What you can buy for $95 at Aldi
Someone asked me recently what I like to buy at Aldi, and honestly, that felt like a huge post to write because I got the urge to make it very comprehensive.
So, instead I'm just gonna show you what I bought on a recent Aldi trip, as a not-comprehensive sampling of what I buy there.
Cottage Cheese
I have tried a LOT of brands of cottage cheese, and Aldi's is actually my favorite. I buy the 2% variety, and it's one of my go-tos for some quick protein (26 grams in a cup!).
And it's only $2.79/quart.
Half and Half | Milk
The quart of half and half ($2.65) is mainly for my coffee, but also for adding into banana "ice cream" and for deglazing pans to make a sauce.
The milk ($1.50) is a half gallon, which is an appropriate size for our small household, especially since I rarely use milk.
Cream cheese
These are mainly for Zoe to eat on bagels and they're $1.95 each.
Ham | Swiss cheese | Butter | Hummus
- ham ($3.39) and Swiss ($1.75) for sandwiches
- butter ($3.49) for a million things
- hummus ($2.45) for snacking with cucumbers
Eggs
These were $2.72/dozen.
I eat scrambled eggs most mornings, mixed with liquid egg whites from Aldi (I just didn't happen to need any of the egg whites this shopping trip!).
Canned fruit in light syrup/juice
I buy this mainly to add to a packed tin of cottage cheese for my lunches.
The peaches are $1.25/can and the oranges are $0.99/can.
Bagels
These are $1.89/6 bagels, and they're for Zoe. I'll freeze most of them so they don't mold before she eats them all!
Whole grain bread
The Graintastic loaf ($4.19) is what I eat toasted with my eggs in the morning; I freeze half the loaf since it takes me a while to eat it.
And the other loaf ($1.89) is for peanut butter/honey sandwiches, or ham sandwiches. Half of that will get frozen too!
Salt | Sugar | Oil
Just basics!
- salt: $0.67
- sugar (4 lb.): $2.65
- oil: $4.95
Snacks
The imitation Triscuits are $2.09; generally this type of cracker is very good in any store brand, whereas other cracker types can be iffy. Also, they're 100% whole grain, with zero sugar.
Maxx protein bars ($4.39) are Aldi's version of Rx Bars, with a very similar nutritional makeup.
And the cheese crisps ($2.19/bag) are just cheese and nothing else; like a very high protein cheese cracker. They're great for portable protein that doesn't need to be refrigerated.
Produce
I didn't buy a lot of veggies, since my Hungry Harvest box was coming.
- tomatoes ($2.29)
- avocados ($0.59 apiece)
- cucumber ($0.95)
Some fruit:
- bananas ($0.49/lb)
- strawberries ($2.25/lb)
- blueberries ($2/pint)
- mangoes ($0.59 apiece)
- limes ($2.45/bag)
- cherries ($2.39/lb)
And also a cantaloupe ($1.69):
Unplanned purchases (ha)
There are always a few of these, right?
Here we have edamame ($2.29), which I usually don't see at my Aldi. I use it for the Aldi copycat chickpea salad.
I also bought a bag of tuna ($0.82), since my Aldi had zero tins of regular tuna.
The box of pretzel crackers was $2.99, and the cookie butter was $2.69. Cookie butter has zero redeeming qualities nutritionally, but if you want a sweet treat that's not too bad for you, try eating it on banana chunks.
SO GOOD.
Total: $95.57
Notable: I didn't need much in the way of meat for this trip because I still have bags of chicken, fish, and shrimp in my chest freezer. They tend to work best for my tiny household because I can just grab whatever amount I need from the freezer each day.
How do these prices compare to yours?
Also, if there's an Aldi product you think we all really need to try, let us know in the comments!
Our Aldi has the cheapest 100% no additives whatsoever peanut butter, at E 1,79/400 grm. I also buy coffee beans there and other staples, like you do. And I also keep my eyes out for non-consumables that are a good bargain.
I am surprised to see speculoos on your list, since I thought it would be local to the Netherlands! It is made with "speculaasjes" cookies, which were originally cookies you would eat in winter, with mixed spice. The speculaasjes come in shapes like little mills, or around 5th December in the shapes of men and women - because looong ago such shaped cookies would be gifted to single men and women with a wish for a spouse. And before marketeers invented the cookie butter, you would sometimes see people who just put the cookies on their sandwich, as a luxury. Very crunchy.
@JNL,
Speculoos must be having a moment. I had not heard of them until my husband told me a local ice cream place has an ice cream (from South Mountain Creamery) that contains them. Snicker doodles were big a few years ago (and they are a cookie my grandmother made decades ago).
@JNL,
What a funny coincidence.....a work friend recently came back from her annual family vacation in Canada (they go to the same remote cabins that they've been going to for the past 50+ years), and she brought back speculoos cookies to share with us! Apparently, there's a small grocery not far from where they stay in Canada that sells them. I had heard of them before, but had never tried them - yum! I need to look for that cookie butter at Aldi.
@JNL, the Aldi Speculoos cookies are delicious! They come in small packs for which I am grateful, as they’re the kind of crunchy thing I could really polish off fast!
Huh. I've never heard of cookie butter. Apparently there is a Great Value version of it, so I could theoretically get it at Walmart, but I think that's not a temptation I need. 🙂
These prices look fairly similar to the Great Value brand things I typically buy. The prices at the smaller stores I have to go to sometimes are much higher, though, for things like dairy especially.
I was at such a store yesterday, however, and saw to my surprise packages of free-range chicken breasts for $1.99/pound. I have never seen chicken breasts of any kind that cheap at this store. I don't use the breasts a lot--my family tends to prefer the fat and skin of other pieces--but I got some of those for stir-fry or whatever.
Cookie butter is terribly addictive. I could imagine eating spoonfuls of it, honestly.
