Aldi's just opened nearby nearby - what do YOU buy there??

[Poohbug]

Just went to the new Aldi's that opened close to my house. It's been open for at least nine months but I just haven't been able to get there. I went because they had pool toys and floats on sale. I also picked up some fruit(strawberries, blackberries, raspberries) that was way cheaper than any other store in the area. The fruit was great. I looked at the wine and will have to pick up some of that next time. I did find my husband some Spotted Cow beer for a great price but that is local. Definitely looking for the caramels next time.

 

[Thing 1]

I like aldi. I can do most of our shopping there but often supplement produce at the farmers market and sometimes meat from Sams. We dont do a lot of processed foods and we have had good luck with dairy, and fresh produce and we even like a lot of the fresh meat. We also like the occasional deli fresh pizza and we find theirs better than Sams or our local grocery store. They are adding a lot more organic products but many are processed. I enjoy the seasonal non food items they feature in the stores and have found some really good deals when they mark things down for switching out....which they do often. I got DS some pretty decent PJs for 2.00. I don't often find hygiene or cleaning products there, though occasionally they will have a nice deal on tide. I do buy paper products there sometimes.

 

[loves to dive]

The one here is our town is very small and the prices are actually higher than our local Kroger. I tried shopping there once, they didn't have anything I normally buy and since I use a local co-op for my fruits and veggies, nothing for me there.

 

[Chrelaine]

I love Aldi! I buy cases of the Fit & Active chicken broth because it is over $1 cheaper than other stores per 32 oz container. I buy olives, canned tomatoes, milk, eggs, snack foods...most everything we have tried has been good. The one thing that I will not buy there is cheese of any kind. We find them all to be flavorless. Just our opinion, I'm sure others have no problems with it.

 

[Crystal824]

We buy most of our produce, bread, eggs, milk, and cheese there. We don't find it to be flavorless as another poster noted. However, we generally stick to Baby Bell Cheese and soft cheese. Even though Baby Bell is not an Aldi brand ours generally has it. For sliced cheese, I'm a Kraft deluxe girl. We also like their pasta and pasta sauce. My kids like the Popsicles. Chips and salsa are ok, not great but not terrible. I didn't care for the cereal or popcorn we got there.

 

[scrapquitler]

Hmm...it sounds like I need to check out Aldi's again. It's been probably 4 or 5 years since I checked it out, and when I did then, I was not impressed. At that point the only meats they had were frozen (which I almost never buy) but it sounds like that has changed. I also was not thrilled that they didn't have any skim milk at that time, only whole or 1%. I'm hearing in this thread about great produce, which was certainly not the case the last time I was there. A friend recently shared some salted caramels that she got there, and they were fabulous, so I guess that's a motivation for me to check it out.

 

[Soulsearching]

The first Aldi's store in our area just opened a few weeks ago and I went for the first time yesterday. Just curious about how you feel about their products? I bought mostly fresh fruits and vegetables and a few staples, to see how they compare.

What do you buy there? Certain things to avoid? Favorites? How is the meat? Where does it come from? Eggs? I would think the basic items would taste like most "store brand" items - soup, cereal, etc?

It was interesting and I'll probably go back, if even for just the great deals on fruit. The labels I read were all grown in USA. Is that their thing - is it always true? TIA!

Here is my list:

oatmeal
eggs
milk
butter
bagged salads
bagged Spinach
Nuts
Salsa
Corn chips
Lox
Cheese
chicken broth
fresh fruit
fresh vegetables
Dark Chocolate
Baby back ribs
Seedless Rye Bread
Frozen fruit
Frozen Shrimp
Frozen vegetables
Dried Beans
Rice
Some canned items like tomatoes, mandarin oranges, beans etc.

I do not buy any frozen pre-made meals or some of their meats.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I know some people have made negative comments about the cereal, but my kids love it. Good thing, too, because we go through cereal like nobody's business in this house! The only cereal DH won't eat is store-brand, plain "Cheerios". He says he can taste the difference. However, even he doesn't mind the variations (honey-nut, etc.). So, when I need Cheerios, I splurge for the real deal. DS19 could eat a box of Aldi's cereal at a single sitting.

Also, I don't care for their regular pasta. The flavored mix-type pastas are fine, but the regular spaghetti, etc. isn't to my liking. We take our pasta very seriously in this house.

 

[midwestdee]

I've always had good luck with meat at Aldi - the ground beef much better (quality and price) over Jewel. The frozen angus beef hamburger patties are the best. You can't beat their price on bags of frozen, cooked shrimp. I love their salad dressings. I don't care for their bagels, but other than that, I can't think of anything else that I just haven't cared for.

