Tuesday Tips: A Guide to Shopping at Aldi

When I stopped teaching and we went from a two income household back to a one income household we knew that changes had to be made and we would have to make sacrifices. Our boys were still pretty little when I came home but as boys do, they have grown and so have their appetites. I always knew I'd have boys who liked to eat...they get it honestly! But I thought this sudden appetite increase would be well into the teen years. Boy was I wrong!

When I was working we were shopping at Wal-Mart and spending $400 every two weeks. By the end of that second week our cabinets were empty. We decided to try shopping in bulk so we purchased a Sam's Club Membership and spent $400 per month but it didn't take long for us to figure out that Sam's is best for snacks and drinks rather than meals and sides. In January of this year we began the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover and created a family budget. We allocated $100 per week to groceries and I decided to give Aldi a shot. I'm now basically the Aldi Spokesperson on social media. Ok, I'm kinda joking...but I do post about it every single time I go because I know how expensive groceries are and I'm all about sharing ways to save money with my people. When I post my Aldi runs I almost always get asked the exact same questions so I have put together a shopping guide for you and want to show you around the store.

Tip Number 1:

There are two things you'll always need to bring with you to Aldi: A quarter and your own bags. One of the ways Aldi keeps costs low is by having you pay to get your cart. You put a quarter in to unlock your cart and you return it to get your quarter back. You also bag your own groceries but let's be honest...this type A gal kinda prefers it that way anyway.

 

  

Tip Number 2:

 

One thing I always suggest to my friends who are trying Aldi out for the first time is to walk through the store first without a buggy and just look around. Then exit, grab your buggy (with your quarter!), and walk back through the store. This will help you know the layout of your Aldi store and where things are located plus you'll be able to get a feel for the products that are offered and check out some of the prices. This is the entrance to my Aldi store. Aldi is a much smaller store and everything is grouped together according to food type. The aisles are small and are made to go through one-way. There are no cut-throughs but you don't really need them because the size of the store makes shopping quick and easy.

 

 

 

Tip Number 3:

 

I had tried shopping at Aldi a while back and dismissed it because I felt like I wasn't getting enough compared to the Family Sizes or Party Sizes at other stores. I was telling a friend about it and she said, "Just buy more." Lightbulb moment, ya'll. Yes, your bag of chips or box of cereal may not be a Family Size but just buy another bag. At $1.49 per bag you can buy two bags and still be cheaper than the Family Size at other stores. We are some cereal loving fools over here so I was really hesitant to try their cereal. So far, so good. Our favorites are their version of Frosted Flakes, Captain Crunch, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Cocoa Pebbles. We have tried just about every kind and we honestly have loved them all with the exception of their version of Lucky Charms. I'm a Lucky Charm snob but I have a dear friend who loves the Aldi Lucky Charms so try it and you decide.

 

 

 

Tip Number 4:

 

They have wine. Enough said.

 

 

 Tip Number 5:

 

They do sell items other than groceries. They have laundry detergents, toilet paper, paper towels, ziploc bags, toiletries, and even miscellaneous items such as kids books, garden furniture and accessories, flowers, lanterns, toys, appliances, and more. 

 

That 3 Tier Planter was calling my name today.

 

 

 

 

Tip Number 6:

 

I think one of the assumptions about Aldi is that the store and food is dirty or the food doesn't last as long compared to produce at other stores. I'm here to tell you that the store is clean and the produce is just as good as any other store. We shop at Aldi every two weeks and have not had to throw anything out because it has gone bad. Some of our favorite fruits to get at Aldi are raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, apples, and grapes. Some of our favorite vegetables are sweet corn, peppers, broccoli, and squash.

 

 

 

Tip Number 7:

 

You can find name brand items at Aldi. I wouldn't go in looking for a certain brand but you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find. It is not 100% off brand. Sometimes you get lucky.

 

Bonus Tip: Stop meal planning. Just stop. Go buy meats, veggies, fruits, sides, snacks. That's all you need. If you want to cut your grocery budget plan your meals around what you have not your grocery trip around a meal plan.

 

 

Tip Number 8:

 

The meat is safe to eat. And more than that, it's delish, and much cheaper than other stores. Remember my Lucky Charm-ish loving friend I mentioned earlier? Her husband is a chef and he approves of the meat at Aldi. So there ya go.

 

 

Tip Number 9:

 

Here's what my buggy looked like at the end of our trip. We spent about an hour in the store but I usually knock it out in 30-45 minutes. When you are ready to check out you put everything on the conveyer belt and they put it into an empty buggy that the person before you left. When you are ready to leave you take your full buggy and leave your empty one for the next person. There is a large counter where you can bag your items. This is Emme's favorite spot because I let her sit up there and she gets a snack from the buggy while I pack everything up.

 

 

 

Tip Number 10:

 

Don't forget your quarter! There are no cart returns in the parking lot so make sure you return your cart to the front of the store and take the lock from the cart behind it and put it into your cart and get your quarter back for your next trip.

 

 

 



Here are a few more pictures from today plus a picture of my receipt so you can see the cost of each individual item and my total.

 

 

 

 Our budget is $100 per week and I shop at Aldi every two weeks so I pull out $200 in cash when I go to Aldi. I always tell the cashier to let me know when I am close to $200 so I don't go over my budget. I have yet to go over my budget of $100 per week and today was no different.

 

I paid $195.82 for two weeks worth of food!

 

Shopping at Aldi has cut our grocery bill in half and it can do the same for you. If you have an Aldi nearby you should definitely try it out and use my tips for a successful trip.

 

Let me know what you think. Have you ever shopped at Aldi? What did you think? If not, do you plan to? Try it out! I promise you won't be disappointed!

