Have you been to ALDI? If not, you might be missing out on a BIG money-saving secret!
I’ve been shopping ALDI for YEARS! We use ALDI prices as a reference point for many grocery items. If a sale price with coupon at another store is less than the ALDI price, we buy it. If not, we’ll wait and get it at ALDI. We fill in and meet all of our shopping needs at low prices this way!
Here are some of the things that you might like to know about ALDI stores:
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- ALDI Select Brands
“ALDI partners with the best suppliers in the country – often the same ones that produce national brands.” Most ALDI products aren’t name brand on the outside, but they’re just as good (because they’re often made in name-brand factories, then packaged for ALDI). A little secret example? Aldi milk is Prairie Farms milk. Don’t worry about giving them a try – you have nothing to lose because of the guarantee they place on their products. - ALDI Double Guarantee
“If you’re not satisfied for any reason, simply return the unused portion with the receipt to the store. We’ll refund your money AND give you a replacement product.” They offer it and you should take advantage of it! - Grocery Selections
You may wonder what ALDI has to offer. Their products include the basics: fresh meat, fresh produce, dairy, prepackaged deli items, frozen foods, baked goods, pantry items, snacks, sweets, household products, health and beauty, beverages, wine and beer. - Warehouse Style Aisles
Yes, you’ll see pallets of items with boxes stacked high, similar to Sam’s Club or Costco on a smaller scale. Items stay in stock this way! - Special Buys
You may see national brands or other items in your ALDI store at low prices. These are special purchases, available while supplies last. They include seasonal items: toys in time for Christmas, holiday candy, and more! You can view each week’s Special Buys (even one week ahead of time!) on the ALDI website. - Bring Bags
If you forget, you can pay a small amount for a paper ($0.06) or a plastic ($0.10) ALDI bag. They also have insulated bags that you can purchase ($0.99). And if you forget a bag, you can always grab an empty box for free (yes, they let you take them at no cost)! - A Quarter for Your Cart
It may sound strange until you realize what’s really going on – it’s just a deposit system to guarantee that your cart gets returned. It cuts down on your cost (they don’t need to hire someone to put your cart back) and possible damage to vehicles in the parking lot. Return your cart and the quarter pops back out. We keep an “ALDI quarter” in the car to make sure we’re prepared – but you can also ask the cashier for change. - No Coupons?!
Yes, it’s true. ALDI cuts costs by eliminating coupons, but you’ll still find amazing savings (without the hassle of clipping!). ALDI accepts cash, EBT, debit or credit cards as payment. - Bag Your Own Groceries
“When it’s your turn at the register, push your cart around to the end of the lane, to easily load your groceries right back into your cart. With no baggers to pay, we can run each checkout with one employee instead of two. You not only save, you control the weight and content of each bag.” - Few Employees
Any time you’re shopping at ALDI, you might only notice one or two employees in the store – yet another way they manage to keep prices low for you! The checkout line moves quickly because of their efficient bar coding and scanners. The store employees are always hard at work, and everything usually runs very smoothly!
- ALDI Select Brands
Products that I regularly purchase at ALDI, approved by my family:
- Fresh Ground Turkey ($3.49 for 19.2 oz for 93/7% meat – better than sale prices at other stores)
- Turkey Ham
- Milk (always a sale price)
- Organic Soymilk
- Eggs and Egg Substitute
- Butter and Margarine
- Yogurt
- Pancake Syrup
- Cereal
- Instant Oatmeal
- Baking products (sugar, flour, baking soda, canola oil, spices, etc.)
- Honey
- Graham crackers (both cinnamon and honey taste better than name brands!)
- Animal crackers (these taste a little like the old McDonaldland Cookies!)
- Flour Tortillas
- White Long-grain rice
- Tomato Sauce and Paste
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Produce (bananas for around $0.40/lb all the time!)
- Hamburger Buns and Bread
- Plastic Wrap
Products recommended by other readers:
- Store-brand Cheerios with dried fruit
- Frozen sausage patties
- All the canned tomato products
- Chicken/Beef broth
- Frozen lemon pepper fish
Do you have favorite ALDI items? Please share!
Do you still have questions about shopping ALDI? Leave a comment and ask away!
The Turkey loin roll comes marinated in several different marinades is out of this world. So moist and Delicious.
The bagged Sauer Kraut is the Best I've ever tasted.
Oh and the German & Belgium chocolates are to die for. What a great Christmas basket they will make with a bottle of their imported wine for the person who has everything.
It's worth the trip believe me, I do all my shopping there, they have just what you need and not all the riff raff of 50 different items of the same kind to choose from.
the honey baked spiral ham & precooked ribs are good also. we used to shop there all the time & gonna start again. we only stopped because they don't always everything you need, and we needed a one stop shop for alittle while.
