Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Dec 19, 2017 22:44:35 GMT -5
You have to bring your own grocery bags or boxes. Or, a lot of people just take the boxes in the aisles that are now empty that were holding the groceries. No brand names if you are looking for that. Some of their produce was good and they had good prices on bread , rolls, etc. There are a lot of frozen foods, but I don't buy a lot of premade things. You can get baking supplies cheaply there.
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countrygirl2
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Post by countrygirl2 on Dec 19, 2017 22:54:40 GMT -5
I went once, didn't care for it, maybe I should try it again. I thought the only reason veggies were cheaper is because packages, etc had such small quantities. I was not impressed at all.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Dec 19, 2017 23:00:40 GMT -5
I really don't go there much. I have cut down the number of stores I go to because it's just easier to get whatever I need where I usually shop rather than go to another store.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Dec 19, 2017 23:19:34 GMT -5
Try it out. Milk is usually under $2 a gallon, (month ago, $1.69 a gallon, large eggs anywhere from 69 cents, limit six, there breads are usually ok, bananas are cheap, head lettuce $.99 and lots of specialty salad lettuces, and any basic item is about as good flavor wise as your major brands. They have started expanding their organic lines, and seem good also. We seem to skip the cleaning supplies for whatever reason, so not sure about them. Lots of non known six pk beers, some very good, and good cheap wines, if you are not a person who wants to spend $15 on a bottle.......Our local newspaper in Indiana has even had a peel off $5 off coupon on a $30 purchase about every three weeks on the front page making them a real bargain. We had one open in Cape Coral this year, and even Wal Mart had to lower their milk prices over a $1.50 a gallon Checking out might be tight, but it goes a heck of a lot faster than at our local WMT or grocery stores. Sadly, here in Maryland, grocery stores are not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages. The liquor stores maintain a stranglehold on the lucrative wine, beer, and spirits business and have many friends in the state government, so we doubt that we will ever be able to purchase the reasonably priced alcoholic beverages we hear other people can get at places like Trader Joe's, Costco, and now, apparently, Aldi. This is a sad thing. (Not as sad as cumin in hummus, but still sad.)
I will definitely be checking out our new Aldi as soon as the holiday hysteria dies down.
MD doesn't allow the sale of beer and wine in the grocery store?
When we lived in VA you could buy beer and wine at the local Giant but you had to go to the Packy (sp?) for the hard stuff. I was never so aware of our liquor consumption than when we lived in VA. Coming from CA we just tossed in whatever we needed in the basket when we were in Safeway. And the Packys aren't cheap.
I do remember making a few spirited (sorry couldn't help it!) runs into DC for liquor. For some reason it was a lot cheaper (although apparently illegal to cross the state line with liquor).
Too bad the Aldi can't sell spirits. One of my favorite German spirits was Birne Wasser or Pear Liquor. The Obst Wassers are served after dinner in these cute cordial glasses with a bulb base and a flute like top. A really nice way to end a nice dinner party.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 19, 2017 23:31:49 GMT -5
Sadly, here in Maryland, grocery stores are not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages. The liquor stores maintain a stranglehold on the lucrative wine, beer, and spirits business and have many friends in the state government, so we doubt that we will ever be able to purchase the reasonably priced alcoholic beverages we hear other people can get at places like Trader Joe's, Costco, and now, apparently, Aldi. This is a sad thing. (Not as sad as cumin in hummus, but still sad.)
I will definitely be checking out our new Aldi as soon as the holiday hysteria dies down.
MD doesn't allow the sale of beer and wine in the grocery store?
When we lived in VA you could buy beer and wine at the local Giant but you had to go to the Packy (sp?) for the hard stuff. I was never so aware of our liquor consumption than when we lived in VA. Coming from CA we just tossed in whatever we needed in the basket when we were in Safeway. And the Packys aren't cheap.
I do remember making a few spirited (sorry couldn't help it!) runs into DC for liquor. For some reason it was a lot cheaper (although apparently illegal to cross the state line with liquor).
