I DON'T BUY at Walmart because I'm not there! I will find things I "need" at Walmart and come out with $75 worth of things and I only went in needing $25 worth! Crazy good savings at Aldi's all the way around for me!

[Krissie]

I too feel sorry for those without an ALdi. We LOVE ours and shop there often. You can really get some great deals there and all of their own brand products are excellent! You definitely do not have to sacrifice taste to save money there!

[Amy]

We frequent our Aldi for milk, cheese, pasta, rice, and produce. While you can't buy your complete list there, it sure can save you some $.

[Rebecca]

I grew up on Aldi. My mother fed 6 kids and 2 adults on one rather low income for years. I still favor many Aldi brand foods over others. I had never tried the mac&cheese before until I got married, and its pretty nasty. I don't know if we end up spending all that much less by shopping at Aldi since we have a local discount grocery we get some of our 'staples' from. And thanks to my DH cocoa puff (store brand of course) are on the list of staples. But I know most of the Aldi prices so when I see a sale, I KNOW its really a sale.

[C]

We love Aldi's spaghetti sauce, better than Prego or Ragu. I am definitely going to start shopping there more. Thanks!

[Dee]

I am an ALDI girl. The way my kids go through food, I have to be. I will confess, I still go to the Friut Market for lunch meat and cheese. I just cant go generic on that, kinda like you and your paper towels.

[Darla]

Thank you for this post. I have to admit that before I did Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University a year ago, I had never been inside an Aldi's. Once I heard everyone in my class raving about it, I had to try it out.

My kids LOVE the "quarter trick," as they call it, and I love the bargains. I am glad to know how MUCH of a bargain I get there now based on your spreadsheet.

My only negative of shopping there is that they don't carry ALL the staples I need. I work full-time, and have 2 very active children, so I don't always have time to go to several stores to get all my shopping done... I'd say that is the ONLY reason that I don't go to Aldi's more often.

Thanks again for the information.

[Queen B]

I am a huge fan of Aldis. Or, as I like to call it, The Aldi. It sounds a bit better, don't you think?

I am amazed at how much money I save each week. It is most definitely worth it.

[Heather]

For those of you in the know, what is the comparable store for those of us that live out west. We had a WinCo in Northern Cali. but only Food For Less in Nevada. We do have Wal-Mart grocery stores (not Super Wal-Mart but stand alone grocery stores) but they seem to not have at least one thing I need so I end up having to go to two stores.

[Andrea@Under Grace & Over Coffee]

Cheese puffs aren't staples?!!

We have a similar type of store in Canada, Superstore, but my problem is having the self-control to just stick to my list and not buy more because I know I am saving money. I know that makes no sense to my husband, but if I know something is cheaper, I end up buying something else to spend the savings on. God and I are working on that one!!

[april]

my crew prefers a lot of Aldi stuff to the more expensive items found elsewhere. Some of our faves: the deluxe mac and cheese, the sloppy joe sauce, and chips. I can usually find cornish hens there for half the price of Walmart.

I go about once a month to stock up. I have also started to buy more staples like flour and sugar there since I'm cooking from scratch more

[Melissa]

UMMM WOW... this sorta makes me a little upset.. because when I first got laid off I decided I would only shop at Aldi and was very proud of myself because I had gotten my weekly grocery budget down to $40 a week, most weeks it was only around $30. Now with couponing, CVS, WAGS, going from store to store YES I've gotten many name brand products for very cheap or FREE and stocked up on so much of everything I've managed to do all my Christmas shopping in the process HOWEVER (yes major run on sentence) I've been spending over $40 a week to do so. ughhh not good.

So on the plus side I've been having fun working deals and all that but I've spent my entire summer doing JUST that! Honestly.. day and night I live breath couponing/hounding.

I guess after the new year I'm going to cut out all this running around and will just stick to Aldi except for items I can't get at Aldi or are such a great deal I can't pass up.