I shop Aldi regularly as well. I think their flavored creamer and spaghetti sauce rivals national brands, but I've been very disappointed in their fresh meats.
I think the way they package the meat is very misleading. I usually find a nice, big, thick cut of pork chop on top with EXTREMELY thin cuts underneath. It's happened to me too many times to not think it's done purposely.
I'm not a fan of their coffee either. It tastes like cardboard.
Other than those two things, we've been very happy with baking goods, canned goods and most dairy items too.
We love the fat-free refried beans and flour tortillas!
Personally, we have never had anything "bad" at Aldi. It tastes just as good as name brand. As a past employee of Aldi, I have only good things to say.
I've had several great things from Aldi.
Their cheese danish is really good. My boys really enjoyed their cinnamon rolls, too.
I love Aldi's! It got me through last winter before I learned about the smart shopping/couponing. I just posted about it today on my blog too in fact!
I love Aldi's. The only thing that we have had there that we didn't care for and threw away (before we realized we could have taken it back) was their cheese curls.
The large cinnamon rolls (in the tube) are really good, and in the past they've had some really good deals on frozen salmon. These are individually wrapped in the bag and are pretty good.
Ok nothing to do with Aldi but I miss the old McDonaldland cookies – even asked for them one day and the young guy at the register looked at me like I was crazy
LOL..okay this post was to funny not to comment on. Only because I bet other people are looking at your comment, like the Mcdonalds guy was looking at you when you asked about the cookies.. I remember the cookies..but don’t remember ever really trying them.
too funny! just had those cookies at a macdonalds in florida, hadn’t seen them in years, but they were little bags not the box. ….btw…Aldi’s animal cookies are my favorite and are sort of similar to Mac Donalds!
The little bags of cookies (only about 3 or 4 cookies) come with the kids meal in Royal Oak
I shop there just the way you do. Items I purchase there often are:
Corn Tortillas (We're a gluten-free house)
Fit and Active Italian Dressing
Fit and Active Rice cakes (snack size)
Raisin Bran (for me)
Eggs
Milk
Butter
OJ
Yogurt
Salsa (their brand is cheap and tastes great)
Fruit Snacks
Baked goods
Snack size apple sauce
Oh and the dried fruit or yogurt covered raisins are a deal.
I agree the ground turkey is a great price. I also purchase the turkey loin pre-marinated. I am picky with other meats and get them from other stores. I also don't buy many veggies there. I've had too many moldy onions or grainy apples. Joe Randazzo's is a good subsitute for that.
I have had great luck with the baking supplies. I stock up for the holidays.
Aldi’s is the ONLY place to buy multicolored bell peppers! Their prices kill everyone else. And the produce is almost always fantastic. I like them for carrots and celery too- you just can’t get close to the prices.
And not that most folks here are big tool people, they occasionally carry small hand tools that are great for an “all purpose around the house” pair of pliers (or whatever). Finally, once in a grand while they have a small home laminator for about $20. It’s great and works very well. My cousin and I both love them.
I agree. It’s the only place we get the multi colored peppers. Have had great luck with produce and baking goods.
YES! They have the best price by FAR for the multicolored bell peppers!
I love their spaghetti sauce. I was always a DIE HARD prego fan, but the Aldi fresh mushroom sauce tastes exactly the same. For a buck. All the time. I also highly recommend their tortilla chips and pretzels. Great deals.
very true about the sauce (I get with meat variety) my kids wont even eat the other ones when I can get them cheap with coupons!
I am SO glad you shared that Aldi’s spaghetti sauce compares to Prego, as I am a Prego fan, too! I will DEFINITELY try the spaghetti sauce next time I visit Aldi’s. Thank you for sharing that! And thanks for all these great and insightful comments. I haven’t shopped Aldi’s in quite some time so I will make the 30 mile trek now and stock up.
I haven’t had their sauce yet, but, one of my sisters who swears by Prego, loves Aldi’s spaghetti sauce.
I haven’t had many bad things from Aldi. Except I too despised their cheese curls/puffs. God-awful were they ever. But the potato chips are good and the corn chips are equal to Fritos.
Someone in the store today said Aldi’s SunChips equivalent is excellent, too – and $1.99/bag.
I also shop at Aldi and think they have the best prices around. I have a friend that works at the corporate office as a purchaser and I know for a fact that the low fat ice cream sandwiches come from the exact same plant as “Skinny Cows” and they are half the price at Aldi. Most of the other items in the store come from major name brand distributers as well so you will notice the taste is the same.
We really like their Kona blend coffee.
