Earlier this week I talked about How To Shop at Aldi and why I think ALDI rocks.
Now, I’m going to give you my Top 20 items to Buy at ALDI.
But before I get to that, there are a couple of things I need to point out.
- ALDI doesn’t take coupons. So the price is the price. Period.
- If it isn’t an ALDI store brand, you are better off buying it at a grocery store with a coupon.
- Not everything at ALDI is a deal. This is why a price book and knowing your prices is important. It’s possible to overspend at ALDI too.
- Prices are representative of Summer 2012. Sometimes they go up and sometimes they go down.
- Some of the items I’ve listed may be cheaper in a grocery store, but I because I think the quality is better at ALDI, I’ll pay extra.
- I haven’t tried every item in ALDI. So I may not have listed your favorite item. The list below is what I buy month-in-and-month-out at ALDI.
Kelly’s Top 20 Items To Buy At ALDI
1. Pretzels ($1.30ish). I only purchase two kinds of pretzels Rold Gold and ALDI brand. They are crisp with the right amount of salt to bread flavor.
2. Tortilla Chips ($1.20). Again, I buy these and Snyder’s Grande. I think their taste is awesome.
3. Cheesey Puffs and Curls ($1.00). These have a little different cheese flavor than Cheetos, but they are also 60% of the retail price.
4. Graham Crackers ($1.50). I buy these and Honey Maid. Unfortunately, Honey Maid is never on sale or has a coupon..and at $1.50 a box, we eat them as a snack all of the time.
5. Saltine Crackers ($1.00). I only buy these and Zesta crackers and ALDI is consistently 60% less than Zesta’s retail price.
6. Flour – 5 lbs ($1.50). Flour can be cheaper at the grocery stores during holiday seasons, but if I’m in a pinch this is my go-to place.
7. Shortening – 3 lbs ($3.50). We use shortening is several recipes and for greasing baking pans…this tub allows us to never be without.
8. Spices ($1.00). It’s a limited selection, but is great for oregano, cumin, paprika, basil, garlic salt, etc.
9. Milk – Gallon ($2.00). Milk has been on sale (in Kansas) for $2.00 for the last year. Which is almost $2.00 less than the grocery stores.
10. Produce ($1.00 per pound). Everything from bananas to potatoes to watermelon to strawberries to carrots to garlic can be found at ALDI.
11. Bread ($1.00 – $1.70) Wheat Sandwich Bread is $1.00 and Whole Wheat Bread is $1.70…even Costco can’t compete with those prices.
12. Buns ($1.00) White Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns are always this price and freeze really well.
13. Garden Salad Mix ($1.00). Great way to ensure you will always have a salad on hand.
14. Dried White Northern Beans – 2 lbs ($2.30). You won’t find a better quality bean for $1.15 per pound anywhere.
15. Dried Pinto Beans – 2 lbs ($2.00). You won’t find a better pinto bean for $1.00 per pound anywhere.
16. Flour Tortillas – 10 count ($1.00). I love these tortillas. They can hold a whole taco and enchilada, but aren’t too thick.
17. Corn Tortillas – 30 count ($1.20). Again a great corn tortilla and make wonderful tostados.
18. Dry Ranch Mix ($.70). Just like Hidden Valley for 50% less.
19. Onion Soup Mix ($.80). Just like Lipton for 50% less.
20. Gravy Mix ($.35). Just like McCormicks for 60% less.
Now it is your turn? What are some of your favorite items to buy at ALDI? Leave a comment and let us know.
I’d add butter. The price is one of the lowest I’ve seen. Great if you have holiday baking coming up and need a lot. Great list. Thanks!
This is so helpful thank you!!!!!!!! I also love their rice cakes. Sometimes you can get the quaker ones cheaper, but I feel like the coupons for the quaker rice quakes don’t come around with a sale too often. Maybe 2x a year.
Avocados!! Always much less expensive than typical grocery stores. Usually have to let them ripen for a couple of days though.
