I. LOVE. ALDI’s. If you don’t shop at Aldi’s, I’m guessing that either A) you don’t have one near you, B) you’re put off by the quarter-in-the-cart or cash-only thing (they now accept cards), or C) you went once upon a time and found it unappealing.
I’m also guessing that if you don’t shop there, you know someone who swears by it for both their palate and their pocketbook. They’ve probably professed their love of it on numerous occasions and encouraged you to give it a go.
My first experience with Aldi’s circa 2002 wasn’t particularly delightful. I was put off by the stacked boxes, the quarter in the cart, and the cheese pizza had pepperoni in the sauce (vegetarian here!). But 10 years later my mom drug me in and I bought a bag of organic apples that were deliciously crisp and super affordable. I’ve since been hooked.
After I first started shopping at Aldi’s, I quickly realized that I was able to stock up on produce for a lot less, that chips were affordable (I rarely bought them prior), and that I was saving about a third of my grocery bill solely by making the switch
A THIRD!
While there are a few things Aldi’s doesn’t regularly carry, I generally only go to other grocery stores once a month — usually for ginger, sundried tomatoes, Wisconsin cheeses, seaweed, and dried herbs. So what do they do they offer that makes it so marvelous?
- Bread
Ya know what I hate to spend good money on? Bread. Can someone please tell me why a loaf of bread at the grocery store is $5? Most the time it’s no less fluffy than the $2 loaf at the gas station. I mean, I get it. It’s probably due to paying people to man the bakery rather than making it on an assembly line. I understand that it has fewer preservatives, etc., but still!
Aldi’s bread selection is top notch. Their loaves of take ‘n’ bake are super reasonably priced so our family can stock up for panini. Pretzel buns, brioche, bagels, naan — all at about half the price of other grocers.
2. Coffee
I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t love Aldi’s coffee selection until I got a mokapot. Then I discovered Café Bustelo. After that they started carrying a fair trade coffee in a cardboard canister. Although this isn’t the same roast as my usual coffee (a super dark roast), it’s tasty, well-priced, and again it’s fair trade, and it doesn’t come in a heavy duty plastic bag. (We’ve been trying really hard to reduce our plastic consumption.)
3. rBST-free dairy products
Did you know that a lot of dairy products contain growth hormones? The most commonly used is rBST. Aldi’s company, Friendly Farms, is rBST-free and significantly less expensive than dairy products at other local grocers. This really comes in handy at the holiday season when I’m stocking up on cream cheese and heavy whipping cream for cheesecakes and gravies.
4. Baby products
By most standards, I’m fairly crunchy. However, one area that I failed in was diapers. I had a cloth diaper stash, but newborn poop and returning to work scared me off and I didn’t follow through. I regularly apologize to Mother Earth for this shortfall and in an effort to make up for this, I potty train fairly early. That said, Aldi’s diapers and wipes are inexpensive and scent-free and are way better than other discount brands.
Then of course there are the baby foods. Generally speaking, I’ve made my own, but Aldi’s pouches are less expensive than the grocery store; ditto on puffs, rice rusks, and yogurt bites.
5. Frozen pizzas
Our family eats way more frozen pizza than I care to admit. When my husband and I started dating, his go-to frozen pizza was diGiorno. DiGiorno sells at a price I couldn’t stomach and I got him to switch to Mama Cozzi’s — an identical pizza at a third of the price.
6. Vegan and vegetarian items
I’ve been a vegetarian for a fairly long time and I can honestly say that I don’t eat a lot of commercially produced substitutes; I burned out on them in 90’s. However, I always keep a few veggie burgers and chickenless patties in the freezer for a rainy day as my family digs them. Not only does Aldi’s have a good selection, they too, are very reasonably priced. (Try the frozen Italian meatballs, they’re actually pretty good!)
I’m not gluten free, but Aldi’s also sells a number of gluten free options. They truly recognize the market for specific dietary needs and make them available and affordable.
7. Chips! (And other snack foods)
Potato chips are a fierce weakness of mine, but I pretty much quit buying them before I started shopping at Aldi’s because I couldn’t justify spending $4 on a featherweight bag. For better or worse, now they’re always in our house. Aldi’s also sells crackers for a fraction of the price of name brand and they’re all just as good, and they have some really decent organic salsas for less than other companies.
(Note: I’ve found two exceptions in comparison. 1) The cheese curls taste baked and 2) In comparing the ingredients, the cheese penguins (goldfish) are less desirable.)
8. Gourmet cheese
I grew up in a household full of delicious, gourmet cheeses. American cheese just wasn’t a thing for us. Aldi’s offers, gouda, havarti, brie, parmesan, asiago, goat, feta, blue… the list goes on… at about $3 a package. And balls of fresh mozzarella are so reasonable that we can regularly justify caprese sandwiches on our menu.
Really, the list could continue — affordable organics and seasonal produce, holiday items, olive/other oils, discounted vanilla, cheaper canned goods. Oh, and did I mention that I heard a rumor that they DELIVER? I haven’t tried this yet as I don’t mind grocery shopping, but winter is coming and I’m sure the day will come when I just don’t want to leave the house.
All that said, screw couponing! Who has the time? Just shop at Aldi’s.
Do you shop at Aldi? If so, what’s your favorite part? Comment below!
— Funky Crunchy Mama
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