@Kristen, I love it so much that my son made a special trip to Trader Joe's in his college town to buy some as his Christmas present to me.
@Kristen,
I busted out laughing, I mean, are there other ways to eat it?
I mainly shop Aldi for produce and dairy. Avocados were $.69 this last sale cycle but I did not get there and they were $.89 the week before when I bought them. They are a good price and I think the quality is very good. They usually have good prices on apples, citrus, and boxed salad. Sometimes I buy bananas and berries.
I buy sliced cheese, butter, and lactose free milk from the dairy section.
I buy canned pumpkin in the fall and sometimes chocolate chips.
I occasionally buy the cheesecake slices. Two slices are (or at least were) about $2.
Oh, I love biscoff cookie spread, and the cookies too! I make a cheesecake with them. 🙂
I'd say that your grocery prices are somewhat cheaper to ours on the east coast of Canada., your dairy prices are definitely cheaper than here. The half gallon of milk is 5.00 here.
I'm working on getting the freezer cleaned out right now. So I know that I'll be eating some interesting things in the next month or so. 🙂
. I know for sure when I buy from the local farms, it's a bit more expensive, but I like seeing my cash go straight into the farmers hands.
I love grocery stores, and I love to explore them on vacation. I also love cheese shops, bakeries, butcher shops, Farmers Markets. I 'd love to go to an Aldi store some day...
@It's me, Sam, I also enjoy exploring local grocery stores when traveling. Interesting to see the different geographic specialties.
@It's me, Sam, Just as an aside, I do not have to leave my area to find grocery stores with different specialties - I go to the 2 Asian supermarkets near me, T&T, and the Korean H-Mart; I love to just walk around and check out the different foods. My local T&T has absolutely the best and freshest produce, notably more expensive than my budget grocery store, but lasts longer due to the freshness.
@It's me, Sam, I am a fellow biscoff spread fan! My most recent jar set me back R110 ($6,10 according to Google) on a special. I'm not sure how that compares...
@It's me, Sam,
I'm the same way about shopping (or just looking) in grocery stores and other food stores when on vacation. When my family and I vacationed in South Carolina back in June, I loved looking at all the different kinds and brands of grits, the White Lily flour, and other foods that are traditionally Southern that I can't get back home. 🙂
@Liz B., Me too! Grocery stores while traveling are always interesting anthropologically and culinarily 🙂
Speaking of grits and traveling, I remember looking for them in the grocery store with my Grandpa in Pittsburgh as a child because I wanted them for breakfast. They had only one choice - a box of flavored instant. A travesty, truly, haha.
I'm a huge Aldi fan. Between the prices, the selection and, let's be honest, that aisle of shame, I actually enjoy going most weeks.
I think I live in the same area as Kristen, so prices are the same.
In addition to much of what Kristen already recommended, I recommend the following Aldi items (that my family enjoys on repeat): mild salsa, marinara sauce, blueberry feta cheese, frozen vegan meatballs (which have been missing lately), frozen ahi tuna, the gluten free baking mixes (the cornbread is especially sweet), almond/soy milk and the frozen fruit berry mix.
@Sarah, I concur about the almond/soy milk: good taste, good price! I would also add their tofu is excellent for a mere $1.35!
@Sarah,
Yes to the mild salsa and the blueberry feta cheese! Their regular feta cheese is also excellent.
@Bobi,
I haven’t been able to find an unsweetened plant milk at ALDIs. Is the one you buy sweetened?
@Sarah,
We are finally getting Aldis here in Arkansas. One opened in Little Rock about a year ago and is set to open where I live in North Little Rock by the end of the year. I'm excited to have another option to shop. I recently went to the store in Little Rock and found some things I will probably buy regularly when my local store opens. I used to shop at Aldi in the 1980s when I lived in Illinois.
@Vinnycat, I buy both, but, yes, the Aldis in my area carry unsweetened as well as sweetened/flavored (vanilla & chocolate.)
I buy avocados, brioche burger/sandwich buns, cheese tortellini, and salmon quite regularly from Aldi. We tried the stuffed salmon recently, and it was good. I love the Boursin dupe cheese, garlic and herb spreadable cheese. The European chocolate is good from Aldi as well!
@Susan_SFl, I agree, the dark chocolate almond bars are so good, but the price has recently nearly doubled.
@Susan_SFl, oh yes to those brioche buns!
Enjoyable post. We are also a cottage cheese loving family, but have never tried the Aldi version. I will grab it this week. Several other items you mentioned as well. Keep up the protein lunch packing ideas, please!
That is so fun to see Aldi products American style!
It does look quite different, and maybe more (plastic) packaging than here.
Questions: how high is the fat content of "half & half"? Is it a synonym for whipped cream or something different?
And in regards to the fruit:
I don't see any berries.....like gooseberries, red and black currants, blackberries etc? Does your Aldi carry them or not? Here we do have them when in season.
Like JNL I also buy staples like sugar, flour, baking powder, oil, coffee beans etc., cottage cheese, white cheese at Aldi. Occasionally parmesan and Feta. All other cheeses, bread, any kind of meat, spices I buy at the butcher, bakery etc.
All dog food and dog treats I buy at Aldi, washing powder, TP, etc.
I just love that so many regular products in the US seem to carry a kashrut label. Here you will hardly find any. I was told that those hechshers make a product more expensive - is that true?
And in general - I much more prefer to buy at Aldi than at Lidl, the prices are the same to the cent. There is no logical reason why I should prefer Aldi to Lidl but it simply is the case.
@Lea, I'm in Michigan and our Aldi carries blackberries occasionally, also strawberries/raspberries/blueberries. I think I've had currants before (in scones), but never gooseberries. I'm guessing each store carries lots of regional fruit. It would be fun to check out different items sold in different areas.