Our store here in Leavenworth, has bread white for $0.89 a loaf and whole wheat for $0.99 a loaf. A large tub of butter is only $1.89 and bananas go for only $0,44 a pound.. LOVE ALDI’s..
I second the butter, we also routinely buy sour cream ($.99) at Aldi, and, blocks of cheese ($1.29-$1.79) if you can’t get it cheaper on sale, I make homemade lunchables for my son and block cheese is a must. My son loves Goldfish, but Aldi has “Sharks” ($1.29) and I honestly think they taste better. Before we switched to a Paleo diet my husband loved the cheese dip (about $2.29) like Tostitos cheese dip and it was always cheaper. We used to buy the Jambalaya ($.99) there because Zatarains is at least $1 more. I usually get our cat litter there, along with ziploc type bags. Recently they have made Lifeway Kefir a staple item which we love.
We love their Kirkland Chicken Fries and animal shaped chicken nuggets. They cost less than the Banquet and Tyson nuggets you can buy at Walmart, and they taste wonderful. We live 90 miles away from the neareast Aldi’s, and I just sent my husband to Salina today because I am tired of buying inferior tasting nuggets at Walmart.
I’ll do you one better on your 90 miles. My sister will fly to KC from the mountains above Denver to visit us and will get giddy about an Aldi’s trip to take back seasoning packets and mixes in her suitcase. 50 cents for chili/taco/spag seasoning packets. We can do better on sale occaissionally (ok, taco kinda regularly) but she can’t with her stores available. That’s quite a commute for Aldi’s loyalty.
We buy diapers there. They have the elastic in the back and they are $4.99 a pack. We also get their spaghettios and ravioli. The kids love them and they are super cheap!
I buy the frozen Angus beef burger patties …. really GOOD!
Aldi brand [Mills Farm? Something like that] sweet and salty granola bars with peanuts or almonds.
Cereal is a good buy and the Aldi brand tastes great.
Deluxe American cheese slices are a great value.
Potato chips, tortilla chips, etc are wonderful.
Self-rising frozen pizza is the best I’ve ever had … usually 3.99 for a large one.
Milk, english muffins, pepperonis, cereal, strawberries, bananas, salad in a bag.
Loving your series! With my gluten-free diet, more than half the things on your list are no-no’s for me. But I LOVE Aldi produce. 🙂
Their mashed potato flakes are gluten free, as is the brown rice, the unsalted butter and sour cream. You have to dig a bit, but you can find alot there that is gluten free, and it saves you a ton of money!
I have found many things that are gluten free at Aldi’s. I am NOT GF, but I love their Sea Salt or Rosemary flavored GF chips ($1.49). I have also tried their GF cornbread mix and it is yummy! Often, all their GF products are grouped on an end cap and its worth a look/try.
Their flour tortillas, any of the canned tomato products, the pasta, their sour cream, their cheese, their salad mix, and all the fresh produce. I LOVE their unsalted butter, and we eat that on our toast. I love their whole wheat bread (that is also HFCS free!), and it’s such a low price! Their frozen chicken and ground turkey are a major staple for us! I love the fact that it doesn’t change, so I can plan my shopping trip by what I can get at Aldi, vs where else I have to go. I know that I can get over 80% of my list, if not more, at Aldi, and save so much money!
My kids love the Aldi french toast sticks and I tried their ice cream cones last week and they were great!! I”m always hesitant to try new things there because if no one at my house will eat them it’s not really a bargain. Thanks for your list though, I will have to try some more things on my next trip.
Cheese sticks, sliced cheese, frozen fruit, and ice cream. They are delicious and way way cheaper than Meijer sake prices!
My husband has a severe gluten allergy and Aldi’s does a great job of labeling their products with allergy information. We buy most of our produce from there. The tortilla chips are some of the best and gluten free. Our kids love the sharks and fruit snacks. We also buy all of our butter there as well. Thanks for the series on Aldi.
I too LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Aldi!