Too bad the Aldi can't sell spirits. One of my favorite German spirits was Birne Wasser or Pear Liquor. The Obst Wassers are served after dinner in these cute cordial glasses with a bulb base and a flute like top. A really nice way to end a nice dinner party.
Nope. Not even beer and wine in the grocery stores. It's very sad. We're used to it, of course, but we listen wistfully as others talk about buying beer and wine in grocery stores and the wonderful bargains to be had at Trader Joe's and Costco in more enlightened states.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 20, 2017 0:47:55 GMT -5
It depends. My Aldi has a great produce section - because it moves quickly and is quickly restocked. The owner? of my Aldi also listens to the customers and tries to keep produce that flies off the shelf/bin/fridge in stock.. but I'm not sure in how much say each store has on what products/how much products they get. The two other nearby Aldi's I've been in (a couple of suburbs over) have TERRIBLE produce sections (almost scary) and I'm assuming you'd get ptomaine poisoning if you were to buy and eat any of it.
Be sure to check out the eggs and dairy sections. Aldi has heavy whipping crème for example! And all the standbys (milk, 1/2 and 1/2, yogurts, cream cheese, sour cream, even soy milk, almond milk and lactose free milk). Generally any "basic" dairy product is fine and less expensive than other stores. I like Aldi's plain 0% fat greek yogurt - but do not care for the flavored yougurt cups. You have to try somethings to see if you like them or not. Their cream cheese and sour cream and butter is 100% fine. They even have Kerigold butter if you like that.
Try their fancy cheeses... the regular cheddar/swiss/etc slices/blocks are so-so (a lot like Kraft) - but the Kerigold or other Aldi 'gourmet' cheeses are awesome. Their crackers and cereals and breads are good too (and less than the local grocery). The baking staples (flour, sugar, oils, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, powdered sugar, etc) are perfect and a lot less expensive. Love their Box Brownie mix and bagged nuts (pecans, walnuts, sliced almonds). their cocoa powder is fine too. Didn't care for their pudding and jello mixex (i'm a Jello brand name kinda girl). Their croutons and chips/pretzels were fine too.
I like their canned chickpeas (for making hummus) and refried beans.
I don't buy much meat so I don't have an opinion on Aldi's offerings. Their frozen veggies are tasty and their whipped topping tub is ALWAYS less expensive than the local groceries. I also discovered the Cheese HomeRunInn pizzas - which are great when you add your own toppings (I like mine with tomatoes, basil or spinach, and garlic. and then alittle extra cheese - parmesan or goat... basically whatever odds and ends of stuff I have goes on top of the pizza).
Go in with an open mind and a sense of adventure and try some of the products - decide that it's ok to not like some of them - it doesn't mean everything in the store is bad.
Here's a little secret - some of the Aldi products are actually Trader Joe products just relabeled (and sometimes alittle less expensive).
Take a quarter (to get a cart) and your shopping bags and have fun.
I love fancy cheeses! And Kerigold is my absolute favorite. I just bought a giant brick of same at Costco today. Also a big fan of chickpeas. Thanks for the recommendations! Not sure you can compare buying in bulk at Costco to Aldi - Aldi seems to be aimed at smaller quantities (and lower price). I also use Aldi paper plates/napkins and sandwich zippy bags.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 20, 2017 9:13:54 GMT -5
I love fancy cheeses! And Kerigold is my absolute favorite. I just bought a giant brick of same at Costco today. Also a big fan of chickpeas. Thanks for the recommendations! Not sure you can compare buying in bulk at Costco to Aldi - Aldi seems to be aimed at smaller quantities (and lower price). I also use Aldi paper plates/napkins and sandwich zippy bags. I buy the giant bricks of Kerigold cheese at Costco because it keeps well and the small chunks at the supermarket can sometimes cost as much as the giant Costco size. It will be nice to have the option of a smaller size at a more reasonable price. I buy vast quantities of canned chickpeas (because I am too disorganized and too lazy to cook my own), so I'm definitely going to try the Aldi chickpeas.