 

And P.S. If you need some super cute bags that are perfect for all your Aldi trips check out www.totetribe.com

The Reboot

I'm the worst blogger ever. No, really. I mean, it's been a few years since there was a post here but we're changing that today, right?! And that's what matters. Today. The cool thing about each day is you can make it whatever you want. And today I want to blog so we be bloggin'. I'm calling this post The Reboot and I feel like that could sum up our life these days. Thirty has left my heart craving much different things than my 20's heart craved. My 20's heart craved perfection; no doubt thanks to Pinterest and well, me. My 20's heart craved acceptance and approval. My 30's heart craves quiet time and lots of Jesus. I am so aware of how fast time is going these days. I am struggling to soak up as much time with my people as possible. I am learning how to say no and I am learning all about this thing called grace. So we're here in a reboot. A reboot of faith, a reboot in our home, a reboot of self, and a reboot of this little blog. I'm so looking forward to it all.

 

Oh hey.

Let's try again.

Teacher Podium Makeover

I'm a first year teacher.  I know, I know.  I need to write a post explaining how all that came about.  I'll put that on my to-blog list. Back to this post - I am a first year teacher and I started in the middle of the school year so my classroom was/is full of stuff and I am doing my best to make it my own a little bit at a time.  This podium doesn't get a whole lot of use in my classroom but it has been a bit of an eye sore for me and I knew it needed some kind of makeover.  This is how it started out looking - yellow and black with a poor spray paint job.  So I loaded it up one day after school and brought it home where it sat for a week or two while I was deciding on colors. 

 

 

I really wanted to give it a pop of color but ultimately I decided to go with white.  It took several coats of spray paint to cover up the black.  Fun Fact: As my husband and I were spray painting the podium we noticed a name with class of '66 carved into it.  I knew this thing was old but wowzers! I added some vinyl to it and it looks like a totally different podium.  I am very happy with the end product and can't wait to take it to school tomorrow.  It will be making a little trip to the Engineering class first so they can fix the bottom of it - after all it is OLD! :) 

 

DIY Teacher Gift : Valentine's Day

Here's how these things usually go down.  I spend weeks thinking of what I want to do for a gift.  I spend lots of nights pinning away while my husband sleeps beside me.  I get ideas, I plan for them.  I usually even start them weeks in advance.  And then.........I stop.  I think about how much time I have and I tell myself I'll finish it up in a couple of days.  And then........I don't.  And then I spend the day (or night) before stressing to finish everything! That's just the way I operate with pretty much everything and it works for me, most of the time! :) 

Finding a gift for my sons' teachers followed this suit as well.  I decided about a month before Valentine's Day that I wanted to give their teachers flowers.  There's just something about little boys turning into gentlemen and giving out flowers that melts my heart.  So I headed straight to Pinterest and checked out my "One Day Projects" board and decided to make vases out of jars I had around the house.  I used Prego Spaghetti Sauce jars but you can use any jars.  I used Goo Gone to get all the sticky glue left after peeling the label off.  I washed the jars and dried them really well.  I wanted a super pale pink so I mixed lots of white into an already light pink to create the color I wanted and then I started painting.  I used a foam brush but quickly decided that a paint brush would be much better and it really was better.  I painted the outside of the jars, let them dry, and then put on a second coat.  I left the jars alone to dry overnight and after 24 hours I lightly sanded them until I was happy with how distressed they looked.  I sprayed them with a protective coating.  I only had a gloss protective spray on hand.  I recommend using a Matte spray over the gloss.  The gloss made the jars too shiny and that took away from the shabby look a bit.  I let them dry overnight outside to get rid of the strong smell.  As you can see, patience is key in this project! Once the smell had diminished and I was able to bring the jars inside I wrapped burlap around the jars and tied a bow.  I added some beautiful flowers, a yummy chocolate cupcake, and voila! A beautiful, homemade, Valentine gift that anyone would love to receive! I had all the supplies on hand to create the jars - jars, paint, sandpaper, protective coating, paintbrushes - so the only thing I had to buy for this project was the flowers and cupcakes.  Simple, easy, and beautiful! I will be making myself some of these beautiful jars just as soon as I can collect more. 

Class Valentines 2014

I absolutely love doing things like this for Walker and Wyatt's class and I have been looking for the perfect Valentines since last year.  I was so proud of the Valentines I did last year since I came up with that idea all on my own but this year I relied on Pinterest and that's where I found this idea.  I am a big fan of the candy-less Valentines since my little ones usually come home with bags full of candy that get added to the uneaten Halloween stash.  This was a cheap and easy project that I am sure the kids will love and more importantly, use.



Walker's 4th Birthday

Walker turned four years old today.  It feels like yesterday that he was born and at the same time I cannot remember life before that moment.  He changed our lives forever and we are so thankful that God has allowed us to borrow him and be his parents.  He is the smartest, sweetest, most independent and strong-willed little boy that I know.  He challenges me daily, gives me the best hugs, and always forgives.  We celebrate him every day but especially today - Happy 4th Birthday, Walker!

Walker is so interested in space.  He loves singing songs about the planets and can name all the planets and tell you facts about every one of them.  He was an astronaut for Halloween and he has stopped strangers in a store just to share his knowledge of planets with them.  It was only fitting that we had a space party for him and made his wish of being an astronaut come true.  We were worried that we would not have many people come to the party because today was a HUGE football day in the state of Alabama - Alabama vs. Auburn! I thought the game would be an evening game so I scheduled his party at 1 pm and shortly after the invitations had been mailed it was announced that the game would start at 2:30 pm.  I was so surprised and thankful for the great turn out and it made him so happy to see his friends and family come to his house and celebrate with him.  Every year I say, "This party was my favorite!" but this party was definitely my favorite! :)