@Lea, not sure where in the world you are, but one of the things I learned on my recent trip to the UK is that what we call half-and-half in America is called half cream in the UK. You can’t make whipped cream out of half-and-half because the fat content is too low.
(I also learned that asking for cream in one’s coffee will either result in a side eye and a comment that “we don’t put cream in our coffee here,” or, at Starbucks, full cream. The latter is delicious, but extra calorific. It is necessary to specify half cream. Sometimes one must make do with milk. Yuck.)
@Meg in SoTX,
thank you for explaining half & half.
I agree, coffee with regular milk is not as yummy as with whipped cream (in liquid form not beaten). But I drink both 🙂 - at home, not at Starbucks. Too expensive and way too sweet for me.
And I am in Germany.
@Kris,
thank you for explaining.
Yes, it is fun to see the specifics of different parts in the world.
@Lea, I agree about Starbucks being expensive and not good, but we were in a hotel room with no access to a refrigerator, and I was desperate to have coffee with something more tasty than milk.
@Lea, Here in Canada, half & half has 10% fat, unless you buy the "diet" version, which has 5%. Coffee cream here has 18% fat, which makes for a very nice cup of coffee. Whipping cream has 35% and sour cream usually 14%, sometimes 18%.
Aldi tried to be in Canada, but it pulled out again, quite a few years ago. Sniff...
@Lea, I'm in western NC, and our Aldi usually has strawberries and blueberries, as well as blackberries and raspberries in season. Grapes are also pretty standard, though cotton candy grapes are a rarity. In theory, we have cherries right now, but they're always sold out when I get there. I've never seen gooseberries or currants there. I don't think I've ever had either of those, to be honest.
The Aldi selection does seem to vary a lot by region. My sister is also in NC, but more in the middle of the state (about four hours away from me), and we seem to have very different things at our local Aldi.
Can you please explain what a kashrut label and hechshers are? It's so fun learning about groceries in different places!
I've only been to Lidl a couple of times. The closest one to me is about 50 minutes away. The prices seemed fairly comparable to Aldi; a little higher on some things, and a little lower on other things. My biggest objection, other than the distance, was how many things aren't sealed. Most of the bread products were serve yourself, with no one really watching to make sure no one did anything disgusting, and that really grosses me out.
@Danielle L Zecher,
Kashrut is the whole "science" about dietary laws for observant Jews. I am Jewish but I do not keep kosher. Hechsher - that's the "logo/stamp" from the rabbinical authority. On the "whipped cream spread" picture you see an U in an O and next to it a D: that's the hechsher of the Orthodox Union in America and the D stands for dairy. A P (parve) means neither dairy nor meat and hence goes with anything.
My Rebbetzin (wife of my Rabbi) and I were very close friends but it was very difficult to host her in my place. She would eat an apple or mandarins or anything (raw) fruit or vegetable since this is always kosher. Sometimes I would serve Häagen-Dacz ice cream with berries or such. Häagen-Dacz carries the Orthodox Union Hechsher even here in Germany. I served it with one-way-spoons in one-way bowls etc. Sadly she died of Covid.
@Meg in SoTX,
Those rare times when I have leftover liquid heavy cream to put in my coffee....(swoon)....so yummy. I try not to think of the calorific-ness and just enjoy. 🙂
@Ingrid, I like the whip cream 35% (not whipped) in my coffee. We switched to this when I saw that the flavoured Coffee creamer alternatives had too many chemicals for my liking. So it's either chemicals or fat, which one will kill me quicker? (rhetorical).
@Lea, Kristen has strawberries and blueberries above. Those are pretty standard berries in the US, along with raspberries. Sometimes you'll see blackberries as well, more seasonally. My supermarket currently has those along with goldenberries, which I've never had before. We don't see gooseberries or currants much in the US.
@Lea, I have always wondered what "half and half" was - I assumed it was a low-fat milk. Here in Ireland we just have cream - it's sometimes called double cream or whipping cream - but it's just cream!
@Joan from Dublin, extremely simple to make your own half and half; the “recipe” is right in the name! I like to use half and half in cooking when recipes call for heavy cream. Not only less caloric, but less expensive; and also a tad “lighter” but still rich. ( example: au gratin potatoes)
@Lea, thank you for the explanation. I had never noticed those markings before.
I'm sorry you lost your friend to Covid.
@Lea,
I'm looking at my carton of Aldi half & half and it says the fat content is 3.5 grams. It's 40 calories per 2 T serving. Aldi does have a fat-free h&h but it contains sugar if I remember correctly. Once I discovered that I switched to only buying the regular type.
We only buy Aldi's European chocolate these days. Very tasty and without some of the additives in US versions. Also, the bags of avocados are a good deal. Usually about 5 or 6 to a bag. I leave them on the counter to start ripening and then use or refrigerate, one by one.
@Gardengoddess42, We love the European chocolate from Aldi.
@Gardengoddess42, @Beverly, is there a specific brand name for the European chocolate? What is the % of cacao in the kind you buy?
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
Moser Roth and Choceur are the main Aldi brands. Both made in Germany I believe. Chocolate bars range in %s. We usually buy the plain 72% dark chocolate. But there is also a range of milk and white chocolate and various additions such as nuts or flavorings. At Christmas they usually have Belgian truffles which are delicious. I buy several boxes and freeze some and gift some.
I'll have to check out the cheese crisps. I didn't realize they were just cheese, with no additives. That would be a nice protein option for my daughter to keep in her dorm room. I think your prices are slightly lower than ours in Michigan--avocados are 69 cents on sale but generally run a bit higher, as does butter (which is on sale for $3.49/pound this week, but I think typically it's over $4/pound--that being said, I generally stock up on it and freeze it during holiday seasons, when it's on sale). Isn't Aldi's hummus delicious? Mmmmm.
@Kris, I haven’t tried Aldi’s hummus because I make my own. Thanks for the tip about it! And butter at Aldi’s here in Central Calif. is $4/lb. which is typical regardless of the store (but the only other one I go to is Winco, so what do I know of “typical"??)
