We're getting an Aldi... help

[KarenAylwood]

I found a long thread from a few months ago on Aldi but I'm looking for experiences/thoughts from people who are already pretty savvy at saving money on groceries and tried Aldi or have included it in their shopping.

I coupon (both digital and paper) and I shop the weekly sales- I meal plan based on sales, and print coupons myself and get them from family members from the paper. I stockpile and have a deep freezer although it's not super full now. I buy meat when I see it on sale and freeze it. When there's a good sale I can combine with a coupon for something I buy as much as I can.

I understand Aldi doesn't take coupons (that shouldn't stress me out as much as it does) and they now take credit cards. I also understand most of their stuff is house brand. I am very open to trying a new brand or house brand of about anything except a few things. "We" (DH and DS) eat Honey Nut Cheerios and cheez its, we all eat Hellman's mayo. DH drinks Crystal Light and DS drinks pear juice (I've only found it in Gerber brand). I really think these are the only things we couldn't compromise on because I've tried to go the other route with all of them except the juice (even hiding it from DH!) and he could tell. I stock pile these things when I get a sale. We have literally 16 boxes of cereal in our basement.

I go grocery shopping once a week on Friday. Is Aldi something I should consider replacing my current grocery store with or somewhere I should stop every once in a while to stock up? Unless there's a great sale I'm usually just going for meats and veggies and a few other staples. Someone help! It opens this week!!

 

[smiths02]

Honestly, if you already coupon that much, you probably won't find Aldi that big of a savings.

Produce and meat can be cheaper (especially since those aren't a big coupon item at most stores). The wines are cheaper (if you drink wine), and you don't get a lot of wine coupons.

For me, there is no way it could replace a grocery store trip because the selection is limited. I mean, we could eat for a week with things from the store, but if I have a specific recipe in mind...they won't have a certain spice or product or produce I need.

I also think that produce quality varies.

 

[Jaime4004]

I love aldi! But I use it to stock up once/month or so. It does not replace the grocery store for me, I don't really like their meat or produce. I stock up on snacks, baking supplies, dairy, condiments, etc, and it is significantly cheaper for me on those products, and I also coupon.

 

[neatokimmo]

A LOT of our stuff comes from Aldi. You can try anything you want in the store and if you don't like it they will refund your money. I prefer their brand of Honey Nut Cheerios, the texture is fluffier? If that is a thing?

I don't know what brand their mayo is (a lot of times it is a big brand, different label). All I know is it isn't JFG so I don't get it.

Their produce can be weird. At our store you have to ripen watermelons and cantaloupe for a week before you eat it. Same thing with tomatoes. Our bananas are all beat up too. I only buy what we will eat in two days. I do a lot of meal planning around their produce specials.

 

[verleniahall]

i grew up on Aldi's - we just don't get their meat. we do alot of canned goods stock up and i love their version of skinny pop

 

[Narnia_girl]

We shopped at Aldi last night and they had name brand Honey Nut Cheerios right next to their store brand. Of course next week they might not be there.
I think you'll have to try it a few times to see what you think, but go during odd hours. Ours is often crazy busy with two checkout lanes open.

 

[heath92681]

I love Aldi. I couldn't exclusively shop there, but we get quite a few things - applesauce, almond milk, organic cheese, butter lettuce, frozen organic blueberries, organic yogurt tubs, fruit squeeze pouches, gluten free brownie mix, organic brown sugar, organic balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I've bought the organic grass fed beef once and it was just fine. Their organic selection keeps growing, so we're always trying something new.

 

[PrncessA]

I shop at Aldi often. I use to coupon, but I don't have the time to devote to it right now, so I try and get deals where I can. The kids don't like their Honey Nut Cherrios (too sweet in their words), but I buy all our basic supplies there like flour, sugar, applesauces, chips, shredded cheeses, bread, milk, etc. I don't buy produce there because we have two produce stores in our area that always have better prices and quality.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

You can try anything you want in the store and if you don't like it they will refund your money.

They will refund your money and also give you another of the item you didn't like in case you got a bad item in the first place.

