[patbruck]

Help, please! I live in a major city and we have tons of Aldi's stores around here. Despite that, I have never set foot in one. My question is: is it really worth it? I've looked at the price list and the specials for this week and next week and am just not seeing the savings everyone else does.

Several of my family members shop there (and rave about it); my MIL went on and on one time about their cans of spaghetti sauce and how great it was and that she could hardly believe it was so cheap, only 99 cents...and all I could think was "you paid 99 cents for canned spaghetti sauce???" My 80-something grandmother also speaks highly of the place, although cautioned me to never buy the celery (???) I've read a lot about milk - which I can easily get under $2 a gallon here. by matching coupons to store sales, I can almost always get name-brand stuff for cheaper than generic or store brands, which I understand is basically what Aldi's is.

so my question is: do you save enough to make it worthwhile? I already shop at Woodman's (warehouse-type store, only in WI and IL, kind of like Aldi's in that they accept no credit cards, but carry name brands and accept mfr coupons) for my regular grocery trips and 2 other grocery stores (for sales, meat & produce). Adding a fourth store would take up more of my time, but if I'm going to save a ton of $$ I'd make the time. Your opinions are appreciated

[linz152]

I shop at Aldi's for all of my "fill-in-the-gap" shopping. For me it's the cheapest but it doesn't beat my coupon shopping. So if I can't get a good deal (coupons or great sale) on butter, I'll go buy one at Aldi's. That just gets me through until the next time it comes up on sale or good coupons.

Hope that makes sense!

[catlover7731]

For me I hardly go to Aldi's ( since a new one opened in my city I have gone twice in 8 months) I find it much cheaper to use coupons. Plus they don't carry everything I am looking for, so I just rarely go. I think it can be good if you buy a lot of canned goods, or maybe your Aldi's is better than mine.

[z'smom]

It is totally worth it for the produce. They have the best prices and the produce is limited, but fresh and in season. During the summer we got pineapples for $1.29!!!!!

[JoMama]

I loved Woodman's when I lived in WI. The prices there are much lower, IME, than the choices I have here for normal shopping, so Aldi really does save me a lot. If you're already finding some fantastic deals, then you probably won't eb too impressed with Aldi or the selection since Woodman's is so huge and has so much choice. I would probably shop at Aldi less if we had Woodman's. Though I think the produce I've gotten at Aldi is better than what I would get at Woodman's...

[Samantha85VA]

I stopped going there due to food allergies.. was tired of itching and having hives from their poorly marked items. I am highly allergic to honey and it was never posted on their ingredients. I would still buy produce and of course milk there, but the store is almost an hour from here, not worth it to me.

[alishagiggles]

patbruck~ did you know that you could take your Aldi flyer to Wal-Mart and they will add match their Great Value brand of milk to Aldi's brand. I do it often to save money .

[Debnmarv261]

I go there just to get the milk, our aldi has milk for 1.89.The other stuff I come out better with coupons.

[jessl]

Around here they are way cheaper on milk than anywhere else, so it is worth it for me to go pretty much every week.

Other than that yes I can do better with sales and coupons on most things, but if I run out of something before a sale it is cheaper to get it at Aldi than use my coupon on a non-sale item elsewhere.

So I guess if you have a complete stockpile and can get milk just as cheap elsewhere it may not be worth it, but if you find yourself picking up a few non-sale things every week give Aldi a try.

For people that don't want to bother with coupons Aldi is awesome. I find their prices are about 50% of the prices at Shaws for example.

[camorasch]

I shop mainly at Aldi's. I usually one get two copies of each insert, so I can't stock up on some things at other grocery stores. But I do go to other stores for really great sales. I can feed my family of four on less than $40 a week at Aldi's. I don't know how that compares to coupon shopping.

[patbruck]

Originally Posted by JoMama

I loved Woodman's when I lived in WI. The prices there are much lower, IME, than the choices I have here for normal shopping, so Aldi really does save me a lot. If you're already finding some fantastic deals, then you probably won't eb too impressed with Aldi or the selection since Woodman's is so huge and has so much choice. I would probably shop at Aldi less if we had Woodman's. Though I think the produce I've gotten at Aldi is better than what I would get at Woodman's...

ITA, Woodman's is typically so much cheaper than the regular grocery stores (well except for the loss leaders stacked with coupons). When Woodman's first opened my SIL described it as a combination of "Aldi's, Sams Club and a regular grocery store" which I think was pretty accurate. Their produce is sooo hit or miss; stuff is the best there when you catch it right in season.

thanks for all the responses, everyone!

[Henna]

I went to Aldi recently to stock up and just price stuff and it wasn't an amazing savings. I did feel like I got a good amount of stuff for the money but it didn't wow me.

Some of the stuff I thought was good at a good price:

wild-caught salmon fillets (not the best quality but tasty enough)
frozen raw shrimp
mac/cheese (DD loved it, I thought it was a better generic)
potatoes
onions

But it's not worth going all the time unless you have a good produce department, IMO. Before I used coupons the "right" way I thought Aldi was cheap but now it seems kinda expensive! LOL.