We are also an Aldi family. However, we do not like their brand of cheese. It says extra sharp or even the sharp one for cheddar, and it is not. So we usually just buy a name brand (Kerry) that they have there. We do get the crumbled Feta and Goat Cheese as those taste fine and are perfect in salads or as part of dinner.
We have also been trying a rice crisp chip. My husband said to stop buying the plain ones because he can't stop eating them, even with the single serve size of roasted red pepper humus. I like the chili flavored ones. The single serve humus and guacamole are perfect for individuals.
My husband is also a canned seltzer drinker. The 12 packs used to be as cheap as $1.89 last year. Now they are up to $3.99 a 12 pack! And that's the Aldi brand, not a name brand. I am going to chalk it up to the price of aluminum going up; but it's still cheaper than a name brand.
@Maureen,
I get a brick of Chedder cheese from Aldi and it's nice and sharp.
@Maureen, Oh, yes, I forgot to mention the canned seltzers! We like them in my home and think they have a nice level of flavor and are just great! Sighing with you at their price increase.
The prices on the produce that you purchased are amazing! I paid $2.29 for a hot house cucumber and $1.69 for an avocado at Trader Joe's.
We do not have an Aldi nearby. The grocery store choices in a 5-mile radius are all on the expensive side: Publix, Fresh Market, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods. Many years ago, I made the 15-mile, 45-minute trip into Aldi through hellacious traffic, but the most of the produce was rotten. I only bought a few things, and I've never been back. However, looking at your haul, I think that I may give it another try.
I do make a monthly trip to Costco. I buy Daisy cottage cheese which comes in 3-pound containers for $5.19, half-n-half for $2.29, GF bread for $4 a loaf, and other things that we eat in larger quantities that store well.
@Bee, do you have any tips on storing cottage cheese? I live far from grocery stores, so I stock up when I go, which makes it very disappointing when stuff goes bad before we finish it.
Turn unopened containers upside down in the fridge! I have read this creates a vacuum seal that helps deter the growth of bacteria. It also works for unopened sour cream or yogurt. 🙂
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I store my extra containers just as Kristen suggests. On the Daisy container, it is also suggested that you avoid contamination and use a clean spoon. For example, don’t serve canned fruit and then use the same spoon to serve the cottage cheese. Also smooth the top of the cottage cheese after serving.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, @Kristen
Kristen, have you tried this? Interesting suggestion! I've noticed that the greek yogurt container from Aldi has a very loose-fitting lid and I think the contents might leak...?
Only when it’s unopened! So the plastic seal keeps the product in.
Great post Kristen! Thanks for the info on the Maxx bars and the Cheese Crisps - I want to try those! Also, @JNL, I hope to find that peanut butter you mentioned. Some of my shopping habits have changed since the number of people I'm shopping for at home has shrunk from 5 to 3. When everyone was home, I mostly shopped at Aldi, and bought only a few things from other stores. Now, it just depends on what I need to get, and where I'm running errands. All of that being said, I do prefer to know where my food is coming from. We buy our beef and pork from a farmer, and my milk, eggs, and butter come from my local Stewart's shop. Chicken and some fish usually comes from Hannaford, a grocery store chain by me. I do not like to buy those products from Aldi or Walmart, but I do buy frozen seafood and chicken sausage from Aldi and Hannaford. Side note - my son love the round, breaded, frozen chicken patties ( my family calls them 'chicken pucks') from Aldi, so I buy those when I'm there. Also, I try to eat clean(er) when possible. An example of that is that I eat a lot of cottage cheese, and recently started eating Daisy brand because it only has 3 ingredients. Good Culture is another brand I like. Aldi does not sell those brands, so that's on my list for Hannaford. In the past I bought oatmeal at Aldi or the store brand from Hannaford, but then I read about the levels of glyphosphate in oats, and just the other day I bought a bag of Bob's Red Mill brand oats. Definitely not frugal in the short term, but hopefully a more healthful choice for my future. Plus, now that I'm buying for fewer people, I feel like I can spend more for the quality I want. That's a sad but true reality about affording groceries for families. Another thing is that I prefer to buy canned goods that have BPA free lining, so that will influence what/where I buy those. My produce comes from many sources, depending on where I'm shopping. In the summer, I eat my homegrown vegetables, or from farmer's markets when possible. That also can get pricey, but I like supporting local farmers. I know I can't always control where my food comes from or what's in it, but I try my best.
@Price Chopper shopper, hannaford! I’m guessing you live in Maine? Their grocery bags are my favorite.
@Caitlie, hello from New York ;-). It's nice to hear from you!
@Price Chopper shopper, aww I was sort of close! 🙂
I am swooning over those prices! We don't have an Aldi anywhere near us. My choices are Walmart, City Market (Kroger), and Safeway. I always enjoy seeing other people's grocery hauls. I'm nosy that way.
@Cindi, are you one of those people who inspects the contents of other people’s grocery carts??
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, (Blushing.) I must confess, I am guilty of this.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, when my daughter was about three she was inspecting someone’s cart contents and loudly proclaimed “Look at all that junk food!”
I bet she was quietly wishing that was her cart. Ha.
@Mary, Kids are hilariously honest sometimes.
I'm a sucker for nearly all Aldi's bakery offerings, especially if they have the big red markdown stickers on them! I haven't bought any of their cakes, but can vouch for the quality and taste of most of their pastries, cookies and breads. Their ciabatta and pretzel rolls are especially good and I've recently been getting their croissants 6/.99 which make great breakfast sandwiches and are also very good stuffed with chocolate chips! 😉
No Aldi near me, unfortunately. Winco is the least expensive store in my area which I love for many reasons, but especially the bulk foods section. Why spend $6 on a jar of spices when you can pay 45 cents? I also like being able to get just a cup full of beans, exactly enough cake flour for a recipe, or just a few pieces of candy to satisfy a craving.