It will be fun to have a new supermarket to explore. I consider going to the supermarket to be a form of entertainment. (I don't get out much anymore).
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milee
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Post by milee on Dec 20, 2017 9:43:25 GMT -5
.... I thought the only reason veggies were cheaper is because packages, etc had such small quantities. .... Not referring to Aldi specifically, but that seemed to be a common model used in England. Packages and portions were much, much smaller. Probably for two reasons - they have much smaller refrigerators but also because they wanted to price things as a small package cost (say 1 or 2 pounds.) European appliances - and refrigerators specifically - tend to be smaller than American ones. My MIL had a refrigerator that wasn't much larger than the ones you see in college dorms over here. She could never put the same large packages in her fridge that we have here. Heck, I don't even think she could fit a gallon container of milk in hers... probably part of why the traditional small milk bottles stayed popular for as long as they did.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Dec 20, 2017 10:03:01 GMT -5
it's also European to shop for fresh foods at least 2-3x a week, so the small fridges/freezers make sense.
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ohmomto2boys
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Post by ohmomto2boys on Dec 20, 2017 13:06:57 GMT -5
I like Aldi. I have tried a lot of different products and have been pleased. My kids love their variety of granola bars/snack bars. Produce is hit or miss, but generally I can get most of our needs at Aldi. The only part of Aldi that bothers me is checking out. Some of the cashiers are very rough with the products when they are scanning and tossing them back in the cart.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Dec 20, 2017 13:10:11 GMT -5
Let's just sat that I'm very European in my shopping habits. ;-)
I only shopping at Aldi for a few, more basic, things, but I try to go more often as their prices are good. It's close to home, but not in the direction that I normally travel. They only have a couple checkers, and the lines can get long, but they're super fast. Way better than Meijer, with all their U-scans.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 20, 2017 13:42:55 GMT -5
On the Aldi canned chickpeas - the actual chickpeas are smaller than say the one's in Bush brand can... but they work just as well in hummus (make the same quantity per can) and I'll admit I like the smaller ones in a salad - the Bush brand marble sized chickpeas seem kind of daunting and odd (and maybe just a tiny bit mutant) to me when presented in a salad. Aldi's are also ALWAYS .59 a can (at my local Aldi's) Bush beans at the grocery can be anywhere from .99 on super loss leader sale to $1.49 on 'fake sale' and as high as $2.49 when at 'retail'.
That highlights another plus for Aldi... there's rarely any 'surprise' involved with prices. The prices rarely vary - and when they do it might only be .10 up or down. You don't have to figure out the sale cycle (sure would suck to have to buy canned beans and find out they are $2.49 a can the week you want them! because you missed the loss leader sale or "fake" sale week.) You don't even really need to see the Aldi Sale paper... or 'time' your visit to get a sale price.
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Dec 20, 2017 14:24:03 GMT -5
An Aldi recently opened nearby. What is Aldi like? Is it good? Will I like it? We do probably 90% of our household shopping at Aldi. They have a great guarantee, and for the couple of times I have not liked something it has been no issue at all to return it.
- Food - mainly generics, their house brand. Good quality. We like a lot of it more than the name brand stuff. I even get the formula for the baby. I end up buying a lot of easy foods - canned/jarred/frozen because I can afford to there. It saves us from going out to eat or heating up quite so many pizzas, so I will call it a win. I could do it cheaper if I went with more from-scratch items, but I am happy with our $300/m or so for 5 people that I spend now (incl. non-food items!) - cleaning and household supplies - we get their TP, paper towels, Kleenex, diapers, wipes, baggies, cleaners, pretty much everything. I do prefer gain over their detergent, but I have used theirs with no issues. - wine and chocolates - YUM. Not the biggest fan of their beer, but DH likes Miller Lite so I grab that at another store for him anyway. - random odds & ends - this part kills my budget, lol. I pick up odds & ends that we need, toys or clothes for the kids, plants, whatever. I always look at their special buys.