 

[gincz24]

We love Aldi. Their milk and eggs are very inexpensive. We're a large family so we will buy the limits on those items every time we go. Plus we like the produce specials. The cereals and chips are also good value for our family.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I love Aldi! But I agree it couldn't replace my regular grocery store. For me part of it is distance - it's just a lot more out of my way. But the big thing is the "hit or miss" aspect of it - I can't always get things I got the time before.

I tend to stock up on snacks for school and work lunches. (DS like some of theirs better than name brands, but some not at all, so I just keep a list.) There a few frozen items that I get for a much better price there, trash bags and zip bags, and I've actually had very good luck with produce.

I haven't really tried their meat or dairy.

 

[Crystal824]

I love Aldi. I do coupon. We buy almost all of our produce, bread, and dairy at Aldi. Sometimes I get meat there, but it really just depends on what it looks like. Sometimes the meat is good, sometimes it isn't. I generally buy name brand cereal and condiments at other stores. I do like the Aldi pasta sauce, pasta, and some snack foods for the kids.

 

[momplus3]

There are very few things that my family does not like from Aldi. I was there this weekend and they had bagels for 89 cents for 6 and cream cheese for $1.49. Shopping here has helped lower my grocery bill. I do still get a few things at my regular grocery store (JIF peanut butter, soda and meat) but the majority of everything else is from Aldi.

 

[ellie05]

I found aldi extremely disappointing people talked it up and when one finally open locally well it wasn't that great. The prices and the selection are just meh. I didn't find the prices to be very good. They produce wasn't very fresh. The only thing I bought there were organic bananas, milk is cheap too, but we don't buy it often. So overall after giving a couple of tries I stopped going because it is not worth the drive to get some bananas.

So I would wait to see what your store offers before you try to change your shopping habits.

 

[kymom99]

They opened one closer to me but I still go just occasionally. Kroger is just too convenient. However, their bread items are good, milk is the cheapest around, my husband likes their cans of beef stew better than dinty Moore. Their large refrigerated pizzas are good too. Their protein bars are fine too

 

[Eureka]

I am a new Aldi shopper and things we've liked are:
Eggs
Milk chocolate - 5 pack of mini bars for $1.99
Clancy tortilla chips
Their brand "chocolate eclair" ice cream bars
Cheddar cheese slices
Peanut butter and "ritz" sandwich crackers
English muffins for 99 cents a pack
Hamburger rolls for 69 a pack
Their brand "Swiss cake rolls" for 99 cents a box
Dried cherries
Canned mixed nuts

It's farther away than my other stores and there's not nearly enough of the "real" good we but to replace my normal stores. I don't know that I'll go all that often bc most of the stuff we have liked are non-essential snacks. I have more time right now since I got laid off so I have made a few trips but that will change when I find work again.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Their large refrigerated pizzas are good too.

Ooh, I forgot those (DH has been on a diet) but when I got them, they were yummy!

 

[nerdydisneygirl90]

As others have said it's not a store I would use to replace any other store, just as a supplement. We buy produce if it looks ok(One time I went the strawberries were already moldy in the containers..ew), milk, yogurt, tortilla chips, regular bread and raisin bread, yogurt covered raisins, frozen chicken tenders, and bottled spring water.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

We do 80-90% of our shopping there and use other stores for stuff Aldi doesn't carry.. Very few things we've tried and disliked.

My only complaint with mine is they don't sell much skim milk in the smaller containers so have to date watch closer than their 1%..

 

[QueenIsabella]

I agree with the PP's--Aldi's won't completely replace your regular grocery store. I find I can get ~80% of what I need at Aldi's.

Aldi's is always improving their quality and selection--they now have a lot of organic stuff, as well as "lighter" versions of many things. I find their produce hit or miss--if this is a big one for you, find out what day it's delivered for best selection and quality.

We go through a lot of cereal, and my kids like a lot of their frozen foods--we really miss their parmesan-crusted chicken tenders, which make a quickie chicken parm meal. We also love their seasonal specials, like German specialty products at Christmas. Staples like milk and eggs are the cheapest around.

I don't know how much money you'll save if you already coupon a lot. My best recommendation is to try some of their products and see if you like them. If you do, maybe you can work an Aldi's trip into your weekly or monthly shopping. On the good side, the stores aren't very big, so I find it's a 10-15 minute trip (assuming you can go when it's not too busy).