I love shopping at Aldi because it’s one of the easiest ways to save money on groceries, so I thought I’d put together a list of 30 things to buy at Aldi. Well, technically, this list includes over 30 items – and I have a feeling it’ll keep growing over time as I discover new favorites and through your suggestions!
This isn’t an all inclusive list and may vary from store to store (as can the quality of the produce at Aldi, unfortunately), but rather, items that were a good deal at the time I took this shopping trip. Please feel free to add your “must buy” suggestions in the comments, as well as the items you think we’re best to steer clear of while shopping at Aldi!
If you’re curious, we also found some serious cost savings at Lidl. Find out about the 30 things to buy at Lidl. I was really shocked at how much money I saved. Our local store is a little bit out of the way, but it was well worth the trip.
We used a Grocery Store Comparison Printable to keep track of the costs for similar products amongst the local stores. I had thought that my neighborhood store was the most expensive, but after writing it all out, I was wrong. After using this printable, I changed my grocery shopping habits and saved money!
P.S – If you haven’t shopped at Aldi yet, be sure to bring a quarter for the shopping cart and bring along some reusable bags (or purchase some inside for about 10¢ each). Just a couple things I wish I would’ve known before I went to Aldi for the first time! 🙂
Dairy
Aldi beats out just about every local competitor on dairy prices. I’ve found the best deals to be milk, eggs and shredded cheese, with shredded cheese being the best deal overall in the dairy section when compared to other local stores.
- Cream Cheese
- Feta Cheese
- Eggs
- Milk
- Shredded Cheese (1 lb. bags)
Produce
I could have easily listed the entire produce section, because Aldi typically has the best deal on produce overall. Unfortunately, I’ve heard that the quality of the produce can vary from store to store, but if your local Aldi has quality produce, it can be a reliable way to stretch your grocery budget!
- Bell Peppers (2 pack)
- Onions
- Mushrooms
- Squash
- Tomatoes
- Apples
Meat and Seafood
Meat is the one section where I think Aldi can be hit or miss. While I don’t think they always offer the best prices on beef, chicken is reliably inexpensive. In seafood, the best buys are salmon and tilapia.
- Frozen Chicken Breast
- Fresh Chicken Thighs/Drumsticks
- Pork Tenderloin
- Cornish hen
- Tilapia
- Salmon
Pantry Items
I’m lumping all “inner aisle” items into this section. My favorite buys in this section are almost anything from their line of organic products, as well as the maple syrup and dried beans.
- Organic Pasta Sauce
- White Rice
- Dried Beans (4 lb. bag was the best deal at my location)
- Sazon (I’m always asked where to purchase this, and Aldi has a great deal on sazon!)
- Canned Tomatoes
- Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Olive Oil
- Baking Chocolate
- Raisins
- Peanut Butter
- Nuts
- Crackers
- Freezer Bags
- Maple Syrup
- Oats
- Organic honey
- Organic salsa
What are your favorite deals to buy at Aldi? How do the prices compare to other stores in your area? Please share your tips in the comments below!
Make sure to check out these other great posts on saving money at our favorite grocery stores!
30 Things to Buy at Lidl-such a great store to pick up some savings on your grocery budget! Lidl, like Aldie, keeps a good amount of their inventory the same, they do tend to mix it up a bit so make sure to check out what they have on special!
23 Things to Buy at Trader Joes-now this is one place that changes it out seasonally so this list is based on a regular visit! Try to take your time and really look to compare as their inventory is far superior and yet costs so much less!
They have seasonal products that are awesome too. Christmas & Easter they have special products that other stores don’t carry. Also they carry ever-changing household products. I bought an enameled cast iron dutch oven for $40. Le Creuset costs hundreds. On the average, what would cost me $100 at another grocery store, the same items purchased at Aldi usually costs me a little over half. Say $60-65. I love that store!
Love, love, love the season stuff! We have an Aldi within a mile of us now and I go there more than the regular grocery store. The food has been great! The produce is a fraction of the cost and I’m shocked that the quality isn’t any different. I hear the scuttle sometimes from people but just like you – there are deals to be had there! 🙂
I may in the minority here but I go into the store for their Specialty Selected items and for products I would never find in our local grocery stores. I love their specialty selected Basmati rice and Sourdough breads (round and pan loaves). Honestly, I don’t think either are the best deal but its two products I enjoy eating. I freeze the bread so I may go through a loaf in 1-2 months. It’s a treat and not an everyday item. I like buying different chocolate/candy/cookie items and usually include them in holiday gifts.
