Aldi Grocery Store Guide – 10 tips and tricks

Find the best tips and tricks in this Aldi grocery store guide. Learn what you should buy as well as what not to buy at Aldi.

What is Aldi?

Aldi is a no frill and no fuss type of grocery store. It is known for having low prices, small stores and selling mostly private label groceries.

I love shopping at Aldi Grocery Store. It is my go-to grocery store for many different items, but not for everything.

Also, they have a double guarantee on their products. If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, they will refund your purchase price for food items and you will also get a replacement item for free. This is basically a risk-free purchase.

As well as grocery products, they also have an Aldi finds aisle with useful household and seasonal items.

One important thing to remember about Aldi, you will need a quarter for a shopping cart. You will get it back once returned. This helps employees from having to gather carts in the parking lot.

Aldi grocery store guide

In this guide, I will share what I like to buy at Aldi and what I avoid buying. Yes, there are plenty of great deals, but there are also things I never buy at Aldi.

This guide will help you maximize your grocery budget and prepare your shopping list. I like to look at the weekly ad and make my grocery list.

What to buy and what not to buy at Aldi?

1. Candy & Chips

What I buy:

• I love the Aldi Brand (Clancy’s) tortilla chips and pretzels. They are priced very inexpensively and taste great.

• My kids like their Cheese Curls and Cheese Puffs as well.

• If you like Fritos, check out the Aldi corn chips. They taste like the real deal.

• Crackers are delicious at Aldi and there are several gluten free options.

What I avoid:

• I don’t buy candy at Aldi. A lot of their candy is name brand candy, which tends to be more expensive. I would rather buy at another store where I can use coupons.

2. Baking Items

What I buy:

• Aldi flour and sugar are usually very competitively priced. Both are a great deal and the quality is very good.

What I avoid:

• Other baking materials such as: baking chips, seasonings, baking cups, etc. I usually can get these for a similar price or cheaper at another grocery store.

3. Canned Items & Condiments

What I buy:

• Canned pineapple and beans are cheap at Aldi. They taste like the real deal, so I like to buy them.

• You can also find ketchup, mustard and salad dressing comparably priced to the grocery store. I think they taste great and can’t tell any difference. In fact, I prefer Aldi salad dressing to many national brand items.

What I avoid:

• Mayonnaise. Their brand of mayo is not very good at all. I skip buying this at Aldi.

4. Produce

What I buy:

• I buy just about any and all produce I can get my hands on at Aldi. I have not had one bad experience with their produce.

Tip: Be sure to be on the look out for their “Produce Picks” which are the lowest prices of the week.

Aldi has some Organic options but they don’t carry a lot of Organic produce options. However, the produce they do carry is fresh and in season.

What I avoid:

• Nothing really in this department. Their produce is awesome. If you are only going to buy one thing there, then buy the produce. That alone will save you money.

5. Dairy

What I buy:

• You can find milk, eggs, butter and yogurt very nicely priced at Aldi. Their prices on these items are hard to beat at any other store.

What I avoid:

• I don’t buy cheese at Aldi because I can get it cheaper from Sam’s. However, it is still a good price if you don’t have a Sams Club.

6. Meat

What I buy:

• I love to buy ham at Aldi. Their ham is usually priced cheaper than anywhere else and it tastes great.

What I avoid:

• I don’t buy beef, chicken or pork at Aldi, because I can buy it cheaper at Sam’s or other grocery stores. If you don’t tend to buy in bulk, Aldi is a great option for meat.

7. Bread & Baked Items

What I buy:

• We love their wheat bread, bagels and English Muffins. All of these are delicious and priced lower than other grocery stores.

What I avoid:

• I don’t buy any prepackaged baked goods. They are not any better of a deal at Aldi than any other grocery store.

8. Frozen Food

What I buy:

• Aldi’s frozen fruit tastes great and is priced well.

• My kids also like their frozen waffles and French toast sticks. In fact, one child prefers Aldi brand waffles to name brand waffles.

What I avoid:

• We have tried their ice cream (in the tubs) and it just has a different taste than the typically ice creams we like. I wouldn’t say its bad, it’s just different. We don’t care for it so I don’t buy it.

9. Dried Goods

What I buy:

• The dried beans and macaroni and cheese are priced great at Aldi. Now, the macaroni and cheese does not taste like the “blue box” macaroni. However, my kids like it just fine and it is super cheap.

What I avoid:

• The rice is not priced high at Aldi, but I can usually get it for cheap with coupons so I buy my rice at a different grocery store.

10. Household Goods

What I buy:

• I buy the large kitchen trash bags. I can typically get an 80-count box for as much as a 30-count box at the grocery store.

• Paper plates are great quality and much less than the national brand.

What I avoid:

• I have not priced the toilet paper or paper towels at Aldi because I typically get a better price from Amazon. Plus, it gets shipped to my door for free.

I hope these tips help you get started shopping at Aldi. I know this is by no means an extensive list, but I just wanted to give you a basic run down of what I like to buy at Aldi.

If you have never shopped at Aldi and are curious how it works, have a look at our Aldi Foods – 4 Things You Need to Know . This is very helpful to look at before you go grocery shopping at Aldi stores.

More ways to save on groceries:

• Saving Money on groceries by menu planning
• How to save money on groceries
• Save money on meat
• How to save on meat – reduced for quick sale