Y’all know I try to live as frugally as possible. Saving money where I can, while saving for epic adventures with my family. In the past, I have been a couponer. Honestly, I was really good at it! Recently though, I have started to fall off of the couponing bandwagon simply due to a lack of time. Thankfully, I have been able to still save a load of money on my groceries. Recently, I started shopping at Aldi, and it has been amazing! It can be a little strange at first but with these tips, you can start saving money like an Aldi pro too!

Shopping At Aldi and Saving Like A Pro

So yes y’all, I have pretty much given up the couponing life! No lie, I am a little sad. I used to love it but lately it has become too time consuming and I honestly just don’t have the time. Since I have pretty much given up my couponing ways, I have had to find other ways to save money on my groceries. Enter Aldi! When I discovered shopping at Aldi, my grocery game changed forever. Yes yes, I am late to jump on this bandwagon, but better lat than never right? Shopping at Aldi has been saving me a TON on my grocery bill, but it can be a strange new experience at first! With just a few little pointers, you will be saving money like an Aldi pro in no time!

Things To Remember

I know you are excited about the prospect of saving a ton at the store, but before you head out into the world of Aldi, there are a few things that you need to remember first.

Don’t Forget Your Quarter

If you are first time Aldi shopper, you may be caught unaware when you walk up and learn that you need a quarter in order to get a cart! Don’t worry though, you will get your quarter back once you return your cart. This actually is a genius business plan because it helps ensure that people return their carts and don’t leave them all around the parking lot. Since Aldi runs on a relatively small staff, it allows the staff to focus on other responsibility that don;t involve scouring the parking lot for rogue carts.

BYOB ( Bring Your Own Bags)

Another thing about Aldi that threw me at first was that you are expected to bring your own bags. Not only do you bring your own, you also bag your own groceries. Now, you can purchase plastic bags for a few cents, but if we are wanting to save money that seems illogical. The checkout process does go extremely fast though. Which is nice since, my store at least, typically only has one lane open. Basically, the cashier scans everything and puts it into a fresh cart at the end of the aisle. You pay, take the new cart, and leave your original one for the next person who checks out. Once you are paid, you just move over to the bagging area and place your groceries as you wish in your reusable bags!

Pro tip: Always bring more bags than you think you will need. You don’t want to be caught with too few items and not enough bags!

The Selection Is Smaller

Don’t go into Aldi expecting Walmart or Publix sized selections. It just isn’t going to happen. While you can grab a ton of amazing deals, there are some hings you just aren’t going to find. The stores themselves tend to be smaller than your typical grocery store, but I actually enjoy it. Even though they do have a somewhat smaller section on many things, they also have some really cool specialty items, specifically German products!

What To Buy At Aldi…And What To Pass On

Now that you get the gist of the store and know what to look out for, it is time to save some cash! Since discovering this gem of a store, I have learned that there are some items to ALWAYS buy at Aldi. Even so, there are a few items that I tend to pass on as I can find better deals elsewhere.

Aldi Must Buys!

Aldi has a ton of great products, but these are what I believe to be the best deals! These items are what I look for, and what I stock up on during my trips. It is almost impossible to find any of these for a cheaper price. Keep in mind though that a lot of the products at Aldi are ” generic” brand. So if you are a brand snob, well, you may be disappointing. Personally, I am not a brand snob on most things and I like trying out new products! I have also found that a lot of the Aldi branded products are as good if not better than their “name brand” counterparts.  So, if you are still with me…Here is my list of Aldi Must Buys!

• Fresh Produce
• Canned Goods
• Boxed Foods ( is Burger helper, boxes pasta, boxed potatoes, etc…)
• Pasta Sauce
• Milk
• Cookies ( Especially their version of Girl Scout Cookies!)
• Wine
• Specialty Items ( Korean BBQ Sauce, German Specialties, etc…)
• Chips ( You have to try the Sweet Potato ones!)
• Milk
• Gluten Free Products ( I show a ton of these in my shop with me at the top of the page)
• Bread
• Cheese

What I Don’t Typically Buy

Even though Aldi has a plethora of amazing deals and products ( seriously, my must buys probably could have been even longer), there are a few things that while not bad by any means, just aren’t the best deals.  Now, some of these I will pick up while shopping at Aldi if I don’t feel like going elsewhere, but I would prefer not to.

• Coffee Creamer ( limited flavors, and the prices really aren’t any better than Walmart)
• Meat ( while you can find some good deals at Aldi, I tend to do better buying in bulk from Sam’s Club)
• Pasta ( okay, really this isn’t bad it just isn’t any less expensive than anywhere else)
• Rice ( once again, I prefer to purchase the giant bag from Sam’s Club since we go through so much of it)
• Paper Products ( In a pinch, I will buy them but they are a bit thin for both the toilet paper and paper towels. You can get better deals in bulk at Sam’s Club.)
• Beauty/Skin/Hair Care ( Honestly, my store just has such a tiny selection.)

So, have I convinced you to give shopping at Aldi a try? Maybe you are already an avid Adli shopper, and that’s awesome! I would love to hear what your must buy items are so I can check them out on my next trip!

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out the videos in this post to walk-through Aldi with me and see all of the groceries I was able to get at such a steal! If you like them, let me know and I will do more walk-through and haul videos for you soon!