When I received an email asking me whether I’d be interested in doing a post series on Aldi grocery stores, I jumped at the opportunity.  Funny story – because of the name, I used to think that Aldi was a fancy-schmancy European grocery story with prices similar to Whole Foods. Imagine my surprise when, a few months ago, I was reading my favorite budgeting blog (Money Saving Mom) and read that she recommends Aldi.  That’s when I figured out that Aldi is certainly NOT ‘Whole Paycheck.’  In fact – it’s the opposite!

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Aldi is a true no-frills shop that nixes many of the ‘comforts’ that you probably think are par for the course at a grocery store.  By eliminating services like cart round-up and bagging, they can seriously reduce prices.

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My blog friend Meghann is also participating in this promotion, and I read through the comments about her first Aldi grocery trip with interest.  While there were many Aldi fans, it seemed that a lot of people had the impression that Aldi didn’t have nice ambiance or had yucky produce.

 

My usual grocery store is Trader Joe’s.

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There are a lot of things that I love about TJ’s.  The prices are much lower than our other grocery chain (Harris Teeter), and there are many specialty items, like gluten-free bread.

 

Most weeks, I go to the grocery store at least twice: once on Sunday and again mid-week.  The Sunday trip is the big trip, and the mid-week trip is to fill up on produce.  If I’m making any special recipes, I also end up going to Harris Teeter.  One of the drawbacks to Trader Joe’s is that they don’t carry many household items or random ingredients.

 

Our monthly grocery budget is $600 ($150 a week) – our second largest monthly expense, save for the years that we hit our insurance deductible!  I know that many people get their grocery bill a LOT lower (and I admire you), but in my defense:  there are three of us, we eat virtually all of our meals at home (or packed for work), I have a ‘special needs’ diet (i.e. gluten-free), we believe in eating mainly plants and less processed food, and we try to buy many things organic.  Also, my husband eats an incredible amount of food (truly – incredible).  I don’t have hard-and-fast organic rules anymore, although I do loosely stick to the Dirty Dozen philosophy.  My attitude about organic has really evolved to a “when available and when not financially ridiculous.”  Oh, and our budget includes stuff like household cleaning products and shampoo.

 

So – my goal with budgeting for groceries is stay within that $600.  Some months, it’s challenging.  Other months, it’s a piece of cake.  One nice side effect of budgeting is that I’m really starting to understand how much a few bucks makes added up over time.  Spending $575 over the month instead of $600 doesn’t feel like a big deal at time.  But if you do that every single month, it’s an extra $300 in your pocket.

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I was pumped to see if Aldi could beat Trader Joe’s prices, as I really think of TJ’s as a great deal (interestingly enough, the same company owns both chains!).  I *knew* that Aldi would crush Harris Teeter prices because they are out of control.

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Verdict?  SO MUCH SAVED.

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(Prices and total won’t neatly add up because we bought multiples of some things, plus tax – but you get the gist.)

I spent yesterday bouncing between stores to figure out who really priced things out the best.   On certain items, Aldi was much cheaper than Trader Joe’s – seriously, I was shocked at some of the prices (for example, asparagus was $2 cheaper at Aldi).  But on other foods, Trader Joe’s won out (almond milk was about $0.75 cheaper at Trader Joe’s).

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$0.99 spices!

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Very inexpensive peanut butter.

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Aldi’s Fit & Active line caught my attention.  Unlike Trader Joe’s, which has pretty strict rules about food ingredients, Aldi is more like a regular grocery store in that anything goes.  Fine by me – I just have to remember to read more labels.  The Fit & Active salad dressing had a much ‘cleaner’ ingredient list than the regular salad dressing (also – CHEAP!).

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The Simple Nature line offered organic goodies.

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HOLY CHEAP DIAPERS.  I buy a 180 count box of Pampers on Amazon for $46.49 – these are almost $0.10 cheaper per diaper.  I wonder how well they work?!  Anyone know?

 

Oh, and many people posted on Meghann’s blog that they didn’t like Aldi’s produce section, so I wasn’t expecting much.  But I have to say that I was actually impressed.

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All of the fruit and veggies looked fresh and delicious, and the prices were spot on, too.  There were many organic options as well.  I bought organic cherry tomatoes, organic bananas, and organic spinach.

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In conclusion, here is what Aldi is:

 

Cheap

A grocery store with several notable private lines, including foods aimed at the organic, gluten-free, and health-conscious shopper

No frills shopping

Great for basics

 

And based on my initial impressions, here is what Aldi is NOT:

 

A one-stop shop

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Like Trader Joe’s, you can’t do all of your shopping at Aldi all of the time.  There’s always going to be a need to go to a larger grocery store (you know, with 30,000+ items!) to buy that unsweetened coconut flakes you *really* need for a special recipe.   And actually, I can’t even do all of my ‘basics’ shopping at Aldi because the store that I went to didn’t carry things like tofu or gluten-free bread.

But I can’t get over how much we saved at Aldi in comparison to our regular grocery haul!  We spent $80 on a light weekly haul when we probably would’ve spent $100 at Trader Joe’s and goodness-knows-how-much at Harris Teeters.  A large part of it may be that Aldi is so ‘no frills,’ which extends to the food itself.  There isn’t aisle after aisle of tempting processed and packaged treats and candies, like there is at Trader Joe’s.  Which may be a good things or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it!

Side note – I loved that Aldi doesn’t offer bags so you’re forced to bring your own (you also bag your own groceries to save the employees time and thus keep prices low).  I always forgot my bags, so it was nice to have extra motivation to bring them.

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(My chevron scarf is from Stitch Fix, my latest obsession {it’s a personalized styling service that is truly amazing and spot-on in terms of style and sizing}.  My latest budgeting goal is to save more money on groceries so I can buy more cute scarves – hah.)

Do you shop at multiple grocery stores to get the best prices?  And – what is your monthly grocery budget?  I typically shop at two stores, but it’s more for convenience/availability than pricing.  Multiple stores for one trip is an idea that I’m just warming up to, but I’m definitely starting to see the benefits of.  Like I said, if you can save just a few dollars every week, it really adds up.

This post was sponsored by Aldi, but as always, all opinions are my own!

{ 113 comments }

 

  • Nina February 19, 2014, 3:55 pm

    Hihi, i´m from germany (where aldi was founded) and its funny to see that the shops look exactly like ours here. Here in germany aldi has not such a good image, because its so cheap und the shops are ugly.

    greetings from Nina (who is dreaming about a grocery stores like trades joes or whole foods in germany…)

    : )

    • Caitlin February 19, 2014, 4:01 pm

      There is such a difference between Americanized grocery stores and European ones – I was floored when I went abroad. BUT you guys get cheaper prices out of it!

