Is Aldi Cheaper? Aldi stores are wonderful little supermarkets that can really help you save money on your food bill. These tips will help you shop and save at Aldis!
Is Aldi Cheaper? Save Money Shopping at Aldi Stores
Please Note: We are not affiliated with Aldi stores and we cannot pass along your messages to Aldi Supermarkets. If you wish to contact Aldis, you can find contact information for them below.
I spend $250 a month on groceries. One of the best things I do to keep my budget is to do most of my food shopping at Aldi Stores. You can get a good price, get in and get out fast and you don’t have to mess with using coupons.
An Aldi store is a small discount warehouse store. It is not an outlet store and does not sell outdated or rejected products. They offer a double your money back guarantee for all of their products. If you don’t like it, they will give you your money back plus a new item. The foods are mostly Aldi brand foods. The Aldi brand is usually very good quality. I have only had one or two items where my family preferred the name brand over the Aldi brand.
The savings are significant. On a lot of items, I can save $1 or more over the price at a regular grocery store. Here’s an example: Chocolate chips at the local supermarket cost $1.99. Aldis regular price is .99. White bread in the supermarket costs $1. Aldis bread costs .59. Whole grain bread costs $2.59 in regular grocery store, but Aldi’s regular price is $1.29.
Aldi stores are all over the world. Here is the link to the Aldi website to see if one is near you:
There are a few rules to follow that keep Aldis prices low:
- Aldi stores accept only cash, debit or food stamps.
- They don’t accept coupons.
- You have to pay a .25 deposit to get a shopping basket. There is a little quarter machine on the basket. When you return your basket, it gives you the quarter back. This keeps prices down because they don’t have to pay someone to get baskets.
- You bag your own groceries at Aldi stores. Bring your own bags. Put all your extra plastic sacks in an empty tissue box and bring it with you. You can also use the boxes they have there for free. If they don’t have any boxes available and you forget your bags, they charge $.10 per bag for you to buy them.
When the checker checks you out, she puts the groceries right back into the basket and you have to take them to a separate counter to bag or box them. I usually roll the basket out to the car and box it there so that I can strap my 2 year old into his car seat while I pack the groceries. That way I don’t have to chase him around while I’m trying to get packed and I get packed up in five minutes instead of 10 or 15.
- To get the freshest produce, ask when their truck comes and go shopping the next morning.
- Be prepared. The checkers check you out very fast. I have timed it and on average it’s 2-3 minutes check out time with a full basket of groceries. It may be a little awkward the first time getting used to a different way of shopping, but once you do it once or twice, the savings are addicting!
By shopping at Aldi, I get two weeks worth of groceries (excluding meat — I buy it elsewhere) for $100.00. I am in and out of the store in 30 minutes including bagging my groceries. Plan a little longer the first time as you learn your way around the store. Try it a couple of times and see if you grocery bill doesn’t go down!
Please Note: We are not affiliated with Aldi stores. We are just happy customers. If you wish to contact Aldi, visit their web site at http://www.aldi.com. If you wish to contact Aldi, you can find contact information below. We do not know anyone at Aldi, so we cannot pass along messages for their company.
Comments about this article from our inbox:
Dear Tawra,
I just wanted to thank you for your article on shopping at Aldi’s. I recently shopped there for the first time and I was very pleased with the wide selection they had available and the prices are FANTASTIC. Shopping there has already reduced the amount of money I spend for groceries to feed my family of 4 (which includeds two VERY hungry teenaged boys), and I look forward to saving more as I continue to shop there each week for my groceries. Thank you for you wonderful web site and I look forward to readying more tips and articles to save money.
Sincerely
Shellia Jean A.
Tawra,
I just read your article about Aldi’s. I wanted to suggest taking a heavy duty laundry basket so the cashier could put the items directly into the basket which would save time. It would also be a lot easier to unload at home.
MaLia from Kansas
To Contact Aldi Store Headquarters:
In the United States:
Customer Relations
ALDI Inc.
1200 N. Kirk Rd.
Batavia, IL 60510
Phone: (630) 879-8100
If you’re outside the United States, you can find contact information for Aldi on the web at http://www.aldi.com.
Aldi is a great store where you can save lots of money!