Their produce selection is hit or miss. I found I was wasting a lot of money on produce so I stopped buying as much fresh which saved me some money. I’m a big fan of frozen veggies for convenience anyway. I typically only buy salad greens the day I intend to eat them which isn’t often. I buy strawberries weekly and Aldi usually beats the grocery store on price. Bananas are so cheap anywhere that I just buy them when I can. My grocery store usually has a better deal on baby carrots and potatoes. Avocados will almost always be cheaper at Aldi.
I’ve never gone to Aldi specifically to buy meat. It’s one area of my grocery shopping where quality is more important than price to me. I don’t really buy cheap meat to begin with and don’t eat beef products. I buy my go to organic chicken in bulk from my grocery store when it’s on sale and freeze what I don’t eat. I freeze a lot of cooked meats so I try to plan meals using meat I have in my freezer when I can’t get a good deal on meat. However, I always give Aldi’s meats a look through when I’m there and have bought ground turkey, pork chops, and chicken in the past. They sell a frozen boneless turkey breast which is okay but I found it’s actually cheaper to buy the boneless/skinless turkey breast from Wegmans.
Aldi prices on canned goods are lower than other stores but these are usually the cheapest items on a grocery list to begin with. Flour and sugar are marginally cheaper than my grocery store while spices and chocolate chips are at a better discount. Anything taco related (shells, seasoning, tortillas, salsa) are all slightly cheaper. Their basic sandwich breads/hot dog rolls/hamburger buns are the cheapest around and I actually enjoy them. My local grocery store usually has better prices on eggs and milk but usually is close to expiring. I buy Aldi’s napkins, paper towels, and all sizes of plastic bags. I’m not 100% thrilled with their tinfoil or toilet paper. I usually buy a bunch of tinfoil from Target the rare occasions I’m there and try to order toilet paper online so I don’t even need to go out to get it. It’s also easier to compare prices that way. I will never buy lunchmeat at Aldi so I always have to make a trip to Giant/our local deli for that.
Snacks are hit or miss. I don’t eat chips often so I usually just wait for my grocery store to run a sale with a chip brand I like. Nuts are the best price around. Cheese is a good deal and I love the variety. I’m a major cheese fan and love to look through their offerings. Cookies/crackers (knock off girl scout cookies) are a good deal but I’ve found some varieties that just didn’t appeal to my taste. Knock off nutrigrain bars are cheaper and don’t leave you with that horrible aftertaste like the name brand. Their snacks are cheap enough that I try to pick up something different every now and then just to see if I like it.
With all that said, I love going into Aldi. I feel like I am hunting for my new favorite food. As I’ve mentioned they do have good prices on items and I stock up when I am running low. However, there are items that the grocery store will have cheaper through sales so I always watch for that too. It’s not a one stop shopping trip for me either way so I buy what I’ve tried and liked when I’m low and get what I can cheaper or products I prefer from my normal grocery store. I will mention that my grocery store offers an extensive line of store brand items so I really only compare Aldi’s prices to the grocery store brand, not typical name brands. That may be why I don’t find such a steep discount on certain items.
Awesome review of Aldi, Erin! That is great tips and tricks on how you love to use it! We love going there in the fall when we are entertaining more for their specialty items! So much fun and brings my budget back down to a reasonable amount!
Great job that you already shop generic as well! I’m with you but find so many people are not! I find that I’m thrilled with most of Aldi’s products overall.
I can’t thank you enough for chiming in and writing so much! Love the details!! Cheers!
I always buy the sea scallops when my mom is visiting. She loves them and I can feed 4 of us on the $10 bag. Also love to get the thin sliced sirloin. It is great for roulades or bracciole. I also slice it into strips for fajitas.
Don’t you love that?? I just did my first Lidl run as well and the scallops were there too! I was so happy! Adli and Lidl are awesome for frugal shoppers!!
My family is obsessed with their triple layer chocolate cake(found near the bread). It is seriously the best cake I’ve ever had. The produce at my store is amazing all except the potatoes. I love Aldi!
You have to watch because Aldi can be more expensive than Wal-Mart on some things. They have just started carrying Kerry-gold butter.. Wal-Mart price is 2.88, Aldi is 2.86. Aldi cheese by Happy farm is AWFUL. I can’t stand any of the Happy Farm products. I have bought produce from Aldi only to find it cheaper elsewhere. Canned goods are a good deal….breads are good….I only buy certain things at Aldi. Not everything taste good.