    • Pauline February 20, 2014, 8:21 am

      I’m originally from Germany and still get flashbacks to home whenever I walk into an American Aldi! I agree with “dreaming about grocery stores like Trader Joe’s” when you’re in Germany – so hard to find things like tofu or tempeh (obwohl langsam gibt’s Tofu auch bei “normalen” Einkaufsketten, juchu!).

      • Astrid February 21, 2014, 3:43 am

        Hey there,
        I’m also living in Germany and it is the same- it is a Little bit “too cheap”. A few weeks ago I actually gave Aldi another try but was so disappointed- I had to throw away some of the things. Also, there is always the question how much they “safe” on conditions and paychecks for employees as well. Since I’ve never been to America so far, I can’t compare the stores but from what I read I also dream of Trader Joe’s! We have the so calles “Bioladen”, where everything is organic. I go there occasionally for cosmetics, cooking oil (and in the winter for non-alcoholic Glühwein, like Hot Orange or Hot Apple…yum!) and meat but it is just to expensive to buy everyhing there. Additonally, they are mostly in somewhat bigger towns. Maybe they think, in rural areas everyone can grow their own Food 😉

        @Paulin: In the “Reformhäuser” you can also get some of these ingredients, “DM” also has quit a small but nice variety of seeds & stuff. But looking for dry chickpeas was actually a bit challanging last week! [The German translation is “Kichererbse”, in English literally “giggling-pea” 😉 ]

        By the way, Caitlin, I love your blog! I read Katheats, DailyGarnish and OhSheGlows as well, already did some receipes. A bit of a challenge because of the different weight system (we work in grams and ml) but worked out good so far 🙂

        • Caitlin February 21, 2014, 7:23 am

          Thank you for reading!!! So cool to know I have so many German readers.

          • Marie-Sophie February 24, 2014, 5:26 am

            I also live in Germany and I have to say, once you are used to it, you are sad when you don’t have one! Seriously, I don’t know why People complain. Yes, it is a “cheap” store – but with really good Quality items! Of course it’s not a “one stop shop” but that’s why those Shops are so expensive – they let you pay lots of extra in their prices for stopping just once!!! I buy all of my essentials there (they carry quite a few of organic products now) and for those Special items I shop at an organic store or one of those expensive stores. Bonus: Because those “Special” items are not available, I really think twice about what I splurge on! Keeps my grocery Budget in check BIG TIME! 🙂

  • Racheal @ Running with Racheal February 19, 2014, 4:01 pm

    I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Aldi. After we started budgeting, I quickly realized that Aldi was the place to shop on a budget. The only thing we try to stay away from is their meat (with the exception of ground turkey).

    My favorite thing about them is their produce section. I feel like I can go wild, throwing things in the cart left and right, without increasing the bill too much.

    My husband and I used to consider it a weekly challenge to get our bill ABOVE $100. Ha! Thanks for the info!

  • Kate February 19, 2014, 4:05 pm

    I love Aldi! As a college student with a tight budget, it is perfect. I actually really love their produce aisle. It also encourages me to do more “whole food” cooking, due to the lack of prepared food. However, I do wish they would stock tofu!

  • Nicole February 19, 2014, 4:05 pm

    Great post! It makes me want to go shop there again, lol. Aldi is actually the closest grocery store to us, but there are TONS of other options nearby. It’s super easy to get caught up and shop at all the places. I try to stock up on staples at TJs once a month and bulk stuff at Costco once or twice a month. Otherwise it’s Kroger or Meijer depending on the sales or what’s needed (like my husband will only eat Kroger brand chip dip). The only time I hit up Earthfare is if they have a really good deal (cheap pizza fixings!) or if I need milk and happen to also be next door at Costco.

    It’s nice to see your budget is the same as ours…at least it’s what we have plugged into Mint, lol. I’m ALWAYS over. Everything adds up so quickly, especially when the husband decides he wants Twinkies or Ruffles (and dip!).

    • Caitlin February 19, 2014, 4:07 pm

      I truly don’t understand how others get their budgets so low!!! I need to see their receipts, I think.

  • cj February 19, 2014, 4:07 pm

    $600/month grocery budget?! That is unreal! But I live in the midwest where food is probably cheaper anyway. Good for you for going to Aldi! I bet you would be able to cut at least $100 a month from your budget by shopping there. I love it. Their produce has dramatically improved since I started shopping there years ago. You can always count on the staples: romaine hearts, potatoes, onions, apples, etc. They usually have a good rotation of organic stuff available too. Oh, for another budget tip–cutting out convenience foods (i.e., a lot of stuff they sell at TJ’s) would also enable you to save a ton!

    • Caitlin February 19, 2014, 4:11 pm

      I knew some people wouldn’t believe it – and some months, it’s higher. I really am excited about Aldi because I hope it helps things a LOT.

      • Caitlin February 19, 2014, 4:11 pm

        Oh and re: the convenience foods, you are totes right.

      • Danielle February 19, 2014, 6:34 pm

        It would be awesome to see a follow up post in a month or two to see how much it does help!

        I’ve been to two different Aldi’s – one in rural PA and one in urban DC and love both. I’m really guilty of going to Harris Teeter because I live right in the city and it’s just across the street so I can walk, but it is pricey and even if I’m just running in for ONE thing, I always end of grabbing other stuff and what I think is going to be a $5 trip turns into $50. I’ve cut out Whole Foods for the most part because the parking is inconvenient and the lines are always ridiculous. Oh, and I don’t think $600 for a family of 3 is that crazy, given the way you eat (whole, mostly organic foods). My personal budget is $250 BUT that’s really only half the story – I live with my BF and I usually pay for the HT, Aldi, Trader Joe stops but he always pays when we stock up on bulk stuff at Costco 1-2x/month, and that’s always $250 or more, so we probably spend around the same.

    • kate February 19, 2014, 4:46 pm

      I live in the Midwest too and would say we spend at least $600 on groceries a month {I’m married no kiddos}. It definitely comes down to where you shop, what you buy, where you emphasis the importance of the stuff, and how hungry your husband is 😀

      • Jen February 20, 2014, 6:15 pm

        Married no kids in ohio and id say we prob spend around 500-600 for just us 2. I have celiacs so i make most of our meals and if i really want, say crackers, to go with my homemade chili it can be like 4-5.00 a box! I rarely splurge on fun g-free stuff bc its so pricey. I also try to buy organic but if its too expensive or not available i dont sweat it. Also my husband can eat a ton too! Lol and is super fit so not fair.

