Hi friends,
I thought this post would come at a good time since we are all in this together when it comes to saving on groceries, now more than ever. I have written many posts in the past sharing our food hauls but things have really gotten out of hand in the price department since the last time, huh?
For a while, we weren’t shopping at ALDI as much as we used to. But recently I decided to start going again and wow, I forget just how much more affordable this place is versus any other of our local stores.
I have been aiming to keep our ALDI bill around $100 a week because I do shop elsewhere for specialty items (I’ll talk about that shortly). I want to share a specific weekday shopping haul soon, but for now, I am just going to let you know the budget-friendly items I have been grabbing there that are very much cheaper than anywhere else I have been. I do not buy all of this at once, but these are the items we are grabbing typically:
~ Produce – whatever is in season or on sale for the best price. I almost always get apples, bananas, lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, baby carrots, zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower, potatoes, clementines or oranges, greens
~ Sourdough bread for toast in the morning, sandwich bread for lunches. Sometimes English muffins or bagels if the kids request.
~ Rolled oats for morning oats and to make my own oat flour (which is much cheaper)
~ Dry cereal and freeze-dried strawberries for kids
~ Tortillas and/or taco shells for dinners
~ Nuts and seeds – raw cashews, mostly, but also raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and pistachios if we need to restock
~ Picking snacks for the family, usually tortillas chips, pretzels, popcorn, or rice cakes
~ Dips/condiments such as hummus, peanut butter, jam, ketchup, mustard, salsa, guac, olive oil, vinegar, hot sauce, maple syrup…
~ Baking items as needed, but most notably the dark chocolate baking chunks, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla, baking powder/soda
~ Jarred and canned goods are so so cheap here and BPA-free lining! We stock up when needed, usually on: beans of all varieties, corn, carrots, green beans, peaches, pears, tomato sauces/paste, coconut milk, pumpkin puree, pickles, sauerkraut
~ Jasmine or basmati rice
~ Pasta for kids
~ Soy and oat milk
~Tofu and vegan cheese shreds
~ Frozen items of all varieties, but mostly frozen berries, edamame, peas, corn, fries
For the remainder of what we need (specialty-type items) I shop either Whole Foods or our local grocery chain and try to keep it flexible between $50-$60. I place my order online to ensure that I keep it within that range… it is much easier than going in-store! I always overbuy when inside the store. Keep in mind, I don’t buy all of these things every week and at once, but I pick and choose based on the menu for the week and/or what we ran out of. This includes things such as:
- plant-based meat for the week (impossible beef/burgers, daring plant chicken, beyond brats, etc.)
- plant-based cheese slices (violife)
- non-dairy yogurt (I like siggis plant based coconut blend or kite hill)
- aloha protein bars
- gf bread and pasta
- rice noodles
- curry paste/specialty sauces
- chickpea flour / gf flour
- just egg
- vegan butter
So overall for our family of 4, we are aiming to keep our bill between $150-$175 a week, but ultimately striving for that $150 mark. Yes, we go over some weeks and yes, sometimes under! And I rejoice and my husband laughs but OMG, I rejoice. But by keeping a pretty strict list with a specific number in mind, I have been very successful in this and we are still eating colorful, healthful, and well.
Maybe $150 a week seems like a lot for you, or maybe you are way over. We all have different needs for our family and depending on where we live, different price points. But I hope this has been helpful or eye-opening to just see how we have been saving by shopping the bulk of our needs at ALDI. I cannot appreciate them enough.
If you would be interested in a specific shopping haul with an itemized bill, let me know. I can definitely work on pulling that and sharing it soon, too.
Let me know how you feel about ALDI and what your family has been doing to save on rising costs.
