Tuesday, September 15, 2009

FINANCES: ALDI Food Stores


Proverbs 31:27
She looks well to the ways of her household...

There is a new grocery store in our area called ALDI. I had never heard of it before but it advertises fairly inexpensive grocery shopping so I checked it out last weekend while everyone was away. It's not a particularly large store but very clean and it definitely has all the basics a household would need--produce, meats, dairy, packaged goods, bread, paper products... Most items that are not fresh are Aldi's store brand with very few national brands on display. The national brand prices were about average from what I saw. The produce looked very fresh. I bought a sampling of types of foods, fresh and packaged, that we normally eat and so far, we have been quite satisfied. It is very convenient to our home and I actually drive right past it several times a week, so I may be stopping in again for produce or last-minute items I need. They don't do much advertising to keep their prices down, so unless you go in, you won't know what they have.

A few quirks to advise you of:
  • Shopping carts cost 25 cents to use. After you've unloaded your groceries, you return the cart and insert a "key" to retrieve your quarter.
  • No shopping bags. Bring your own or you can purchase canvas bags at the store.
  • Cash or debit cards only. They do not accept checks or credit cards.

If you're on a tight food budget, this would be a good place to cut some corners. If you are partial to particular brands, at least give their brand a try to see if there is any difference in taste. I tried this with their Triscuit look-alike crackers and they taste the same to me.

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