Even though Leavenworth built a new Aldi store close to our Home Depot, it took a while for me to begin shopping there. Now it is almost a weekly stop along with our basic grocery store, Dillons, which is a Kroger store.
We have been impressed with the quality and prices of their produce so I check their sale flyer each week to plan what I will get from them. This spring when they had fresh strawberries for $1.19/lb, we bought 25 pounds to core and freeze for smoothies and to go in yogurt.
We make quite a bit of homemade granola that we put toasted rice cereal in along with rolled oats so we buy the cereal at Aldi’s. We also like their oyster crackers. We also get sour cream, orange juice, butter, and heavy whipping cream there.
After Joseph and Elissa’s baby was born, I did their grocery shopping, and Elissa also buys quite a bit of produce plus other things from Aldi’s like parmesan cheese, shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese, refried bean, tortillas, applesauce, and pasta.
Christopher and Anna Marie and John and Chelsy also like shopping at Aldi.
Be sure to have a quarter with you when you go because if you want a cart, you put a quarter into the cart rack to release your cart. Then when you put the cart back, your quarter is returned. There is another Aldi’s protocol I learned. If someone offers you their cart as you are headed for the cart rack, you offer them your quarter. Some take it; some don’t.
Trusting in Jesus,
Teri
“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me,
bless his holy name” (Psalm 103:1).
Our family loves to shop at Aldi too and have done so for many years. We live in Australia. I’ve never thought to freeze strawberries. We’d love you to do a post on how you go about it.
Wow, Aldi in Australia too. Next time we prep and freeze strawberries, we will try to remember photos for a blog post.
Hi Teri!
I first got acquainted with Aldi in Slovenia, which is quite close to where I live in Italy. Just a few weeks ago, Aldi opened their first few stores in our area, and my family and I absolutely love it!
The quality of their items compared to the prices is excellent.
Many blessings,
Alice
Hi Alice! I haven’t heard from you for a while. I hope you are doing well. Aldi is really international. I just read in a comment that they are in Australia too.
As a German I had to smile reading your current post 🙂
Aldi is a German brand and as I can see on the picture it is an Aldi-Süd (Süd=South) that means there is Aldi-Nord and Aldi-Süd in Germany because the two founders (who where brothers) divided at some point in their company history.
Also, in Germany it is a common thing to put a coin in the shopping cart as you explained it. I always have a Euro in my purse 😉
So enjoy “German” shopping (in Germany food is quite cheap in general)!
Thank you, Simone. That background will make shopping at Aldi even better. I am headed there today, and if I were even in Europe shopping, I would know to have my Euro ready for the shopping cart!
Here in Australia, Aldi sells metal tokens to put in your trolley so you don’t have to make sure you have a coin. The token costs $1 and is the size of our $2 coins. it does mean othercustomers won’t want to take your trolley back to the store.
That’s all very interesting!
ALDI’s is the BEST!! Love that store here in the Midwest! And they’re even out east where many of my family is, so they have started going to ALDI as well. Great place to shop when you’re on a budget & have a large family. So happy you have one by you, too! 🙂
We were quite the late comers to Aldi, I think, but I am glad we now are and maybe others will check them out too!
We have a nice Aldi in our town too! It’s a very nice place to shop, it’s nice to have one close by. 🙂
Yes, our Aldi is quite convenient for us. Like someone else mentioned, I have had to learn to bring my bags if I am getting very much.
Aldi is our favorite store! They have many organic items at a good price. They also have a gluten free line of products, for those who need them. I like the special German treats they sometimes have (you probably knew this, but Aldi is a German company). One more tip for your readers: bring your own bags to save money! Glad you all have Aldi where you live!
I didn’t realize they had the gluten free line. Thank you for the reminder on bringing your own bags. I had forgotten to put that in the post.
Thanks for this timely post, Teri. They are building an Aldi here, and I have wondered if I’ll want to fit that into my weekly shopping routine. We have an amazing store here called Sharp Shopper, which sells overstock from other stores. I always start there to see what I can find (canned beans 2/$1, frozen pizza for $1.99!); it varies from week to week, then I use the sale flyers from Kroger and Food Lion, and fill in everything else at Walmart. About once a month or so we get things like toilet paper and paper towels at Costco. It sounds like Aldi may end up having better deals on some of the things I regularly buy at Walmart. Good to know about the quarter/cart protocol! Thanks!
When you try Aldi, please give us a comparison of it versus the other places you shop. You sound like a very careful, frugal shopper!
We love Aldi, too. They have a nice range of reasonably priced organic produce and their specialty cheeses are delicious. It must be a nice company to work for because the employees are always friendly and helpful.
We will need to try the specialty cheeses. Interesting your comment about it being a nice company to work with. I recognized a checker one day at Aldi since she had previously worked at Dillons in the produce, and we regularly talked. I hadn’t seen her at Dillons for a long time, and now I knew why. I asked her about this job versus her previous one, and she said she loved this one much more. For her it was the atmosphere among the employees that was better at Aldi.
We used to love shopping at Aldis but we moved and where we moved they didn’t have a Aldis!!?? We were very sad about that.
