About 3 or 4 years ago I remember a friend of mine telling me about Aldi and how she tries to advocate for it as much as possible; their new health-conscious products were something to brag about. I had always heard about their money savings, but hadn’t ventured into our local store yet. After our conversation, I still didn’t set foot in the store until I was home on maternity leave in the fall of 2017. I was looking for as many ways to save money as possible since we were now living on one income, as we still are today.
Why did I wait so long?! Now, before I expand on the fact that I love Aldi, I will say that you cannot get EVERYTHING you need there; certain specialty items, specific health food items (like my wheat berries for grinding flour – come on Aldi, get your act together! I kid…), or certain national brands we can’t give up we either get at Target (you think I love Aldi? Just wait for my Target post!), our local health food store – Earthlight Natural Foods, or as a last resort, a big box grocery store; Giant is the closest, but sometimes a trip to Wegmans is in order!
BUT, with that being said, you can get most of what you need – even if you strive to eat organic. Yep, that’s right, Aldi saves you money AND you can eat organic (or gluten free, or vegan)! Please elaborate, you say? Surely!
1. Less is Best
I know this whole minimalism thing is very trendy right now, and I generally steer away from trends, but I have come into a new season of life, probably prompted by taking care of a toddler; lots of “stuff” stresses me out. Lots of stuff in my house, lots of toys, lots of clothes, lots of choices, lots of gadgets… it all stresses me out! So, as you can imagine, grocery shopping at a big box grocery store has become very stressful for me because of ALL OF THE CHOICES!
At Aldi, there is WAY less to choose from than a big box grocery store; If you are looking for black beans, they only have one choice (or maybe two – you might have to choose between organic or not – I know, the struggle is real). At a big box grocery store you may have 3 or 4 different brands of black beans. At Aldi you may only have 5 choices of bread (white, wheat, whole grain, sourdough, and Naan for instance), not 25 different choices like at the big box store. Even their weekly circular is only 1 page! I got a headache looking at my big box grocery store flyer, and don’t get me started on the paper waste…
Because Aldi has less stock, the stores are also smaller; no more wandering aimlessly through all 20 aisles of the grocery store (I love you Wegmans, but it’s too much for my brain to handle these days)! In my Aldi, there are 4 aisles, and I don’t even need to always go down every aisle. Because of the size of the store, I quickly learned where things were, what they have and don’t have, and I can swish through the aisles with my impatient toddler quickly and efficiently. Need I say more?
2. It Saves Moolah
Aldi’s whole mission is based on doing things “differentli”, which I believe they do quite well. They believe that quality food shouldn’t cost a pretty penny. 90% of the food they sell are their own, exclusive food brands, and if you aren’t super brand-loyal, you can save a bunch of moolah if you switch to Aldi’s brands. Check out Aldi’s FAQ for some more insights into savings.
Some price comparisons between my Aldi and Giant Food Store in northeastern Pennsylvania in April of 2019 include:
(os = on sale, edp = every day price)
| Item: | Giant: | Aldi: |
| Asparagus | $2.99/lb – os | $2.15/lb – edp |
| Organic Raspberries | $4.99/6oz – os | $4.19/6oz – edp |
| Veggie Straw Chips | $2.50/7oz bag – os | $2.09/7oz bag – edp |
| Baby Wipes | $1.49/56ct – os (Pampers brand – w/ coupon) | $1.55/72ct – edp (Little Journey – Aldi brand) |
| Dog Bones | $3.00/24oz – os (Milkbone brand) | $1.75/24oz – edp (Heart to Tail – Aldi brand) |
| Round Crackers | $1.88/13.7oz – os (Ritz brand – w/ coupon) | $1.55/13.7oz – edp (Savortiz – Aldi brand) |
| Ice Cream Cones | $3.34/4ct – os (Drumstick brand) | $4.29/8ct – edp (Sundae shop – Aldi brand) |
*I used my local Giant sales circular and Aldi’s everyday low prices as a guide for these comparisons.*
… you get the picture. 50 cents here, 25 cents there… it all adds up! I used to use coupons and sales flyers religiously to save as much as possible. I can now shop at Aldi without having to look at the sale circular or worry about coupons before heading to the store. Now, if I wanted to save EVEN more, I could shop the weekly sale circular at Aldi, but ain’t nobody got time for that. I also just found out recently that my favorite shopping app, Ibotta, works at Aldi too! Score!