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I think shopping at various stores saves money. I shop at 4 different stores if they all have good sales that week. If you only shop the sales at 3 of the stores it really doesn’t take a long time, but it does save money. I am so happy when I hit a great sale, so I stock up. Aldi’s has great prices. Well worth the trip!
Aldi private label canned products are EXCELLENT! I have been a brand name veggie user for many years….but the Aldi brands are as good as if not better in some cases! We have one being built locally and I can hardly wait! Definitely plan to shop at one even if you have to drive…it will be worth the trip!
I shop at Aldi’s all the time. I have two that are about 20 miles away so I stock up when I go. I nicknamed them the “old” one and the “new, upscaled” one. The newer store carries items on a regular basis that the old one only carries only at Christmas time. I have only found a few items that I won’t purchase. I reacted to the shampoo and I’m really fussy about my yogurt and instant coffee. I only buy some of my meat there as they don’t carry cuts I would normally buy i.e. pork steak instead of pork chops and I usually can always find ground beef on sale cheaper elsewhere. Love their all beef hotdogs though. Yum! I also shop at Save-a-Lot for those items that Aldi’s doesn’t carry but would be more expensive to buy at a regular store (even Walmart is usually more expensive that S-A-L). Shopping at these stores saves me time and money without having to use coupons which is wonderful for me.
I used to do 90% of my shopping at aldi’s and told all my friends about it too. But lately their prices have been going up and I can get about 50% of my stuff cheaper at a closer store that has better meat prices. Aldi’s recently started advertising on TV. I am wondering if that is why their prices are going up. If so tell them to stop and I will spread the word by word of mouth. It is the best advertising.
I also shop at Aldi but we are a family of five. How do you only spend $100 a month. We can easily spend that in a week’s time. Any suggestions for cutting down the $100/per week to $100 per month for a family of five?
Marisol, Tawra doesn’t spend $100 a month I (Jill) do. She spends about $350 a month for 5 people. As for ideas on how to save please check out the web site we have tons on ideas and articles on there on saving and like I told one other reader our Grocery Savings e book which is packed full of different and not the norm tips.
I spend $300 a month for groceries for 4. I just upped that from $200 because I was having to get a little too creative to get by on the $200. I did it but felt it would be better to have a little more room in the budget.
I love shopping at Aldi. I take my list there and buy everything I possibly can from there and then head to another local store for whatever I could not get at Aldi. There are things that they just don’t carry but hopefully one day they will have everything I need.
Thanks for all you do on this website. I have been following you for years and you are the reason I am able to spend so little on groceries and other things each month. Keep up the good work!
Thank you Veronica. Aldis has something going. Just recently in our area Wal Mart has started building the small buildings which match Aldis and it wal mart markets. They will sell only groceries.
I was wondering when these huge mega stores would start figuring out people don’t like hiking “5 miles” to do their grocery shopping and like the small grocery store feel like it use to be like Aldis is.
My frustration I have been using Aldi and Save-a-lot since 1991 or a little later when I lived in WV. But now many years later living in Georgia they didnt have one close enough so I could go to Seneca South Carolina which was awesome prices cheap no taxes. But you had to drive an hr or more to get there. So finally they built one in Gainesville Ga 20 minutes from house too excited.. Prices cheap grand opening. Now several months opened prices have doubled if not tripled and its outrageous. I am so not happy. Not sure I really can do anything. I am not sure when you wrote this article about Aldi’s but they are not cheap anymore not so sure they are even cheaper than every place like they used to be. Its very frustrating to be a STAY At Home Mom and trying to make it all work. Plus wanting to take care of God orphans in the process by trying to adopt. I have your cook book and I love it but it is expensive trying to just stock up trying to get your pantry full of those great foods. I have been very frustrated with food buying I feel that is where I lose most of the $$$$$ is groceries and finding meet for decent price is almost impossible. If you have any ideas that would be awesome. My husband is a meet and potatoes guy. He would love this every meal. God bless Anne
Anne it is frustrating I know. Alidis prices have gone up but so has the other stores but they are still as a general rule cheaper at least in our area they are. Meat prices is what I have noticed the most. I told Tawra the other day I never thought I would see the day when I would crave hamburger because it is so expensive now I hate to buy it.
