My Favorite Things to Buy at Aldi

My motto about grocery shopping has turned into: if I can’t buy it at Aldi, we don’t need it!

Aldi is a small store but is packed with gems. In a world where we want more catering done for us, such as ordering groceries online and having them delivered, one has to wonder how Aldi is not only surviving, but thriving (at least they are in our town).

According to the Aldi website, they “operate more than 1,600 stores in 35 states.”

Aldi prices are extremely low.

Aldi prices are even much lower than Walmart, the store known for its low prices. You can save BIG TIME on your grocery bill.

Most of the Aldi products are Aldi exclusive brand, so you won’t find many brand names. Eliminating the marketing and advertising costs associated with national brands helps Aldi pass savings on to their shoppers.

Don’t let the no-frills shelving deter you from shopping Aldi, as it is another way they keep their prices low. They use boxes more so than shelving because it reduces employee time spent on stocking shelves.

Yes, you have to put a quarter in the cart release chain, but that’s really not a big deal. It helps keep their prices down by not having to pay an employee to chase carts in the parking lot.

Yes, you have to bag your own groceries. Again, I don’t mind this mostly because I like certain items bagged together to make it easier to put everything away. Bring your own bags, or purchase bags there.

Just to be clear, nobody is paying me to write this post.  I just really like Aldi and I have several friends who are also regular Aldi shoppers. We love to share our favorite finds so I simply want to share these favorite products with you.

My Absolute Favorite Items I Regularly Buy at Aldi

Fresh Produce

Aldi’s fresh produce is probably my favorite Aldi buy. In particular, I like their multi-colored bell peppers, Roma tomatoes, various kinds of lettuce (heads and bags), asparagus, avocados, berries and watermelon.

Salad Kits: By the time I would buy everything that’s in the Sweet Kale Salad Kit, I would be eating it for a month! Plus, why would I spend time chopping when it’s all done for me in a handy $2.49 kit (pictured below). This stuff is healthy, and adds crunch and color to salads. Yum.

Everything pictured below was part of my produce purchases from my most recent trip to Aldi.

Cheese

My favorite picks are feta, fresh mozzarella and any of their specialty cheeses. Priano Italian cheese wedges in both Asiago & Parmesan are also excellent. I also buy shredded cheese at Aldi because it’s as good as any other brand but definitely less expensive.

You never know what they’ll have for sure, and their seasonal cheeses are always excellent. I add feta to salads. May favorite way to eat the fresh mozzarella is to add it to chopped tomatoes and add fresh basil and sea salt.

Frozen Foods

I really like all of the Aldi Fusia brand stir fry kits. I usually buy both the Oriental Sitr Fry and Chicken Lo Mein and cook them together, adding a little extra chicken. The sauce comes with the the kits. Sometimes I also add extra of our favorite fresh vegetables such as extra broccoli, red bell peppers, or onions. Any of the Aldi Fusia products make for an easy and delicious dinner.

One of my newest Aldi discoveries in the frozen section is the Cattlemen’s Ranch black angus pre-made hamburger patties. They are delicious! I buy the burgers that have cheese and bacon mixed right in with the burger. They are very large and filling, so we normally grill the burgers (no bun) and serve with just a nice tossed salad. They make a super easy yet delicious dinner.

Eggs and Dairy

Eggs are priced ridiculously low. Typically they’re 39¢, but in my last shopping trip they had them priced at 58¢. We tend to eat low-carbohydrate style, so we go through a lot of eggs in our house. Even at 58¢, they’re still less expensive than even Walmart.

We drink very little milk, but Aldi does have excellent milk prices and I have several friends who save a lot of money by serving their family milk from Aldi.

Really, all dairy is priced inexpensively and tastes great. In particular I recommend their sour cream and Greek yogurt. The Fit & Active® light string cheese also tastes great, and only has 50 calories and 2.5g of fat.

Pantry Items

There are oh so many great items in this category. My newest favorite are these DELICIOUS Millville Fiber Now bars. The Cinnamon Coffee Cake flavor is amazing. When I’m craving something sweet, these things do the trick without nearly as many calories as a candy bar. The bars have 90 calories, 3g fat, 18g total carbohydrate, 5g fiber and 1 g protein. Did I mention they are insanely delicious?

Aldi also carries several 100 calorie pack snacks. Everything is individually packaged so I’m not as tempted to eat way more than a serving size. In my last trip I bought these almonds & walnuts snack packs. In the past I’ve had the Fit & Active® 100 calorie chocolate snack packs and the Fit & Active® Caramel Rice Snacks – all very delicious.

Here are a few other miscellaneous pantry items that I always have on-hand:.

If you are already an Aldi shopper, I hope I gave you some new ideas for your shopping list. If you haven’t shopped at Aldi, I hope I’ve given you enough reason to check it out and see if Aldi grocery store is right for you.