ALDI – A Great Way to Save Money in 2013!

We spent the holidays at my mom’s house.  Unfortunately, my mom has been pretty busy taking care of my grandmother, so when we arrived at her house she didn’t have a lot of the staples that we needed for the holidays (or even to have company at her house).  I quickly decided to go get some groceries, and was thrilled when I found an ALDI store right by her house.  We have several in our area in Florida, but I hadn’t gotten a chance to go over and shop there.  So I decide this was the perfect opportunity.  My list included holiday favorites – stuffing, potatoes au gratin, corn (for corn casserole), crescent rolls – along with snacks for the kids to eat during our visit.

Having never been in an ALDI before, I didn’t know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised by how clean the store was.  The aisles were wide and well organized, and although it isn’t one of those mega-style grocery stores, the selection was great.Then I was wow-ed by the prices.  I easily saved half of what I normally pay for my stuffing and au gratin potatoes, and maybe even more than half on the corn.  I actually saved enough that I picked up some carrots and green beans for my mom to have on hand.  I mean, when you find things at a great price, you should stock up, right?

And then it was off to find snacks for the kids.  This was where I kind of went overboard – juice boxes, yogurt, cheese, fresh strawberries, mac n cheese, cookies, fruit bars – ALDI had it all…and I bought most of it.  They even had these cute holiday cupcake and cake pop package mixes.

How could I resist?  So I picked up a box of the Hot Chocolate cupcake mix and a cake pop kit and headed to check out where I found out that everything I purchase only came to $27!  I couldn’t believe it!  The photo below includes most of what I bought, but there are a few items not picture – bread, juice boxes, and cookies to name a few, but that’s only because they were opened right when I got back to the house. 

I love saving money and since it’s part of my to-do list in 2013, I think I’m going to see a lot of ALDI in the near future.  And because the store is so well-organized, I was in and out in less than 20 minutes.  I’m a mom constantly short on time, so that makes a huge difference to me.  It also helps that they have a great and inexpensive wine and sparkling cider selection.

Looking to save a little green in 2013?  Here are some tips to make the most of out of your trip to ALDI:

• Bring a quarter – You’ll need it for your cart.  When I first left to go shopping, my sister asked if I had one on me.  I did, but I had no idea why she was asking.  When I arrived, I saw this:Suddenly the quarter question made sense.  Turns out, one quarter really does make a difference.  Besides ensuring that they get the cart back at the end of your shopping experience (a cost that is ultimately passed on to the consumer if they don’t get them back), keeping the carts like this helps keep the parking lot clear.  And it really works too, because ALDI store parking lots don’t have any of the clutter that you normally find in other grocery store parking lots.  Which is especially comforting to people who have had cars scratched or dented by that clutter.  And remember, it’s a deposit.  The small lock on the far right hand side of your cart only holds the quarter, and you get it back when you hook it back up to the others when you’re done shopping.
• Check next weeks ad.  It goes without saying that you should check your local circulars to make the most out of your trips to the grocery store, but ALDI does it even better – they tell you what next weeks specials will be.  Don’t you just hate when you buy something and it goes on sale the next week?  Well, before it happens to you, check your store for next weeks ad.  The one in the store by my moms house is enlarged and displayed right in front by the doors.
• Bring your own bags.  Yet another way that ALDI cuts down costs (that are ultimately passed on to the consumer) is to eliminate bags at check out, so bring your own!  Besides, it’s a great way to be greener in the new year!

Happy shopping!

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for ALDI. I received a gift certificate to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.”