A couple of things you might try is stretching the meat you do buy. For example make things like stew or casseroles (ones that have meat and potatoes for your hubby). That helps stretch the meat but also cut the pieces of meat smaller that you do use and always use less then what the recipe calls for. Most families don’t notice if you use a 1/2 lb. of meat or 1 lb of meat in something like this. If you use chicken breast all the time you may have to stop and start buying whole chickens and cut them up yourself. Make your meat portions smaller especially for children. If you do use chicken breasts cut them in half and let your family fill up on potatoes, veggies and other things. Even you pieces of other meat cut in smaller portions.
Another thing to save on groceries to buy as little as you can which means really watching what you do buy and use it all up. Don’t let things go stale or spoil like a 1/2 of bag of cookies or chips left open. Watch portions and the food that gets thrown out at the end of a meal which is left on plates.
I know a woman who is always bemoaning her high grocery bill but she always cooks double or triple the amount her family can eat and doesn’t freeze it or anything but throws it out. I’m not saying you do this but what I am saying is look real careful at your food, eating habits and grocery shopping and see if there is any place where waste is happening.
One last thing you could try is if your husband likes meat and potatoes then in order to have that he maybe willing to have something less expensive like oatmeal for breakfast. These are all just thoughts to help you look at things to see if you can find ideas to work for you. Hope this helps. I don’t have the space to write more here but I do have a huge amount more ideas just like this in our Grocery Shopping on a Budget e course.
Finding meat…oops Meat and potatoes…oops
did you know that no name and store brand products are usually bought from brand name producers.
They just change the label and are sold for less.
If you do research you can find out which label makes the products and can probably get the brand name for less.
Years ago when we lived in the city I was looking through my cupboards one day and discovered that almost everything in were in yellow boxes or bags.
Didn’t mind this but yellow is far from my favourite colour but the ingredients were just fine.
A couple of things you might try is stretching the meat you do buy. For example make things like stew or casseroles (ones that have meat and potatoes for your hubby).
I am married to a carnivore. He has changed since he had his teeth out last year so meat now includes chicken and fish.
But to stretch the meat I make up
I cut the meat in bite size pieces and toss it into a casserole dish. Then I add liquid and onions cut small. I use salt and pepper corns left whole and I bake this at 350 for about 2 hours. the meat is fall apart done. I use mashed potatoes and top the dish with this and sometimes cheddar cheese.
It is shepherds pie without the ground meat. One small blade steak does the two of us because the liquid thickens to a gravy and the potatoes fill you up. Add a salad to begin supper while the casserole is browning the cheese on broil.
Another is to make a stew chicken or beef or even vegetable. Pour it into a casserole dish and top with tea biscuits. chicken pot pie is usually a hit.
For chops or steak serve large twice baked potatoes along with the steak and that makes a filling meal. Less meat because of the potatoe. I mash the potatoe and for myself top it with brocoli and cheddar then brown it for Don I mash the potatoe and top with cheese and sometimes if I have it left over bacon cut small.
my grocery bill is a lot less and we get more variety. I am also getting my husband to eat vegetables after 35 years of marriage.
You might also try roasting vegetables. Don will eat those sooner than if I cook them on the stove. Less pots to wash and easier.
Anne I know your frustration but I do have to laugh.
A whole hour to get there.
The closest discount store is 4 hours away so in the summer we try to go once a month but since it is now Oct. we have to go to the city for appointments next week so that will be my final stock up trip until possibly May.
Bad road and weather which make the road bad.
In town I can get most of what we use but for the things we can’t we have to stock up.
Meat I spend $200 on at the discount grocers would cost me about $300 here in town. Not that bad spent over time but still more than I like.
My husband likes tea and the kinds he likes are no longer available here so we spend over $100 whenever we get to the city.
I have to plan for the trip to make sure we can cover the costs of groceries. but in the long run it is well worth the planning and the long drive.
We always try to have dinner out since we rarely eat out in town. If we don’t we pick up a bucket of KFC and eat it in the van on the way home.
Just a treat not a necessity. But it keeps Don awake while driving.
The states though similar to Canada are set up with more cities in smaller areas so makes shopping easier. But in the northern parts here shopping and stocking can be an experience and an adventure all in one.