[Aimee]

What an awesome post! We do have an Aldi here where I live, and I do most, if not all, of my shopping there. Their are a few things that I'm not able to buy there, but then I just run to the local grocery store. Overall though, I save tons of money each month shopping at Aldi - thanks for the comparison chart - it just proved it even more why I shop there !:)

[Need A Nap2]

IF you want to be addicted - try the Aldi's version of Drumsticks with the "fudge core", I haven't bought the caramel core b/c the drumsticks are for me not my husband! :)

Your prices are a big lower than mine EXCEPT for milk - ours is $1.99 at Aldi's. Thanks for the spreadsheet, it's lovely.

[Renee]

I love Aldi too. I recently learned that our store only gets a truck once a week. Now I know what day of the week to shop there for the freshest produce.

[Krista]

We don't have Aldi's out here, but we do have the Grocery Outlet... which my in-laws love, but continually refer to as the Used Food Store! Gotta love that!
And usually I find that I can't buy their generic, it's nasty (like cardboard nasty) and they don't carry the staples consistently so it's usually not worth my time/effort (with a toddler) to go to that store plus the regular store.
About the only thing they're good for is specialty cheese at a low price. But even that's a luxury now!

[Kristin]

I have been shopping at Aldi for the last 8 years. Here are some of favs (which I was leary about trying, now we Luuuvvvv them!)

Peppercorn Pork Tenderloin (about $7)
Popcorn Chicken Nuggets (frozen)
Asagio cheese (shredded)
Moo Tubes (yogurt)
Soy Milk
lunch-box stuffers (fruit cups, granola bars, etc)
Cinammon Rolls (frozen, my kids can tell when we get a more expensive brand and they hate them)

Thanks for posting this!

[Tina]

This ia a great article for those of us here in Florida, since they just opened up some Aldi's in Sept. and are slated to open several more next week and then a few more in November! I'm forwarding this link to a bunch of my friends!

On your spread sheet did you do an overall total for each store, if so .. Sorry I may have missed it! Otherwise Thank you so much for the comparson ..especaially since soo many people in Fl think Super Wally world is soo cheap!! I personally don't like going there very much.

[PJ]

I have shopped at Aldi's for several years and we love it. Before we got one in our town we used to drive 60 miles about once every 2 months just to load up at Aldi's and even though it was a long drive it was worth it for the money we saved. I love that we have one in our town now. In all the years that we have been shopping at Aldi we have only found 1 thing there that we did not like as well as or better than the name brand at other stores. (I can't even remember now what it was.) I will say though, that in my area you do sometimes have to watch because you can get some items (sugar and name brand items when they have them)cheaper at other stores. I have also noticed that just like everyone else they have started going up on their prices due to the economy so unless you are going there for more than just one or two items it is not really worth the drive. But I still love em anyway! Aldi is the BEST place ever to stock up on canned veggies and if you use alot of Cream of Chicken or Mushroom soup Aldi is the best place to save money on it. If someone is reading this and has an Aldi close and haven't tried it, you really need to check it out. You will be amazed at how much you can save without losing anything in taste or quality.

[Anna]

I actually try to buy organic and natural for most of my groceries. The prices at Trader Joes is much better than most places around. I'm not motivated enough to do a price comparison, though.

Sorry, no Aldi's around here.

[Jessica]

I don't have an Aldi's since I moved out of PA, however if you can find a Price Rite or Shop Rite in your area it is the same concept. AND CHEAP!!!

[Amy @ Experience Imagination]

I don't like Aldi very much. I don't think they have any here in South Dakota, but they had plenty when we lived in Illinois. Basically, they don't stock a LOT of my staples. I found Meijer to be cheaper and more convenient overall. Unfortunately ... they don't have one of those here either.

[Deirdre]

One problem with Aldi's:

The horrible temptation from their german chocolates... and the Eclairs!

NEVER, EVER shop there hungry... way too much German stuff.

Another plus-- I have a child with a corn allergy, and many of their treats are corn free!

[Annie Patrick]

I heart Aldi's. However, I wouldn't recommend their cottage cheese. Yuck!

Also, in my area, milk is always cheapest at Braums.