I must first say that our family does not eat artificial colors, flavors, preservatives (i.e.BHT, BHA, TBHQ) artificial sweetners (i.e.sucralose, splenda) and we are a super reduced wheat family.
Instant brown rice (when they have it-bought a case last time I was there)
Half n Half
Heavy Cream (seasonal item)
Lifeway Keifer (hands down $1 less than everywhere else)
All Natural Ice Cream!!! YAAAAHOOOOO!!!
Frozen fruit
Milk choc peanut butter cup!!! BLOWS everything else OUT of the water!!
Schogetten-Dark choc bars-SUPER great price(hard to find Q’s n sale on all natural ones)
Schogetten-Milk choc bar
Mint chews(like Mentos)
Spices
O.J.
Kettle Chips
Sour Cream
Greek Yogurt (.89) if I don’t have coupons or sales
Hummus is good for the price!
Friendly Farm cheese twists (orange and white cheese)
Large Cinnamon Rolls – not as good of a price as Pillsbury sale with Q, but they taste a hell of a lot better
Chili Seasoning
Brown Gravy – add this to a cup of cold water and pour over a roast in a slow cooker – excellent
Canned Black Beans
Their version of Rotel – I like it better
Taco Seasoning – .39 and is very close to Taco Bell
Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips – less “dust” and less intense flavor that we prefer them to Doritos
Four packs of Mandarin Oranges – @ $1.59 everyday they’re better priced most times even with a sale.
Brownie mix – really good!
Chocolate chips are good, but tend to have a lower melting point than Nestle
Pancake mix – really good!
Flour
Brown Sugar
Oil
Pan Spray
Avocados are good and cheap, too! Just set them on the counter and they ripen nicely, then in the fridge they go.
Things I absolutely will not buy:
Vanilla – tastes funny. Yuck!
Cereal – can get it cheaper with sale and coupons
Frozen beef tube – had a bunch of connective tissue in it – not very good quality
Frozen pretzels – ugh. NASTY
Things of note: The baggies that the bread come in aren’t very strong and I find it dries out faster than, say, Sara Lee.
The Leavenworth, KS store has better milk prices than the KCMO stores.
Love Aldi! It’s my “needs” store where I can get things I really need that aren’t on sale. I only get to go about one to two times a month, but I can stock up on my favorite things for around $60. Some of these items I don’t stockpile because I use them infrequently enough to save money using Aldi brands.
I haven’t ever tried their saltine crackers, but I will now. I am a Zesta brand lover myself but switched to Kroger brand low-fat saltines from Dillons because they were similar to Zesta.
Thanks for this list of your favorite items, and thanks to the other commenters too! It is so hard to keep my grocery bill down.
I loved your list of reasons to shop at Aldi! It is definitely my go-to when I am in a couponing rut.
I agree, there are definitely things to buy and not buy at Aldi. I think your list covers most everything, although I would say their spices are mediocre at best (#8) and most of their bread (#11) has fillers like cellulose and high fructose corn syrup, so I am not a fan. I would agree with the other commentators that sour cream and spreadable tub butter are good prices there. Also, their egg whites (in a pint carton), baking soda, and seasonal flowers (like mums). I definitely have a list of things I don’t buy at Aldi: stick butter, block cheese, and dried fruit, all of which can be found for cheaper.
Great post, Kelly!
I hardly by bananas at Aldi, because they never seem to ripen right when I but them there. I spend just a little more and buy perfect ones from HyVee. Things we do like…
-frozen corn
-chicken nuggests, at only $3.99 per bag and better tasting then other name brands.
-fish sticks, again $3.99 per box
-I LOVE LOVE LOVE their Southwestern fresh Salsa that is in the case by the produce. I have tried other brands from Hyvee that cost $4 + a tub, but this is by far my favorite for $1.99.
-Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is also great, again, $1.99 and so good with the Savorite (sp??) triscute type crackers.
-Whipped cream cheese, I think I paid $1.49 for the 8oz tub.
I buy almost all of my produce there and love it. I always buy multiple packages or strawberries, wash some of the fridge and freeze some for smoothies, same with blueberries.
