Oh, Aldi, How I've Missed You!

I got lazy over the summer, and in an attempt to consolidate my food shopping, went exclusively to Wegmans, and supplemented with whatever came in our CSA share. Now that the school year's back in session, and easy lunches need to be made or brought every day, I need to be a little less lax, and for some items, Aldi is definitely the more cost-effective choice.  


For example, my husband brings a ham and cheese wrap with pretzels to work every.single.day during the school year.  I can buy all the ingredients for his lunch for less than it would cost to purchase comparable items at Wegmans.

According to the above list, I will save $4.81 by shopping at Aldi only for my husband's lunches; not including anything else that I can find there.  For more information about Aldi/Wegmans comparisons, check this post 

out.

Here's what I actually bought this week: 

Yeah, we go through a lot of cheese. It's pretty much the only thing my 20-month-old will eat, so we have shredded cheese, string cheese, sliced cheese, and block cheese. So, yeah. Lots of cheese.  I was also excited to see Nature's Path organic granola bars for only $2.39 a box. I love when I find random organic items for deep discounts at Aldi's -- don't forget to check the special bargain bin!

Total Spent: $26.49

Wegmans vs. Aldi: Battle of the Grocery Stores

Now, I know some people will dither with the title of this post. Why? Because, they argue, Wegman’s is not just a “grocery store” -- it’s an experience. 

Well, yes, indeed it is. And for the record, I cannot imagine a time when I will not shop at Wegmans.   But I’ve been saving a lot of money at Aldi lately, so I wanted to do a side-by-side comparison of each store to really see if it’s worth it to go to both stores every week.  Below are items that I have bought at both stores in the past month.  This price comparison does NOT take into account coupons, because most of these items are pantry staples and it is unusual to find coupons for many of them on a regular basis.

Cheaper at Aldi

• Eggs
• Butter
• Milk
• Deli Meat
• Deli Cheese
• Tortillas
• Baking Supplies (flour, oil)
• Herbs & Spices
• Oatmeal
• Crackers

Cheaper at Wegmans:

• Pretzels
• Pasta
• American Cheese Slices

Same at both:

• Block Cheese
• String Cheese

From this comparison, it certainly looks as if Aldi is the winner, doesn’t it? There are four pretty big caveats, though.

1. This list only compares “like” items.  There are some products, like bread and rolls, that I won’t buy at Aldi because I haven’t found any without HFCS added.

2. This doesn’t take into account items that are easy to use coupons on, like cereal. You can find cereal at Aldi for $1.89/box, which is $.10 cheaper than Wegmans’ store brand cereal, but at Wegmans I have used coupons to get cereal for $1.50 or less a box. 

3. Aldi is something of a wild card -- almost every time I’ve been there I’ve found a few national brand products at deeply discounted prices. Of course, I just got lucky that I happened to be there that day and found those items.

4. Fruit and vegetable prices are always MUCH cheaper at Aldi. But at least 50% of the time, they just don’t seem as fresh and good-looking as Wegmans’ produce, and I like that Wegmans has local sources for much of their in-season produce.

Final Thoughts

Based on my recent receipts at both Aldi and Wegmans, I save between $5 and $10 a week by shopping at Aldi.  This is enough for me to keep going there, especially since it’s only about a mile away from my Wegmans and it’s not another inconvenient trip to get there. However, I think the best strategy will be to stock up on what I need at Aldi every other week -- that way I can save a little time, and also make sure I have the items I know will be cheaper at Aldi.

I'm curious to hear what others do. Do you shop at 2 or more stores every week?

Aldi's Trip: Under $20 AGAIN!

I had both kids with me for my shopping this week, and since Aldi was only my first stop, I really wanted to get in and out.   I was thrilled to see that they had Lifeway Kefir (or “strawberry milkshake” as my kids know it!) for $2.49/bottle again.  They also had Bolthouse Farms 100% Organic Carrot Juice for only $2.69/bottle (normally $4.29 at Wegmans). I didn’t buy any though, because I’ve never tried carrot juice.  Is there a reason why I should?

I also found blueberries from New Jersey for only $1.99 -- I prefer to buy local, but both kids were with me and were dying for them, so I figured that would be a good treat for cooperating at the store.

The total was $19.59, and here’s how it broke down:

Whole Milk, 1 gallon -- $1.95

Lowfat Kefir -- $2.49

Wild Salmon, 1 lb -- $4.49

String Cheese, 12 oz -- $2.99

Smoked Ham, 1 lb -- $3.29

Blueberries -- $1.99

Butter quarters -- $2.39

Sadly, the price of butter is up $.10 since the beginning of June, but Aldi’s price is still cheaper than Wegmans price of $2.79.  I’ve been shopping at Aldi for about 2-3 months now and I definitely see a difference in my grocery bill. I need to scrutinize my receipts to come up with an exact amount, but I would say at least $10/week. But part of that may be a combination of menu-planning and shopping with a list.

Here’s what my trip looked like:

Oh, and as a side note, I saw the sidewalk chalk I bought for $2.69 a couple weeks ago at Aldi's at Wegmans today. It was "on sale" for $5.99. So glad I shopped around!

A Quick Aldi Trip and a Daring Proposition

After much mental and emotional gearing up, I think I am about to attempt the impossible: go a week without stepping in a Wegmans. 


I know, crazy, right?


Last week was sort of bananas, due to 2 sick kids, and I didn't end up making a couple of the meals I had planned. As a result, I still have enough meat in the freezer to get us through the week, and enough pasta, rice, and couscous to round out the meals. We are admittedly low on fruits and vegetables, but I will be picking up our first CSA basket of the season on Thursday, so I think we can make do with frozen spinach, broccoli, and peaches for a few days. 


I'll let you know if I fall off the wagon, though.


I did make a quick run to Aldi today,  which consisted mostly of cheese. 

I've been hearing a lot lately about how Aldi is raising their prices on milk. I paid $1.95 for a gallon of whole milk, which is still $.24 less than Wegman's price.  This trip only cost $17.14 total, so if I can manage to stay out of Wegmans, that is pretty darn good for the week!