The prices on the things at Wicno seem somewhat comparable to what Kristen paid. A few cents more on some things. A few cents less on others.
I love speculoos cookies but had to buy 2 or 3 jars of cookie butter before realizing that I just don't like cookie butter! Apparently I kept giving it to a friend for her son and she was like, why do you keep buying this if you don't like it? Haha.
We really like Aldi's hummus. My family uses it on carrots and tortillas for the most part. The canned Seltzer is also a great deal; I buy that for my husband for work. My husband likes their 12 grain bread, and the wide loaf wheat is tasty ( toasted with peanut butter - yum!)
However, I noticed the prices ate very similar to Walmart for the other things I typically buy, so I don't often do a big shop at Aldi.
I like the black pepper whole wheat crackers a lot, especially with Aldi goat cheese. I also love the mocktail cans (loved them even more I got pregnant!), they have a margarita one that is delicious.
I buy most of my dairy straight from farms, and it is much more expensive, but I consider it worth it, at least until it gets just too darn high. I have bought butter in stores and from Azure Standard a good bit - the dairy farmer charges almost $20 a pint for his admittedly delicious cultured butter, and I just can't do that.
I've shopped Aldi a few times, but I don't often find much on my list there, and the biggest thing is, it is way across town in the town where I work and normally shop. However, Aldi is replacing the Winn Dixie in the town where I live, so I will likely shop more there, especially after I retire. I had their bananas once, and I don't know what was wrong, but they were awful. Cardboard-y. I haven't tried them again.
I will be traveling tomorrow and likely not checking in, so I will just throw some thanksgivings in here. If I get a chance to check in later, I will, but I'm not counting on it.
1. Thankful for my mother, whose birthday was Monday. She was a good match for my father - they were best friends and were married 59 years. She grew up in poverty and she had to be frugal her whole life, but she strove to make it an enjoyable life for her family. She sacrificed for us constantly. She was given a medically resistant staph infection during surgery when I was three. She almost died (back in the days when no one sued for that) and she suffered a bizarre range of illnesses and health events constantly after that, up to and including a bite from a brown recluse spider that made her quite ill. The secret thing that few people knew was that she was an amateur poet. She wrote hundreds of poems and sometimes included them in birthday cards to kids and grandkids. They were pretty good, too! I'm thankful for her faith, her example, and her love.
2. I'm thankful for this trip to the beach starting tomorrow. We all needed it!
3. I'm thankful I got the dogs caught and put up before they caught the young little 'possum scrambling up the cypress tree in the back yard.
4. I'm thankful we finally had some rain yesterday afternoon, although the heat is still bad here. Our heat index/real feel was 119F yesterday before the rain.
5. I'm thankful I got the 2-foot rat snake away from the dogs this weekend before anyone got bitten (on either side). Hmm, I'm sensing a trend here.
@JD, thanks for your early thankfuls, especially your #1. Your mother reminds me in some ways of my maternal grandmother's mother--who accompanied her husband into the Florida bush to try to start a pineapple plantation back in the early 1900s, went with him to Orlando to open a grocery store in the early 1920s after the plantation folded, and got their money out of the local bank just before it folded in the FL bank panic that preceded the Great Depression. And then she "died on the table" (that's all I was ever told) during surgery in 1931. Infection of some sort might have played a role
But I digress. Again, I hope that you and your family enjoy your beach time.
Well this was enlightening. I thought I lived in a relatively low-cost area (NE Ohio), but our groceries are SO much higher than yours. I first compared my usual market (nicer, higher-end - Heinen's), and it was not surprisingly quite a bit more. I didn't total it up, but it probably would have cost $150-$175 for what you bought. So I thought, ok, let's see what the 'standard' grocery store (Giant Eagle) costs. It really wasn't much cheaper than Heinen's, which was very surprising to me.
So then I pulled up the local Aldi page to see prices, and even those are higher than your Aldi! Canned peaches, for example, are $1.45 compared to your 1.25. Cream cheese is 50c more here and cottage cheese is 30c more! Some are the same, but most are 10 - 50c more here. Even still, I might need to add Aldi into my shopping mix...
@Heather,
My son went to college in Cleveland, and I got to visit Heinens. What a lovely store!
Something's wrong here: you showed us what you bought but I don't see any stuffies.
Those dang kids went and grew up on us!!!
@Kristen, Maybe it’s time for your second childhood.
Some of your prices are lower than the ones at my Aldi, particularly the dairy products and canned fruit. I wish I could find canned mandarin oranges for $0.99! Even Walmart's brand is almost $2 now, and the Aldi version is $1.65.
Aldi has great prices on almond butter and dairy free "cheese" though, and the cheapest dairy free dark chocolate around. I also like to get staples like sugar and salt and beans and rice there. They have the lowest prices on canned tomatoes and sauce that I've found, and pretty good quality too.
@Elizabeth M, do you know the brand name and the cacao % of the chocolate you buy at Aldi?
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I like the Moser Roth 70% dark chocolate. It comes in a 4.4 oz box with 5 mini bars inside, perfect serving sizes. They also have other varieties like mint or orange almond that are very good.
In Northern California, we do not have an Aldi. I am happy to learn that Grocery Outlet in my town beats or matches most of your prices. I am about 90 miles from major cities and I know their G.O. are much higher and the supermarkets are outrageous. Winco here is great if I need an "everything" trip. Sam's club here for the best fruit which is outrageously good.
My college friends live in the cities within 90 miles and they don't understand how much more expensive their life is as a result. They poked fun of me often over the years about living in my clunky little town but it has really been a blessing to us.
@Mary Ann,
We love Grocery Outlet. Some great bargains there. They also seem to have a greater amount of plant based items than Aldi’s in my experience which has been helpful for us as we eat mainly plant based.