 

[North of Mouse]

Love Aldi's for their fresh produce (although limited). Tried a few other things - not too happy - definitely could tell they were lower cost store brand, so stick with my regular grocers and just supplement with Aldi's. We have great grocery stores here and lots of competitive prices so don't need their lower cost brands.

 

[edk35]

So are there NO name brands there?

 

[LilyWDW]

So are there NO name brands there?

Every so often they may have a couple brand names for sale as well as their products, but the vast vast majority of products are their own.

 

[madge]

One of the things I love about Aldi is that they publish two ads at a time. You can see what's on sale this week, but also what's on sale next week. that's a tremendous help when I'm meal planning.

I am also one of those who tried Aldi, didn't love it, and at the suggestion of friends who are very quality-oriented when it comes to food ... I went back. I do not do all my shopping there, but have found quite a few things we love:

• organic salsa (medium heat, $1,89/jar)
• multigrain tortilla chips
• regular tortilla chips
• bottled water
• pretzels
• spices, baking supplies, etc.
• olive oil
• produce
• guacamole
• frozen organic banana bars
• organic broths
• chocolates
  

The really good deals are in the "special buys" ... I get Kerrygold butter & cheeses, wedge parmesean, whole milk mozzarella, etc. significantly less than I can at Kroger.

Milk prices are hit at miss at my store. I buy eggs (and most produce in the summer) at the farmer's market.

 

[Maddie2]

OP here, obviously some major Aldi fans here! Thanks for the suggestions. I will most definitely be looking for the highly-acclaimed chocolate salted caramels! I'm thinking that our store must be smaller than some though because there were no clothes and very little non-food items. A few summer items - coolers, pool toys, etc, but that's about it. I do remember seeing TIDE and that the prices were higher than other stores.

Of the items I bought there last week, we weren't overly pleased with the deli-you bake it - pizzas - won't buy that again. The cantaloupe and strawberries had a weird taste. Blueberries were REALLY good. The store is over an hour away and I may be nearby next week. Will have to check it out again! I will keep in mind that mid-week seems to best, right? Thanks again!

 

[Burnedout]

Our produce is always nice and half the price of Kroger. Eggs this week were $.58 and buns $.69

Other items don't beat Kroger sale sometimes.

 

[klacey1]

I recently discovered Aldi's and love it! (Especially the checkout process!) Unlike some others, I think the meat is fantastic and terrifically priced--I got 1.07 pounds of 93/7% ground beef today for $4.27, which is unheard of here. Produce selection isn't great but I have liked the fruits. And the organic salad mixes are great for the cheapest price in town. I won't buy eggs there because I'll only buy free range, which my store doesn't carry. And I don't buy frozen pizza or meat.
Other favorites are fresh salsa, tortilla chips, kettle chips, Fit & Active 90 calorie bars, cheeses, taco seasoning, tortillas, onion soup mix for dip and pizza dough. It could never be my only grocery store because mine seemingly doesn't carry potatoes, which are a super staple for me.
I did pick up bacon for the first time today--16 oz of Applewood smoked bacon for $3.50! At most stores in the area, $5 for a pack is a "great deal," so I'm hoping Aldi's bacon is good as this has potential to be a big cost saver!

 

[QueenIsabella]

Odd that they don't have potatoes! I could swear they did--maybe seasonally?

It's definitely worth a stop if you're near one. Their specials are a lot of fun--lots of German treats at Christmas (I already mentioned, these are a favorite of my DH's), but they also have tons of Mexican specials for Cinco de Mayo, Italian specials for something (this is embarrassing--I'm Italian, I should know), Easter specials, summer specials, etc. They even have plants, sometimes--I'm thinking mini roses bushes around Mother's Day, that kind of thing.

 

[Dakota731]

Odd that they don't have potatoes!

Our store has white, red and sweet potatoes! The only things I didn't like were the organic chicken broth (I swear it was just water!) and the chocolate covered blueberries which weren't real chocolate.

 

[aretha30]

I just checked out Aldi's for the first time yesterday. They had great deals on produce and snack foods. I even picked up a huge pool float for my boys. I will be back, you can't beat the savings!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I don't warm to Aldi. All the items I have tried have been quite tasteless. I prefer to buy at Costco. You can get branded goods in bulk at cheap prices. I am from the UK. Lots of folks here go crazy for the wine. I don't drink so can't comment on that. Also people raved about the laundry detergent. Again I found it poor. I buy brand at Costco.