Take a quarter to rent the cart, I am sure this has been said over & again. It's not nearly as inconvenient as it may sound. I tend to give my cart away when I am done so I rarely get my quarter back, but the good karma comes around and I have also received carts. Take your own bags or pay for paper ($.05 each so it won't break the bank by any means). I use the paper bags for my recycling later so sometimes I go in intending to buy bags. Or I scavenge boxes from the store as I go.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 20, 2017 14:33:17 GMT -5
The "standard" at my local Aldi's is if you take a cart from someone at their car - you hand them a quarter (or the equivalent of a quarter or .30 if you only have dimes).
I'm not sure I'd want to give up my "Aldi Quarter" by being expected to give up my cart without getting the quarter back... it's not the cost - it's the inconvenience of NOT having a quarter for a cart (when I need a cart) the next time I'm at Aldi... I don't always have change on hand - but I always have an Aldi Quarter in my car.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Dec 20, 2017 16:51:23 GMT -5
I have never rented their carts, though I've gotten a free one once or twice. I understand the concept, as I had to do it years ago in Berlin. I just don't get that much there, so I bring a handbasket. That way, I'm not stuck in aisles behind slowpokes. I can squeeze around them.
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chapeau
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Post by chapeau on Dec 20, 2017 18:41:12 GMT -5
Cool! It sounds like Aldi is worth a try. I will check it out after the holidays. We also just got a Sprouts, so that sounds like a good thing, too.
Now, if they would just put a Panera at this end of Rt. 40, all of my food requirements could be met in the (relatively) immediate neighborhood.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and tips for Aldi's. I had heard of it, but the only one I knew of was far away so I had never sampled it. My bad knees like the idea of a smaller store. Now, if their prepared hummus is made without cumin, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. (I cannot abide cumin, and many prepared hummus products contain cumin. It makes me sad.) I just checked the hummus I bought yesterday. The Classic does have cumin in it, unfortunately. Not sure about the other flavors.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 20, 2017 19:37:51 GMT -5
Cool! It sounds like Aldi is worth a try. I will check it out after the holidays. We also just got a Sprouts, so that sounds like a good thing, too.
Now, if they would just put a Panera at this end of Rt. 40, all of my food requirements could be met in the (relatively) immediate neighborhood.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and tips for Aldi's. I had heard of it, but the only one I knew of was far away so I had never sampled it. My bad knees like the idea of a smaller store. Now, if their prepared hummus is made without cumin, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. (I cannot abide cumin, and many prepared hummus products contain cumin. It makes me sad.) I just checked the hummus I bought yesterday. The Classic does have cumin in it, unfortunately. Not sure about the other flavors. Thanks!
So far, Sabra and some of the Giant Food store-brand hummus are the only packaged ones that don't have cumin. The Hannah brand Costco carries here used to be cumin-free, but a few years ago they started adding cumin. Hummus isn't hard to make, but it does take a little time and some planning. And I never have lemons when I decide I want to make hummus, and when I have lemons, it's usually right after I've purchased a monster container of Sabra hummus. (Yeah, I know, if this is all I have to complain about, my life is pretty good ).
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milee
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Post by milee on Dec 20, 2017 19:44:33 GMT -5
I just checked the hummus I bought yesterday. The Classic does have cumin in it, unfortunately. Not sure about the other flavors. Thanks!
So far, Sabra and some of the Giant Food store-brand hummus are the only packaged ones that don't have cumin. The Hannah brand Costco carries here used to be cumin-free, but a few years ago they started adding cumin. Hummus isn't hard to make, but it does take a little time and some planning. And I never have lemons when I decide I want to make hummus, and when I have lemons, it's usually right after I've purchased a monster container of Sabra hummus. (Yeah, I know, if this is all I have to complain about, my life is pretty good ).