With 5 kids I am in Aldi’s every week to stock up on milk and produce. The kids love their granola bars and frozen cheese ravioli. I love that I can make dinner in less than 10 minutes on ravioli night. The ravioli cooks in 2-3 min after the water boils. I add some spaghetti sauce, a salad, fruit and milk and we’re good to go. Their brownie mix is better than the name brand. I get compliments every time I make them.
Party Mix is just like Chex Mix for just over $2!
I buy all of my baking supplies there around the holidays. At a regular grocery store condensed milk is over $2.00 but at Aldi’s it is $1.15 and the quality is great!
I buy canned tuna…59 cents a can and tastes as good as name brand..also ice cream and mac and cheese..unless kraft has a good sale
Salad Dressing at $2.00 a bottle might seem pricey but it is as good as high end specialty brands at the regular grocery stores, and Half and Half.
Great article! I am going to try out some of the items everyone likes! I really enjoy Aldi, but I never do like their bread or buns…always seem dry to me. I need to go back this week for the strawberries (.99) – they have been great recently!
You might want to change the day you go to Aldi. I try to go on the day they replenish bread on the shelves. I find that later in the week or weekend, sometimes there’s not as much to choose from and it might be older. Just a thought.
are Aldi prices supposed to be consistent from store-to-store? I shop the one in Lawrence about every other week and milk is $2.88. Cheaper than my local small-town store, but a bit more than when Dillons does 1/2 gal on sale 4/$5.
I like to buy the chicken nuggets for my son, they have animal shaped chicken nuggets, $4. They also have great ice cream, and the juice is GOOD!
Orange juice is $2.47 I think, tastes better than the brand names.
I also get my sons gummy vitamins there. They are animal shaped (he loves)..they are $4. Other stores charge $6-7.
Thanks for letting people know about Aldi’s. It’s actually run by the same group as Trader Joe’s and does carry some organic things too. A great thing to do is go to T.J. then Aldi’s and compare–many things are exactly the same even packaging is very similar (except price of course). Aldi is actually a luxury supermarket in Europe-LoL. Favs for us are Olive oil, nuts, chocolate, baking stuff, snacks!
french toast sticks! white castle cheeseburgers! and… their salsa is the best!!
Thanks for the comments everyone!
I would also say,
Buy
Peanut Butter
Take n Bake Pizza
Chocolate Almond Milk (Friendly Farms)
Danishes (cheese yes, carmel eh)
Produce (line container with paper towels to
delay spoilage)
Avoid
Cottage Cheese
Macaroni Salad
Potato Salad (all were disgusting!!!)
the cleansing creAM IS JUST AS GOOD AS ANY EXPENSIVE KIND IN THE STORE AND MUCH CHEAper. my daughter loves the day and night mortizer also.
Microwave popcorn is better than any name brand. Produce , eggs , milk, Taquitos,
Eggs, bacon, woven wheat crackers (like Triscuits), bagels ($.89), most of my produce, bread ($.89), buns ($.89), milk and much more. Nice thing is, I drive a little ways to go there now but in a few months there will be a new store closer to where I live in NH.
Greek yogurt from Aldi’s…I use greek yogurt a lot for baking and eating mixed with pnut better and chocolate as an ice cream substitute…..It’s always at least $4 or up anywhere else….unless it is on sale at pick n save for 2/$6, then its $3….otherwise I think $3.69 as an every day price at aldi’s is a pretty good deal on greek yogurt…oh, and orange juice too…..1.99 at aldis and 2.59 or up anywhere else.
oh and one more thing…..FIG NEWTONS! 89 cents….all the time! my kids love them and i pack them in my husbands lunch for a snack….can’t be an 89 cent snack 🙂
Cake mix and brownie mix. I make my family’s birthday cakes and treats using Aldi mixes. I sometimes dress them up with additional extracts or coloring, but they taste better and bake better than other store-bought mixes. Many times people have asked for my secret on my delicious chocolate cake. I never tell.