  • Gwen February 19, 2014, 4:19 pm

    I can’t understand why you’d need to defend a $600 grocery budget. Maybe because I also live on the East Coast in a big city – but I think that’s spot on for the style of eating your family chooses. I am entirely guilty of falling into the one-stop-shop appeal of the Teet. I totally save when I go to TJs, but I like options more than money I suppose 😉 Neat post <3

    • Caitlin February 19, 2014, 4:23 pm

      Exactly that (and the fact that you have to preemptively defend everything as a blogger! Hah). In all seriousness, I know some people in certain locations would be like “WHAT!” and others in other locations (like, as you say, big cities on the east coast), would think $600 is a drop in the bucket.

  • Erin February 19, 2014, 4:28 pm

    It’s funny that people mentioned they didn’t like the produce at Aldi. It’s really the only reason I shop there. Like you, my monthly meal budget is high ($500), but my husband eats a LOT (he’s a marathon runner). I frequently have him stop at Aldi (by his office) midweek to pick up produce. Their pineapples are usually only $2! And they have the same ‘brand’ berries as at our regular grocery store, but at least $1 cheaper. My husband and 19 month old plow through fruit, so it really saves us money.

  • Lara February 19, 2014, 4:32 pm

    Our family of 3 budgets $500 a month BUT it doesn’t include Costco trips (usually once a month) and an Amazon delivery (cereal, diapers, dog food). So your budget absolutely sounds reasonable to me! However we are meat eaters…and wine drinkers…so that might explain why our spending is a little higher? 😉

  • Rachel February 19, 2014, 4:36 pm

    I’ve never heard of Aldi or Harris Teeter grocery stores. I find it interesting that grocery stores are such a local thing. There are very few national chains. Here in Denver we do have Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, but we don’t have any serious discount grocery stores. I always go to King Soopers which is Kroger. And we have Safeway.

    • Rebecca February 20, 2014, 11:38 am

      I’d have to go two hours away to find a Whole Foods (or Costco or Sam’s Club, come think of it), and I’d never really heard of Aldi until I saw their commercials! Also never heard of Harris Teeter. The Whole Foods was right off the interstate on my way home from school, so I always knew I was headed the right way when I could see it! Lol. There’s a TJ’s probably not far from that Whole Foods, but again that’s a two-hour drive right now. I think those are both newer to the Midwest area.

  • Kristen@Change of Pace February 19, 2014, 4:52 pm

    I actually think your grocery budget is totally reasonable. We also eat almost every meal at home and ours is about the same if not a little more!

  • Diana Griffith February 19, 2014, 4:55 pm

    My husband and I started shopping at Aldi a few months ago. I will say that some priduce is alright while other produce just stinks.

    However, saying that. I’m overall impressed with the quality of the food and it helps that our gricery bill is less expensive.

    My husband thinks we can exclusively shop at aldi, but I keep telling him that they just don’t have everything and we need to go to Publix (our other grocery store) also. This means we’re usually going shopping twice a week now.

    • Caitlin February 19, 2014, 4:57 pm

      publix key lime pies are the best.

  • Olga @ BrooklynBeet February 19, 2014, 4:59 pm

    Interesting responses re: $600 budget. I’m a single lady and my food budget is $300 a month (in Brooklyn), so I think $600 is more than reasonable for a family of three.

    Heard of Aldi but have never seen it in NYC…too much competition over here!

    • Megan February 21, 2014, 6:03 am

      Aldis have come to the city. There is one in East Harlem (by the Costco), one in Queens and on in the Bronx.

  • Jessi February 19, 2014, 5:08 pm

    Caitlin, please post reviews of your Stich Fixes!

    • Caitlin February 19, 2014, 5:13 pm

      Oh, I wasn’t sure if people would like me to – I know it’s taking over the blog world! I have had two fixes (signed up because all those other bloggers posted convinced me to try it out) and seriously LOVE IT. I’ve kept three items from two fixes although I could’ve definitely kept more. I really am blown away by how well the service works. It’s amazing! Every item but one fit me out of ten. How crazy is that? Also one of the sweaters they sent me… I already had the same sweater in my closet. I’m impressed by how well the style profile works. I was thinking of maybe doing a Facebook album with the items?

      • Maggie February 19, 2014, 6:50 pm

        do a post!! i love stitch fix posts, i think they’re fun to read because every person gets a different box. i think it just gets old/annoying to people when bloggers spend 10 paragraphs explaining the concept, when most people know by now!

        so- i would say go for a post and just show the pieces you got/how you plan to style them/price points/etc!

        • Kim F. February 20, 2014, 10:31 am

          Yes! Please do a post! I’m on the edge of joining or not (it seems expensive to me) and each post sways me just a little bit more.

          • Caitlin February 20, 2014, 1:49 pm

            It definitely is expensive, however, the bonus is you don’t have to go shopping. I don’t have the time or energy to go shopping so it’s the perfect compromise for me.

        • Rebecca February 20, 2014, 5:00 pm

          This is the first I’ve heard of Stitch Fix, so I guess I don’t read enough blogs! I had to Google them.

  • michelle February 19, 2014, 5:10 pm

    I love Aldi’s. I also shop at a similar store in my area called Save-a-lot. I only go to the “regular” grocery store when I absolutely have to. I have been saving a lot of money by shopping around for the best deals.

  • Dana B February 19, 2014, 5:36 pm

    $600 sounds pretty normal for my 3 person household as well. With that said, we mostly buy organic produce and grass-fed meats. The Aldi near me doesn’t seem to offer organic produce….bummer.

    • Jessica February 22, 2014, 1:42 pm

      Our local Aldi JUST started offering organic produce (as in our last two grocery trips we’ve seen more things added). I would try again if you haven’t been lately!

  • Sam February 19, 2014, 5:41 pm

    I also live in Charlotte and shop at the Aldi near Prosperity Church all.the.time. I don’t understand people who criticize their produce because the produce at the one where I shop at is great. I pretty much exclusively buy fruits and vegetables there. They also occasionally have organic vegetables. The one thing that stinks is that their stock rotates, so it’s not the type of store you can go to with specific items in mind. They sometimes have Fage yogurt for cheaper than I can find it anywhere else. The only thing I haven’t been happy with was their vanilla extract- the ingredient list looked a little shady to me.