I don’t think I saw this on the list so far, but I will make a special trip out to our Aldi (across town) for their gorgonzola cheese! We have gotten addicted to it and it is way better than Kroger’s or WalMart’s. (We get the bagged spinach and put mandrian oranges in it with the gorgonzola cheese. We love Annie’s Goddess Dressing, but we get that at Kroger).
Oh, and I also love to get the big bag of teriyaki stir fry mix. I add chicken and serve it over rice (even though it has noodles in it too.)
I love the quality of their food and the prices.
ALDI’s is great! When I get sick of couponing (GASP! I know! But it does happen…) I shop Almost only at ALDI. I’ve often said that if I could get my daughter’s Lactose-Free milk at Aldi’s I’d never have to step foot in Kroger again. Yeah, the meat is not always the best prices so sometimes I buy my meats at Save-A-Lot (I know, sounds weird but I’ve always gotten great prices and great quality at the one particular store I go to) and I love Joe Randazzo’s for produce. Oh, and when I don’t have my kids with me, I don’t mind bagging my own groceries at ALDI’s, mostly because I know what’s where and can sort stuff myself.
Our daughter has to have Lactose Free milk and Aldi DOES carry it. Half gallon for about $2.79. It is in with the soy milk,which is also awesome and always a great price!
The salsa in the fridge section is so good. It is better then the brand Meijer has. Apparently, everyone else likes the sweet onion as well because it’s always gone lol.
I highly recommend the chocolate sandwich cookies. I find the bag-your-own grocery task to be annoying so I really don’t shop there very often. But when I do, I look for those cookies. Mmm.
I agree the spiral ham is great and usually after the holidays they always mark them down really cheap. My boys and hubby love the hot pockets they have there better than the “hot pocket” brand. I have never bought meat there since I go to a butcher but there dairy is great. I also love the bags of big baking potatoes for making twice bakes which we love. Their whole wheat bread is excellent too. We have a new Aldi by us (Waterford) and it’s really nice and always clean. I definitely hit this one often.
I love their “Fit & Lean” products…all of them have tasted the same as name brand products if not better. We prefer their sandwich pockets over Lean Pockets. I use their marinated turkey in crock-pot cooking which is cheaper than the Jeanie O at SAMS–super easy and super good!
The employees are ALWAYS polite and quick–I am frequently annoyed and irritated by the lack-luster employees at other stores. My time and energy is valuable–the Aldi employees seem to understand and work hard to complete their tasks correctly and in a timely manner.
My only complaint is that getting in and out of the Canton store on Ford is a nightmare, but that’s just Ford Road, not ALDI.
Their Stir-fry kit is excellent! I believe it’s $2.99, has a excellent selection of veggies and a sauce packet, just had meat or seafood. Their cake mix is also very good, great flavor and very moist. My mom gets a smoked turkey from them every Thanksgiving. I have never been disappointed with anything I have bought there!
I have been shopping at Aldi for over 7 years and am a huge fan! Aside from the great prices on certain foods, I love the attitude of the employees. They always greet me by name, and they greet my boys by name to. While there are cashiers at Meijer, Kroger and Target that know me and my boys and greet us warmly, none of them have taken the time to find out our names. Just another level of service that I appreciate. As for their foods, these are my family favorites
*all the basic baking products, ie..flour, sugar, etc..
*eggs, milk, butter
*their higher priced bacon is VERY good
*dry cereals, we especially like the honey cheerios
*kona coffee
*tortilla, rice, noodles
*of course the ground turkey.
*parm and gorgonzola cheese in the tub, waiting on them to finally get in gouda
*tomato products
*cream puffs, eclairs, mini cheesecakes (love to grab one of these when we have to bring something and I don’t have the time or anything premade. For under $5 I have desert that everyone loves)
*I second the fat free refried beans
*broths (but only the light style)
*frozen hens
*frozen bagged salmon
*salt and pepper chips (kettle style) we are addicted!
*bagged oranges, sandwhich apples, pineapple
I have to be careful due to odd allergies, but it’s great to know that I can still get lots of things at Aldi.
T, did you know Aldi cereals are made by Gen Mills? Just found that out…
The cereal does taste like cheerios!
Their frozen wild caught salmon is great. I have, also, found gluten free cereal at a much lower price than regular stores. Hope they continue to carry it.
We eat a ton of black beans and pinto beans in our house and their prices are half of what you would pay at other stores. Also, the Winking Owl wine is great for cooking – at 2.99 it’s a steal. Who wants to pay 10.00 a bottle when you are just cooking with it?