[Carrie of Ceaseless Praises]

I live in NY state, and a couple years ago, I did a price comparison & found that Aldi is cheaper or even for most everything...except for a few things like you said. And if you check some household staples like garbage bags, Ziploc bags, etc, those things are usually cheaper at Sam's Club.

I shop at Aldi every week. The only thing that sometimes drives me nuts about shopping there is that they don't always have everything that I need, so I often have to go to Wal-Mart after I get done at Aldi.

[Leanne]

I heart Aldi!!!

Each month (I think) Aldi produces a price sheet thingy for all of it's products for comparison with your regular store ads. They are right inside the door when you walk in. That way, you can compare what the Aldi price is with what is on sale at your other grocery stores.

Also, Aldi has a menu-planning feature on their website.

[Shannon]

I have a friend who works for Aldi and said that for this year their reports show that they are still 20% less expensive than Walmart.

Remember you can always get things cheaper when you shop multiple stores and their sale ads. For instance this week you can get 7 FREE things from Dillons (Our local Kroger!)

[Jeannine]

Thank you for sharing. I have noticed that Walmart's prices for groceries have skyrocketed in the past few years. This is good to check every once in a while. Because I think it is very easy to get lulled to sleep and beleive that we are spending the least when we could actually be spending less somewhere else. Thanks for sharing.

[patois]

Holy crap, Batgirl! I want to get your grocery prices. That said, sadly, no Aldi's, but a Grocery Outlet store opened near me, and I do my first shopping there each week. They don't have everything, by any means, but I can save a bundle on our staples. (Yes, ice cream falls into that category.)

[Brenda Yonker]

Aldi's saves my family so much money!!! We have a save a lot too but they are more expensive.

[Lana Dixon]

Here is my bagging solution for Aldi's-Last fall before my 20 something year old daughter got married she was moving and cleaning out her apartment. She had a dozen plastic dishpans on her throw away pile and I took them home. Then I realized that they would make great substitutes for the boxes I'm always scouting for in Aldi's. I just take my whole cart out to the car, spread out my dish pans and unload my cart into them. It is so easy and they are easy to carry in the house when I get home. I haven't gotten up the nerve to take them into the regular grocery store in place of the reusable bags though.

[Megan]

Aldi's fanatic here. When I became a new wife and experienced the food demands of a strapping young husband, I quickly learned where to extend our food budget. I have Aldi-evangelized several co-workers and friends. They love me for it. My mom still questions the quality, but I've never had a single problem with it. I wouldn't trade my "Aldi's quarter" or reusable bags for anything. It is a system I've fallen in love with. :)

[Tree Climbing Mom]

We're getting our first Aldi's next month. I can't wait!!!

[Denise]

I adore Aldi's. I always do my main shopping there and then sometimes I go to other places if they have incredible deals.

[Family Focused Fun]

I am a HUGE Aldi's fan! Yes, occasionally other stores have a sale where you can beat the price of Aldi's but if you don't have the time to run around to multiple stores getting the best deals, then Aldis is a great place to get all the basics!

The best is when they have certain items on clearance. We got an awesome deal on ground beef a few months ago there, as it needed to be sold and was marked down ridiculously low.

[jessica]

I recently started shopping at Aldi's for our house groceries. My husband, who is a chef/caterer has been shopping there for years. I always thought the generic brands there would taste bad etc.. But, almost everything that I have purchased there has been very comparable to a store brand or even name brand.
We especially like their brand of "velveeta". This melts better than the store brand of velveeta..and is so much cheaper!!! Great for mac & cheese!!
Their produce always seems to be very fresh and cheap!! LOVE IT! I have never actually compared the prices..so thanks for the spreadsheet!!
Jessica, PA

[Suzanne]

Thanks for the comparison. I've always wondered if they were truly cheaper or if I just spend less there because there isn't all the extra temptations that Wal-Mart offers!

