If you've never shopped at Aldi, you are SO missing out! Aldi is where I do the majority of my shopping and I easily save 30-40% every week, even without coupons. However, I've heard people say they'd never shop at Aldi, because it's too "dirty" or everything there is low quality. From my experience, everything I've bought there has been no different from the more expensive grocery stores, and I've compiled a list of things I've bought and never noticed a difference!
This list is merely my personal opinion; some people have brand loyalty and that's absolutely fine! There may be other items not on this list that you love too. There are things I generally just don't buy here, like the frozen TV dinners, alcohol, and toiletries, so none of them are on this list because I have no experience. That doesn't mean they aren't good, though!
Baking supplies
- Flour (All-purpose or whole wheat)
- Sugar/Brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Chocolate chips
- Honey
- Cooking oil/spray
Snacks
- Cracker/cookies
- Granola bars
- Potato/tortilla chips- Seriously, $1.19 for a bag of tortilla chips when the name brands are upwards of $3.00? And sometimes they'll have the Hint of Lime flavor which is delicious!
Breakfast
- Oatmeal- both large canisters and individual packets
- Cereal
- Pancake mix
- Syrup
Canned/Boxed goods
- Pasta
- Rice/quinoa
- Canned fruits/vegetables
- Pasta sauce
- Salsa
- Canned tomatoes
- Beans
- Macaroni and cheese (Although if you're a big Kraft fan, you may not like this because it just doesn't taste the same.)
Dairy/Refrigerated
- Milk
- Yogurt- I usually just buy the big tub of plain Greek yogurt, but I heard the little yogurt cups are really good!
- Eggs
- Cheese- every kind! I've bought shredded, block, sliced, and even string cheese. It's all great!
- Sour cream
- Cream cheese
- Coffee creamer
- Cottage cheese
- Grated Parmesan cheese- generally found next to the pasta
Produce
This one is very subjective! All I can say is look over your produce carefully to make sure it's not damaged/expired. I've heard a lot of people say their Aldi is horrible at keeping fresh produce, but I've never had a problem! Most produce there is SO much cheaper than a regular grocery store and is about the only way I can afford to buy produce. Here is a list of what I've bought and liked; once again, your mileage may vary.
- Bananas
- Apples
- Potatoes/Sweet potatoes
- Onions
- Carrots
- Zucchini
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Spinach
Meats
- Ground turkey
- Ground sausage
- Hot dogs
- Sausage patties
- Bacon
- Pepperoni
- Lunch meat
Frozen
- Frozen vegetables
- Pizza
- Generic Cool Whip
Breads
- Sandwich bread
- Hamburger/hot dog buns
- Bagels
- English muffins
- Pastries
- Tortillas/wraps
What do YOU love buying at Aldi? Share with us below!
Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.
Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.
Unfortunately Aldi is not in every area . Thankfully we have one. It is clean, people working there are very nice. Prices are great! I just paid $1.69 for a gallon of skim milk yesterday. There produce is wonderful and so much cheaper than even WalMart. Just a note....so many of their items are actually name brand. I had a client whose husband was the manager of our local Aldi. She told me which products were name brand. She told me that all the dairy products...milk,ice cream,yogurt,cottage cheese,etc. came from a local dairy here Prairie Farms. I was skeptical until one Sunday Morning I saw their semi backing down into the loading dock! I buy miost of my groceries from Aldi. You just have to try different things?
Interesting! I think I remember hearing somewhere that a lot of Aldi's items were actually name brand, but I didn't know which ones!
We have Aldi's nearby, but there are a couple others that are closer. I usually only go there for baking staples like flour and sugar because over time it does save.
I love their baking supplies! I've started buying wheat flour and Aldi's is the cheapest.
The closest one to me is about a 45 minute drive. Would it pay for me to go?
I think it could, especially if you tend to buy a lot at once! Things like baking supplies are so much cheaper, and the produce too. I think it might be worth it!
I love Aldi. On top of everything that you said, they have rotating deals it appears semi-annually that make shopping their fun. I bought some plane, train, and car pasta there in bulk once. It is one of the only things my kids will eat without question. I'm hoping it comes back around soon. There is also a parmesan cheese wing sauce that I put on all of my chicken. It is only there for a couple weeks a year it seems, but I stock up.
It's funny you mention the parmesan garlic wing sauce... I bought a bottle a couple weeks ago! That stuff is so addicting; I definitely need to buy a couple more before they disappear.
I love Aldi's. Their food is awesome. I love the prices. They pay their employees a decent wage also.
Yes! I probably do about 75% of my weekly shopping there. =)
I have been shopping at aldi since I started reading the site on how to save money. It's really great I can spend about 50.00 less a week. I love shopping there each week.
Yay! Aldi is such a lifesaver. I spent a little over $50 there this weekend and got so much stuff!