I have shopped at Aldi for over 21 years. I tell all my family and friends about the store. You can save so much more than other stores and you cannot beat the quality. Plus I live in Kansas but I’m from New York and there are certain items like their Italian bread from Chicago. There are not any bakeries in my area or other towns within a 2 hour driving distance. Plus some of there special items that Aldi has are always the best. The quality that I have seen is sometimes even superior to name brands as far as it comes to their dairy, canned goods and especially during the holidays their spices and baking supplies are amazing. I am a bit if a coffee snob and even that is just as good if not better than nationally named brands. If you have an issue with any of their products let the cashier know, they stand behind their products with a return policy that is second to none. If you are sceptical about those 10 cent plastic bags don’t worry they are totally worth it because you can use them over and over again. Try doing that with other stores that are usually so thin you can’t make it from the store without them tearing. Aldi, I hope you continue to be successful in the future. You made it possible when I was a single working mom to give my 4 children good meals that they will always remember. Thank you.
We shop Aldi all the time we go there first and what I can’t find there I then go to other stores to fill in. I agree with the comments above. The brownie mix is the best and so is pie filling there is actually fruit in them not just juice. I have had trouble with produce at times especially potatoes but for the most part if you look it over the rest is usually good. I do not buy much of their meat but recently I tried their chicken breasts and they were big enough to feed 3. their pork chops are marinated in a brine to make them juicy and tender and hamburger was fatty. I did get a good buy on chicken drumsticks on day, the price was 69cents a pound and then the reduced them by $2.00 a package making them less than $1.00 for a family size package. I buy all my cheese, eggs, milk, juices,onions and the best chocolate ice cream bars there. Right now our store is closed for remodeling and I really miss it.
At my aldi, eggs are .44 a dozen but milk here is over 3 bucks. When I lived in Indiana, the milk there was less than 2 bucks. But I love my aldi’s an go every week for my work lunches, fruit cups an yogurt, an cheese sticks. But alas, the ice coffee was seasonal, so now time to make my own. Love their coffee creamers also
Aldi is a major part of my shopping – I’d avoided it for awhile just because all their special rules seemed a bit much, but I tried it once and was hooked. Aldi is a pain to shop at, at least the store I go to — it’s cramped and can be hit or miss on items. (One week they just were completely out of chicken. As in, no chicken at all!) But at least at my Aldi, the produce is good, maybe even better than many of the local grocery stores. (I’ve gotten rotten produce at other stores, which hasn’t happened at Aldi so far).
Many of their prices just can’t be beat. I bought organic rice this weekend cheaper than I could buy it in bulk – a good sized bag cheaper than the tiny bag of brown rice I can get at our local health food store. I also like their spaghetti sauce – organic and less added sugar than any other I could find. Their Greek yogurt is $3.50, cheaper than the $6 Chobani of the same variety. Their organic produce is super affordable too, also a plus.
The only thing I don’t get is coffee, because I buy from a local roaster for a good price, and a few items I pick up at our local convenient store that actually has decent groceries. Anyway, good post! I’m super pro Aldi.
I love Aldi’s! The produce is hit or miss where I am, but over all I save week after week. Their jasmine rice is a five pound bag for less than $3! And the quality can’t be beat. I love that they have many organic items at a great price.
Milk is much cheaper at walmart.
Their Milk in Bloomington Normal at Aldis is .80 cents a gallon and their eggs are even cheaper. It’s the same way at the Walmart store.
Just left Aldis in Normal. Milk was .59 and eggs were .29 for a dozen A few of the stores in our area have been having milk wars for almost a year. And the low milk prices are spilling over to other staples.
I was just in Alabama and happened to see an Aldis store. I had to go in just to see if it was just our area or if all the Aldis were lowering prices. Nope, just here.
We were going through over 20 gallons of milk weekly, so this is almost unbelievable savings for us.
Sadly, our produce is lacking at both stores. Oh well, I will take the savings where ever I can get it.
Aldi’s Couscous and Quinoa are the cheapest I have seen anywhere. 160z bag of quinoa for 2.49, compare that to around ~6$ anywhere else. Couscous 10oz for 1$, 2.49-4$ anywhere else.
The Aldis at your store is expensive compared to the Aldi’s in Kentucky lol. Peanut Butter for $3.49? OMGosh! Ours is like $1.49 haha. I was like I’ll shop at Kroger for $3.49. But yeah, Aldi’s is great, except the produce. Produce at Aldi’s here is always awful looking!
I’m coming over to your Aldi haha!