@Mary Ann,
I love small town life. My town used to be a pretty little beach town near a big city. Now the city has grown to meet us and people from all over the country have moved here. Life is not the same and everything is much more expensive than it used to be.
Aldi has become my favorite grocery, over H-E-B, in the past several years, although our drugstore's food and health food and energy drink sections often beat Aldi on various prices. Aldi has cheaper milk, which is my go-to; I'm talking about the regular stuff, Hiland brand milk, not the organic Mill-King brand because I can't afford $6.61 per gallon for the latter. (I also sometimes get H-E-B's cheapest Park Lane brand milk, hidden on the bottom of its dairy case. Or I get milk cheap at Walmart. But pay 3 to 4 bucks for a gallon of Hiland milk? Nope. Not me!)
Drug Emporium sells its cases of off-brand bottled water for $2.29 -- that's two dozen 16.9 oz.-size individual bottles, not half-sized bottles -- and Aldi's water is nowhere near that cheap. Aldi also does not have a good variety of Dr Pepper products so I often buy it at work (usually cheaper than Walmart) or hit the dollar stores for DP.
I do not like the Aldi version of Triscuits because they are often stale. I think our area's Aldi warehouse is near Houston, and the humidity gets to it. Also, all of their Clancy brand chips leave an icky coating of lard(?) in the back of my throat, so I buy some of the health food chips at Drug Emporium, brands such as Late July, Siete, Lesser Evil, etc. They taste good and are good for you, and usually cheaper than, say, Frito-Lay or Pringles products.
A very filling lunch are the big Calzones that Aldi sells for under $3. My favorite one is the 4 cheese flavor, although there are also pepperoni, buffalo chicken and Philly cheese steak versions. You plop it in your lunch sack, and then plop it in the microwave for a minute and you have a hot meal. Lots of times, I cut it in pieces and the puppy dog gets the leftovers that night.
I suspect that name-brand manufacturers are producing Aldi store brands. Methinks "Millville" could be General Mills. I know that Aldi's Friendly Farms milk products in this area are actually from Hiland Milk bc I saw the truck unloading one day.
Oh, and I forgot to add that no one beats Drug Emporium prices on that very important commodity around here: Blue Bell Ice Cream. H-E-B, Aldi and Walmart are all close to 10 bucks for a half gallon these days. DE's highest price for same is $7.49, but you can often find it for $5.99. It goes on sale every other Tuesday and stays lower for a week.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I know that Blue Bell ice cream is legend in TX, but those prices seem really high. I live on the East coast and we have some most excellent brands of ice cream, at least a few of which would probably rival BB, but we never pay over $3 for a half gallon (actually, most brands around here are now packaged in 48 oz containers, so if you're getting an actual half gallon, maybe that accounts for the higher price.)
@Fru-gal Lisa,
I live Drug Emporium for some things! There is one in Little Rock I go to. That is the go to place here for any perfume I want. Way cheaper than any other stores. And I just visit every section when I go to see what deals I can find.
I was just in the town of Hanford California in the Central Valley last week and I saw that they have an Aldi's. I was so jealous! I think that is the closest Aldi's to where I live, but that would be a 4-Hour Drive. LOL. I don't think so
@Allison, Hanford!! That’s the next county from me! They are known for Superior Dairy, a restaurant known for its buy ice cream. (I’ve never been.) There is a newish (1 year) Aldi in Visalia, and one in Porterville. Took for-freaking-ever to get one in Visalia. And it is a solid fact that Trader Joe’s refuses to come to our county. Weird.
Awwww...this reminds me of when I first started reading your blog and your adorable littles would spread out the food for your photo. Stuffed animals added for interest.
I know, right? And now they are all adults!
Wow! Thanks for sharing. I'm amazed at the prices compared to Kroger. I mainly shop at Kroger for the bonus fuel points and convenience (it's less than a block away).
I need groceries. I'm going to take my list and go to Aldi's tomorrow with my quarter and bags!
ps how much was the bread?
Oh shoot! I guess I didn't include those prices. I'll go back and add them. Graintastic was $4.19 and the other loaf was $1.89.
@Kathy M, I go to Aldi first and if some things are not available there, like distilled water for DH's CPAP machine, then I stop at Kroger. Kroger has a larger inventory in general, but also a much larger store. I like the size of the Aldo store as I shop quicker and get out sooner.
Our favorite thing to buy from Aldi is the jalapeno pizza dough balls. DH loves their crust and usually I can find it on sale for $1. Well worth it to buy it rather than make it at that price.
I also like their spaghetti sauce. I think it has a good flavor as a base to jazz up.
I also think their bacon is excellent, and at Easter I prefer their spiral cut hams to any other brand. It's very buttery and rich.
Golden Raisins
Steel Cut Oats
Canola Oil
All the breads
Hard Parmesan Cheddar
Salad dressings
Ketchup
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
So many other things!
I am mainly shocked (and have been for quite a while) at how inexpensive groceries in general are in the US. What others call « Whole Paycheque » are just regular grocery store prices for us.
Eggs are usually 6.99-7.49 for a dozen, 4.99 if you get a sale, 3.99 if you get a stock up sale; the cantaloupe would be 4.99, bananas usually 79c-99c /lb unless you get a good deal at 59c-69c…
Now I see why one of our national newspapers said we have the worst of both worlds: US working hours and Euro prices!
@Kate,
where do you live?
@Lea, big city Canada (although not Toronto or Vancouver)
@Kate, Look at the exchange rate between Canadian and US dollars. $5 Canadian is less in US dollars.
@Kristina, I am very familiar with the exchange rate! 4.99 CAD is 3.61 USD at today’s rate — a LONG way from Kristen’s 1.69 USD cantaloupe!!
