Have you ever shopped at ALDI?
If your answer to that is yes, I think this article will ring true for you.
If your answer is no, I’m going to try to break down for you why you should find an ALDI, why it’s the best grocery store I’ve ever encountered, and why I want you to get to experience it too.
I hope you come out of this article thinking “wow, I’ve never seen so much love for a grocery store in a blog post before,” (except for maybe an article about Wegmans, people seem to really, really love Wegmans).
Let me set the stage.
I am a dollar store, Big Lots, Walmart, clearance aisle of the box grocery stores shopper. I am always out for a good deal and am constantly surprised by the difference in price for the same item solely depending on which store you are in.
For the past two and a half years or so I have purchased almost all of my groceries at a local dollar store chain (I know, that always sounds weird, but I assure you I was getting the same products as a regular grocery, but for $1-$3!). I would supplement what I couldn’t find with purchases from Walmart, Big Lots, and Trader Joe’s.
I was convinced I had figured out the maximum savings stores, but then a move back to DC made me reevaluate.
Towards the beginning of my time back in DC with Mr. Finding (early 2019) we tried a combo of Trader Joe’s, Big Lots, Giant, and Walmart for our groceries.
But then we started reading about ALDI. People seemed to love it, but we didn’t think there was one around us.
Wrong! There were 2! And they were near the climbing gym we go to. We decided to try it out.
To be honest, our first time in the store we were a bit nervous– it’s kind of like going to a Costco or Sam’s Club for the first time, you don’t totally know how it works and don’t feel part of the club that has obviously done this before.
That quickly faded as we noticed the price tags around us. Wine for $3? Chips for $.89?? A bag of cuties for $2.49??? We lost it.
Literally kids in a candy store. We had to stop ourselves from buying things we didn’t need just because they were so cheap.
The box of spring mix we usually buy for $5? $3.50 in ALDI. Avocados for $.49 each?! The best we had ever seen in the DC area was $.79! Cheese and fresh fruit, frozen fish, yogurt, eggs, all of our staples were significantly cheaper here.
Ok, I get it, hearing about our grocery list and the excitement around it isn’t super entertaining. But here’s what’s in it for you.
ALDI offers these amazing opportunities that I just haven’t seen elsewhere:
- Less decision fatigue- due to their stocking of fewer brands and items, you aren’t worn out after making your way through the entire store, just excited by all the bargains!
- Save money- obviously. This place is cheap for good quality, we still can’t believe how low our bills can be considering our stuffed bags.
- Save time- the store size isn’t overwhelming, it’s condensed, and with less items to mull over, you are in and out ready to blow all the money you saved on an ice cream reward!
- Try new things you wouldn’t usually try- since ALDI’s inventory changes often, they have weekly sales, and overall everything is at a reasonable price, you can try new items and not feel guilty about it! (Something those of us on the FIRE path may struggle with at times).
- The fastest cashiers you’ve ever seen- I’m serious, even if you go just to watch how quickly these people can scan all your items, you’ll be impressed (but don’t do that, that’s kinda weird and a waste of your time, at least get a $3 bottle of wine while you’re there).
I could go on about the friendly service, the fact that they list the price per ounce to help you compare items, and the unbelievable price of ice cream, but I won’t, I want you to experience the wonder for yourself.
So go find an ALDI. Bask in the savings. And then let me know how it went!
PS- If you are a fellow ALDI lover, I’d love any tips you have for shopping there. And if you are an ALDI not-lover, how come?