That would be tough since you have already like shopping at Aldis so much!
Hi, Teri!!!
We are fortunate to have an Aldi’s right around the corner from us, and I shop there fairly often for things like chips/crackers, bread, cheese, rice/beans, what little sandwich meat we use, and what few canned goods we use. I have been less than impressed with their produce here as it does not last more than a day or two, and they are more expensive than Sprouts. So sad because when they first opened here, their produce was really good. Have you tried their greek yogurt?
Sounds very convenient – just around the corner. We haven’t tried the greek yogurt. We like Sprouts, too, but that is in Kansas City, and a 40 minute drive. When we are in KC, we often stop there and stock up on the produce that is for sale. That is where I get our juicing supplies.
i don’t think we have aldi at nj… hmmm. i could be wrong. we have costco & other supermarket…. my husband & i tried to stay away from costco because just for 2 of us we spent more than $500 just for 2 of us & we don’t even have kids… even for regular grocery store it cost minimum of 300.00 and up… interesting to used the cart for .25…. very interesting.
I am sure you can Google to see if there is an Aldi anywhere near you. Maybe they aren’t in NJ.
We do! Definitely look it up. I shop at East Brunswick’s, East Windsor’s, and any others depending on where I am during that day’s outing.
That’s great to know. I hope annie reads your comment and information on where there are Aldi stores in NJ.
hi hannah
thanks but its too far from my area to there…its 40+ drives… i stay with my local supermarket but thanks for the information i appreciate it.
i meant 40+ minutes drive
We love aldi and it’s saved our family a lot of money on groceries with 8 little ones! We don’t buy everything there, like fresh meat, but produce, bread, chips, cereal, dairy products, and baking goods are great prices…
I can imagine feeding your 8 children, Aldi’s great prices would be extremely helpful for the food budget!
Wow! I just stopped there yesterday for the first time. Walmart was packed and I only needed milk. I was so surprised to see milk for $0.99 a gallon. Which is great for us because I buy up to 4 gallons a week. I will be doing much more shopping at Aldi.
I haven’t seen $0.99 per gallon milk at our Aldi! I think the comments on this thread will give you ideas for what else to shop for/price at Aldi.
We’ve been shopping at Aldi for over 20 yrs. We live in a bigger city . Those cashiers had to memorize the prices for everything and if I’m not mistaken they only took cash. Then it was DC, not credit.They carry more things now. Our local one just put in a bakery. They have fresh meat now which they didn’t have. I don’t think we could have managed all these years without it.
The first few times I went to our Aldi, it was cash or debit card, but it soon changed to taking credit cards. Aldi has certainly found its niche, and I can tell from the blog comments that lots of us like their store! Our Aldi is pretty small so it is amazing to think of one having a bakery and fresh meat department.
Yes! We live Aldis, too! Especially now that all the stores in our area have been remodeled! They are SO nice! My kids love putting the quarter into the slot! Ha! And I almost always forget my bags, but my husband is really good at finding empty boxes as we go throughout the stores and you can pick them up and use them! 🙂
I was at Aldi today. My mom and I usually go out for lunch on Wednesday and then grocery shop together. Picking up boxes as you shop sounds like a great idea.
I LOVE Aldi’s?? especially their chips are the best and their blackberry mango tea!!!!!
Good to know about the chips and the tea. Thank you!
We’ve been Aldi shoppers for over twenty years and what a help this store has been with our food budget! I’m a regular reader but a rare commenter. Funny how the mundane things in life can resonate and you can turn a shopping experience into “food for thought”, Teri! This post actually moved me to thank God for the life that I have been given!
I love your comment, Patsy. Thank you for taking time to remind us of how important it is to be thankful for blessings we can easily take for granted – like a place to shop for quality food at good prices!
Thanks so much for posting this review!
We have always had a mediocre experience shopping at Aldi and the prices are always far – sometimes very far – higher than the sale prices at our name-brand stores. For example, we’ve had multiple experiences with extremely quickly rotting produce (as Lori wrote – less than 24hrs before it’s completely inedible) and meat prices over $3/lb more than the name-brand store. Canned goods are priced higher as well. We’ve tried multiple Aldi locations since we’ve heard so many good things about them. It just has not worked for us.
I appreciate reading reviews like yours and I am so glad that Aldi is helping so many stretch their grocery budget!
Thanks again,
Lea
That’s interesting, Lea. Your experience doesn’t sound like so many others who have commented. I wonder if it is the part of the country you live in, and if maybe those Aldis have higher prices? Someone mentioned milk yesterday at her Aldi that was $.99/gallon. I didn’t look at ours today, but it has been $1.99/gallon, which is what Dillons is selling it for as well.
When we first got an Aldi we had pretty bad experiences with the produce being bad, but recently I tried them again and they have improved greatly. We also got a Lidl with is a lot like Aldi except you don’t use a coin for the grocery cart. I usually go to both because they have such great produce and food at reasonable prices.
The only thing at both of the stores in this area the almond milk(which we drink) is more expensive then at another more “normal” grocery store.
Haven’t heard of Lidl. Sounds like you are a careful and frugal shopper.
