I do most of my shopping at Walmart but in the next town over, we have an Aldi's and I make twice monthly runs there...I have been pretty pleased with the things I've bought there. If you shop at Aldi's, what are some products that you like? Things to stay away from?
eggs, vegetable oil, pudding mixes, powdered sugar (theirs is gluten free too), don't care for the cake mixes (the cakes never seem to rise as much), pudding mix is good, sour cream great, oh they have a ranch veggie dip.........so delicious!!
MY favorite thing by far at aldi's is the Haribo brand "Happy cola" gummies and the Haribo gummy bears1 In fact, that's why I go to Aldi's LOL
My husband and I made one trip to Aldi several years ago and weren't very impressed. Then summer before last with food prices and gas prices skyrocketing, I thought I would give it another try. I'm so glad I did!
Some of our notable favorites, either because the prices is so low and the quality is good, or the price is good and the quality is better than other brands!
Nuts of all types
Tortilla chips
Corn chips
Ritz type crackers
Corn syrup
Butter
Lettuces
Various cheeses, especially specialty cheeses
black olives
peanut butter (my husband LOVES Aldi peanut butter)
Produce...you never know what they will have, but sometimes their prices will astound you...like the time I got blueberries for .99, grape tomatoes for .67. Potatoes are usually a very good price, as are bananas.
Canned diced tomatoes
Canned tomato paste
Rice
Salsa
Hummus
Frozen whole chicken
canned black beans
Their almond or peanut "bars" in the cereal section
Their fruity/fibery breakfast cereal
I was just making an Aldi run 2 times a month, but now it is more like 3. I save so much money that I feel guilty if I don't frequent that store. It has made a big difference in our budget, given us some much appreciated wiggle room.
Not everyone will agree with this list, but I do sing the praises of Aldi now. I've heard some people say it makes them feel poor to shop there. It makes me feel SMART! 
I had the same reaction to Aldi's a few years ago, was not very impressed. I did try it again a year ago and I found all sorts of their things that I liked such as butter, sour cream, all the cheeses whether it's american slices or sharp cheddar chunks. All of their canned goods are fine and they have some decent frozen stuff. The frozen skinless chicken breasts and tater tots are great. We like the cereal, pasta, salsa, sloppyjoe mix, powdered sugar, flour, sugar. The savings can really add up. And the quality is really pretty good. I love hearing other people's opinions though and it sounds like we've had similar experiences! Anyone else?
Oh! How could I forget their frozen asparagus? Such a deal!
all things aldi's are good with exception that by the time I get the the special sale stuff is often long gone! 
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the cappuccino mix - french vanilla & mocha -- (seasonal) is fantastic
cheese!!!!
ditto to all the above favs (esp. cheese!)
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wonder's how may "not impressed" were based on the general dowdiness of stores as opposed to the real value/cost of things.
they ain't no beauty queens but they are sure the place to go for great food at a bargain price.
i was super impressed the one time i shopped at aldi - i would have easily saved $30 that day but it doesnt stock everything i need/want so i end up doing 2 shops so i havent been back to aldi
but i will tell you that the company i work for is a world leading top shelf brand supplier to the consumer market and we have our products at aldi...just under a different label and i think this happens with alot of their items so the consumer doesnt realize how good the quality of the product is. from a business point of view, they are a VERY german company to deal with (ie paperwork, procedures, contact) but they are very professional.
I love most ALL things Aldi but particulary their PS and their small green peas..they must be baby le sur brand because they are awesome. Also love their salsa, chips, mini eclairs are great, cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese and their produce. The ONE problem I have with them sometimes is their bananas. If they are too green they will not ripen. Have had this happen a few times.
I have to chime in on this one. I grew up very poor and we shopped there for everything and back then the quality wasn't nearly as good as it is now. In my area Aldi and Walmart are side by side so I shop both when I go. Instead of coffee I drink Hot tea and they have the BEST grean tea with lemon and gensing (sp)!! There are a few things we don't care for there but the bulk of our shopping is done there and that store has been a blessing.
I love most ALL things Aldi but particulary their PS and their small green peas..they must be baby le sur brand because they are awesome. Also love their salsa, chips, mini eclairs are great, cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese and their produce. The ONE problem I have with them sometimes is their bananas. If they are too green they will not ripen. Have had this happen a few times.
