Like any store, Aldi has some excellent products and some lousy ones. This review if for the excellent products, but I must warn to stay away from their worst product ever: the glass cleaner. Never have I used such a worthless product; in fact, I am convinced it is blue-tinted water. Save your $1.50 and pass on the glass cleaner.
For 1st time Aldi shoppers, bring a quarter to unlock a cart for shopping. This reminds me of shopping in France when I was a student. It's actually quite effective in keeping the carts corralled and you will never have a wet cart on rainy days. Bring some reusable shopping bags, too, or purchase them at Aldi.
Beaumont Donut Store Blend Coffee & Benton's Ginger Snaps
Our cousin in Costa Rica is our official coffee supplier. We buy Cafe Britt in bulk from him and the proceeds go to supplement youth ministry. However, we are fresh out! We have had the Beaumont coffee in Donut Store Blend (below), Hazelnut and French Vanilla. Mind you, the bar is set REALLY high after drinking Cafe Britt regularly and the Aldi stuff is pretty stinking good. It makes a decent cup of robust coffee with no bitterness. Smooth and a nice caffeine kick. $3.99
The Ginger Snaps are my hands-down favorite. Zero trans fat, super crispy with an intense ginger spice. Around $1.60 per bag. Can't beat that! They are a decent treat for WW, too.
Mandarin Oranges, Evaporated Milk and Baked Beans
When Tman was little, he went through a mandarin orange phase. We loved putting them on our Romaine salad with sweet & salty toasted almonds. Aldi always has a low price, usually around $.59. Nice plump orange segments in water, not syrup.
The evaporated milk is just a great bargain. We use it often in place of heavy cream to add richness while cutting fat. A basic staple at a great price: $.69
The Dakota's baked beans are a recent find. My sister served baked beans at her daughter's birthday party (one of my niece's favorite foods). Our family is a tried and true Bush Beans buyer and I assumed they were Bush Beans, somehow gussied up to add some interesting depth of flavor. The beans were polished off and we were all raving about them. My sister told us they were purchased at Aldi and a new favorite was born. TRY THESE-for $.95, it's an inexpensive gamble.
Mandarin Orange Chicken
Found in the frozen section, I grabbed a bag one day for a quick dinner. Although I ate something else, I did try a piece and it was really good. My husband and son said it tasted like Panda Express but I cannot say for sure as I have never had Panda Express orange chicken. For $4.99, it is a quick, easy dinner that my kids and husband enjoy. We steam white rice and serve veggies alongside.
Willow 1-ply Bath Tissue
Lately, we have had an issue with (ahem!) boys using too much t.p., thus creating a back up. This t.p. is fantastic. Super cheap ($2.49), the 4 roll package lasts a long time since it's 1-ply. My dad is horrified as he insists on the most plush t.p. ever, but to each his own. My family's derrieres will have to deal with the one-ply because I am not about the mop up another stopped up toilet disaster.
Lacura
Amazing. $3.99. Don't believe me?http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemId=117386/Q10-Anti-Wrinkle-Night-Cream-/Lacura/Moisturizers Read the reviews on makeupalley:
Darling Chicks
Aldi is a great place to find little holiday treats. Their chocolate is decent and super affordable. I always splurge on some Fannie May, but these are nice fillers. $2.99 or about 12 foil chicks.
Another item I love: the Light and Fit Ranch Dressing (100 times better than Hidden Valley)!
That's all, folks. Have a lovely weekend as we celebrate our Risen Savior and King Jesus!
Great post! We don't have Aldi's here in Southern California, but my hometown in Iowa does. My mom was an assistant manager of it for many years while I was growing up. It is great for some basics and I usually go there with her when I visit in the summer. This was a great idea for a post!
ReplyDeleteSome other great ALDI finds for those who want to try shopping there: graham crackers (about $2 a box!), milk is usually cheaper if it is not on sale anywhere else ($2.50/gallon or less lately), 3 pack of Romaine lettuce for $2.29, bananas for $0.44/lb, our kids like their "Fruit and Grain" bars (like Nutrigrain bars) for $1.49 per box, we buy the large size pillow pack of pepperoni slices for $1.99 and use it for putting 3-4 slices on a ham or turkey sandwich to liven up sack lunches a bit, mini marshmallows for any sort of baking are just $0.99 or less sometimes. Thanks for the post Susan...I have never tried the Ginger Snaps nor orange chicken and will have to do that sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteahhhhh!we don't have aldis in these parts, but i keep reading about them on blogs! i've failed at all my fruit leather attempts-LOL!
ReplyDeleteOh, crud! The fruit leather is so yummy-I hide some of it from the kids. :)
ReplyDeleteI love Aldi! I keep finding more and more reasons why. SO excited about this lotion...need something like this!!! Next trip I'm hunting it down.
ReplyDelete