  • sofia February 19, 2014, 5:45 pm

    I just moved to Charlotte a month ago from NYC where there’s lots of small produce stores and plenty of supermarkets to shop around. I am close to the HT and have shopped there since i moved. it is the $ stealing devil. I heard a Publix is opening up in south end soon and everyone is super excited about it, i hope its cheaper. then HT can take those sugar cookies and ….rant over hehe.
    btw, I <3 your blog for years now and secretly wish i would run into you now that i live here.

    • Caitlin February 19, 2014, 7:39 pm

      Maybe we should purposefully run into each other 🙂 why did you move to charlotte? Welcome!

      • sofia February 20, 2014, 8:24 am

        I moved here to start a new life. My bf and I both did. we found new jobs and just went for it. It’s definitely been an adjustment, but I am happy I’m here and yes we should run into each other!

        • Caitlin February 20, 2014, 1:50 pm

          awesome! welcome to CLT 🙂 where do you live?

          • sofia February 21, 2014, 8:24 am

            South End, with the rest of the transplants! It was a requirement that i lived by a subway so i can get to work……and by subway i guess i really mean a light rail that goes up and down one avenue! i need to buy a car immediately. i like the neighborhood tho, plenty of bars and restaurants to walk to!

    • Kris February 20, 2014, 2:49 pm

      Publix is kind of pricey unless you’re buying sale items or the weekly BOGOS, at least to me. But people seem to love it; they pride themselves on customer service.

  • Abi@AbsofSteel February 19, 2014, 6:16 pm

    I love Aldi’s, the quality isn’t quite as good as Trader Joe’s but for the prices they offer it’s pretty darn good. You do have to be careful about what time of the week/day you go at if you want a good selection of produce.

  • Jelena@ThoseLittleThings February 19, 2014, 6:23 pm

    As I said on Meghann’s blog, here in Germany Aldi is one of the most common stores and I get the impression that rich and poor shop in it. It works the way that I go to the cheap store (Aldi, Lidl or Netto) once a week and visit bigger shop once a month for specialties. Some of our produce comes from cheap stores, but we luckily also have street market just in front of our flat (not organic, but much better than grocery stores).

  • Lauren February 19, 2014, 6:45 pm

    Please do a stitch fix post! I love those 🙂

    Re: your monthly budget, don’t be defensive! I took a nutrition class in college, and we learned that in general, people spend the same amount of money on their health: whether it’s early in their lives on healthy, organic food, or later on health care and medical costs, it’s up to them. Of course that is a huge generalization, but it definitely helps me when I’m trying to justify organic strawberries that are $1.50 more!

    • Caitlin February 19, 2014, 7:38 pm

      That’s so interesting!

  • Sharon T February 19, 2014, 7:27 pm

    Here in Oregon we have Winco, which sounds similar to Aldi’s. Less frills, bag your own groceries. But, the selection is pretty great, and I can usually find what I need. Sometimes it’s just fun to go to the fancier stores. ;). But, it nice to know you don’t have to – options.

  • Christine @ BookishlyB February 19, 2014, 7:42 pm

    Every Sunday morning I generally go to Target for all of my household and pet needs (and often things like cold cereal, crackers, and juices, since they tend to be cheaper there), and then Trader Joes for food. During the spring and summer months I head to a local permanent sort of daily farmer’s market for produce as well. And I do go to Costco, my least favorite store ever, once every six weeks for dry dog food. Right now since it’s just the two of us and the dogs I spend about $500 for everything, but with the baby in a few months I’m expecting to add $100-$150 to the mix for all his crap.

  • Breanne February 19, 2014, 8:03 pm

    I’m currently working on bringing down my food budget. I was getting up into your budget range on JUST me towards the end of last year (I mostly attribute this to extras for holiday parties and eating out too often, but STILL). So, $600 = totally unacceptable for me and MORE than acceptable for a family of three. 🙂

    We don’t have an Aldi here, but I definitely shop at multiple stores. Our Trader Joe’s is right next door to Ralph’s (a big chain in Southern California) which makes it nice and easy to pick and choose where to buy things at the best price in one trip. I also have a Sprouts (mostly West Coast I think) right near my house that is where I buy the bulk of my produce. It has a lot of bulk items too with is great – so even if say, almonds are $6.99/lb not on sale, I could just buy a 1/4 lb, etc. It really saves when I need that specialty item or spice for a recipe and know I won’t need it again.

  • Elsa February 19, 2014, 8:13 pm

    I love Aldi! We have it here in Australia. But it is definitely not a one stop shop.
    I didn’t use the nappies until recently but they are fine now that Matilda isn’t wetting so much at night. Not sure how they would go for sloppy newborn poos (TMI?)
    We budget fortnightly based on our pay cycles, and our grocery budget is $AUS200 including household stuff & nappies. We’ve been really struggling to keep it down though – my husband eats so much!
    I don’t normally buy fruit & veg in Aldi – we like to go to a green grocer (mainly my husband does) but I might try them out next time he’s away and see how it is.

  • Traci February 19, 2014, 8:15 pm

    I have a few friends who rave about Aldi. I’m pretty loyal to Trader Joe’s, and I wish I could afford to shop at Whole Foods! This detailed post has inspired me to give Aldi’s another shot. I have only been to one, when I was in college, and I wasn’t that impressed, but I think it was a small one? Anyway, color me curious. Those are good deals.

  • Diana @ frontyardfoodie February 19, 2014, 8:20 pm

    Omg the diapers are awesome. I use them when not cloth diapering and they totally rock. I’m always preaching them to my friends.

    I love aldi and go there every grocery day but yes I do have to go to other stores for a lot of other stuff. I go to the conventional grocery store for local honey and Costco for the bulk items I buy (like cheese, chips and meat) but also fills in all my gaps and keeps me in budget. I only grocery shop biweekly and so it takes a lot of strategy to keep my family of four eating whole food with lots of produce too. My budget is half yours which makes aldi a must.

  • Elisabeth February 19, 2014, 9:08 pm

    When I was a kid, we shopped at Aldi’s a lot, but I haven’t been there in years. I’ve definitely been thinking I should check them out again, at least for some of the basic items. Right now, I shop at Walmart & Harris Teeter for my groceries, with a few things from Target thrown in. I moved to the Raleigh area in December from Ohio & I can definitely agree that Midwest groceries are cheaper. I do miss that & I miss Kroger for my grocery (there are a few in the area, but they aren’t as good as the Ohio ones).