Wow, Aldi seems to be popular! I too shop there every week. I don’t buy a lot of produce there except for bananas and berries on sale, but we purchase everything else there including garbage bags and laundry detergent! Our favorite special treat is a brie cheese and a warm baguette from Aldi’s. The baguette comes half-baked and needs to be cooked in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Thank you, Lara, for sharing what you like to get from Aldi. I am so enjoying the comments that encourage me to broaden my shopping horizons at Aldi.
Sadness! Our nearest Aldi’s is 203 miles away…I was still blessed to read this post and everyone’s comments.
Aldi seems to be expanding so maybe some day you will have one close enough to use.
We live in the PNW and I am so sad we don’t have an ALDI’s out our way. I have heard about ALDI’s from quite a few bloggers and couponing websites. Maybe someday they will migrate out our way. 🙂
Glad you are enjoying it though! Mrs. Maxwell, I am curious if you would ever be interested in sharing a week’s meal plan on the blog?
Yes, maybe you will one day have an Aldi’s near you. Thank you for the idea of a blog post on one of our week’s meal plans. I will pass that on to Sarah.
A couple years ago, an Aldis opened near us and I love shopping there! Their prices are super low and a great place to find healthy food!
It is great when we want healthy food and there are cost effective options.
Terry, we like Aldi as well. The prices are good, but my favorite thing is the quality. My two girls have food allergies and Aldi adds more natural additives. For color they add fruit and or vegetables instead of dyes. They also don’t add MSG in quite a few of their products that other bands do. There would be many things that my girls would not be able to enjoy reasonably if they didn’t carry it. They also label their products well which is helpful for my gluten free daughter to know if it’s safe for her to eat.
That’s great information to know about Aldi. Thank you, Deanie!
We do most of our grocery shopping at Aldi’s too. However, I haven’t had the best experience with their produce. We have bought fruit or potatoes then got home only to find they are already spoiled. But I love their prices and helps our growing family’s budget.
It sounds like we need to look carefully at the produce. I haven’t returned anything to Aldi, but Anna Marie has, and she said she just takes bad produce back, and they happily replace it.
O Yes! Aldi’s is an awesome grocery store! We have two stores local; their prices are amazingly affordable! Their cashiers are quicker than at any other stores and are super friendly and helpful. So excited your family shops there too. “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” – Psalm 24:8. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, Colleen. We have noticed the speed of the checkers as well and complimented a couple on that. Their response is quite humble telling us that we should watch another checker who they say is really fast.
I love our Aldi, and do our main grocery shopping there. However, I forgot to tell my husband about the cart system the first time he went there for me. As he parked, he saw an elderly woman who had just emptied her cart. He offered to help her by taking her cart back to the store for her, and as he walked away she angrily asked him where her quarter was. He had no idea what she meant, and stood there in confusion as she grabbed the cart and took it back herself. He felt so bad when he went to the cart area and realized what he had done. We wondered how many people she told about the mean man at Aldi who tried to steal her cart and her quarter. 🙂
Oh, Patty, with my learning curve for Aldi shopping carts and quarters, I could picture it all!
I love Aldi! It is such an affordable place to shop and the quality of the food is great too! All their cheeses are so good and are some of my favorite things to buy there. I encourage you to try the specialty cheeses. I love the Havarti Dill. I also love their Gouda and Havarti sandwich slices. I also buy Heavy cream, sour cream and orange juice there. Much cheaper than the regular grocery store and great quality. Their hummus is another favorite. They also have great prices on fruit squeeze pouches and fruit cups. they are great for kids, adults can enjoy too. Me being an adult, I love the convenience of the squeezable fruit pouches for lunch when I’m at work and on the go. Anyway, I could go on and on about Aldi: so many wonderful products! I was excited when I saw this post and had to comment. Thanks for the great post!
Thank you, Hannah Joy, for some more good suggestions of things to try from Aldi.
Cool. We shop at a bunch of different stores, a lot on line. We shop a lot at Albertsons.
I love the idea of paying to get the shopping cart. Discovered this while in Italy. It’s a great way to keep shopping carts from becoming trash laying around the towns. We have a lot of homeless that use them and then abandon them. Something else I saw in Italy, customers, for sanitary purposes, were required to wear simple plastic gloves before touching fruits and vegetables. Wish stores would do that here. You also had to provided your own cloth bags for fruits and veggies as well as carry out bags.
Yes, I think another comment mentioned that paying for shopping carts is the norm in Europe. In our discussions here about the Aldi method for shopping carts, we realized that it saves the store not only from losing carts and having lose ones damage cars in the parking lot, but their employees don’t have to always be gathering them from the parking lot and returning them to the store. Interesting information about gloves before touching fruits and vegetables and cloth bags for them.
Just saw your Aldi post and it brought back such fun memories. We lived in Kansas for six years and would travel as a family to Olathe and do once a month shopping at Aldi. We were a sight with our four shopping carts and seven children. We now live in Southwest Arkansas and so very much miss Aldi.
Wow, four shopping carts! I can picture that, though, if you liked Aldi shopping, did it once a month for 9 people. Olathe isn’t far from us!