[joshmamabear]

to me, Aldi is very much worth it. I make sure to have a copy of their weekly ads/specials in the car so when I pass by SWM, I'll ad match their prices. Nowhere can I get 3 # vidalla onions here for .99 except Aldi and WM matches that. If milk is in the ad, I may get some at gallons since they have the cheapest prices around.

the frozen seafood at Aldi is very good. they have large bags of salmon and tilapia fillets for 4.99 to 5.99 and I buy them there and submit for beer rebates so I get them almost free after rebates. I can stock up on seafood for cheap/free!

[3 for me]

I usually buy all of my produce there because it is fresh and far cheaper than anywhere else. I do agree that if you use coupons and stick to sales you can get most everything else cheaper than you will at Aldi's.

[Isaiah'sMommy]

I personally don't think it's worth it... the only thing I like there is their produce...I just think that I can get some things cheaper else where...plus some people say they taste the same as name brands...but I can tell the difference and I do not like the taste

[akbkm460]

Their eggs are .88 a dozen and the it's 1.49-1.69 in other stores. Their fresh mushrooms are .99 (1.99 cheapest in other stores) There are other things that I can beat the prices or match in other stores but when I go I buy enough to make it worth the trip (it's a forty min. drive for me) Oh.. their 100% whole wheat bread is 1.69. I will buy 15 dozen eggs, 10 packs of bread, several mushrooms (and then whatever else I need) once every 2-3 weeks.

[sherilynne]

Originally Posted by linz152

I shop at Aldi's for all of my "fill-in-the-gap" shopping. For me it's the cheapest but it doesn't beat my coupon shopping. So if I can't get a good deal (coupons or great sale) on butter, I'll go buy one at Aldi's. That just gets me through until the next time it comes up on sale or good coupons.

Hope that makes sense!

I agree We have an Aldi's about 30 minutes from me. They do not accept coupons. I feel that the prices they offer are considerably higher than what I pay with coupons.

[Tirade]

I'm a big fan of Aldi and have one close enough so that I can save a lot of money by stopping in once or twice a month to stock up. I don't use coupons that often so it's hard for me to beat Aldi's prices. I'm wondering if the people who also recommended Aldi to you are in a similar situation.

[mom22seans]

Wow... all the great reviews on their produce... that's the area I completely shy away from if/when I ever go to Aldi's!

Like others mentioned, I usually flip through their ads to price match but don't really find a need to actually go in to the store.

Thanks PP for the info on the GV milk being price-matched to Aldi's! Our Walmart here never asks for a printed ad so I'll be sure to stop in at Aldi's just to check out their milk price before I cross the street to WM!

[frugaldadoftwogirls]

I use Aldi's products to fill in my coupon stock pile of products. I have a hard time beating the Aldi price for cream of mushroom or chicken soup for .49 a can, taco seasoning for .29 and onion soup mix for .49. There are some staple type products that I never seem to get coupons for so I buy at Aldi. Almost all HBA and cleaning products I get for almost free with coupons and most snack products at other stores. Bags of salad mix are .99 which I have never been able to beat on a consistent basis. I have a list of products that I almost always buy at Aldi including produce sometimes I can beat their price on a bag of ten pound potatoes. Usually when I think I beat Aldi in these staple items I discover the Aldi package has much more product so I really did not save per ounce...potato chips and coffee creamer are my recent "I thought I beat Aldi price" It is also very close by across the street from Wal-Mart and my favorite double coupon grocery store. I have not shopped club type stores in years so I cannot compare to those but I can say Aldi lowered Walmarts prices in my town. I have been amazed to see Walmart prices move closer to Aldi's especially when so many products are increasing in price.

[bidzaway]

Aldi's is the place to go when you need something that isn't on sale anywhere, or if your not into couponing (gasp) you could go here to get really cheap stuff. I shop Pathmark and Price Chopper (both double) and then go to Aldi for everything else - like Linz152 said - it's a "fill in the gap store"

[mcdlady1]

I get the talapia fish and it's good. I also like the produce it seems better quality.
Olive Oil is a good buy and crackers

[dmyersquin]

They built an Aldi near my house but I don't care for it. The store smells like cardboard. The milk cooler smells funny to me also. We did buy our Wii there, we heard on here about a special and stopped in and got it.
I prefer Harris Teeter and BiLo, but I do buy all sale/coupon items. We like gourmet flavors, not generic stuff like Aldi. Some of my friends love it, I just don't care for it.

[tlf001]

Due to a busy schedule, I don't always have the time to coupon consistently, so for me I go to Aldi because I know in most cases I'll get the best deal. I comparison shopped one time and posted on here-- I think there was a $15 difference between Aldi and similar store brand products at Walmart, paying full price.

[jjganny]

Everybody has their own opinion & ain't it great. I shop at Aldi once in awhile but when I do I stock up on can soups, can veggies, etc. My DD shops there more often than I do & she stocks up on lots & lots of stuff but she has lots more time & 3 kids.