I have always loved up north towards Canada. The closest I got was Idaho and loved it. It’s funny because we lived in the boonies there like you grandma. Not quite as far from town but far enough that when I was there by myself I only made it into town once a month. Anyway what I was wanting to say is great minds must think alike – when ever we went into town we would eat out to for a treat. I chuckle when people say they have cut back to eating out only twice a week because here I was going like once a month.
Don bought us pay as you go phones. They only work in our area of north superior but my RA has gotten so bad that sometimes (well most times) I get 3 blocks from home and just can’t make it home. Now I can call him and tell him where I am and he picks me up on the way home.
Anyway yesterday we were out taking down the election signs and I asked what he wanted for supper when we got finally got home. Had 6 more signs spread out to take down. He said call the Chinese restaurant and order then we could pick it up on the way home.
I had a menu in the van from when Dan and Qian were here so I looked at it called and ordered 4 things. I asked how much that was so far because I was still going to get a couple more items. $57. and it would have made a very small meal. Said no thanks. Went to the grocery store spent $40. and have enough to make 4 more meals. It was my version of chinese food.
crispy fried pork with greens instead of crispy fried beef or sweet and sour spare ribs.
Chicken balls with lots less batter more meat.
Noodles, ginger beef and fried rice.
Don had a shower while the oil heated and within an hour of getting home we sat down to dinner. Could have been faster but neither of us was really starving so it was a nice relaxed cooking and eating session.
$57. for 4 items. egg rolls were $2. picked up 24 at the store for $11. more expensive than home made but so much easier.
Just can’t figure out why and how so many people spend that kind of money each week.
Our eating out is about once every 3 months and that is usually KFC subs or big macs. No drinks as they are in the cooler in the car.
We splurge when in TB at the chinese buffet or Montana’s. But that is once or twice a year. By the time dinner comes around I am so exhausted spending big money on a meal is just too tiring.
But I agree when the experts say cut back I can’t because I never do the things we are supposed to cut back on.
next week we splurge. also going to stay overnight there so that will be a treat in itself. No breakfast to cook. Coffee on demand and no dishes to wash.
A great way to save on meat is to buy in bulk. You should scope out your local farmers market. Try meat from some of the different vendors to find one that best suits you. Buying a quarter or a half of beef sounds like a lot of money at first but it saves you a tremendous amount in the long run. Also farm beef is generally leaner, healthier and if you find the right farm–organic & grass fed. A great combination. We find that by the time we parcel and piece out what we eat through the year, it is way cheaper to invest in a quarter of beef for a family of six. A CSA also is a great way to go too if they have those in your area. A good way to invest part of our tax return for sure!
Sounds like a great place to shop. Unfortunately, they are not on the West coast or even close to it. Do you know of anything like it in Oregon?
Aldi is the largest grocery chain in Germany, and is the parent company behind the Trader Joe’s chain here.
I did not know that Leslie. I wonder if they started in Germany or here.
Aldi started in Germany. There are two major divisions of the worldwide company-some countries are in one division and other countries are in the second. It is my understanding that Trader Joe’s is a separate company started by a close relative of the founders of Aldi. But my suspicion is that the buyers for Aldi share their sources with the buyers of Trader Joe and vice versa.
i like aldi’s as well . but with my car, its easier just to go to the local supermarket and walmart .. the nearest aldi’s to my house is in the next county over the bridge/river.. but bc of my car and the tranny issues, i try not to drive unless i seriously have to ..
my sister goes to aldi’s alot too .. of course its not that far from her house .. and she saves alot of money there ..
i like their dairy prices .. much cheaper than at walmart and the supermarket ..