[Jan]

I'm not that big a fan of Aldi except for certain pantry type items like baking soda. I don't think their generic food tastes very good. I bought hotdogs there once and almost gagged. Also the canned veggies are not good. You have to really watch the produce also- it goes bad fast. My store at least carries very few items so I still have to go to a regular store- so to me it's not worth it in time and gas money. We have Sav-A-Lot but I haven't tried there yet. I don't like Walmart because it is so crowded and the people that work there are awful. I prefer to shop loss leaders at my regular grocery store and menu plan around that.

[Joanna]

I just shopped at Aldi's last night! I could cry at all the money I've wasted over the years! I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Aldi's but do stop at the major chain (Stop & Shop) which is right next door and my mom & pop store in town and CVS. I only stop at the other 3 stores because they are on the same route (so no xtra gas) and I get specific sale items from their sales flyers and Stop & Shop does double coupons. I jot the sale items I plan on getting at the other stores down so I can compare the Aldi price. A lot of the time they even beat the other store's sale price!

[Brittany]

My two year old comments, "I wuv Awdi" every time we pass by the store. I've shopped there for 4+ years now, and it has saved us so much money! :)

[Trisha]

WOW! Thank you for this! I am so excited... there is an Aldi's not far from my home, I've never gone there, but I will now!

[Olivia]

Our area just opened an Aldi about a month ago. My sister-in-law, who is from Illinois, told me that it was a great store... and sure enough, it is my husband and I's favorite grocery store now! We buy about $35 worth of groceries every week for us, and we have saved so much in just the short time we've been shopping there. And I haven't noticed any difference in quality from where we used to shop. :) I love Aldi!

[Denise S.]

This is so unfair all these great comments about Aldi's. I had never even heard of them until a couple of weeks ago on someones blog.
Sniff,sniff if you need at least 30,000 people to get one it isn't gonna happen here in SW Wyoming:(

[MommaChelle]

Okay, I've never shopped at Aldi's, but I'm wondering...is it really that much cheaper than shopping with double coupons on store specials? Our local grocery has been sending me fantastic coupons, plus I use manufacturer coupons. (Took a $309 bill down to $199 - woo hoo!!!) Plus I get $.10 off every gallon of gas for shopping there. The closest Aldi's is about 30 minutes away and in an area that I just don't drive through very often. Is it worth the drive for me?

[PollyS]

I second Winco. Their bulk section is a wallet saver for sure.
I wish Aldi would come my way. I've heard nothing but great things.

[Lindsey]

To Stretch Mark Mama:
I suppose I have become a Person Who Does Not (Always) Put My Cart Back. Sometimes with two very little ones it's very difficult--but I know that here I'm speaking to people who have even more little ones than me.

BUT, for every one time I don't put my cart back, there are probably two that I snag one out of the middle of the parking lot, so I'm actually helping more than I'm hurting. Does that justify me???

[Arlene]

Eggs are usually $.99 at our Aldi's which happens to be less than a block away -- praise the Lord! :o) Walmart is 2 1/2 blocks away, lol.

Also, our milk at Aldi's is ALWAYS $2.50. So, if we can't get the manager's special/reduced milk at our other grocery stores (which we stock up and freeze), then we get milk at Aldi's.

[Lindsey]

I really like aldi but now that I have started to match coupons with the ad at our local Target and Meijer food centers I rarely go. I pay little to nothing for most of my groceries and can buy organic when possible.

[Milehimama]

Save-A-Lot and FoodTown are very similar to Aldi's. Canned veggies 3/$1, and so on.

Although I have seen people shopping barefoot at Save-a-lot.

[Kelly]

I hear ya on the Bounty! I won't budge on that OR the Scott Tissue toilet paper. If you buy store brand paper towels you have to use twice as many to wipe up a spill. No Aldi's here in middle-of-nowhere, Alabama, and 25 miles to the closest Walmart. I'm impressed with your chart! At the Walmart's here, they will match prices, i.e. if you bring your hometown newspaper sale papers they will match the price. Time consuming, and you will get dark looks from the people in line behind you, but it will save.