I buy the cranberry almond chicken salad, it’s great! The savoritz crackers taste just like a ritz. I buy all dairy at Aldis. The pork chops are really good always fresh and moist after they are cooked. Spices, produce, oranges $1.59 for 8 oranges, never dried out like the ones I pay a dollar for a single orange at our local grocer. I find more and more every time I go. It’s worth a try!!!!
LOVE ALDI—— BUDGET FRIENDLY AND BETTER THAN MOST BRAND NAMES——-
I have to say, this is a top 20 list of what not to eat!!! How about their organic fruit and vegetable offerings?!
The original list is from 2012 when they probably didn’t have many organic offerings. But your right, they do now! I might add that it is also great to find gluten free products on the cheap there too. They just keep getting better and better.
Anything organic. It’s so much cheaper at Aldi. Also nuts, peanut butter, pop tarts, chips and snacks, cheese, canned veggies,…I can go on and on.
Recipe to make at half price Banana Pudding get all items at Aldi’s
Vanilla Wafers (aprx. 1.80) great taste comparable to Nabisco
Real butter
Milk (2.00)
Whip topping (.90)
Pudding (.50)
Bananas (apprx $1.50)
Vanilla (1.00)
Brown sugar
Pecans (optional)
Buy an baking nuts at Aldis significantly cheaper
Great recipe to use is souther banana pudding on Kraft website
I am interested in Organic and non-GMO’s. Do they cater to organic and non-gmo’s? A lot of what I see talked about has soy, corn syrup, etc. in it.
There are several products that are non-GMO and organic.
There are at least 4 items that are priced well and are great quality that I’d like to mention. 1. They have more and more “Organics” at the 2 Aldi’s I visit in MD and PA including canned tomatoes, Spring salad mixes and quinoa, although the organic broth is like water. 2. Canned at cat food is 35 cents and compares well with other higher prices brands at other stores. 3.We think their store brand Nutella is better than the brand name too as well as their “Natural peanut butter. 4. Their Belgian chocolate and Choucer brand is so creamy and smooth. Best chocolate ever!
Aldi’s chicken salad with cranberry and walnuts is to die for. In cold food case. Comes in a 1/2lb. plastic container. Is as good as any deli or deli couter at supermarket where it can be pricey by the pound. For me it’s worth the drive to other side of town just to get the chicken salad.
I’ve always looked at that and wondered…going to put it on my list.
Aldi offers a lot of foods on my kosher list. Also my family doesn’t eat pork or products containing pork and Aldi has a lot to choose from. Their pie crust is good and much cheaper jarred peaches and fruit cocktail. Trail mix is good already made and the ingredients seperate. French Toast sticks and hash brown patties are great for the kids in the morning. Breaded chicken breast I use in my salads and for chicken sandwhiches.
Let’s not forget the good home products they sell. I have the best pillows in the world I bought from there 5 yrs ago they are still puffy and firm, steam mop great! Air mattress and a few more things. I love Aldi#
Spiral ham,(best ham I ever made…..cooked it in the crock pot for 3-4 hours….with the season packet(dry), chicken tenders, Frozen chicken fried rice, butter, milk, black forest(sliced) ham, frozen vegies, hash browns, “club” style crackers, canned milk, cashews, and our new favorite….fruit flavored water. I buy 2 or 3 cases a week……we gave up soda pop several months ago. We do not eat their canned pork and beans…….found a rock in a can and chipped a tooth! I buy everything I can at ALDI. I will be trying some of the recommended items above. Thank You, fellow Aldi shoppers.
Millville Chewy Protein Bars, the dark chocolate and Peanut Butter are the ones I buy. We have 6 boys all of them are in sports. I buy 12 boxes of these every week and they are passed all over the bleachers at soccer, football games, track and wrestling meets. I’m told they taste way better than the name brand that I purchased from Sam’s Club.
I shop there almost exclusively, except for some produce. We have a store called Valli that has an extensive produce section that always has amazing deals. Fortunately they are close by and I just hit both stores.