We use the Winking Owl wine for cooking, too! 🙂
I just for first time went into Aldi tonigh, after reading your posts. I was with my 7-yr-old son and we were in a hurry (my dh and other 3 boys were waiting in the truck!) and I didn’t get a cart. So I was grabbing stuff, when my hands were full, I gave it to my son. I needed pancake syrup ($1.49 is a good buy!) and of course had to try the animal crackers (yum-they are like Mcdonalds), also got some sugar, turkey bacon, strawberry preserves, shark cheese crackers…. I could’ve gone crazy! The best part though, was they had a section of toys reduced to ridiculous prices–I got Star Wars legos for $2.49 (normally $12), Star Wars ship/figure sets for $3.99 (reg. $14.99), and an Atlantis lego set normally $18.99 for $4.99. I stocked up for birthday party gifts!! I LOVE ALDI!!!
That’s terrific! I’m glad you were able to find the things you needed at great prices!
I was curious about aldi’s other meat for example the price and quality of their ground sirloin? Or chuck roasts
I used to get their ground sirloin, until I noticed it seemed way too fatty to me. I’m very picky about my meat though. I only trust meijer and lately found messina meats to have some great sirloin. On another subject though… I always get my milk at aldi, It is always the cheapest. Don’t get the frozen pizza there though, it is so gross!
One of my very favorite things at Aldi is the Kirkwood southern-style breaded chicken breast patties. They are $4.99 for a bag {can’t remember the lb/ounce} & there’s usually 6-8 lg. breast patties per bag. We think they taste similar to Chikfila chicken. We make sandwiches w/them most often, but have served them w/mashed potatoes & gravy.
We think their french onion dip & fit & active ranch dressing are both thee best …won’t buy any other! The coconut ice cream bars are to die for & the toilet paper is a great quality & price.
Thanks for the review of the french onion dip. I am VERY picky about what kind of french onion dip I buy. I do have a favorite brand. And there are a couple that are tolerable. The rest, blech, they are gross!
I am a big Aldi fan too. But to me, their fit and active salad dressings are yucky and at the advice of a friend (who said she couldn’t quit eating their salsa), I bought some and didn’t like it at all. But that may be because I’ve been making my own for several years and have become kind of a “salsa snob”. And their frozen pizza, commented on earlier, I have to agree is gross. But in my opinion, their snacks are better than the national brand. We’ve never tried a snack we didn’t like, especially their shark cheese crackers. I’ve never tried the cheese curls though. Their price for good quality chicken broth, something I use a lot, is insane! I always stock up on that. Their milk is great. Their romaine lettuce is great. Their employees are great and friendly. I wonder how much they pay them since there seems to be very little turn-around. I’ve had the same cashier for two years. How does Aldi’s keep them happy when they are working so hard? Hmmm. In today’s world, I admire a company that keeps their employees happy. Anyway, all this talk is making me want to go to Aldi’s today. My kids love it when I do because they get a lot of snacks since they are so cheap! Oh, and their produce is good. I get grainy apples and moldy potatoes or lettuce that is brown in the center from Kroger or Meijer or Marsh sometimes too. Produce, in my opinion, is hit and miss. We just got two boxes of clementines from Costco at the same time (we eat them like candy). They looked the same from the outside, but one box was the best we’d ever had and one box was the worst.
I love Aldi snacks for lunches!!! My son loves the little cartons of OJ for breakfast at latchkey. I like the Fit and Lean Multi grain tortilla for rolled sandwiches! Can’t wait to try the animal cookies!! I miss the McDonald ones. Their whole fruit pop sickles are as goid the expensive ones by Edy’s.
we started shopping at Aldi when we stopped in one day and found their Butterball turkeys for 99 cents a pound. Then we just gradually started trying things and never looked back.
Here is a list of what we regulary buy:
– Butterball Turkey
– Ham Shank with the bone in
– thick sliced peppercorn bacon
– milk reg, soy and lactose free milk
– butter
– olive oil
-canola oil
– leaf spinach
-apples
– baby carrots
-bananas
– greenhouse cucumbers
-All cereals
– syrup
– frozen salmon filets
– Frozen cheese ravioli
– ground turkey
– guacamole
– brick cheese
-shredded parmesan cheese
– feta cheese
– coffee
– tortilla chips- love their blue corn but haven’t seen them lately
– whole cashews- they by far have the best price on these!
-frozen fruit- esp the triple berry blend!
-toilet paper
– Frozen chicken breast
– Liebfraumilch
– and OMG their Dark Chocolate Covered Candy Cane Cremes during the Holidays are to die for. If you like Trader Joe’s peppermint Jo-Jo’s you have got to get these!
produce is hit or miss and lately we haven’t had great luck with the apples but they are close enough we can check back later in the week if we don’t find some on the day we usually go.