[Kelly]

PS: You are right, popsicles and cheese puffs are staples, as are ours: Golden Flake Sweet Heat potato chips and Little Debbie Honey Buns!

[Lisa]

I love Aldi's for just about everything, but don't buy their produce. It seems to go bad a lot quicker than the produce from other stores. I have never had a quality issue with any other products and LOVE the amount of money I'm saving by shopping there.

[gina]

OK. You've convinced me to try it!! I've been driving by Aldi's 3x/wk taking DD to preschool and have NEVER STOPPED. Next week, I'm taking the challenge!

[Muddy]

I like aldis for some things, not so much for others. They are about a 15 minute drive for me. I have to weigh the cost of gas vs savings. If I am on that side of town with some time to spare, I will go in to get a few things on our list, otherwise I dont go out of my way. (it is near the library...so we do pass it at least once a month or so)

I do not like the taste of the milk, the canned foods or sandwich meat there. I do like the bagged snacks, fruit, fresh meat section, frozen foods and the cereal. I enjoy looking at their special buys.

They used to carry a roman noodle soup flavor my family LOVED. Nothing else compares to this one. They stopped selling it about a year ago and we were all very sad. It was a nice inexpensive lunch or breakfast.

I enjoyed reading your post...and am going to look at your cost comparisons now...

Thanks!

[gina]

ps - for popsicles (also a staple here LOL), I buy the flav-r-ice mega box (140!!) at Sam's.

[Lexa Herbert]

We are getting an Aldi soon!! I just posted about it in my blog

By the way, my husband and I have had long, drawn-out discussions (read: arguments) about whether it is Aldi or Aldi's. I finally agreed with him - we think it is Aldi.

[angie]

i love Aldi. once you get the hang of shopping there, it's a smooth process. the other thing i like is how quickly you get checked out. thanks for the comparison!

[Rach]

OK, I am such a jerk. My mom and I had a big conversation about it. It's actually Aldi, not Aldi's. She claimed it was Aldi's, and I asked her if she called Target "Target's". I have WAAAAAAAAY to much time on my hands.

I can get away with a $50 grocery bill after shopping at Aldi. It gets a bit tedious and boring shopping there sometimes, so I have to mix it up with some other stores. All in all, though, it is wonderful!

[Superchikk]

I was raised on Aldi, but Husband is a brand freak. He's come a long way, but still must have name-brand certain things. But I've come to find that there are some things I like Aldi's brand better!

Maybe when I tell him it's a German company it will change his mind...He lived over there for a while as a teenager and thinks Germany was pretty cool.

[Susan]

I LOVE Aldi. One opened 5 minutes from my house a few months ago. It was a bit of an adjustment having to remember to bring my own bags, but it is SO worth it.

I have been very impressed with the quality of their store brands. We even like Aldi cheese puffs better than Cheetos!

[Rachele]

Awesome spreadsheet! That'll be a huge help when I'm coupon shopping at other stores. I love Aldi's for some of my staples, but I hate their pasta sauces and their bread, and my family will not eat their snack cakes. (and yes, that's one of our staples, so no comment on your family's cheesie poof addiction; we got our own problems.)

Not to nitpick, but I believe the frozen chicken breasts for 6.49 are a 3 lb. bag. The leg quarters come in a 5lb bag for 3 something, I think. We use those for easy baked chicken dinners at least twice a week. Throw it in the oven with some chopped roasting vegetables, pour some sort of glaze over it in the last 10 minutes, and bing! beautiful family dinner for maybe $3, depending on the side dish.

[elizabeth]

We're living in the Netherlands and shop almost exclusively at Aldi's (and there was one back home too.) The selection is impressive, good produce (here) and breads, good juices. It is madness shopping though - the stores have limited hours (no one stays open late or 24 hours, and NO Sunday's) so the store can be packed, and the lines can be pushy. People tend to bring their own plastic boxes to load as the cashier tallies. We walk/bike everywhere and carry cloth bags and load up the baby's stroller bottom (thank goodness it is oversized!) or side bags on the bikes.

I am re-thinking Sam's, as I think we tended to over spend there...