We actually prefer the Graintastic Aldi bread over Dave's Killer Bread! If you're into Dave's, you should give it a shot. We buy a few loaves and freeze them and just pop them in the toaster...
So fun to see how different our carts would be! I am gluten free, full fat, no sugar or seed oils....so, nothing would be the same but a couple vegetables/fruit! I love seeing what others have in their carts! Thanks for sharing!
Oh, would you not buy butter? or the cheese crisps? Swiss cheese? cream cheese?
Or maybe you are dairy free!
We pay the "CA tax" -- so salt is 85 cents (+.18), sugar $3.45 (+.80), oil $5.25 (+.30), eggs almost $1 more per dozen...sigh
I'm late to the party on this one, since I'm ambivalent about Aldi. On the one hand, I snap up the Aldi specials on chicken drumsticks and boneless/skinless chicken whenever I get a chance; I've done well on their specials on basic veg (potatoes, carrots, etc.); their Arnold Bread look-alike is even better than Arnold, IMHO; and I'm always elated whenever I cop a 50% off deal on any meats or fish.
On the other hand, I'm wary about the issues NCA Katy has raised about Aldi's labor practices. And my nearest Aldi store (this is also true of my nearest Price Chopper) has become a hangout for unhoused persons who are getting increasingly aggressive about hassling shoppers. Although I'm sympathetic to their plight in principle, I'm uncomfortable with this as a single older woman in practice. Any thoughts?
I am not an expert on the labor practices (guess I need to do some reading! Do you have links?), but I can completely understand not wanting to shop at any store where you are faced with aggression.
Both of the Aldis that are nearest to me were built in areas that are rather bougie...I never expected to see an Aldi store in either of those zip codes, actually. At the one nearer my old house, though, there were definitely unhoused people who hung around. None of them were aggressive, though, and my kids liked giving them the quarter from our cart.
@Kristen, here's what I've turned up through some Googling. First, here's an explanation of the complex relationship between Aldi and Trader Joe's in the US (I had thought that the two were co-owned without complications by the same corporation):
https://tinyurl.com/bdfem3ne
And it seems that Trader Joe's, rather than Aldi, has gotten the majority of the recent heat in the US about bad labor relations. See, for example:
https://www.nlrb.gov/case/04-CA-358569
I can't come up with any recent hits re: Aldi labor practices, except for assorted complaints on Reddit. But here's Google's "AI overview":
Aldi's labor practices have been subject to scrutiny and legal challenges, particularly concerning wage and hour claims and employee classification. The company has faced accusations of underpaying employees, failing to pay overtime, and misclassifying store managers as exempt from overtime pay. There have also been allegations of preventing union activity and suppressing the election of employee representatives.
If NCA Katy knows more than I do about all this, I invite her to chime in.
Thank you! When I first started shopping at Aldi, I remember that they paid a fairly high hourly wage, and that they offered a benefits package for employees working as little as 20 hours a week. But I suppose that could have changed over time.
@A. Marie, I have a family member who worked for Aldi (8?) years ago and it was a toxic workplace. They worked for Trader Joe’s after that and found it to be a good workplace. As a result I have generally avoided shopping at Aldi except for special occasions (finding components for a charcuterie board for a crowd) because I don’t want to save money at the expense of Aldi workers.
I buy Aldi’s Bite Size Round Tortilla Chips ($1.79/13oz) as a side crunch for my daily salads.
I do use ShopRite Lowfat & No Salt Added Cottage Cheese (and no added sugar) as a 1/2cup serving is only 45mg of salt/16gm protein/90 cal about $3.69 for 24oz
This is awesome! Just the post I've been waiting for :). I want to be an Aldi shopper and this helps a lot! Thank you.
Dark chocolate covered freeze-dried strawberries. SO. GOOD. I had to stop buying them, because I canNOT control myself when I eat them. 🙂
These prices are very similar to my area (Ohio/US) although that price gave me pause! My typical trip is about $100-$150 depending on how much meat I find at our Aldi. I don’t buy much produce from our Aldi as it is always disappointing and spoils quickly in spite of prepping it for storage 🙁
@Jennifer, I too am generally not impressed with Aldi produce. I would rather pay more and buy less for better quality.
That oil price-was what I meant!
mmmm a comparison to Canadian prices: I am in Southern Ontario, about an hour north of the big city. Note I mostly shop at my budget grocery store (No Frills for the Canadians).
Butter, usually 5.99lb; I can sometimes get it on sale for 4.99lb.
Eggs (12) $4.99 to $5.99 dozen, but these are the expensive cage free ones. I buy Local eggs, free run Omega-3 (18) white eggs for $9.99. The brown eggs are $10.27 thereabouts. I have a friend with a farm, and the only difference between brown eggs and white eggs, is brown chickens as opposed to white chickens. I don't get why they charge more for brown eggs.
Bread: I buy an artisan whole wheat sourdough loaf for HB @ $8.99. Since I am having "issues with bread", for myself I buy the Artisan spelt loaf at $8.99. (at the expensive market walking distance from my house).
Vine tomatoes usually 1.99lb: as the local crops come available, the price will drop to .99lb.
Avocado's: at my budget store, $1.99 each. At the "very expensive" market walking distance from me, they charge $6.99 for an avocado! "shakes my head". Note that I buy my artisan bread from this store. Grocery store bread has too many chemicals in them IMO.
Cherries, $2.99lb or 3.99lb. My budget store had them for $1.88lb, but they were just awful, so I went to the Asian store and got them for $2.69lb, they were delicious.
There are 8 grocery stores in a 1 to 1.2km radius from me, again "shakes my head", is this really necessary....
We don't have Aldi in my town -- in fact Google tells me there is no Aldi in all of Oregon. Also, there are two divisions of Aldi, and one of them operates Trader Joe's in the US. We do have a Trader Joe's. I know it's pure heresy to say this LOL but I am not all that impressed with Trader Joe's.
