There are dozens of ALDI Food Markets in the Twin Cities area. They’re small, no-frill super(small)markets with mostly their own brands of grocery and household items. Soon we’ll discuss the top ten great buys at ALDI-Food Market.
The first time I shopped in one was in 2007, before the recession really hit. I was not impressed. There were only a few shoppers, the store seemed “low-class” and I didn’t recognize any of the food brands. I left without buying anything.
Then as the recession began, I checked it out again, to see if there were a few items worth buying to save a little money for my growing family (our first child was born in 2008). I bought a few things and was pleasantly surprised – the prices were lower than anything else, and the quality was just as good as anywhere else (at least of the items I bought).
I continue to shop at other stores, especially SuperTarget. But in the past few years I’ve shopped more and more at ALDI and have been thrilled with how much $$ I’ve saved.
One note – I’m VERY health-minded. I buy organic and natural products whenever I can. ALDI has a few of these items, including a “Fit and Active” line of lower-fat, more healthful products. I won’t buy white pastas, sugary cereals, and anything with a lot of ingredients I don’t recognize. So I won’t be listing items in those categories, but ALDI does have plenty of foods to please everybody.
Here is a list of TEN great buys at ALDI-Food Market that I’ve come up with:
1. MILK = $2.49-2.59 a gallon. Skim = $2.49, 2% = $2.49, Whole = $2.59.
2. Bread = $1.69 a loaf. Only recently have I started buying bread at ALDI because all their bread used to contain high fructose corn syrup – a No-No! in our house. Now it doesn’t contain any. I now buy the 12 grain or whole wheat bread.
3. Potatoes = $2.89 for a 10-lb bag of russet potatoes, or $1.99/5-lb bag of red potatoes.
4. Flour and sugar = $1.50/5-lb bag of all-purpose flour, and $2.98/5-lb bag of granulated sugar. I bake a lot at home. I buy whole wheat flour elsewhere since ALDI doesn’t carry it.
5. Frozen juice = $1.29/12-ounce can of 100% orange juice, and $.92/12-ounce can of 100% apple juice. They have other varieties including grape.
6. Fresh Pineapple = $1.49-$2.49. Their fresh pineapple often goes on sale for $1.49 or so. I’ve never seen it more than $3 or so. It is usually $3.99-4.99 elsewhere.
7. Cheese = $1.99 for a brick of cheddar. I just bought three of the “Wisconsin Extra Sharp Cheddar” that I had never seen before. There are other varieties including colby and mozzarella.
8. Frozen fish = $2.99 & up. We eat a lot of fish in our house. I bought a 1-pound 3-oz box of “Fit and Active” Reduced-Fat fish sticks for $2.99. I’ve also bought frozen “wild-caught” salmon for under $5 that’s been great.
9. Whipped light cream = $1.49. Comparable to Reddi-Whip. Gotta have whipped cream for homemade waffles, pancakes & ice cream!
10. Canned vegetables = $.59 for a 14.5-15 oz can. I stock up on canned green beans, sweet peas and cream corn.