  • Betsy February 19, 2014, 9:13 pm

    I would love to be able to shop at 1 store. I go to Trader Joe’s, Jewel Osco and Whole Foods every week. I live in Chicago and don’t own a car so I can only buy a few things at a time and in stores that are close by, sadly, Aldi’s isn’t in walking distance but I love it.

  • Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs February 19, 2014, 9:22 pm

    I am terrible at saving money when buying groceries — unfortunately, convenience usually wins, and I just buy everything at whatever store I end up at. I really should put some effort into looking for where things are on sale!

  • Megan February 19, 2014, 9:23 pm

    I feel very relieved to hear your $600 budget! My husband and I, along with our five young kiddos, spend $1000 a month on groceries and no matter how I try I just can’t get it lower. Saying the dollar amount aloud is frightening, but for us having more than double the people in your household, I think I might be doing okay 🙂

  • Samantha D February 19, 2014, 9:28 pm

    I actually do the same thing that you do. I am single and have a $70 per week grocery budget (including pet food, which runs about $15- $20 per week). I do pretty well at Trader Joes, getting almost all of my food for about $40. Then I go to buy cat litter, cat food, and any cleaning and household items at our grocery store (Giant) and it’s basically terrible. I feel like once you walk in the school you’re charged $40, because a couple paper towels, cat stuff, and cleaning supplies always cost as much as my weekly food bill!

  • Holly February 19, 2014, 9:29 pm

    I love Aldi! But unfortunately the only one near where I got to school is almost 30 minutes away (and Trader Joe’s is even further). So I usually just go to Publix. I do go when I’m at home with my parents and its great. I actually got a juicer from Aldi that was only $35! Granted its not the best juicer ever but it definitely gets the job done well enough that I have delicious juice.

  • Sara @ LovingOnTheRun February 19, 2014, 9:33 pm

    We have an Aldi here but I honestly have never tried it partly because it is pretty far away and partly because I have never really thought about it! After this I am going to have to give it a try!

  • Christina February 19, 2014, 10:29 pm

    I love Aldi’s! And Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods… but Aldi seriously gets better all the time. I think a few years ago when there weren’t as many Aldi’s, the produce wasn’t as good because there weren’t as many stores, so they didn’t get fresh stuff as often.
    Just recently they’ve started carrying a lot more organic stuff. For things like chips, cereal and produce, and forzen fruits/ veggies, it’s great, and the prices can’t be beat. I like that there are fewer choices- like at a normal grocery store there are a million choices for tortilla chips; at Aldi’s there are maybe two.
    Their cleaning and personal hygiene products are very generic. I would imagine the diapers are the same way.
    I usually alternate between Aldi’s and Trader Joe’s and go to Whole Foods or a local grocery store once a month for the random extra stuff. And props to you for posting your budget. I try to stick to $200 as a single person but that doesn’t include alcohol or toiletries.

  • Tamara February 19, 2014, 11:28 pm

    I love also for inexpensive; quick shopping. Their cottage cheese and other cheese selection is pretty good. Just a side note- the “natural” peanut butter is actually peanut butter spread. It almost tricked me!

  • Laura February 20, 2014, 12:53 am

    OMG, I LOVE ALDI. I recently discovered it.

    I just moved to the midwest from the south for grad school so I’m back on a very tight budget. I was skeptical about Aldi at first. I just didn’t understand why their prices were so low. I did some research and now it is my go-to grocery store.

    I have two roommates and our budget is $360/month (minimal eating out). Aldi has definitely contributed to staying under budget. Like you, we also shop at Aldi’s first and we supplement specialty items at the other local grocery store.

    My favorite Aldi item so far has been the pomegranates this past fall, they were only .49 cents each!

    Great post.

  • Jess February 20, 2014, 2:14 am

    We tend to stick to to $400 a month for 2 adults and a part time toddler. We also eat nearly all our meals at home or take a packed lunch. We hit up farmers markets for cheap and fresh produce, and we limit convenience and junk foods. For example I don’t buy pasta sauce, instead I use 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, a chopped onion, some garlic, and herbs to make my own cheaper and healthier sauce. I live in a very high cost country with no supermarket competition. I’d love to be able to spend more but the budget doesn’t allow it. We make do, but never go hungry!

  • Linda L February 20, 2014, 4:01 am

    Trader Joe’s is owned by the Aldi Group.

  • Orla February 20, 2014, 5:35 am

    We have Aldi & Lidl (a pretty similar store) here in Ireland – they are great. We do our bulk shop there every week and it is great for special offers on produce. We supplement in some other chains for things like tofu/almond milk etc. – when I say We I mean my other half – I am not allowed to do the shopping as I spend too much. way too much. 🙁
    One thing Aldi have done here is linked up with Irish artisan food producers and they really push Irish food – lots of it has won awards for taste etc.
    IDENTICAL layout of stores too !

    • Karen @ Running on Tea December 30, 2014, 1:15 pm

      This comment is from ages ago so I don’t know if you’ll see this but I was wondering, I’m Irish and can’t find tofu anywhere! Tesco have almond milk but I’m not sure if they don’t sell tofu or I’m just looking in the wrong place in the store? Or do you go to somewhere more specialised?

  • Elle February 20, 2014, 5:39 am

    Wow, I didn’t know you had Aldi in the USA! I always shop in Aldi here in Ireland. On average I think I spend 15€ a week (maybe 20$?) – this from a “single” point of view. We’ll see how I’ll in a few months time after I get married! PS As Nina also said, Aldi in Ireland looks exact same as yours!!!! It has the reputation of cheap=not good quality but it is actually great value for money. My store has GF bread, maye it was out of stock in yours?

    • Ellen February 20, 2014, 11:36 am

      So I know down in the south you don’t have Wegmans, but that is pretty much the best store all time. They actually have really cheap prices too aslong as you stay with their brand. You can go crazy in their cheese, bakery, meat section though. We have an Aldi’s here but I havent checked it out since I am so loyal to Wegmans, but might just have too. I am always looking for places to cut our costs.

  • Pip February 20, 2014, 8:35 am

    Aldi has become VERY popular in the UK over the past few years. If we had one closer to home, I would definitely go there for parts of my shopping, as you say, it’s not a one stop shop, but great for a lot of things.

