I’m so excited to talk about a store that I love dearly – Aldi! If you are unsure about Aldi or on the fence, then I hope this post will be helpful. I’m excited to share my favorite items you need to buy at Aldi. After reading, maybe you’ll consider taking the plunge too!
For years, I’d heard frugal fanatics rave about Aldi. Since I had never heard of it, I thought they were a little too obsessed. I was perfectly content to keep shopping at my normal grocery store. I read all those articles about how Aldi was saving them so much money, but I was doing just fine using my coupons and shopping all the sales at other stores.
A little less than two years ago, all of that changed. After hearing about Aldi for so long, a local store finally opened up in my area. That meant I could finally check it out for myself. Let’s just say that I was hooked after my very first visit! I love so many of the items at Aldi that it’s actually pretty hard for me to narrow it down. But since I’ve been shopping there for a while now, I feel pretty confident telling you about my favorite items you need to buy at Aldi.
MY FAVORITE ITEMS YOU NEED TO BUY AT ALDI
1. Milk
I don’t think any store in my area can match the milk prices at Aldi. And since I’ve never seen a sale or coupon for milk, I need to save as much as I can. We go through a good amount of milk in our home!
2. Eggs
Up until we started shopping at Aldi, my husband was dead set on us raising chickens for eggs. He is a big egg eater and was frustrated that eggs had been going up in price. He hasn’t mentioned chickens since Aldi came to town! (By the way, this is an older picture. Eggs were $0.66 when I went this week.)
3. Bread
Fancy multi-grain breads are not in our budget (although I wish they were!). We love the basic white and whole wheat breads at Aldi and use them for all our sandwiches.
4. Baby wipes
I buy our diapers at CVS by playing the drug store game, but I always buy our wipes from Aldi. They are high quality and the cheapest I have found.
5. Produce picks of the week
No matter the store, I tend to buy produce based on what is on sale for the week. Aldi is no different, although their picks of the week are even cheaper than other stores! I’ve purchased baby carrots for $0.50 and whole butternut squashes for $0.99 buy waiting until they are a “pick of the week.”
Some people don’t like Aldi’s produce, but I’ve never had a problem. As with any produce, double check it to make sure it looks good before you purchase. And if you do have a problem, take advantage of their double guarantee.
6. Butter
This is another item that I used to cringe when I had to buy at other grocery stores. It always seemed like it was rarely on sale. Butter hovers around $2.50 per pound at my Aldi, which is a great price!
7. Toilet paper
I used to buy paper products at the drug store, but I’ve fallen in love with the toilet paper at Aldi. I get the kind in the purple package, which is similar to the Scott 1000 brand.
8. Paper towels
I love Bounty paper towels, but they are pricey. Aldi’s paper towels can give Bounty a run for their money! My father-in-law was visiting us recently and asked if the paper towels were Bounty. He was surprised when I told him they were the store brand from Aldi.
9. Ground beef
I buy other meats from Aldi too, but I always buy our ground beef there. I find that it’s always the cheapest place to find ground beef (I buy the kind that isn’t in the tubes). It’s even better when they slap a $2 off sticker on top!
10. Spices
I love using spices to cook, but sometimes those small jars are expensive! They may not have every single spice on the planet, but they have the main ones that I use and they are so much cheaper.
Since I really could go on and on about all the great items at Aldi, here is a list of other items that we routinely buy or that you might want to consider trying out for yourself.
Other Items:
- Baking supplies
- Organic items
- Gluten-free items
- Olive oils
- Frozen fruit & veggies
- Cereal
- Special buy items
- Seasonal items
- Specialty cheeses
- Hummus
- Peanut butter
- K-cups
- Pizza dough
Most of the people I talk to love Aldi, but there are some people who just can’t get into it. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I love their no frills, affordable everyday prices approach. Give them a try if they are in your area…but don’t forget your bags and your quarter! 😉
What items do you love at Aldi?