Now, to be fair, all of the comparisons I made above are not exact matches; Aldi’s store brand items are not going to be exactly the same as the national brands, BUT – in my opinion, often the Aldi brands are better choices for me and my family anyway (more about that below in #4). Aldi pays close attention to the ingredients they put in their food; All of their exclusive brands are free from: synthetic colors, MSG, and trans fats. Although it is getting better, I can’t say the same for most national brands. ALSO, to be fair, you can’t get EVERYTHING at Aldi, but that goes back to #1, Less is Best!
Yes, Aldi can save you money, but in full disclosure there are some things that are the same or slightly more expensive at Aldi. They do carry a small percentage of national brands and I have found that many of them can be found cheaper elsewhere; but, that isn’t always true, so be aware of the prices for your favorite name-brand items. I also don’t usually buy toiletry items or household items at Aldi; I bought tissues once, and they weren’t the best. I have an Up & Up (Target brand) loyalty to those types of items because of their quality and price (and cartwheel coupons).
3. Great Selection of Organic, Gluten Free, and Vegan Products
Ok, I know I already went into a detail about how Aldi saves me money, BUT it’s even more affordable to eat healthy at Aldi. I’m sure you have noticed that buying pre-packaged, processed foods is WAY cheaper than buying fresh produce. Buying non-organic is cheaper than buying organic, sometimes significantly cheaper. Many times I hear people say they will buy organic if they can, meaning if it isn’t significantly more expensive and readily available. Well, at Aldi I think it is very affordable to buy organic; and their selection of organic, gluten free and vegan foods is growing.
Aldi provides organic options for many of their foods, including, but not limited to: produce, dairy, canned goods, pasta, breakfast foods, pantry staples, baking supplies, meats, coffee, baby food and even snacks. Not only is there a good variety of organic items, but, you guessed it, they’re also very affordable.
They have also upped their game with their “liveGfree” gluten free line. No one in my household is gluten free, so I can’t speak to the quality of these items, but I can only assume that they stand up to the same quality as the rest of their exclusive brand items. Gluten free products include, but are not limited to: breads, frozen foods, snacks, pasta, breakfast foods, and even baking mixes! Check out some of the awards they have won for their Gluten Free Products.
Aldi also have a decent variety of vegan foods, including: a variety of frozen veggie burgers, meatless “chicken tenders”, meatless hot dogs, meatless meatballs and even vegan cheese! No one in my household is vegan either, but I do enjoy a good veggie burger every once in a while. I also have some vegetarian and vegan friends; up until recently I would have to visit my local health food store to find most vegan items (other than veggie burgers), and it would cost me twice as much, so thanks again Aldi!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the organic baby pouches… you know, those pureed pouches your babies, toddlers, and preschoolers inhale? I buy them by the fistfull at Aldi. I used to make my own pouches for my daughter, and still do once in a while, but that WAS mainly because they were insanely expensive, especially the organic ones. I would shop with coupons and sales, mostly at Target, and could get decent prices, but NOTHING like at Aldi. An organic pouch at Target starts at around $1.20 and can go over $2.00 PER POUCH. I felt like I hit gold if I could get my pouches for around $1 or just under. At Aldi, their 4oz little journey organic pouches cost $.79 each! Ok, it’s still not nearly as good as making your own pouches, BUT these pouches don’t need to be refrigerated (my biggest gripe with making your own) until after they’re opened, and unless your toddler is going through a weird/picky phase (hand raised right now), then you most likely won’t need to be storing any leftovers from these pouches in the fridge. They even have pouches with meat in them. Now, I know what you’re thinking, that sounds gross! But I’ve tried them and they’re not that bad, and right now it’s the only way I can get my toddler to eat any kind of meat; my daughter’s personal favorite is the sweet potato and turkey!
4. Aldi’s Brands are a Better Choice
I already talked a bit about how all of Aldi’s exclusive brands are free from synthetic colors, MSG, and Trans Fats (and have been since 2015), but they also have numerous award winning products from institutions such as Good Housekeeping, Parent Tested Parent Approved (PTPA), the World Dairy Expo, and the Gluten Free Awards.
Not only does Aldi carry a healthy selection of organic, gluten free, and vegan products, they also have their “Simply Nature” line that is free from over 125 artificial ingredients. Didn’t know there were that many artificial ingredient possibilities for your food? Me neither! They also have their “Never Any” line of meat which is free from antibiotics, hormones, and animal by-products. So even if you don’t take advantage of their great organic prices, you are still making a safer and healthier choice with these two Aldi exclusive brands.
