So, we have a new supermarket which I visited on Saturday, Sept. 27th!
And, of course, as is my duty to you all, I went and researched so here is the scoop!
(click on picture to enlarge)
So, I got a $5.00 off of a $30.00 purchase coupon via an Aldi flyer delivered to my mailbox. A decently high amount to have to spend to redeem a coupon, by the way. But, anyway, I always keep an open & positive mind so I took a look...
I actually broke the bank some in Aldi, but I do not plan on making too trips to the store in the next week, so it balances out. I could have gotten a lot more for my money, but due to my stockpile being VERY good right now (lots of groceries, hair care, personal hygiene, and household cleaning products) I picked up items that I needed at semi-OK prices. :-\
Aldi is a VERY low budget supermarket. And I do mean VERY! You have to pay for the grocery bags, they only accept debit cards or cash, and there are no large advertising displays (there are not even store shelves!). The only shelves that I saw in the whole store were in the freezers. Yikes!
All withstanding, I did not have a problem with the store's grocery options or the fact that there are very few brand names or that they do not accept coupons! I actually liked the fact that they try to create comparable products to the grocery store brands (especially in the cereal and packaged rice/pasta areas). I like competition -- it is how we consumers are able to control our market through our buying power! So go ALDI!
So here is what bought at Aldi...
5.99 - Friendly Farms Instant Dry Milk, 8 quarts
0.69 - Friendly Farms Evaporatad milk, 12 oz - I bought 2!
3.99 - Carlini Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 16.9 oz - Most expensive one to get to $30 for cpn
0.79 - Chef's Cupboard Plain Bread Crumbs, 15 oz
16.99 - Frying Pan Set, 3 pan set
0.06 - paper bag to put groceries in - you have to pay for it at Aldi!
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Total: $29.20
(-5.00) $5/$20 coupon
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Total Out Of Pocket (OOP): $24.20 (not too bad for 3 pans to cook in and some need buys!)
Quick Note: My advice to anyone would be to approach Aldi in the way that you should be approaching bulk buying stores like Sam's Club, Costco, BJ's, etc. Go to the store and do a price walk through. You don't have to make it complicated by using a price book or anything. Just visit and note mentally whether something is higher or lower priced than you usually pay. For instance, the evaporated milk that I bought above was way too high priced for me to normally buy it, BUT in contrast, the 3 frying pans were very cheap since the big pan alone would cost me at least $20.00 (if not $25.00)!
Once you have done your mental price comparison, just remember it and return to the store when you need that discount buy. One thing I noticed Aldi had pretty competitive prices on were chicken breasts, they are more fatty than the traditional supermarket's, but the price was substantially lower!
Have fun shopping at Aldi and feel free to email me for more advice!
There is not a lot of it out there on the current money saving blogs being written.
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2 comments:
The best way to avoid paying for bags is put a laundry basket in your trunk and put your groceries in it. You can also use the boxes at the store to carry your groceries. We have had Aldis for years in Ks. They usually have really good produce. Good luck on your shopping adventures!
Oh! What a great idea!
I wish I had thought of that before; I ended up purchasing one of their paper bags this day and on a second visit to the store I splurged :-) the $1.98 to buy their ULTRA-SIZED eco-friendly grocery bag. The bag is great, I find, because you don't have to worry about pushing a cart so you can slip in and out of crowded areas of the store quickly! :-) I love it!
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