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I love Aldi! My local Aldi is currently closed for a month for renovating. Miss it but there’s another location in a neighboring town I can go to if needed. I do the bulk of our shopping there but some items I really like are their ever growing selection of gluten free/organic/nitate-free items, dairy products, and their pizzas. We don’t buy pizzas often but if I know we’re going to have an especially hectic day or week, I’ll throw one of their $5.99 pizzas into the cart and call it a day. Produce special buys are what I look for first when making my Aldi shopping list–such great prices. Our store has good quality produce too although I’ve heard that isn’t always the case.
I haven’t tried their pizzas, but I have heard good things. It’s so nice to have that option on busy days. I was also happy to see their nitrate-free bacon. They seem to work hard at improving, which is great! I hope your local Aldi store is done renovating soon!! — Sarah 🙂
I love Aldi, and I agree with all your buys. Honestly, I buy everything I can there.
I know, right? It was so hard to pick my top 10 because I love everything! –Sarah 🙂
Frozen and canned veggies! Typically, cheaper than other stores.
I totally agree, Jeana! I stocked up on some canned and frozen veggies just the other day! –Sarah 🙂
I can’t like this post enough!! Aldi has been AMAZING. I was reviewing some documents on our computer recently and realized our grocery budget is exactly what it was 4 years ago (despite the increase in grocery prices). I completely credit Aldi for allowing us to feed our family of 5 for the same amount we were spending when we had 1 toddler! Great post!
That’s so great you had those figures to compare. I’m pretty sure ours have stayed relatively the same too, and since I don’t have as much time to use coupons or shop at more than 1 store on a regular basis, I also attribute it to Aldi! Thanks for the encouragement, Aimee! 🙂
Ok, I have never been to Aldi! We just recently had one open in our area….what is it like and why do y’all love it so much?
I love Aldi! The stores are much smaller and they carry mostly Aldi brand items, so your selection is much more limited. I love it b/c it’s very affordable without needing to use coupons and they only have the basics. While I need some specialty items at other grocery stores, I love that I only have 1 (sometimes 2 at most) choices per item – makes my decision process much simpler. If you do go, make sure to bring a quarter (you have to put a quarter into the shopping cart but you get it back when you leave) and bring some reusable bags. Those are all ways they save on overhead and can pass the savings on to the consumer. hope that helps, Nancy!
I LOVE Aldi! Don’t forget the mexican section, and the pasta section, and stocking up on broths and canned tomato products of all varieties! ALL my pantry staples come from Aldi!
Yes! I buy tortillas, pastas, and so many other pantry items there too! Thanks for mentioning those!! –Sarah 🙂
I was a teacher’s wife back in the 70-80-90’s. At home. Tight budget. I used to spend grocery day running to all the stores with specials. Planned meals according to sales. My job was thrift. I really stretched the money. We salvaged, gardened and did without lots of extras. My husband’s co workers always asked him how we managed on just one teachers salary. He would say “I don’t know. My wife takes care of all that. ” they couldn’t believe it. We are now able to enjoy our winter home in Florida because of the thrift we practice. Hang in there everyone. You can do it.
Thank you so much for that encouragement, Carol! I often feel like saving money is my “day job.” I’m so glad all your hard work paid off in a home in Florida – how wonderful!! Have a great weekend! –Sarah 🙂
I’ve only been to Aldi twice in my life but was impressed both times. Now, we have one going in literally 3 minutes down the street. I’m going to check out your list and make it a regular stop!
Yeah! I’m so glad you will have one close. There really are many more items I could have listed! I vaguely remember seeing almond milk, so they might have some helpful items for your guys! 🙂
I love Aldi so much that if I had to move, an Aldi store in the neighborhood would be a must. I buy almost everything there, and I especially like the simplicity of it. I look forward to seeing what they have in the center aisle each week too. I found a really neat pair of pj’s there a couple of weeks ago! Have never been disappointed in the quality of their products.
I know what you mean, Sherry! I think living near an Aldi will be a must from here on out! –Sarah 🙂