I haven’t even mentioned Aldi’s “Twice As Nice Guarantee” yet either! It’s pretty simple, although I haven’t had to opportunity to use it yet; If you are not 100% satisfied with any of the Aldi exclusive brands, they will refund your money AND replace the item. Say what?! That’s how firmly they stand behind their products! Hopefully people do not start to take advantage of that so they can keep their guarantee (RIP LLBean 100% satisfaction guarantee program). What if you want to return a non-Aldi exclusive item? No worries, you’ll still be able to get a refund or a store gift card.
Lastly, Aldi also does a good job of responsibly sourcing their food. What does that mean? They voluntarily take social and environmental factors into account when sourcing their food, especially their meat and seafood. If you don’t know about the horrendous seafood practices in our country, you can read more about it here, but know that Aldi does a good job at sourcing their seafood.
5. Aldi is MORE than Great Groceries
Not only does Aldi have great food, but they also have awesome products. I recently saw a Facebook friend talk about her Aldi Enameled Cast Iron pieces. What?!? I had no idea Aldi sold enameled cast iron, or I would have been ALL over that. As is true with many things at Aldi, however, their items are a revolving door, so you have to constantly be on the lookout. Aldi also has this dangerous aisle that is filled with Aldi Finds; these are seasonal items, home goods, kids toys, kitchenware, pet goods, clothing, and so on… I’ve only bought items from this aisle once or twice since we are on a downsizing roll, but this aisle is VERY tempting.
Aldi also now has grocery delivery! I haven’t used it yet, but I checked it out and they do deliver to our address; this is surprising since we JUST started getting some food delivery where we live. Grocery delivery is a new trend, and I can totally understand why, especially if you have little kids or if you are elderly. This could also help alleviate impulse buying (yea, I could work on that)… so maybe I should try it! It’s fairly new for Aldi, and I’ve seen a bunch of coupon codes if you try it for the first time, so I say, why not?
Lastly, Aldi has a business plan that I admire. Most businesses are about making money, and although I’m SURE that is a priority for Aldi (or else it wouldn’t be a successful business), they also have other priorities and in my opinion, they work smarter, not harder. They want to provide quality food at a quality price, but that is very hard to do in a traditional grocery store setting. Aldi saves money by employing their customers and going eco-friendly! Everything is based around efficiency so they can pass the savings on to their customers.
How do they “employ” their customers and “go green”? Well, it starts at the beginning of your shopping experience. If you want a cart, you need a quarter. It’s not a way to make money but instead a rental system! Customers can rent a cart for a quarter and if they bring it back and lock it back up, they get their quarter back; It’s genius! There are very few carts in the parking lot (and if there are any, they are often snatched up quickly, because who doesn’t want a free quarter?!); this means they don’t have to hire anyone to wrangle carts back to the store.
Aldi also does not provide free shopping bags like a traditional big box grocery store. They do have reusable bags for purchase, but they encourage you to bring your own. If you forget bags, there are usually empty boxes all around the store for customers to use for the transportation of their groceries. Not only is this an eco-friendly system, but it also SAVES MONEY.
Now, you may be wondering, where did these empty boxes lying around the store come? This is where it gets even better… for even more efficiency, Aldi ships their products in boxes, which are then easily torn open by the employees and used on the shelves as displays. As boxes become empty, customers can then take the box off the shelf and use it for their grocery transportation. So what do the actual employees need to do? Get the boxes into the store, tear them open and put them on a shelf. I think that system may be a bit quicker than the big box stores AND IT SAVES MONEY. Just saying…
Lastly, Aldi saves money by being more efficient. As of now, I’m pretty sure they are renovating all of their stores. Our local store was renovated about a year ago now, and one of their renovations was putting all smart sub-meters in their stores for lighting and HVAC. All of the stores have been equipped with LED lighting since 2015 and they are constantly measuring their carbon footprint. Aldi’s goal is to reduce their greenhouse emissions by 30% per square meter of sales floor by 2020, as compared to 2012. They also have aspirations to become a zero-waste business and work closely with the Environmental Protection Agency. From using solar, to limiting business hours, and streamlining the delivery of the products, Aldi is taking their corporate responsibility seriously, and that’s something I can truly get behind. Click here if you want to read more about how Aldi is going green.
So even if you don’t care about saving money (who ARE you?!), then maybe their green initiative or ingenious business plan will get you to shop at Aldi… or maybe not. The choice is yours, but we know that it is the best choice for us right now!
