This post about how to save money shopping is sponsored by ALDI but all thoughts and experiences are my own.
Shopping for a family of seven (and staying within a strict budget) is no easy task. I’ve tried shopping with coupons, and though I do love the occasional coupon, I determined fairly quickly that I will never be a serious coupon shopper. I’ve always felt like I could find more of what I wanted to buy by shopping sales and knowing where I could get the best deals on each item on my shopping list.
That typically meant that I’d pay more for a few things to get the deals on the bigger things. Or it meant driving around more than I cared to.
Three years ago, my friend let me know about a new store that was opening up nearby. I’d never heard of ALDI, but as she told me about the concept, I knew it was the kind of store for me. Budget grocery shopping? All in one stop? We packed up our kids and drove together to the Grand Opening. We were literally among the first few customers to check out on opening day.
I’ve been shopping there since.
This is my ALDI. I feel at home when I walk in and I know I’m always getting a great deal.
Do you ever discover a business that feels like it was made for you – a business that melds seamlessly with your personality and style? ALDI was like that for me from day 1. I do the majority of my grocery shopping at ALDI now and spend an average of $75-$90 for a week’s worth of ingredients for meals, milk, cereal, and all of our school lunch fixings.
Yes, ALDI helps keep our food budget below $500 for the month.
How ALDI helps me save money: I buy ALL of our staples at ALDI – flour, sugar, butter, milk, cheese, meats, canned vegetables, apples and bananas, bread….you get the picture. I supplement 2 ALDI shopping trips with smaller shopping trips to a larger chain grocery store to get specialty items, unique spices, etc. At the beginning of October, after coming back from a conference out of town and finding an empty fridge, I did one of those over-flowing shopping cart types of trips. 77 items, including a large jar of peanut butter, cereal for 7, pomegranates, milk, chicken, etc came out to $139.40. I am still eating through that food.
What I love about ALDI:
- #1 is the price. Can’t beat the prices at ALDI.
- The quality – I love all of ALDI’s store brand products. In fact, my kids AND husband complain when I DON’T buy ALDI cereals because they like the taste BETTER. The produce is fresh, the meats and cheeses are top quality. I could go on and on throughout the store. I never feel like I’m compromising quality.
- I don’t have to worry about clipping coupons, but I always know that I’m getting a great deal.
- It doesn’t take me all day to shop! Because of the way ALDI is layed out AND because of the slimmed down selection (one “brand” of everything instead of a dozen choices), I can shop much more efficiently.
- Everyone at ALDI seems to genuinely enjoy working there and it shows in their excellent customer interactions.
Some Aldi facts:
- ALDI sells more than 1400 basic grocery and household items that are on most everyone’s “frequently bought” list. Everyday prices are up to 50% less than traditional supermarkets. {The milk at ALDI is often $1 less per gallon compared to the grocery stores in the same shopping plaza near me.}
- More than 90% of the products at ALDI are sold under the Aldi brand label to keep costs down. Aldi makes sure that their products meet or exceed the quality and taste of the national name brands. And according to my family’s frequent taste testing, they DO!
- ALDI reduces costs for consumers even more by having them either bring their own reusable bags or purchase reusable bags during their shopping trip. Consumers then bag their own groceries at the large counter before they leave.
- Overhead costs are also reduced (and savings passed on to the customer) by having customers use a quarter to “rent” a shopping cart to do their shopping. When they return the cart at the end of the trip, they get the quarter back.
- ALDI has 21 distribution centers across the country, so the food delivered to and sold at each ALDI store is local, timely, and fresh.
- ALDI began in the United States in 1976 in Iowa and is headquartered in Batavia, Ill, with stores across Europe, the United States and Australia.
- ALDI has more than 1,200 U.S. stores in 32 states and those stores serve more than 25 million customers each month.
My kids LOVE being able to help me bag the groceries. It becomes a family project.
The ALDI quarter carts – another one of the things my kids love about ALDI. If it saves me money, I’m a fan!
Have you shopped at ALDI? How does your ALDI help you save on your monthly grocery bill? Or if you don’t have an ALDI near you, what would you love most about having one in your neighborhood?
Be sure to check out ALDI’s website to find a location near you. Follow them at twitter.com/AldiUSA and on Facebook/ALDI.USA
© 2013, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
Oh I miss ALDI!! We would shop at ALDI all the time when we lived in Germany. I Love that place! We don’t have one near us in my area of Idaho. And I miss it desperately!
I have never heard of ALDI. I wish they would come to my area. I spend way too much on groceries and would love to save. That store looks very organized, too. I like the look!
Alsi’s is awesome. I have loved them since I was still in school. My problem, I always forget the quarter.
I’m kind of kicking myself for never shopping there before! I love saving money (who doesn’t???) so I’ll definitely have to check out ALDI very very soon!
I can’t believe I’ve never shopped here before! It looks like you get a really good deal, so I should check it out soon!