    I am not sure what it is like in the US, but in the UK they get a lot of amazing cookies and other cakes and fun things in around the holidays which are common on the continent, but harder to get in the UK.

    They also do special offers on household items which rotate on a monthly basis, I’ve actually got some really good basic workout things from Aldi too!

  • Joanna February 20, 2014, 8:36 am

    I love to bargin shop and I do coupons too just to save money. I spend about 30 minutes a week getting my coupons together and setting out my list. I find going to Aldis helps me save money. There are some produce and specialty items that I buy at the regular chain grocery store but for most stuff Aldi is good. Its nice to save a bit of money and I think most of their produce is pretty good. I know Aldi has a stigma around here too that people think its not that great of a place to shop but I love it. In fact I usually go Thursdays after work since there are not that many shoppers and I can get in an out in like 20 minutes!

  • Angel February 20, 2014, 9:29 am

    I am a mom of 5. As the kids grow up I thought we may spend less. NOT! My oldest has moved out so I am feeding 6. We have all breakfast at home, pack lunches and all dinners during the week. We eat out 1-2 times on the weekend.

    We are paid every 2 weeks so that is how I budget. My budget is $600 every other week – so over $1200 a month. I almost never can stay within that budget. I just told a friend I’m about to give up. Except for the house payment, it is our biggest expense.

    I go to Sam’s Club and Meijer every other week. I fill in with items from Kroger and since Kroger is the closest I go back there to grab extra milk and produce sometimes 2-3 times before my next big trip.

    We have an Aldi and Trader Joe’s both over 30 mins away and not really “on the way” to anything.

    Oh and that is using digital store coupons and paper coupons. 🙂

  • Laura@SneakersandSpatulas February 20, 2014, 9:32 am

    We shop mostly at Harris Teeter and for the two of us, we spend about $70-$80/week. This is by shopping the sales and stocking up on items I know we will eat when the price is good. We eat as much organic and minimally processed food as much as possible. It helps to leave the husband behind when shopping so he can’t throw random crap into the cart! We buy our ground meat at the farmers market ($5.50-6/lb) and our chicken at Trader Joe’s as they have antibiotic free chicken. But TJ’s is out of the way so we only go maybe once a month when we need to buy 4-6 packs of chicken. I know we could spend less but I’m not willing to compromise buying local meats when possible, or getting organic/minimally processed foods to save a few bucks.

  • Sarah February 20, 2014, 10:25 am

    I have to say, I have always avoided Aldi because I got the impression that cheap = crappy. I pictured a store full of wilted produce and dented canned goods. I may have been mistaken. I will make plans to check out my local store soon!

  • Sara February 20, 2014, 10:27 am

    We have been shopping at Aldi recently in an attempt to lower our monthly outgoing since I am now a SAHM- it really works! I agree that it is not a “one stop”, but if you can plan your recipes out for about two weeks, you can do Aldi one week and another store the next! We also love the inexpensive fancy cheese section! Granted, we are not cheese experts, but it is fun to add to the cart and try them out without blowing the budget. The other week I also found some sea salt dark chocolate caramels… OMG amazing! They were gone the next week 😔. Love Aldi!

  • Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties February 20, 2014, 10:45 am

    I’ve never tried aldi but this makes me want to check it out! I do all my grocery shopping at Wegmans and they have pretty good prices. My grocery budget is $150 but that doesn’t include any household items or alcohol- just food!

  • Beth S. February 20, 2014, 11:05 am

    In your 50th comment, a poster finally mentioned that Trader Joe’s is owned by Aldi. 🙂
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe%27s
    Aldi does take a bit of adjustment, but it exposes that much of our food choices are somewhat psychological and comfort-based. Many of their products are re-labeled name brands. You can talk to your store’s manager (mine has become a personal friend over the years)!
    For ANYONE who is having financial problems, I highly recommend easing into the Aldi choices. Even using half Aldi & half name-brand will save $$. Plus, when my kids were toddlers, shopping at Aldi was a dream–I knew I wouldn’t lose the kids.
    I heartily agree it is not a one-stop shopping experience, but I’m thankful for your shout-out here, which could seriously help a lot of readers needing to improve their financial position. (I’m a long-time lurker, and am regularly inspired by your posts.)

    • Caitlin February 20, 2014, 1:48 pm

      thanks for reading and for the kind words 🙂

  • Rebecca February 20, 2014, 11:32 am

    We live within like two miles of three grocery stores (one basically across the street that it seems only I go to). My dad makes lists for each of them based on what he can get there (a certain kind of peanut butter or something at one versus another, etc) and what he knows is cheaper. Wal-Mart and Cash Wise are typically the ones we go to, depending on how much we need or whatever. And my parents try to stick to like $100-150 per week on groceries, but if we go over, we go over. (It’s definitely gone up a bit since I came back home! Sorry parents.) Cash Wise has freebies if you spend over like $25 and usually we grab those.
    I heard milk is going to go up in price before long because of the drought out west. We drink a lot of milk… Hooray.

  • Kelly February 20, 2014, 12:32 pm

    I laughed when I saw your immediate comment about your chevron scarf because I was admiring it in that picture!!! So cute – and I just got my first Stitch Fix and love it!! Your hair is getting long again!!

    • Caitlin February 20, 2014, 1:48 pm

      I KNOWWWWWWWWWW SO EXCITING.

  • Tricia February 20, 2014, 12:43 pm

    I have an Aldi around the corner and I have wanted to try it for a while, but I haven’t. I am totally going to try it now. I have to check out Meghann’s post too. I had a lot of stereotypical thoughts about Aldi. Jeez. I need to check it out!

  • Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork February 20, 2014, 12:45 pm

    We generally only shop at Market Basket, a Massachusetts-based inexpensive grocery store. It has everything we need, including more and more gluten-free and organic products! Because it has the best prices around, it’s always mobbed, which means they’re always restocking and the aisles are thus crowded, but it’s worth it! I wish we had a Trader Joe’s closer. We stock up whenever we go!

    There are two adults in our household and we spend anywhere from $75-$120/week, depending on what we need to restock. I am also a “special needs” with my gluten intolerance, and like you, strive to eat mainly plants and less processed food. We also try to stick to buy organic for the Dirty Dozen as well as meats, when not ridiculously priced. I stray away from the store brand meats, because I have no idea where that comes from.

    There’s an Aldi near us. I had no idea what it was, but am definitely intrigued now. Thanks for the review!