Wonderful post - thank you!

[elizabeth]

OH, and I forgot to mention...I am always guaranteed a bouquet of flowers when my husband shops at Aldi's as they are such good prices(inexpensive). :D

[Missy]

Aldi rocks! By the way, you can now use Discover card at Aldi. And bless their little penny-pinching hearts, they charge you a $.25 transaction fee if you do.

Give the paper towels at Aldi a try. (Not the cheapies. I'm talking about the select-a-size kind with two rolls per pack.) I think they are comparable to Bounty.

[RLR]

OK - I'm inspired to try Aldi again. It's not as close as my Super Wal-Mart or Costco (and I heart Costco!), but I'm willing to give it a shot. I was never impressed by their produce on prior shopping trips, which is why I have never made it a regular stop. Do they have a good selection of carry organic items?

[peggy]

My latest ALDI bargain was pumpkins! They had absolutely HUGE ones for $1.99 each. Walmart's price was $3.48 each and they weren't as big!

Nearer to the holidays they have great gift items for very low prices too!

[Crystal]

I do like shopping at Aldi's. One thing I've noticed is that the produce is oftentimes better than at Wal-Mart, or other local grocery stores. I also recommend the Salsa - we won't buy any other kind - the brand name is Grandessa, and it tastes soooo fresh!

It is a challenge for some of us to get over the "consumerism" mentality that we have in the U.S. where everything is supposed to be "designer label" - even our groceries, but if you can realize that the quality is similar despite the packaging, you will be happily surprised with your savings.

[Mandy]

I have seriously been thinking about doing this myself lately. My usual grocery store is Kroger, but I will go to Sav-A-Lot on occasion for certain things or if in a pinch. I just did my last grocery shopping at Walmart b/c I had a giftcard and I was surprised how the things I usually buy (fruit snacks are a staple in my house too) seemed higher at Walmart. I am totally a type A. And I am seeing a Walmart/Kroger/Sav-A-lot spreadsheet in my future! Thanks for doing some of the legwork!

[Sara Achuff]

I shoppped at Aldi's last year for Easter dinner. I never shopped at Aldi's before that. The dinner was a disaster! The ham was extremely poor quality and very salty. The brocolli was limp and some parts were brown-it was packaged when I bought it. And, my family couldn't eat the sweet potato casserole. So much for saving money! My suggestion in this economy-buy the very best quality you can on your budget. I rather eat a little less and have good stuff. Regular grocery stores do an excellent job with store brands. Stick with the store you are used to. You can find things fast and that saves time-time is money. There is a reason things are cheap!

[Donna]

I am an occasional Aldi shopper.

There kidney beans are icky, sloppy joe sauce is icky

Canned corn and green beans are better than most other's I have had..

It just depends.

[Llama Momma]

Man. My aldi prices are higher than your walmart prices. Maybe I should move to Oklahoma...

[Jody]

I love Aldi. We recently moved from IN where I lived right down the road from an Aldi. I was thrilled to find one nearby in our new home. I always buy milk at Aldi. Right now my Aldi has milk on sale for 2.49 a gallon. I also buy Fit N Lean Turkey Meatballs and Mama Cozi spaghetti sauce. I can't remembert the price of the meatballs but the sauce is only .99 cents. I usually add a few spices to the sauce, but it is worth it. I also buy my canned veges there unless I come across a sale/coupons of a name brand that makes them less. When I first started shopping at Aldi I tried some generic cheese slices and no one in the family would touch them and in my experience the fresh fruit has to be used pretty quickly. Overall, I still love Aldi!

[Lynnet]

We have an Aldi's in the next town and I must say that I spent $7 the other day and got everything I needed to make lasagna! Love it! We love to save a buck or $20 when we can, and this has been a super way to do it. We even shop at the Dollar Store from time to time. Granted that there are many times that these stores do not have what I need, but it's sure nice when they do and I'm able to plan accordingly!

