Friday’s Fabulous Finds – Aldi

Posted by Michelle Arndt on January 25, 2013 in Blog, Family, Healthy Eating, Kids and Family | 3 comments

It has been awhile but it is time for another edition of

Today is a little different than ones I have done in the past. Usually I list 5 things related to a particular topic with links to the recipes, crafts, activities, etc. Today is all about the supermarket Aldi! Do you know about Aldi? Do you have one near you? Do you shop there?

This is one of my favorite places to shop for food! I thought today I would give my top 5 list of why I love Aldi so much. Hopefully I can convince some of you to check it out if you are lucky enough to have one near you!

1. Prices! If you are on a budget (and who isn’t these days) and try to stretch your grocery dollars as far as possible, Aldi will be a tremendous help. Their prices are significantly cheaper than other grocers in our area (that inlcudes Walmart!) and by buying many of my staples there I can save probably 30% or more compared to shopping at other stores.
2. Eco-friendly – while some grocers in my area will pay you a few cents if you bring your own bags in, Aldi takes a different approach. They do not bag your items for you and if you need bags you have to buy them. Most people bring in their own canvas bags or uses boxes that Aldi makes available to their customers after they empty them out. Reuse and recycle is good for the environment and I love that they make it a priority.
3. Checkout speed – I have never been to a grocery store that gets you through the checkout line faster! I am busy and run from place to place all day long. The fact that Aldi gets me in and out of the store quickly (much more quickly than other stores) is a huge bonus!
4. Selection – When I started shopping at Aldi it was usually for canned goods and produce. Their selection was not what drew me in. It was all about prices. Now it seems that every time I go in they have more options available. Here is a sampling of items I can now save on by buying them at Aldi: Greek yogurt, gourmet cheeses like Kerrygold, all natural frozen fruit bars, avocados, bananas, almond milk, fat-free, low sodium chicken broth and 100% orange juice.
5. Organic and all-natural foods – although this could fit under selection above, it is important enough to me for it to be it’s own category. If you have followed my blog or Facebook page for any length of time, you know I am all about fresh, natural food. However, I am also a busy Mom and sometimes I need to take advantage of convenience foods. My list of ingredients to avoid usually make it nearly impossible to find convenience foods that I am willing to buy. Aldi is now carrying a new line called Simply Nature. I am very excited about this even though I haven’t had much of an opportunity to try the products yet. I initially discovered the products yesterday because I was looking for a healthy pre-packaged snack for my daughter to bring in and share with her class today. They alternate who brings in snack but due to allergy concerns, we can’t bring in homemade food. It has to be a “healthy pre-packaged” food. So I discovered Simply Nature Twisted Fruit Rope. No added sugars, no artificial colors and  an ingredient list that mostly contains fruit juices and concentrates. That’s about as good as it gets for pre-packaged. I’ll have to do another post on how they went over at snack time but for now it is one more reason I love Aldi!

So will you give Aldi a try? If you already shop there, tell me what you love!