  • Paj February 20, 2014, 12:52 pm

    I was a bit disappointed considering the title of the post since I was expecting true money saving tips 🙁

    I already shop at Aldi 🙂

    • Caitlin February 20, 2014, 1:48 pm

      Well, that’s what the second post will be about, so stay tuned 🙂 I’m rounding up good tips. If you any, please share.

      • Paj February 20, 2014, 3:42 pm

        Yay 🙂

  • Halsy February 20, 2014, 1:33 pm

    I usually shop at 2-3 stores per week. I buy mainly at Kroger (their organic store brand is very reasonably priced) then I occasionally shop at Giant Eagle, Whole Foods, and Target. I have a list of items that are almost always cheapest at Target and get them when I am there for baby/toddler products in sales ad. We spend $300ish for family of 3(child is almost 2), which includes household items and beauty items. We eat out about once a week that is a separate budget item.I really coupon for household and shampoo etc items. We eat mostly organic produce- except for clean 15, mostly grass fed or organic meat and dairy. We do eat some processed “treat” items such as graham crackers, ice cream and Oreos on occasion. My daughter has a chicken and egg allergy. We buy Grass fed beef straight from the farmer in large quantities, which saves us a ton of money. We really can’t afford to spend anymore in Our budget. I’m trying to keep same budget as we add our second child in a couple months so I have really been. Insidering shopping at Aldis.

  • Rachel February 20, 2014, 2:03 pm

    Thanks for this post (I know it was sponsored but still helpful)! I had no idea what Aldi was, although their logo looked familiar. I just googled and they actually have some in South Florida, and one’s opening 3 miles from me next week! If it weren’t for this post I would have never known. Looking forward to checking it out, I’m pretty excited. We also have a TJ’s opening sometime this year. I just don’t know what I’m going to do with myself with a TJ’s, Fresh Market, Publix, WF and now Aldi’s all in a 3 mile radius lol. I hope you get a nice bonus from Aldi becauuse I think you’ve just handed them a bunch of new customers!

  • Rachel February 20, 2014, 2:05 pm

    I love Aldi! I think the produce is great! The prices are truly incredible. I don’t go there as often as Kroger because the hours are more strict. I like to run errands after baby is in bed and sometimes Aldi is closed. Also, I prefer to do one-stop shopping. I hate that I can’t get everything I need from Aldi. Basically, I do pay for convenience at other stores.

  • Kris February 20, 2014, 2:35 pm

    I started shopping at Aldi when we lived in Germany. There it was very popular with Germans and American’s shopping on the economy. I love Aldi; the prices are great and the quality I think for the price is excellent. No it’s not a one stop, but it has a lot of basics. And, when people complain about using a coin for a cart or providing (or buying) bags, I say get a life. We are too used to everything being so convenient which makes us lazy. I don’t shop Aldi very much because the nearest one to us is a good 35 minutes away (I shop at Walmart and Publix BOGOS), but when I’m visiting my mom there is one directly across the street and that’s where I do the bulk of her grocery shopping. So excited that Aldi made from Germany to the States!

  • Meredith February 20, 2014, 3:55 pm

    $600 is around what I like to try to stick to for the three of us. Harris Teeter isn’t too bad if you use coupons and buy stuff that’s on sale. I got some So Delicious creamer for $1 each last week, and some Rudi’s gluten free pizza crusts for $2 yesterday (Super Double coupon weeks can be pretty amazing).

    I’ve been contemplating checking out the Aldi near me, looks like I need to go and see what it’s all about.

  • Marcy February 20, 2014, 4:27 pm

    Just a thought– you might find that your grocery bill is cheaper if you buy things like dried legumes instead of pre-packaged food that I notice you post about a lot. You could also do things like make your own salad dressing which would help save money. It’s really easy to eat a plant-based diet and not have a huge grocery bill, it’s just about not being lazy and buying prepared foods.

    • Caitlin February 21, 2014, 7:24 am

      Agree!

    • Charise February 21, 2014, 9:34 am

      I run grocery shopping education tours for a nonprofit I volunteer for that help people learn to shop healthier and on a budget, and this is one thing we talk about – “convenience” foods where someone else has done the work for you cost more (baby carrots, bagged salad, pre-cooked rice, etc.). BUT, there is a value on your time too, and sometimes it is worth the extra cost to have these pre-prepped items at the ready. Especially if it means you aren’t going through the drive thru on nights you are crunched for time.

  • Rebecca February 20, 2014, 4:59 pm

    Oh, and we always bag our own groceries. The only place in town that has baggers is Cub Foods, and even that’s not guaranteed. They have specific registers where someone will bag your groceries. We don’t tend to use them–although I seem to be the only one in the house who goes there for whatever reason, and I usually just grab a couple things and head to the self-checkout.

    I hate that carts get so lost in parking lots, but I put them back when I grab them. I wish other people would. It takes minutes or even seconds depending on where you park in relation to a cart corral. Geez.
    And people take them miles away!!! We found a cart from a grocery store in our front yard once. Somebody walked a mile or more with a cart and just left it. Apparently they had too much to carry in one trip and didn’t have a car, but still. Don’t just leave it on the street…?? When I worked at the drug store, people would take our carts down to the entry way and leave them, or even out across the parking lot to their apartment building, I guess to use next time they shopped. We’d have to go round carts up, because we only had so many!

  • Erin @ The Grass Skirt February 20, 2014, 8:51 pm

    I shop at Aldi pretty often and even keep a quarter in my car to “rent” one of their shopping carts. Checking out is usually pretty speedy because you never have to wait for someone to bag your groceries! I’ve never tried their diapers, but the wipes are like 89 cents and basically the same as any other baby wipe I’ve used. FYI- they have MEGA cheap canned pumpkin in the fall!

  • Dominique February 21, 2014, 12:02 am

    I love seeing posts about grocery stores in the States (I’m from Canada). I love comparing the prices…and then get really mad when I see how much more we pay for groceries! The last time I checked organic bananas were $1.09/lb…boo.

    I live in between two major grocery stores that are more on the high-end but cheaper than grocery store like Aldi’s….in Canada the store is actually called No Frills and is owned by one of the higher-end stores. Our no frills store is farther meaning I have to take a bus which only comes every 30 minutes so I consider it inconvenient because the other two stores are within a five-minute walk. As such, we do most of our shopping at the higher end store but I always do a “flyer-check” and only buy what’s on sale. If more stuff is on sale at the lower end store then I feel like it’s worth it to make the longer commute. Otherwise it’s a balance between time and money for us.

