Why I Shop At Aldi

Aldi has changed my life.

Really.

When we moved to Minnesota 2 years ago, I knew our grocery bill would look different. I did not realize that it would more than DOUBLE. Believe it or not, we do not budget. Well, we don’t budget in the sense of keeping a detailed record of what and where we spend our money. We budget by not buying what we do not need. Simple as that. Okay, maybe the occasional splurge happens, but it is rare. Thanks to living very frugally our first years of marriage (because we wanted to pay off our school loans ASAP), we learned to not buy things we have no long term use for.

So when we moved, even though we did not budget, we saw how groceries were effecting the bottom line. We were so used to our money going certain places (like in savings, adding extra to our mortgage, etc.) I tried couponing as much as I could (without getting a newspaper) and shopped at Wal-Mart for the items that I could not get on sale. This meant going to 3 different grocery stores, just to save a penny. Let me tell you, even though I had the time back then, it got old. Quickly.

I kept telling my husband that all we needed was an Aldi.

A year later, I heard rumor that an Aldi was coming to Willmar (the closest town with a grocery store). Lo and behold, that rumor came true!

My grocery spending woes were solved. And since then, I have realized how Aldi has changed our life. Literally.

We are saving an incredible amount of money again on groceries AND not to mention, eating much healthier because we can actually afford it.

That’s the thing. So eating healthy is obviously a good idea, right? Yet in this country, it is ridiculously expensive to eat healthy. But thanks to Aldi, it makes eating healthy affordable and possible.

Why is Aldi so special?

1. Well first of all, let me tell you that I am proud to shop at Aldi. I know it can be viewed as a place where people with lower-incomes do their grocery shopping, and maybe we fit in that category, but I sure am proud to shop there! If you want to save a few bucks, you will not frown at yourself or others when you walk out of there spending half of what you normally would spend on groceries!

2. It’s quick shopping. There are not options at Aldi (except for maybe chips and a few other items). If you need flour, there is one “flour” option. If you want to buy eggs, there is one type of egg to buy. If you need spaghetti sauce, you can choose from traditional, meat, and maybe mushroom, but that is it. There are not competing brands. So when you need an item, you see it, grab it, and go.

3. Prices. This is the biggest reason why I shop at Aldi. For pete’s sake, a bar of cream cheese is $.99. Always. And sometimes it even goes on sale! At a competitor store, it is at LEAST double that price. Which leads me to the next reason…

4. Produce. Talk about CHEAP produce! Minnesota’s produce is very expensive. So when Aldi decided to make it’s debut in Willmar, this was another reason why I was ecstatic. Even organic produce is cheap! Often times when produce is cheap, you sacrifice quality, but not so with Aldi! Their watermelon at $5.00 a pop, and it’s some of the best watermelon I have found around here. Their lettuce, onions, potatoes, carrots, avocados, berries, you name it, are excellent in quality.

5. We can afford eating healthy. Aldi offers many organic and natural food options. For example, they have different kinds of raw nuts, organic pastas, and natural foods that you don’t feel like you are sacrificing your wallet and life to buy. No, we are not completely natural food eaters, but we do try to eat healthy!

6. Speedy checkout. Talk about employees that work hard! Have you ever seen an Aldi employee just standing there? Either they are stocking shelves, answering customer questions, or zipping the food into your cart. Yes, you either have to buy a paper bag or bring your own, but lets be honest: that is one grocery store that you can get in and out of fast!

THAT is why I shop at Aldi! It is worth our money and worth it for our health!

{Just remember that quarter for the cart}