I have a notebook in which I keep track of prices for things that we buy and I have an Aldi's column as well. I can instantly see what my savings is compared to Walmart, our local grocery store, Dollar Tree/General...

[the frugal momma]

We shop at Aldi once a week, I do watch ads for other stores, but generally they are cheaper on all the items on your download here.

I recently had a conversation with a couple in the checkout line about their cream of mushroom soup of all things. They couldn't believe that it was only $0.49 a can, they had just paid $1.89 for a can the same size. Yikes!

[Lizz @ Yes, and So is My Heart]

I shop at Aldi's every other week or so. In between, I shop at the other grocery stores to hit the sales. This list is great. Thanks!

[Tina]

Having an Aldi store nearby is one of the things that made me happy to move to OH from VA. I miss many other things in VA (most decidedly my family, friends and the weather!) but I love the variety I have in my shopping choices here! Because we also live in Amish country we have some great bulk foods stores in addition to our Aldi store. I only buy the loss leaders and a very few name brand products that we love from our local high $$ grocery store.

I also like Savalot for some things too. Thankfully we have a good one in our town too.

[Scott]

We have Aldi's here in Indiana. In fact I gave it a shout out in this wednesday's WFMW post with Aldi's Bon Italia generic version of Spaghettios.
We always marvel at the entire shopping cart chock-full of good food for less than $100. We know on a lot of thing, we're spending half of what we'd spend elsewhere.
And we've never ever been disappointed in their quality. It's a bummer when you don't have a quarter for the carts and you have to talk a stranger into trading you for your grimy, sticky pennies and nickles from under the seats of the minivan.

[Condo Blues]

And here I thought that shopping at Aldi was my deep dark money saving secret. :) I found that when I started shopping at Aldi we started eating better than we already did (husband makes most of our food from scratch and we are health nuts) because we could afford different types of frozen fish unlike when we shopped at Meijer. Also we really like that a lot of the Aldi's brand foods don't have high fructose corn syrup which we try to avoid and can't in the bread aisle of Giant Eagle. The only downside is our Aldi's produce section. They plop all of the produce on an unrefrigerated table so most of it is either spoiled or will spoil shortly after I bring it home. So for everything other than produce I try to shop at Aldi first.

[Sandwiched]

We just had an Aldi's open a few months ago. I did a cursory walk-thru just after it opened, and wasn't impressed. Maybe it's time to give it another look....

[Terri]

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this. I have wanted to compare for a long time, but had no desire to invest the time. I've always "felt" that Aldi's was a better bargain, and am glad to know the truth. I, too, have a handful of brands that I am loyal to (Charmin and Tide) and one of those used to be Bounty until I got the Oasis brand of paper towels from Wal-Mart. I have been unable to see a difference. Just try them once and see whatcha think.

[Veggiemomof2]

I love Aldi's! I usually start there & Walmart is for the stuff I can't find at Aldi's.

By the way, if you watch the sales ads, you can get Bounty @ Walgreens for 64¢ w/mfg coupon.

[Amanda]

I love Aldis!! We had one just open near us and I was SO excited!! I was too lazy to drive an extra 20 minutes to the nearest one prior to that:)
I am working on doing this same thing. I'm starting a price book to see what is the lowest prices in order to know when to stock up. Its a lot of work, but I keep reminding myself of all the money I'll save through this:) Sometimes I'm not convinced:)

[Patti]

I love Aldi and have shopped there for years! Some advice:

I keep my quarter in my drink cup in my car so I am never searching for it.

I have bought collapsable crates to use. I bring my grocery cart out to my car and put the food in the crates and a cooler. When I get home it is super easy to unpack - much better than the stores where the people bag it for you!

[MichelleB]

Aldi's is great. With the gloomy recession I look for deals in pretty much every avenue of my shopping so for food Aldi's is good to save to buy the food I really need. I also got a great deals shopping online. When me and my hubby celebrated our 10th anniversary he bought me a pair of diamond earrings from www.idonowidont.com and they were so elegant and we weren't over budget. It was nice.