Interesting. I almost always buy their bananas when they are green and I've never not had them ripen. I do put them with other fruit, maybe that helps? My husband, for whatever reason, thinks the bananas from Aldi are better than from anywhere else. Very interesting.
the only thing i don't like about Aldi's is the wait in line. At our store they only seem to have one line open and the wait can be long at times. If you are looking for a pretty store Aldi's isn't it. But most of the food that i have bought there is really good. I buy most of their stuff, but i do stay away from the caned soups, i tried them once and wasn't that impressed with them. Of course that was some time ago and they might be better now.
I love most ALL things Aldi but particulary their PS and their small green peas..they must be baby le sur brand because they are awesome. Also love their salsa, chips, mini eclairs are great, cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese and their produce. The ONE problem I have with them sometimes is their bananas. If they are too green they will not ripen. Have had this happen a few times.
Interesting. I almost always buy their bananas when they are green and I've never not had them ripen. I do put them with other fruit, maybe that helps? My husband, for whatever reason, thinks the bananas from Aldi are better than from anywhere else. Very interesting.
I really don't think putting them with other fruit helps because I have tried that. This has actually happened to me, my SO and my sister. If the bananas have a tiny bit of yellow they will ripen if they have none sometimes they will just rot. Actually my sis and my SO had told me their problem with them a few times but I never had any problem, so didn't quite believe they meant they won't ripen at all, then last month I bought some and became a believer when they never ripened but rotted instead. I still buy them from there but I make sure they are ever so slightly yellow.
Aldi's has come a long way in the past few years. I have shopped there for about 8 yrs now. I do most of my shopping there. The only things I don't buy there are the meats and some of the produce ( depends on quality). My Dh loves their brownies and thinks they are better than any other brand.
My mother used to make a face at me when I talked about shopping there. Now she loves the place.
We never had an Aldi's until about 4 years ago so the poor quality thing I don't know about. I know now they have really good quality items.
I'm so glad that I saw this post. We've had an Aldi's for well over a year now & I haven't darkened the doors until now. I couldn't believe how cheap certain things were!
So far we have tried:
cereal:great
french bread:great
marinara sauce:great
sweet onion salsa:great
tortilla chips:great
graham crackers
kay (would be fine to make crusts)
frozen raviolikay
For those of you that said you used flour, sugar, powered sugar, eggs, sour cream, choc chips, oil: Do you use these ingredients to make your cakes, or for other baking needs?
It's so fun to read through everyone's responses so thanks to all who have given their two cents worth!
My store is about a 20 minute drive from my home but as I said before, I've been going about twice a month and seem to need to go more often than that.
I have to agree with everyone's fav's...I forgot to add that the ice cream is pretty darn good also..I'm a vanilla or chocolate chip fan and I really like both from Aldi's.
I use the eggs, sour cream, butter, etc in my cake baking as well as all other baking at my home...seems to work really well for me. We love the frozen asparagus. I like the green peppers that come in a three pack in the produce section. Nanas always look a bit green for our tastes so I can't say what would happen if I bought them.
I might have said this previously but I have noticed that their regular sandwich bread likes to go stale rather quickly in my experience so I tend to stay away from that..BUT..I discovered a little gem the last time I shopped there, it was two skinny (baguette style) loaves of french bread in a sealed package..SO GOOD! I slice them up, add some garlic butter, wrap them in foil and into the oven they go for 10 minutes or so at 350..wonderful, soft, flavorful garlic bread.
For those of you that said you used flour, sugar, powered sugar, eggs, sour cream, choc chips, oil: Do you use these ingredients to make your cakes, or for other baking needs
I use all of the above and never had any problems with any of it.
oh I had to add too that they have mini caramel corn rice cakes....a big bag for $1.99 and they are WAY better than the quaker ones and so cheap!
Also, the frozen green beans (and asparagus that was mentioned earlier)....I stick those green beans (they're the thin long french ones mmmmm) in a scorching hot skillet with some balsamic vinegar and italian dressing (couple tbsp. of each) and let her rip....by the time the green beans thaw and cook to a nice crispness the dressing has thickened up and turned into a glaze.......they are SO GOOD!! I think the whole BAG w/ the dressing is like 2 pts. on weight watchers too lol
For those of you that said you used flour, sugar, powered sugar, eggs, sour cream, choc chips, oil: Do you use these ingredients to make your cakes, or for other baking needs
I use all of the above and never had any problems with any of it.
Thx so much!
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