Better Deals at Grocery Stores

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does Aldi carry the same/similar items as costco? How is the quality of the meat and poultry? Do they have fish? We need 93% lean meat and only eat wild fish.

I don't purcahse meat/fish from Aldi, but find the produce ok (sometimes they even have organic fruit/veggies). I primarily buy things like crackers (their brand tastes just ,like name brand), cheese, chips, bread, bagels, and pasta. I find the produce to be more of a deal in the winter - pineapples for 1.99, bags of organic apples for $5, etc.

[Anonymous]

I shop the Aldi on New Hampshire Ave. It is a German chain. I save major $$ on produce, dairy, shelf items (crackers, cereal, baking staples, tuna, etc.). The other great thing about Aldi is that, because they only sell their house brand, the time spent comparing brands/selection is greatly reduced. The store is fairly compact as a result, saving time. Some things I don't buy there--bread, coffee, tea. But in just about every other category, Aldi is a major savings strategy for my family. And not at the expense of healthful eating.

[Anonymous]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/12/02/aldi_grocery_store_best_in_america_related_to_trader_joe_s.html

The above is an article about Aldi.
One brother owns Trader Joe's and the other owns Aldi.
The items are quality and you are getting deals because the store is low frills and private label items.

[Anonymous]

They're opening an Aldi in Fairfax, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're opening an Aldi in Fairfax, too.

Looks like it might already be open?

http://beltwaybargainmom.com/2014/09/new-aldi-store-opening-fairfax-va/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're opening an Aldi in Fairfax, too.

Looks like it might already be open?

http://beltwaybargainmom.com/2014/09/new-aldi-store-opening-fairfax-va/

Ooh, thanks. I'll have to check it out!

[Anonymous]

I just browsed through the weekly ad and the prices seem similar to Trader Joe's. Am I missing something?

http://weeklyads.aldi.us/Aldi/BrowseByPage/Index/?StoreID=2624195&PromotionCode=Aldi-140924INSc&PromotionViewMode=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just browsed through the weekly ad and the prices seem similar to Trader Joe's. Am I missing something?

http://weeklyads.aldi.us/Aldi/BrowseByPage/Index/?StoreID=2624195&PromotionCode=Aldi-140924INSc&PromotionViewMode=1

Aldi's is cheaper than Trader Joe's. And the overall stock/products they sell aren't organic/natural/no preservatives/no artificial colors, etc. A lot of their food is generally comparable to a regular grocery store but it's packaged under an "Aldi" name like Clancy's, Fit and Simple, etc, but their prices are cheaper than even store-brand, mainstream supermarket prices. For example, they have their own brand round crackers that are similar to Ritz crackers but are under their own name brand. Ritz might be $2.99 at Giant. Giant's store brand might be $2.29, and Aldi's brand will be $1.69. This product is different than Trader Joe's product in that Trader Joe's round crackers wouldn't have hydrogenated oils like Ritz and storebrand and Aldi crackers do.

Having said that, Aldi's does have a small line of organic items and some "natural" items that would meet Trader Joe's requirements to sell in their store. But overall, it is a smaller section of the store. When I shop Aldi's I read labels very, very closely. For example, their tortillas, I won't touch with a 10-foot pole - full of ingredients I cannot pronounce. I only buy those at TJ's or Whole Foods. Other things are good, like some pasta they sell that is from Germany and contains one ingredient - semolina and costs $1.29 or thereabouts. Their produce is often very, very cheap, especially their specials (they are often out of them by the end of the day). For example, when grapes were $2.99 a pound earlier this year, Aldi's was selling 2-pound packages for $2.99 or similar. Their flyer you linked shows pineapple for $1.49. I don't think I've ever seen that anywhere else.

TL;DR - If you are on a very tight budget and don't read labels, Aldi's is great one-stop shop for feeding your family for cheap. If you are just trying to save money but read labels, then Aldi's is good for SOME products but not all.

[Anonymous]

I am glad that people are finally realizing that Costco isn't the best deal for everyone. Costco is nice for many things, but you should not buy everything there. Plus, if you did buy everything there, it would get old really fast with the limited selection. Might as well get low prices elsewhere but have more options to choose from.

I just feel like so many people just blindly walk into Costco and do the bulk of their shopping, while telling themselves they are saving all of this money. And they are not. They end up paying a lot of money to have a ton of food they have to store in their house and freezer, limited selection, and not necessarily the best prices.

[Anonymous]

Another Aldi lover here. Supplement with Costco for a few items but do bulk of shopping at Aldi with a quick stop for herbs and tofu at the grocery store.

[Anonymous]

Aldi is great for staples like cereal (we like their frosted mini wheats cereal better than the name brand), milk, eggs, bread, baking supplies, etc. Meat is not always super great quality but for something like 80-20 ground beef that you're using in tacos or whatever, I don't think it matters too much. When produce is fresh, it's good too. Aldi's prices are SO cheap on bananas, lettuce, onions, and apples, it's ridiculous. Just make sure everything is fresh and not old.