[Christine]

No Aldi here in SoCal. I myself am a Grocery Game (grocerygame.com) girl. It requires coupon cutting, which I used to have mixed emotions on. But now my emotions ar enot so mixed! The gal who started that website is now all over the country and the basic premise is that she has a list that matches the weekly specials for major grocery store of your choice with coupons. It takes several weeks to get fully in the groove, but her process is brilliant! The idea being that if you save a coupon to use when the store puts the item on sale, and especially if they double your coupns, you can save a TON of money. The first time I did it after clipping for several weeks and was really in the groove I saved over $150 on a grocery bill. Admittedly, it was still a $150 gorcery bill, but I even got some things for free or nearly free! Her webiste epxlains her premise well and while it takes some effort, I've found that it really works and I can shop in my favorite grocery store while still saving a ton of money.

[mommy to 5 angels]

I love Aldi too. I took me a little while to get adjusted to what they did and didn't have. Now I take my entire list in and get everything I can off of it and then move on to Wal-Mart.

I also like Aldi because it is small and even the 8yo can go grab things and help out because I can see the entire store from anywhere I am.

I usually take an ice chest with me, so I can then go to Wal-Mart and be done in one day. I keep a quarter in the coin holder and the bags go straight back out as we empty them.

I also like that I can go in and sometimes find B1G1 on things like milk, bagels, or yogurt. It sure helps the budget. I never find things like that at Wal-Mart.

P.S. As a little bonus for us we received several fre shopping bags from the state fair and use those at Aldi too.

[Michelle]

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Aldi -

I buy aluminum wrap, eggs ($.99 a dozen for me in MN), milk ($2.49, but for some reason, no 1%??), produce (grapes, carrots, bananas, potatoes), some lunch meat and cheese, pizza, sometimes salad dressing and always chips and pretzels. Oh, and ketchup.

In some states there is also Trader Joe's - one brother started Aldi and one started Trader Joe's (it is the Aldi for health/natural foods), I am checking that out tomorrow!!

[Grammy]

I have always shopped there for can and other items when we lived in St. Louis. Now I am 40 miles away. So when I get to Jeff city I buy 3-4 months worth of can good, and a few other thing. I miss them close buy. The cost of gas out ways the savings for me. {:(}But when I have a reason to travel I even stock up on items when I get a chance to go back to St. Louis. Next week will be my last trip. My daughter is moving closer to me. Which is great. But I will no longer have a reason to go back again.

[Jai@wifeof1momof4]

I love Aldis. They have one where my mother in law lives adn I shop when we visit her AND we are getting one where I live w/i the next few months!!!!! They broke ground this week!!!

I will say we SAVE A TON of money when we have the family BBQs .. buns, hot dogs, fish and condiments ... Trying to feed 20 people mostly boys AND men ... It IS a blessing!!

[Vicki]

No Aldi's. No WinCo. No Super WalMart. Just a yucky little Food 4 Less. BUT I'm inspired to at least try that out a few more times before giving up completely. Tell those mid-west grocery folks to come further West - there's a lot of people out here!!

[G G]

Sweetheart, I had allergies to peanuts, and all the legumes, veg. protein and etc. for about 20 yrs. Today I do fine unless I eat to much of them. Then my lips start swelling, mouth burning and I know I am in trouble. I take benadryl. Enough to go to sleep. They used veg. protein to extend the ground meat and used it in place of a protein. First in my 40"s I became allergic to costume jewerly, and then the peanuts and etc. Lasted around 20 yrs.

[Kim]

The daughter at college in Indiana does most of her shopping at an Aldi's and loves it! And on one shopping foray she found GHIRARDELLI BROWNIE MIXES and they were a very good price. So she bought a box or six.

[Carolyn E.]

I used to fill (to overflowing) a grocery cart at Aldis for 80-some dollars several years ago, but stopped going when they raised their prices. I didn't see much difference between them and Wal-Mart.

I never got around to making a spreadsheet. :D But I guess the idea might be worth revisiting!

(I had *some* quality issues with their products, but we just learned which ones we liked and which we didn't like.)