I live in NE Pennsylvania. I went to Aldi the other day and these are some of the prices I paid, as I write everything down:
can of tomato soup 49 cents
gal 2% milk $3.85
box saltines 89 cents
strawberry yogurt 39 cents
can evaporated milk 69 cents
can cashews $2.79
can salmon $2.29
large cottage cheese 2.19
celery .99 cents
4 roll bath tissue 1.29
can corn .49 cents
frozen chicken pot pie .59 cents
package of sliced Swiss cheese $2.19
rice cereal (like Rice Krispies) $1.69
good size bag wavy potato chips $1.39
hot dog buns .99 cents
can chicken noodle soup .59 cents
can tuna in water .59 cents
10# Russet potatoes $1.89
8 naval oranges in bag $1.99
bag sugar $2.39
lg. whipped salad dressing jar $1.99
beef franks $2.29
corn muffin mix .49 cents
fig bar cookies .99 cents
on 03/17/11, I paid:
corn muffin mix .35 cents (.14 cents less)
saltine crackers .79 cents (.10 cents less)
large cottage cheese $1.99 (.20 cents less)
gal 2% milk $3.57 (.32 cents less)
on 04/22/11 I paid:
fig bar cookies .99 cents (same)
package hot dog rolls .79 cents (.20 cents less)
box rice cereal like Rice Krispies 1.59 (.10 cents less)
can evaporated milk .89 cents (.20 cents more)
05/19/11, I paid:
gal 2$ milk $3.74
on 08/18/11, I paid at Aldi’s:
gal 2% milk $3.88
rice cereal $1.69
Sept. 2011 I compared prices of 2% gal of milk:
Walmart $4.78
Country Fair (convenience store) $3.87
Aldi $3.88
It is good to have 2-3 different places to shop at. It helps to save more. I buy certain things at Aldis but other things at wal mart and my regular grocery store. The thing is you have to learn to know your prices. I saw a sale ad for our regular grocery store that at first glance sounded great. It was get 10 for $10 but when I broke it down it was quite a bit more then if I bought the 1 item at another place. So you are doing good by keeping track of things.
I think shopping at various stores saves money. I shop at 4 different stores if they all have good sales that week. If you only shop the sales at 3 of the stores it really doesn’t take a long time, but it does save money. I am so happy when I hit a great sale, so I stock up. Aldi’s has great prices. Well worth the trip!
I live about 5 minutes from two aldi stores. Like somebody else wrote the new Aldi store, and the old aldi store. The new one is a bit bigger, but overall I like them both. I shop twice a month at the other local stores for things aldi does not carry, but buy all my basics at Aldies. I watch what they mark down when I am in the store…and have found some great sales. They are not super common…but .10 for 6 oz. of mushrooms is a great deal and really stretched our budget one week. I know that for awhile their prices went up like everybody else, but I think they have gone down faster than our other stores. I just spent $175 at our local “cheap” store, which is what I spend over three weeks at the aldi store. In the past I didn’t like their personal care products (this was in college, about 15 years ago). My sister-in-law used to be a manager there, and many of their products come off the same produce lines as the expensive stuff in other stores…just different labels. I have always been happy with most of their stuff, and the only store I like more would be Trader Joes…and they are owned by the same people.
We have Aldi stores here, I love them. Where else could you buy a gallon of milk for $1.69 these days? The products are of high quality, you don’t have nearly as many distracting impulse items to tempt you, and if you forget to bring shopping bags they have them for sale cheap at the register. They don’t carry everything I like, but they have a complete selection of the staples we all buy.
One thing too if you don’t bring shopping bags they love for you to use the empty boxes and their lids that the can goods and things are displayed in. This saves them getting rid of them. That is all I use when I go there. I keep the boxes then and use them for all kinds of things at home because they are a nice size with only a 2-4 side. I set hot dishes in them to take in the car, I keep one for each quilt project I’m working on, I put things like glues, tapes, tools, any different small like items together then sit them on shelves, I cover them in wrapping paper and fill with bags of candy or cookies to give at Christmas, I store my paper back books in them…. the list can go on and on so grab and use a few empty boxes next time you are there.
You can get Aldi to send info about their Thursday and Sunday special bargains to your email every week. It’s very handy. Just go to their website.
I have to be on a gluten free diet, and most of my produce needs to be organic, for health reasons. We drink almond or rice milk and antibiotic free grass fed meats. Do you have any money saving tips for me?…we live in FL.
Not a big fan of Aldi in Australia, their prices for groceries here are about the same as any supermarket. Occasionally they will have a good price on an electronic or Lawn mower but over all for the same price I can get better service and better quality elsewhere. As for the electronics and material things from Aldi.. apart from some of the bigger things like the mowers and electronics and homewares.. ebay and other online places are often also cheaper and easier
I finally tried ALDI and I love it. I have driven 18 miles away twice to shop there and pick up staples. We are in Massachusetts and prices are high. I think ALDI prices are great. Now, you should know your prices because you could get tricked into paying a lot for a brand name item at ALDI, but I strictly go for the off brand staples. I stocked up today on items that should last me two weeks. I still need meat a few other things. I spent $100 at ALDI today, I am sure it would have cost me $150 at most stores near me. No one has a gallon of milk for $2.29 in 2014. Amazing!!
