If you haven't been to Aldi yet then you are seriously missing out. They have good quality food at rock bottom prices. How? Gillybean wrote a pretty good guide on her blog. She was less than impressed on her first trip, so you have to be prepared before you go! They save money by:
- Accepting only debit cards and cash (no credit card fees!)
- Keeping the stores small - they use less staff
- No buggy boys! You rent your shopping cart for a quarter and return it yourself.
- Stocking (mostly) in-season produce.
- No coupons. Yep. They don't accept coupons.
- No bagging. Bring your own bags, or buy them at the store for a few cents, and bag your own groceries. (Or take an empty box from the store, like experienced Aldi shoppers do)
- Few brands to choose from. Most foods are "Aldi-brands" or national brands. No manufacturer's markup. Aldi also owns Trader Joe's, so you'll see similar packaging between both stores but with different names. I cannot tell a difference!
Now, I know I said "no coupons," so imagine my surprise when I opened the Sunday paper and saw this $5 off $30 purchase coupon! Praise! It's good at all Metro Atlanta locations.
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| Could I make the picture any more blurry? |
(1) gallon skim milk ($2.49)
(4 lbs) red grapes ($0.89/lb or $1.78 for a 2 lb bag)
(5 lbs) Fresh Family chicken breasts ($1.89/lb or 9.47 for a 5 lb family pack)
(3 lbs) Roseland fresh chicken drumsticks ($1.19/lb or $4.34 for a huge pack)
(2) avocados ($0.69 each)
(4-pk) sweet corn ($1.39, or $0.34/ear...not bad!)
(1 pint) blueberries ($1.19 each)
(1 box) unsalted butter ($2.49)
(1 box) of raisins ($1.69)
(1 jar) unsweetened applesauce ($1.49)
(1) deli turkey tub ($2.29)
(1) -$5 off coupon
Impulse Buys! I also picked up some pumpkin flavored cream cheese for $1.49 and jerky for The Hubs for $2.89. Flexible cutting mat 4-packs were on sale for $1.49.
Household Items Total: $1.49. Those mats are going to come in handy!
Grocery Total: $31.16. Not bad for a week's worth meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks), plus extra for baking and to go in the freezer. We also have a car trip coming up, so we'll snack on grapes, jerky, and leftover salad on our journey.
I'll freeze 2 lbs of grapes (did you know they freeze well and are awesome that way?) for lunches and snacks, and make 5 or 6 crock pot freezer meals out of the chicken. I think we'll have the drumsticks for a few dinners this week. Grilling season is almost over and I got some Ken's Steakhouse Buffalo Marinade for next to nothing that The Hubs wants to try out. Yum-o! And those avocados and corn? Taco night is on the menu, as is a corn salad.
The last time blueberries were on sale for $1.19, I bought 12 pints (yep) - froze half for smoothies and baking, and used the others to make Homemade Blueberry Jam, and Blueberry Vanilla Chia Seed Jam. There is a blueberry shortage so I could only get 1 pint this week so The Hubs can make yogurt parfaits for breakfast.
I recommend that you compare these prices to your regular store's prices. Is it really better?
- Maggie White
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