What to Buy and Miss at ALDI
Grocery stores are in a confusing situation. Amazon is now the father of Whole Foods, Publix is expanding north, and Trader Joe prices continue to rise. Thank goodness ALDI has always had a single goal – to keep prices extremely low – and after more than a century in business, they have achieved low prices before science.
There are a few quirks to be aware of before your first trip to ALDI. First, you must bring your own bags and a quarter; ALDI does not provide bags to its customers and you must deposit a quarter to unlock the cart. (You will get your quarter back when you return your cart.) Second, ALDI stocks and manages its stores in a way that laser targets the communities they serve. In other words, grocery choices vary greatly from store to store, with each store operating at different times based on peak local traffic. Third, they only accept debit cards, EBT, and cash. ( Update: An ALDI representative contacted me to say that ALDI does accept credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and AmEx.) By blaming bag and trolley disputes on its customers and storing only what is sold, ALDI can save a ton on overhead, allowing them to directly serve low and fixed income people. ALDI rules.
Most – but not all – of ALDI’s offerings are gold and I wrote a handy guide based on my last shopping trip to help. So grab your reusable bags and a bit of a quarter and join me on my journey through the ALDI aisles, won’t you?
What to buy
ALDI is a great place to shop for all kinds of food, but some of their offerings are really special. Here are my top picks.
Snacks
If, like me, you go crazy without an emergency snack, may I recommend ALDI? Their appetizer is impeccable. I went on my last trip and bought fake Triscuits (my favorite snack crackers), Cheez-Its, peanut butter pretzels, a can of olive hummus with tapenade, and three flavors of Girl Scout fake cookies (Coconut Fudge / Samoa, Mint Fudge) / “Subtle Mint” and “Peanut Butter Fudge” / “Tagalongi”). The last three are $ 1 a box, and they are so, so good.
Cheese
Cheese is my second favorite after “all vegetables” and I eat a lot of it . ALDI boasts neither the reliability of Trader Joe’s cheese section nor the super niche options I get at Cousin’s , but what they have is excellent and inexpensive. On my last trip, I bought four types of cheese: a small Cabot’s cube seriously spicy, some 2-year-old English cheddar, an edam wheel, and a piece of Danish blue cheese. None of them cost more than $ 3.49. Did I want to buy mozzarella sticks wrapped in prosciutto? YES. But the main thing is moderation, at least that’s what I heard.
Meat
ALDI’s meat prices are very, very good, especially for their weekly specials; for example, my store recently had a pork roast at $ 1.49 a pound and pickled salmon at $ 9.99 a pound. I have plans based on fajita this weekend, so I bought four pounds of chuck steak for under $ 20 – even my favorite Vinko didn’t sell chuck steak at $ 4.99 a pound. Whichever ALDI meat you choose will be cheap and good, but if you check the weekly ads before buying, you can save an astounding amount of money.
Produce staples
I mean onions, potatoes, lemons, bananas, celery, carrots and the like. My house was good at onions and lemons on my last trip to ALDI and I still bought 3 pounds of yellow and red onions ($ 3.78 total), a pack of green onions for $ 0.69 ( good ) and 3 pounds … a bag of lemons for $ 2.89. I know I will go through them and I have ever seen lower prices only at Cash & Carry.
Vegetable oil
I’m a trash golem who prefers vegetable oil to canola for frying, pickles and homemade mayonnaise, so imagine my delight when I found a 1.42 liter bottle of vegetable oil for $ 1.85! Our household has been in the mood for olive oil for months, but next time we run out of it, I will definitely check ALDI’s suggestions first. I spotted a 20-ounce bottle of rather beautiful extra virgin olive oil for $ 3.99, while a slightly smaller bottle of fancy Sicilian oil was $ 6.99.
Dried beans
ALDI’s range of dried beans is small but effective. We eat a ton of black beans, so I bought two two-pound packs at $ 2.49 each. The dried pinto and mayocuba beans were at the same price; Great Northern Beans were $ 2.99 for a two-pound bag. Meanwhile, My Whole Foods charges between $ 2.99 and $ 3.99 per pound of dried black beans. Hisssss .