    The one thing that irks me is that the No Frills private label will be available at both stores but will be cheaper at No Frills rather than the higher end. So a can of evaporated milk will be $1.49 at the higher end store but at the lower end it’s 99 cents.

  • Jill February 21, 2014, 8:06 am

    Great post! And your grocery bill sounds totally reasonable. Ours runs anywhere from $400-$500 a month, for a family of four, but we live in rural Canada, and we tend to structure our meals around whatever protein is on sale. Ours definitely creeps up if we don’t pay attention to it, or when we shop a couple days at a time (which I love to do…).
    I’m curious about the organic bananas. I always figured bananas were safe to get under the “regular” section, because the pesticides wouldn’t penetrate the skin, so the edible part would be protected. Am I totally off? Are there other reasons I should consider adding bananas to my (currently pretty short) list of organic staples?
    Looking forward to part two!

  • Charise February 21, 2014, 9:28 am

    I think your grocery budget sounds totally reasonable for a family of three. I spend $400-500/month for two of us (that generally includes keeping us stocked with alcohol, too, and things like toilet paper, but not other household/health/beauty items), PLUS we eat out for two dinners a week. I am one of those crazies who shops at several places each week – the farmers market, Whole Foods, and a local grocery store, plus occasionally TJ’s or one of the ethnic grocery stores (Asian, Indian, Mexican) to stock up on what we get from there.

    I know I COULD get our budget down some if I really tried, buuuuttt …. cooking is my hobby so I love making meals with a wide variety of ingredients, and we can afford to shop this way (local when possible and often organic), so I do.

  • Mikella February 21, 2014, 12:41 pm

    Aldi is one of my favorite places. I have a 2 stop max on grocery store trips. Usually, what I do is make my big huge list and then I go to Aldi and get everything that I can. They carry almost everything, but sometimes they don’t have exactly what I want (i.e.- I usually can’t find dried fruit without added sugar there), so then I take my list to Kroger and fill in the gaps and also shop Kroger sales.

    I think it’s really important to remember that Aldi has amazing deals and weekly specials, but a great deal at Kroger still knocks them out. For example, Aldi’s eggs are ALWAYS 99cents/dozen, but on sale at Kroger they are 89cents/dozen. I think it’s great to have the Kroger app on your phone so you can compare as you go. (I don’t think Aldi has an app, but I could be wrong).

    One thing that I LOVE LOVE LOVE about Aldi is their cheese section. They have a million cheeses + deli meats (proscuitto!) that would be out of this world expensive anywhere else. Also, they have a pretty decent wine selection. It’s definitely not wine brands you know, but it works perfectly as a table wine.

    I know this is such a long comment, but I just think Aldi is such an amazing value for what you get. I am constantly trying to talk my co-workers into trying it out, but for some reason there is some stigma that low prices = poor products. There have been one or two times where produce went bad more quickly, but I still think it’s worth it. Just don’t buy more than you can eat in a week or so!

  • Lisa @ RunWiki February 21, 2014, 1:29 pm

    This sounds like it was a fun challenge! We don’t have Aldi here in SoCal, but I shopped there when we lived back east (I’m a TJ shopper) I heard that the two stores were once connected (perhaps by family) and split when there was a feud? Not sure if this rumor is true. Anyway, we are always trying to reduce our monthly food budget, so this was so interesting to read!

    • Robyne Spillers February 21, 2014, 2:33 pm

      We live in a rural area about 4o minutes from a large metropolitan city. But we do have and aldi (which my good friend manages) But we have found over the last couple of years that Aldi carries the best produce here. Avacados, apples, oranges, etc. Now we are finding almond milk, almond butter and the best tasting hummus around. We like some of aldi’s meats. Our other option is the big box store and there meat is awful. But we do go to the big box stores for our laundry soap, shampoo and things that we can’t get from Aldi. I have friends in other areas that say their Aldi’s are not so nice. But ours is nice, clean and well stocked.

  • Devonshire February 21, 2014, 2:13 pm

    I don’t bounce too much between grocery stores. We have a main grocery store and when I have to travel to school I’ll stop by the trader joe’s which i buy chicken sausage from because it’s so much cheaper than the main grocery store.

  • Emily February 21, 2014, 2:47 pm

    Caitlin – I *LOVE* shopping at our Aldi’s here in Topeka, KS. I just wanted to chime in and say that I buy their diapers regularly and have really like them! I’ve even used them at night and haven’t had any issues. 🙂

  • Sarah BETH February 21, 2014, 6:12 pm

    So surprised to find items like goat cheese and frozen shrimp and lots of yummy canned goods at Aldi! i also really appreciate the selection of trail mixes and mixed nuts…usually so overpriced elsewhere!

  • betty February 21, 2014, 7:27 pm

    its so weird how all the blogs I read have aldi posts? obviously yall were asked too…but it gets hard to tell what you actually endorse and what are freebies or people asking you to represent them…..

    • Caitlin February 22, 2014, 7:49 am

      It’s a sponsored post program, just as it says that the bottom of the post. This means that I was hired to write a blog post about Aldi. I wasn’t hired to say something in particular, but they give us a prompt and we can write our thoughts.

  • Casey @ Salted Plates February 22, 2014, 10:00 am

    I think I need to take a drive and try one out on my next big haul. I usually shop at trader joe’s/whole foods as those are the only stores close to me. We have a bottom dollar which also has the pay for cart and bags thing but they don’t carry anything specialty besides almond milk. I’ve never seen organic produce at their store which is a shame since it’s new and also close. Thanks for the post.

  • leah February 22, 2014, 9:26 pm

    here’s teh real question….where is your purse from!?

  • Elaine February 23, 2014, 9:05 am

    Their diapers work well. I used cloth diapers during the day and paper at night and these were just as good as Pampers IMO. They are stretchy and just exactly the same design as many of the store brands.

    I’m a total Aldi and Trader Joe’s shopper. Did you know TJ’s and Aldi are cousin companies?

  • kristen @ livinlifeinlouie February 23, 2014, 6:25 pm

    I shop at Sams for the bulk items, then the grocery store for other items. I also hit up trader joes once a month. I have never tried Aldi’s but have friends that love it. I just can’t imagine adding another grocery store though. I think I would go insane haha

  • Rachel February 27, 2014, 11:42 am

    Is there a Target near you? Their diapers are significantly cheaper than Amazon and I love them. They’re super cute and don’t have that intense diaper smell. Size 4s are 192 count for $35.

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