Navigating Aldi

written by Laura

One of the ways that you can save money on your grocery bill is shopping at multiple stores each week for only the advertised specials. I used to do this all the time. It really isn't too much of a pain if you are a super organized type-A planner. I am not one of those kind of people. Those of you who know me are laughing right now. 

So, all you type A's, just keep doing your thing. This is for the rest of us. 

I wanted one place that I could go to get a majority of our food items and know that I was getting low prices across the board. Then if I had the sanity time to go to other stores it was more of a bonus rather than a requirement. 

When we lived in Memphis, my friend Rene' took me to Aldi for the first time. She showed me where to put the quarter to get my cart. 

She took me down each aisle and told me what was good and what to avoid. She showed me how to put my purchased groceries into my own bags that I had to bring with me. 

She helped me so much because Aldi is one of those places where it is a little intimidating when you go for the first time. And it is like Black Friday every day. Seriously, whenever I have gone in the morning, when they open, there is always a line of people waiting to get inside.

So, I wanted to encourage those of you that have never tried Aldi to give it a go. Since I can't physically go with you, I figured this was the second best option.

I'm going to "walk you through" some things that I typically buy there. I took these photos a couple of weeks ago, so the prices may not be current, but they usually don't fluctuate much. These things are (obviously) not all that I buy, but I wanted to give you a flavor (pun intended) of some of my favorite items that they carry. I think some may surprise you.

Sweet potato chips- these only last about a day in our house.

Tortilla chips made with organic blue corn

Oven roasted almonds

2 pounds of brown sugar $1.39

Pure vanilla extract $1.99

Real bacon pieces $1.49

Buttermilk pancake and waffle mix (no preservatives or artificial colors) $1.49

100% maple syrup (to go with that pancake mix) $3.99

Organic extra virgin olive oil $3.99

Pumpkin spice cream cheese $1.19

Raw milk organic cheddar (about $3.50)

Naked juice $3.99

Green & Black's organic chocolate

Hint of lime tortilla chips

Produce section (no store can touch Aldi on produce prices)

Organic blueberries $1.29/container

This is insanely cheap, even if they weren't organic. 

Aldi doesn't always have organic produce, but they did this particular day so I bought 4 containers. You can always freeze blueberries, but ours always get eaten before they make it to the freezer.

Bananas .44 cents/pound

They are pre-bagged with the weight already calculated so the cashier just scans that. Don't take them out of the bag before you checkout.

Jennie-O turkey burgers $5.99 for 12 burgers

And, yes, those are lobster tails in the background!

Dog food 18.5 pounds for $8.99. Our dog loves this stuff.

I saved the best for last. This is the best thing I have bought at Aldi, maybe the best thing I have bought anywhere, ever in my whole 30 years. 

Sea salt caramels

I stumbled upon them last Valentine's Day and bought them on impulse.  AKA, I ate one in the car in the parking lot after loading my groceries in the car. I should have marched right back inside to buy more, but I didn't know that these were a "seasonal" item. 

I looked for them every time I went back to any Aldi, but never found them, and was beginning to think it was all a dream. 

But then, in December, there they were!!! I won't tell you how many boxes I bought. Ok, I will. I bought 6 boxes, but some were truly for gifts. 

So, as far as I can tell, they come out around December for Christmas and around Valentine's day (they were back this Valentine's day), but when they sell out they're gone. 

If you ever, EVER see them, you need to buy them. Unless you're at my Aldi and they are the last box.

I would love to hear your thoughts about Aldi and any favorite things that you buy there.

And, do y'all think we should make Kelly do all of her shopping at Aldi this week?

*Disclaimer: All of these are my opinions, I was not compensated in any way by Aldi to give these glowing reviews. However, if any one at Aldi wanted to say "thanks" I will take payment in the form of sea salt caramels. That is all.*