Just an idea, but lemon juice freezes really well; no change in taste or properties when thawed and used in recipes. You mentioned you have a Costco membership. If you see Costco has a bag of lemons for a good price, think about buying them and freezing the juice in whatever measurement you use in your hummus recipe. That way you could make hummus on a whim. I do this with a few things that are needed (but that I don't usually have on hand) for recipes we like. Buttermilk is a good example. I rarely have a container of buttermilk and have to specifically buy it whenever we want to make biscuits or dressings. Then I'm stuck with a whole container to try to use up before it goes bad. Instead, I started freezing 1/2 c. portions of the buttermilk and then I can make biscuits on a whim. The fam likes this.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Dec 20, 2017 19:47:15 GMT -5
.... I thought the only reason veggies were cheaper is because packages, etc had such small quantities. .... Not referring to Aldi specifically, but that seemed to be a common model used in England. Packages and portions were much, much smaller. Probably for two reasons - they have much smaller refrigerators but also because they wanted to price things as a small package cost (say 1 or 2 pounds.) European appliances - and refrigerators specifically - tend to be smaller than American ones. My MIL had a refrigerator that wasn't much larger than the ones you see in college dorms over here. She could never put the same large packages in her fridge that we have here. Heck, I don't even think she could fit a gallon container of milk in hers... probably part of why the traditional small milk bottles stayed popular for as long as they did. I'd love to see smaller packages of herbs like coriander, parsley and dill. I always end up throwing some out.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Dec 20, 2017 19:52:43 GMT -5
I just checked the hummus I bought yesterday. The Classic does have cumin in it, unfortunately. Not sure about the other flavors. Thanks!
So far, Sabra and some of the Giant Food store-brand hummus are the only packaged ones that don't have cumin. The Hannah brand Costco carries here used to be cumin-free, but a few years ago they started adding cumin. Hummus isn't hard to make, but it does take a little time and some planning. And I never have lemons when I decide I want to make hummus, and when I have lemons, it's usually right after I've purchased a monster container of Sabra hummus. (Yeah, I know, if this is all I have to complain about, my life is pretty good ).
Make preserved lemons. They're fabulous in hummus and other Middle Eastern foods. The taste is fabulous and very easy to make. It's like lemon on steroids, without the sour. Delicious. www.seriouseats.com/2016/04/preserved-lemons-salt-cured-canning.html
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Dec 20, 2017 19:55:48 GMT -5
I add bay leaves and whole peppercorns.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 20, 2017 20:03:17 GMT -5
Thanks milee and weltschmerz! Excellent ideas, and I will certainly keep them in mind and add lemons to my Costco list. If I have it on my list, I will likely manage to buy it, even though I have a tendency to become distracted by all the shiny, interesting, and otherwise beguiling stuff vying for my attention there.
I recall having preserved lemons in various dishes in Greece many years ago. It never occurred to me to try that in hummus, but it does sound good!
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countrygirl2
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Post by countrygirl2 on Dec 20, 2017 20:28:23 GMT -5
My DIL is used to shopping for fresh foods every few days. In the summer here easy, in the winter is a chore. I prefer them too but out where we live it would be a 24 mile commute or a 70 mile round trip commute. I buy a quantity and they don't always keep.
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Dec 20, 2017 21:57:04 GMT -5
My DIL is used to shopping for fresh foods every few days. In the summer here easy, in the winter is a chore. I prefer them too but out where we live it would be a 24 mile commute or a 70 mile round trip commute. I buy a quantity and they don't always keep. To me, Aldi is the best for pantry stocking. Canned goods, boxed items (my kids eat mac & cheese by the case, lol), diapers, cleaning supplies, etc. Their freezer stuff is great as well. I don't typically get more fresh produce than we would use in a week, so we stop by the store once a week or so for milk & bananas and that kind of stuff. But Aldi is completely worth the stock up trip! My friend lives 2 hours away and they always hit Aldi on their way home when they come to visit. I know you don't need them, but seriously, a box of diapers is $10.89 (for 96 size 3). That was at my stock up price in my coupon days! And their wipes are good as well. No membership fee needed either. We don't have a club store in my suburb, so I would have to drive almost 45 mins to get to one. Not worth it when I would end up passing several Aldi and Walmart on my way.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Dec 20, 2017 22:09:20 GMT -5
Thanks milee and weltschmerz ! Excellent ideas, and I will certainly keep them in mind and add lemons to my Costco list. If I have it on my list, I will likely manage to buy it, even though I have a tendency to become distracted by all the shiny, interesting, and otherwise beguiling stuff vying for my attention there.