Yogurt
I hate low fat low fat yogurt because it makes it impossible to imagine myself eating a bowl of sour cream (which is obviously my goal always). Full fat yogurt allows me to do this and makes great marinades, dressings, and cakes. The Friendly Farms brand of whole milk Greek yogurt at ALDI costs $ 3.69 for 32 ounces and may be better than my favorite Fage, but even if Fage were indeed a little better, I would still spend half the money on something that amounts to 95% is that good.
Soda and seltzer water
Pennsylvania has a soda tax, which is bad news for my diet cola and seltzer habits. La Croix and Polar are expensive and surprisingly hard to find here, so I mostly skipped them, but I’ll stock up on Diet Coke in CVS and / or Rite Aid when they have a BOGO sale. However, from now on I will definitely come to ALDI for both. I grabbed two packs of 12 flavored seltzer water (obviously lime and grapefruit) at $ 2.49 each and saw 12 packs of Diet Coke for $ 5.49 – at least $ 7.99 elsewhere.
Diapers and other baby products
It doesn’t really matter to me because I don’t want children. However, between urgently stopped wearing diapers with a parent’s friend last week, and learning that shelters cannot or will not provide diapers to people displaced by Hurricane Harvey , I suddenly wake up to how expensive diapers are. ALDI has great prices on all kinds of baby products and menstrual supplies, with a large pack of Always pads for about $ 3.49 and 60 diapers for $ 12.49. Good luck finding something cheaper at Target or Walmart.
Assorted Vegan Products
Becoming a vegan is as urgent a priority for me as mothering, but if I change my mind, I’ll turn to ALDI to find inexpensive vegan alternatives. I’ve seen a ton of tempting options, from coconut “butter” to almond milk to bags of quinoa and millet, all at very low prices. Damn, my store even has cashew butter! That’s $ 5.99 per can, but that doesn’t mean you can find it cheaper at Whole Foods.
What to skip
ALDI has more hits than misses, but there are things that aren’t worth the investment.
Butter
I am upset to report that ALDI oil prices were not low enough to warrant stocks: $ 2.99 a pound is fine, but I can buy oil much cheaper at Cousin’s. For someone who keeps at least four to five pounds of butter in their home at all times, this was a disappointment.
Signature snacks
Most ALDIs contain a certain amount of, say, Pringles and Gushers, but they are not that cheap; Plus, most retailers who accept coupons (ALDI doesn’t) will have a better deal at some point. If you’re committed to a particular brand of snacks, it’s probably best to cut coupons and wait for good sales elsewhere.
Pet supplies
It could be because my precious idiot angels only eat the best bites without chicken (the younger is allergic to chicken), but I found the ALDI pet food to be paltry and of poor quality. The cat litter was very cheap at $ 3.49 for a 10lb pitcher, but it was all fragrant, which I avoid. You may have better luck at your local store, but I wouldn’t count on that.
Brownie Mix
It was the ALDI subject that worried me the most. If you read the comments on just about any article like this, the top will prompt you to grab a box of their awesome brownie mix. I spent $ 0.89 on the box and made them as soon as I got home. Verdict? Ehhh. If you are a big fan of chocolate brownies, you may like them more than me, but I was very disappointed. They did the trick, but I doubt I could pick them from a line of chocolate brownies that, for less than a dollar a box, could actually be some sort of endorsement.
Coffee
ALDI’s German Roast Coffee is another iconic product, so I was thrilled to try it. I have a committed – and very modern – relationship with Cafés Bustelo and el Aguila, but I’m always looking for another inexpensive option to add to my rotation. Despite the fact that I have terrible insomnia, I made myself a cup of this coffee at three o’clock in the afternoon to try, because I care about you, reader. Guess what? It sucks. Bustelo is better, but somehow it costs $ 2.89 a pound at ALDI, while Cousin’s sells Bustelo and el Aguila bricks for $ 4 x $ 5. Boo coffee ALDI.
I’m sure there are some things I’ve missed – thanks to Pennsylvania’s liquor laws, I can’t look into ALDI’s beer and wine offerings, but would love to someday. What else should I check when I get the chance?