I'm with Katy on Winco as a discount grocery store because 1) they are open 24 hours which is really helpful when you work nights like I do 2) they have a good selection of most things, and mostly less expensive than the corporate grocery stores here in Bend. The other discount grocery store here is Grocery Outlet, they are less expensive as well but often have some really strange brands IMO
I recently did a grazing table/charcuterie board for a friend’s milestone birthday open house. Her experienced neighbor helped me shop at Aldi for several items including their assorted (6 kinds/shapes) cracker packages ($3.99 and tasty), cheeses (the flavored goat cheeses, especially the blue berry were a hit along with some hard cheeses) and salami wrapped cheese logs.
I had heard that Aldi was a great place for supplies for charcuterie boards and they did not disappoint.
This was enlightening and comforting to me, thank you. After living outside the US for several years, my friends have been scaring me talking about prices, which has made me a little afraid to return. Produce is relatively more expensive here in Japan, and there is a lot more plastic involved. However, everything one buys is top-notch quality.
@Marissa, I had a wonderful trip to Japan a few years ago and noticed excellent, clean markets and stunning produce. It is because Japanese shoppers won't buy anything else, perhaps? A lot of grocery costs depend on what you buy, and how adamant you are about organic and additive issues. There are several conservation groups that publish advice about the cleanest produce and fish, active co-ops, and farmers' markets and outlets that help you find your way. It can be very educational to return after a long absence and do a survey of your local options. We have done it after several sabbaticals (one-year absences), and it was helpful to visit the new stores as well as the old favorites. You can assess the inventory, the services, the premises and clientele, and compare their weekly ads. Groceries operate on very slender profit margins, 2 to 3% I think, so it is not obvious how they assign prices. Your own life patterns also make a difference. For example, if you buy all organic foods and have them delivered, you are going to pay as much as twice what the non-organic shopper pays in person, although driving time and cost may also be a factor. We save a lot of money by keeping a small chest freezer in addition to the one that is part of our refrigerator. It helps a lot when there are 2 for 1 specials or when our small household (2 adults) can't eat through a large quantity.
Couple things really stand out for me at Aldi: a huge bag of fresh spinach for $1.49 and a 30 oz. jar of Berman's mayo (tastes just like Hellman's) was $3.49 the last time I bought it.
Your Aldi prices look similar to mine in central Ohio. We love the Aldi ice creams and gelatos, and the low fat ice creams. I buy produce, eggs, dairy, meats, baking goods, cereals, breads, and recently the natural tortilla chips--delicious. Some of their plants are thriving in our garden, and I enjoy the Aisle of Shame for household goodies.
We recently visited Canada and noticed quite a price differential because of the comparative strength of the Canadian dollar to the US dollar. So comparing, estimate Canadian prices to seem high because they exchange high with the US dollar. Ten dollars Canadian was valued at about $7.50 US. When traveling, I'm the mathematician!
bagged tuna is $1,50 in target. everything is more expensive in manhattan. i only recently discovered bagged tuna. i really like the terriyaki flavor and the deli tune. there is no aldi in manhattan and wegman's is super expensive. i like trader joe's and c town. there are two trader joe's in my neighborhoor. good luck on you first nursing position. can't wait to hear about it. as always thanks for the chiquita photos.
i couldn't stand my grey hair anymore so i finally got it colored at my m-i-l's stylist. i love it. i am a blonde again. i slept on my hair and it still looks good. the mark of a good stylist. i had been coloring my hair since i was 16. was so unhappy with my last coloring that i spent the last year growing it out to start again.
the cut was about $30 more expensive than i used to pay but the color was $150 less. So not too bad.
We are in middle GA and I have about an hour drive to 3 Aldi stores (in different cities). We get the sour dough bread and freeze it, as we are a small household as well. I enjoy getting different cheeses because we are cheese lovers. Other items that are regular for us: cream cheese, whole milk plain yogurt, kettle chips, and the tubes of Ginger and Garlic in the spice section- LOVE these, so convenient to cook with. Occasionally, olive oil, avocado oil, crackers and nuts. Wish we had one closer, I'd rather shop there than Walmart.
I just discovered their pizza dough. Great price and taste. We used to get it at Trader Joe's, but it hasn't tasted as good recently. I don't shop there weekly but have been impressed with the produce section. The strawberries have been very good this year.
Wow your Aldi prices are so much cheaper than ours in Australia- and Aldi is still cheaper than our other supermarkets. So fascinating to see the different products they sell in the US compared to Australia. Im surprised your eggs don’t seem to specify if they are cage, barn laid or free range. Perhaps that’s just an Aussie thing. Regardless our eggs are double the cost of yours (even the cage ones). So interesting to get a peak into someone else’s grocery basket, thanks for sharing. 🙂
Kristen, you turned me on to those Aldi (Savoritz) cheese crisps. Oh my gosh, those are so good! And a nice, quick source of protein, too. I buy a number of your same other finds as well. But oh, those cheese crisps! 🙂
I love Aldi!! The "steam in bag" frozen veggies are best price anywhere, and the Simply Nature Organic Pasta sauce has few/clean ingredients at $2.49 a jar!! Their cheese selection is superior, and I have loved all of their boxed crackers I have tried - at less than half the price of regular grocers!
I don't want to tell you about this chocolate, but I love you all, so...
Choceur Chocolate Mini Bars!!!
5 in a pack and I actually haven't done the math but they seem like a good price. Nice little bars for including in small gifts or helpful for portion mindfulness.
The only issue is that they seem to come to each Aldi store in a multipack mixed with white, milk, and dark chocolate options. My store ALWAYS runs out of dark (my fav) quickly, and is left with rows and rows of white chocolate which "nobody" wants. So if you like white chocolate, here's your pro tip 😉
The dupe Rx bars (Maxx) IMO are better than the brand name! Tastier and cheaper.