Saving a ton of money at the grocery store | ALDI

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Our grocery budget is $80/week. Crazy right? 5 people (well, 4 and one that only gets breastmilk)….and we keep within our budget because we use cash (we do purchase our ground beef and chicken separately). We do this by shopping at ALDI.

ALDI

I have to admit, when a friend told me she shopped there, I was shocked. I thought that ALDI was a store where they sold “seconds” items. I couldn’t be further from the truth. With the exception of one or two things we’ve purchased, everything is awesome. ALDI exclusive brands are manufactured by many of the nation’s leading food producers, and in the ALDI test kitchen, ALDI ensures that products meet or exceed the quality and taste of the national name brands. And, if you do have a problem, all ALDI food products are backed by a Double Guarantee: If for any reason a customer is not 100 percent satisfied with any ALDI food product, ALDI will gladly replace the product and refund the purchase price. 

Inside ALDI

Along with a couple other media, I went and had a tour with the ALDI people of one of the newest ALDI locations in Atlanta. I was so surprised at how much they think of everything.

  • Ergonomic chairs for cashiers
  • UPC codes all over packages so the cashiers don’t have struggle with scanning
  • A great starting pay and benefits
  • Concern about costs at every corner (from flooring to HVAC to shelving and more).

Just an example of the savings while I was there. Avocados were $0.59. They were over $1.00 at another local store. Take a look at the chocolate pricing. Most of it imported and over half the price of other stores.

ALDI

Some of the other qualities of all ALDI stores.

  • Customers can find the majority of their average weekly shopping list at ALDI, including fresh meats, fruits, vegetables and bakery items. 
  • Smart shoppers have found that switching from national brands to ALDI exclusive brands can save them up to 50 percent on more than 1,400 of the most commonly purchased grocery items. 
  • The ALDI store model realizes tremendous operating cost savings and efficiencies that are passed directly to customers via everyday low prices. ALDI takes a simple approach to retailing, including:
  • Consistent store layout: 
  • Four to five aisles (compared to more than 30 at other grocers) 
  • Approximately 10,000 square feet of retail space per store 
  • Spacious checkouts 
  • Uncluttered, 8-feet wide aisles 
  • No hidden costs: No in-store banking, pharmacies, bagging clerks, check cashing, photo processing or other non-essential grocery store services 
  • Open carton displays 
  • Shopping cart rental system: Customers use a quarter to retrieve a cart and get a quarter refunded when they return the cart to the corral at the end of their shopping trip 
  • Cash and debit: No credit card or check-cashing fees passed on to customers 
  • Atlanta Store hours: Typically 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon. – Sat., and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun.  

Honestly, we’ve been shopping at ALDI for over a year now and we can just see the cost savings. And, it’s not at the cost of taste or quality. You should have seen the looks on people’s faces as they walked around the store and saw how much they could be saving by shopping there. They were shocked…and mad that they weren’t shopping there!

Don’t forget your bags and your quarter…leave your credit cards at home.

*I received a couple samples of ALDI groceries to thank me for my time. We really do shop there and appreciate our savings.

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25 Comments

  1. I have never shopped at Aldi and I can’t believe you only spend 80 bucks a week. I spend 125 a week and feed 4 people I could be saving I think I will give them a try.

    1. Yes, you should give it a try..then let me know how much you save!

  2. grandma Pat says:

    i had the pleaseure of going shopping with Mr. Serious and the girls one Saturday at Aldi and was very impressed. I also got to enjoy their food while visiting. They need to open an Aldi in west Houstn for sure. I would definately shop there. Bagging your own groceries is better for the environment also.

  3. I enjoyed going there on my last visit. I wish they had one in Houston…preferably the Mission Bend/Sugarland area 🙂

  4. The closest one to me is about 8 miles away, close to my Mom’s. I’ll have to check it out!

    Thanks for the tips.

    Kindness is the best accessory,
    Rebecca

    1. That’s pretty darn close! Check it out and then count your savings!

  5. I always forget about Aldi’s! Thank you for reminding during a time when I’m trying desperately to reduce spending (I’m out of work right now, ugh!). Every little bit of savings will help. I’m headed to Aldi’s next week! We have one the next town over.

    1. So, did you save a ton? I hope so! It’s helped us save a lot.

  6. we wouldn’t eat without shopping at Aldi! They are totally affordable and a GREAT place to shop!

    1. Exactly! We would have to eat rice and beans all the time!

  7. Bekah Kuczenski says:

    I love aldis you can find some great products that taste as good or better than name brand!

    1. So many things are so awesome there…and do taste even better.

  8. I don’t think we have Aldi’s in Texas. I wonder what a comparable store would be? Does Aldi’s have a gluten free section?

    1. No, no Aldi’s in Texas…I’m from there and my mom and sister live there and they are so very jealous. I mentioned it to the Aldi people and they tell me it’s one of their next markets…so here’s to crossing my fingers.

      I know HEB used to be cheaper, but I don’t think it is anymore…and Fiesta. I can’t think of anything comparable.

      And, I don’t think they have gluten free section. We don’t do gluten free so I’ve never looked before.

      1. Thanks for the tip…I’ll have to let my family know, too!

  9. Anti-Supermom says:

    I was shocked when you said you shopped there too. Maybe I’m the friend? Not important 🙂

    And honestly, I remember being worried about telling people I shop there a few years ago… silliness, it’s awesome!

    Things I love: that I can shop in less than a hour, door to door, that I *don’t* have multiple choices, it just cuts downs my time a ton, that it’s only 4 aisles and I know where everything is. I don’t need coupons, and I’m still getting the best deal out there.

    And if you don’t like anything you bought, bring it back… 150%.

    There is no way I could afford to feed our family any other way.

    1. Nope, you aren’t the friend…well, you are a friend, but not the one I’m talking about:)

      It is silly, isn’t it? I’ve gotten over that. I also tell people that the hubby and I only get $20/month/person to spend on whatever we want, or “blow money.” And, that’s it. Then, they wonder why we don’t go out to lunch all the time.

      Yes, it’s so much faster and easier to shop there. I especially love the no coupon part. I tried couponing and 1 it’s time consuming and 2 it’s almost always for crap that comes in a package.

  10. Was I the shock who told you a couple years ago? Still love it…..moved up to $100 week budget for fully eating family of five and it is very do-able there!

    1. Nope, not you, either:) Pretty sure we’ll be at $100 soon, too!

  11. I’ve been a HUGE fan of Aldi since they came to the Atlanta area. I often try to cut coupons at traditional grocers, but have found that I can nix that with Aldi and save even more money as well as time. To me, time is often more important than money, but with Aldi I can accomplish BOTH!

  12. We used to shop there, but since they don’t sell organic foods making different trips to different grocery stores sometimes it’s hard, but whenever I can I still make a trip there!

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