I recall having preserved lemons in various dishes in Greece many years ago. It never occurred to me to try that in hummus, but it does sound good! Get some coarse Kosher salt. I use preserved lemons in everything from Middle Eastern and Greek dishes to fish. When you're ready to use a piece, rinse it to remove the salt, toss the pulp and finely chop the preserved rind. Adds a lovely kick of lemony flavour.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 20, 2017 22:11:39 GMT -5
You can freeze lemons (and limes) whole... just put them in a freezer zippy bag. An average sized lemon takes about 30 mins to thaw on the counter OR microwave it for 30 seconds, wait a minute and give it another 30 seconds or so. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then cut it and juice it. You get the standard approx. 4 TBLS of juice from a frozen lemon. No difference in taste or texture of the juice. You can NOT zest a frozen lemon. If you want to, zest the lemons first and then put the zest and lemons into the freezer for future use.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Dec 20, 2017 22:18:46 GMT -5
You can freeze lemons (and limes) whole... just put them in a freezer zippy bag. An average sized lemon takes about 30 mins to thaw on the counter OR microwave it for 30 seconds, wait a minute and give it another 30 seconds or so. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then cut it and juice it. You get the standard approx. 4 TBLS of juice from a frozen lemon. No difference in taste or texture of the juice. You can NOT zest a frozen lemon. If you want to, zest the lemons first and then put the zest and lemons into the freezer for future use. Good to know! Lemons are incredibly expensive here now. They're been expensive for quite some time. Instead of getting 10 for a buck, now it's as high as a buck apiece. Lemons and avocadoes prices have skyrocketed! Crop failure, floods, fire, or drought, no doubt. Anyway, if I get a deal on lemons, it's nice to know I can freeze them. Thanks.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Dec 20, 2017 22:27:19 GMT -5
My DIL is used to shopping for fresh foods every few days. In the summer here easy, in the winter is a chore. I prefer them too but out where we live it would be a 24 mile commute or a 70 mile round trip commute. I buy a quantity and they don't always keep. To me, Aldi is the best for pantry stocking. Canned goods, boxed items (my kids eat mac & cheese by the case, lol), diapers, cleaning supplies, etc. Their freezer stuff is great as well. I don't typically get more fresh produce than we would use in a week, so we stop by the store once a week or so for milk & bananas and that kind of stuff. But Aldi is completely worth the stock up trip! My friend lives 2 hours away and they always hit Aldi on their way home when they come to visit. I know you don't need them, but seriously, a box of diapers is $10.89 (for 96 size 3). That was at my stock up price in my coupon days! And their wipes are good as well. No membership fee needed either. We don't have a club store in my suburb, so I would have to drive almost 45 mins to get to one. Not worth it when I would end up passing several Aldi and Walmart on my way. I'm so spoiled. About a mile to Aldi, Wal-Mart and Meijer. 5 miles across town to Sam's club is too inconvenient. Hence, my shopping like a European.
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Spellbound454
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Post by Spellbound454 on Dec 21, 2017 5:33:04 GMT -5
I go to Aldi at least once a week Its German so you can get good deli meat, sausages and cheeses.......and their Christmas fayre is top quality Wines are also good....as are staples and washing liquid I'm not so keen on their fresh produce and go somewhere else for that.
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Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,494
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Post by Tiny on Dec 21, 2017 12:09:38 GMT -5
weltschmerz thank you for the preserved lemon link... I printed out the info and added it to my "canning recipes" book. I will definitely be making them (the next time lemons are in season and on sale) . I have a couple of quart canning jars I was going to give away... gonna keep them now that I have a use for atleast one of them!
ADDED: on the topic of homemade hummus: Here's a link to a great list of variations (if you are avoiding ingredients in basic/traditional hummus) : www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthey-recipes/13-different-ways-make-hummus
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