Wow, your Aldis is much cheaper than mine in Florida. I shop Aldis every week but I also have to go to Publix for other things. The chocolate chips have always been $1.79 in my Aldis and the cheapest bread is $1.29-$1.49. It’s still less than other stores though. I was paying $1.89 for the Ghirardelli brownie mix and then it dropped to $1.39 for one week until they sold out. It was cheaper to buy that instead of the recipe in my DoaD cookbook! As with everything, you have to know your prices in multiple stores to take advantage of Aldi’s great buys!
Okay, question: We have become increasingly disenfranchised with our SAMS club. Really, we only get a few items regularly because we only eat whole foods. So, I began to try to source the items that I regularly buy at SAMS. Most are available at Aldis, as cheap or cheaper than I generally get them at SAMS. We are down to just a couple of items that are actually cheaper at SAMS. At what point do we say, “It’s just not worth the $45 a year to save on a couple of items?” Just curious what your “cutoff” point would be. I’m seriously considering whether it is worth the cost of the yearly membership or not.
Sounds to me like you are at that point Hope. I have never had a Sam’s club or any other and I am debt free and spend very little on groceries even when I had a family at home so to me that goes to show you can do fine without SAMS. People will say “But they have such great deals.” So do a lot of other places and I don’t have to pay a membership to go there plus I find probably 90% more of the people who go there end up spending and buying more than they really need or went there for in the first place. To me there are way more negatives than there are savings.
We absolutely love Aldi’s! I will note that different Aldi’s stores can have vary significantly in prices. At the Aldi’s 5 miles from our house, milk is $2.59 per gallon and eggs are $.50 per dozen (which is much cheaper than retail grocery stores) BUT the Aldi’s just over the state line in Georgia has milk for $0.79 per gallon and eggs for $0.19 per dozen!!
I keep meaning to take a photo of the prices because people don’t believe us! lol!
Yes Rebecca that is so true. That is one reason I hate giving prices to people when they ask for them because they differ so much from place to place that you really can’t go buy the prices that someone in another part of the country is using. The main and most important thing is to use all the general tips and ideas we give to for saving and do the the best you can for your area. The prices really do nothing just side track people from what they really need to be doing but everyone wants prices so I keep giving them when I can. That is very interesting how the prices are so different just by crossing the state line.
Jill, First I wanted to tell you I have loved hearing about your story. You are a very strong and amazing woman. About prices at Aldi’s my sister lives 20 minutes away from me, the Aldi’s prices there are better. They are competing with the Walmart next door. The eggs are .27 a dozen and milk is .93 a gallon. I pop in and buy them and visit with my sister. Another thing I wanted to mention is looking at alternative places for food. Recently I got 5 boxes of cereal from CVS for 2.50 total. I had coupons and CVS had their own coupons. Also I get salad mix 1 day before it expires from another local drug store. They sell the produce .25 cents a bag right before expiration. That becomes the side dish for dinner. Plus they have lesser known grocery brands there and salad dressing is .88 . That is cheaper then Aldi’s.
I love Aldi’s !! I’m trying to introduce my son to the idea of Aldi’s rather than Jewel Osco..the big grocer in Chicagoland, aside from Walmart…love getting in on some of their other items as well !! Bought some cute Paisley print deck shoes for 6.98 and wore them all summer !! They’re still much less expensive than the big box stores !!
I have a family of 6, we try to eat healthy
& Aldi has saved us a lot!!!!
They do carry a LOT of junk food but are getting more organic all the time. Their never any products are pretty good. But it’s not a one stop shop. They don’t have everything and their produce is hit or miss. Lots of items are seasonal. So if you love something you might want to stock up. Watch their clearance too. It’s good clearance!
Love to try new organics. Bring your own reusable bags. My aunt made me some out of chicken feed bags. Way stronger and can hold a lot!!!
I prefer Aldi over Walmart but Aldi does not have everything. Their employees at Aldi are much more friendly and helpful too. WAY better customer service.
Love their baby wipes.