the best budget aldi finds
After a slightly traumatic (self-inflicted) financial setback in December last year, I have been bound and determined to cut costs wherever I can and become a much better steward of the finances God has entrusted us with. I met with a financial planner just before Christmas (a FREE service offered by the state of Tennessee, mind you -- a resource I discovered thanks to a friend's recommendation) and one of the areas we saw was eating us alive financially was groceries / food / restaurants. YIKES! Is there anything more painful than knowing the biggest drain of your hard-earned money is going towards something disposable/perishable/temporarily-enjoyed like food? We do love to eat -- good food is a priority for us; we like to eat healthy (and have to, honestly, for my autoimmune disease); and we enjoy the process of cooking/eating (well, Drew more so than me, but I'm working on it!).
That said, we committed ourselves to starting the year on Whole30 and getting a hell of a lot smarter with our food budget. The first time I went to Aldi this year I came armed with a general shopping list and Excel open on my phone to input what I was buying and tally it up so I didn't hit over $100 for our family of 4. It took a few trips, but I can generally hit right around $100/week for basic groceries (that is, no wine or beer or extraneous luxuries like ice cream, and very little processed food). I'll do a cost breakdown and explain some strategy on a future post!
Here are some of my Aldi favorites:
Gouda cheese
Pork butt
Pork loin
Chicken breasts (always $1.89/lb but sometimes hard to find)
Mini sweet peppers
Organic salad greens (around $3.49 for a huge container)
Bananas
3lb bags of apples or pears (my favorites are pink lady or golden delicious)
Heirloom baby carrots
Guatemalan coffee, whole bean
Frozen raspberries (not always in stock but great when they have it)
Almond butter / cashew butter (peanut allergy free! I don't like that it is sweetened, but it's less pricey and will do in a pinch)
Oats
Strawberries (almost always $1.50)
Hass avocados (I've found them for as cheap as $0.49/ea!)
Eggs
Unsweetened original almond milk
Plain nonfat greek yogurt (Major cost saver -- $3.50 for a HUGE container!)
Goat cheese
Shredded cheese
Pico de gallo (another that's not always in stock but great when it is)
Apple strawberry squeeze pouches
Raspberry fruit strips (a perfect Whole30 snack or great for treating blood sugar lows)
Dark chocolate chips (only found these at Christmas but they were excellent)
Gluten-free crackers (something we always stock up on for entertaining)
The less loved...
Lilly does not like the faux goldfish (they're penguins), but AnnaCate is not as discerning. I've heard negative things about their blue cheese, and I have not liked ANY of their wine. The skinny asparagus I've gotten was also terrible, and we had peaches go bad almost immediately (but they were out of season, so maybe that was it?).
What have you found and loved at Aldi?! Any cost-saving advice you've gleaned for dealing with food?
That said, we committed ourselves to starting the year on Whole30 and getting a hell of a lot smarter with our food budget. The first time I went to Aldi this year I came armed with a general shopping list and Excel open on my phone to input what I was buying and tally it up so I didn't hit over $100 for our family of 4. It took a few trips, but I can generally hit right around $100/week for basic groceries (that is, no wine or beer or extraneous luxuries like ice cream, and very little processed food). I'll do a cost breakdown and explain some strategy on a future post!
Here are some of my Aldi favorites:
Gouda cheese
Pork butt
Pork loin
Chicken breasts (always $1.89/lb but sometimes hard to find)
Mini sweet peppers
Organic salad greens (around $3.49 for a huge container)
Bananas
3lb bags of apples or pears (my favorites are pink lady or golden delicious)
Heirloom baby carrots
Guatemalan coffee, whole bean
Frozen raspberries (not always in stock but great when they have it)
Almond butter / cashew butter (peanut allergy free! I don't like that it is sweetened, but it's less pricey and will do in a pinch)
Oats
Strawberries (almost always $1.50)
Hass avocados (I've found them for as cheap as $0.49/ea!)
Eggs
Unsweetened original almond milk
Plain nonfat greek yogurt (Major cost saver -- $3.50 for a HUGE container!)
Goat cheese
Shredded cheese
Pico de gallo (another that's not always in stock but great when it is)
Apple strawberry squeeze pouches
Raspberry fruit strips (a perfect Whole30 snack or great for treating blood sugar lows)
Dark chocolate chips (only found these at Christmas but they were excellent)
Gluten-free crackers (something we always stock up on for entertaining)
The less loved...
Lilly does not like the faux goldfish (they're penguins), but AnnaCate is not as discerning. I've heard negative things about their blue cheese, and I have not liked ANY of their wine. The skinny asparagus I've gotten was also terrible, and we had peaches go bad almost immediately (but they were out of season, so maybe that was it?).
What have you found and loved at Aldi?! Any cost-saving advice you've gleaned for dealing with food?
Comments
Post a Comment