Newbies Guide to Aldi!

Update: Aldi now is offering organic products and limited numbers of Gluten Free items. This is a trial run.

I hate to admit this but I avoided Aldi for the longest time because I was afraid of the unknown. Let’s face it. You walk in any other grocery store in America and you know what to expect. You grab a cart, shop, pay outrageous prices (without coupons and a plan), groceries are bagged and you’re even offered help to your car.

Aldi breaks all of those rules. One drive-by and you see that the carts are all locked up. That’s noticeable without even getting out of your car. That was enough to send me across the street to Giant Eagle. In case you’re new to Aldi, and like me, it strikes fear into your heart, here’s your Newbies Guide to Aldi.

1. Bring your own bags. No bags or boxes are offered so be ready to pack yourself up or bring those soup cans home one by one.

2. Bring your bags into the store with you. I’m very forgetful so I had to add this one. It’s the worst when I get to checkout and don’t have my bags. Does anyone else do this besides me?

3. Have your quarter ready. You will place the quarter in the slot which will UNLOCK the cart.

4. Shop. Look for milk, eggs, cheap after school/lunch snacks, cheese and meats, especially veggies if you don’t need organic.

5. Shop seasonal items. Great for toys right around Thanksgiving. Amazing prices. Look for gardening items in the spring.

6. At Check-Out, have your cash or debit card ready (and make sure it’s not expired…yep. That happened to me.) No credit cards OR checks are taken at Aldi.

7. After payment, take your cart to the shelf just beyond the registers where you can arrange your own groceries into your own bags.

8. Load groceries into trunk and return cart. Slide the lock from the existing cart into your cart. Your quarter will pop out. Kids love this feature, fyi.

9. Speaking of kids, ALDI is my very favorite store when I have kids with me. It’s a very small store and a lot of items can be picked up in a very short period of time! This means 15 minutes in the store instead of 30 plus! So much easier with kids!

Some of you are thinking this is way too much work. Would it influence you if I told you I’m saving 50-75% on groceries without using coupons by shopping at Aldi? There are a few items my family can’t live without. Stick pretzels, milk, cheese, spices and veggies. At Aldi these prices are 1/2 of Kroger and the quality is amazing. Considering you aren’t clipping coupons, time is actually saved by shopping at Aldi. Yes, you pack your own groceries, you need a quarter and you have to use a debit card or cash. All well worth it when there’s extra money in the grocery budget for a few plants for your garden or that new purse you’ve been eying! I’m an Aldi convert.

Note: Need a lot of pizza for a function or for a family night? Aldi has great Take and Bake options for as low as $4.99!