Cheddar Broccoli Rice

I have always loved rice mixes. They're quick and easy and add a nice touch to a meal. The "Rice Bowl" Cheddar Broccoli Rice from Aldi is excellent. The Aldi price for this rice mix is 79 cents. The Wegmans brand price is 89 cents.

Dry Roasted Peanuts

Another one of my husband's favorite snacks: Southern Grove Dry Roasted Peanuts. They are actually a favorite of the whole family. We prefer the salty peanuts to the unsalted ones. The Aldi price is $2.69. The Wegmans brand price is $3.39. The Planters price is $3.99. Aldi comes in the lowest by far.

Frosted Flakes

My husband loves his frosted flakes. He's like a big kid a lot of the time! He's been eating the Wegmans brand for years, until he tried the Aldi brand. Now we buy the Millville brand of Frosted Flakes. Kellogg's brand is $2.99, Wegman's brand comes in at $1.99 and Aldi is the lowest yet again at $1.69.

Red Thunder Energy Shot

* * * Update: ShopAldi has moved to a new home! Come visit us!  * * *

These little "Red Thunder Energy Shots" are very similar to the "5-Hour Energy" shots. Personally, I don't drink them, but my husband will on occasion, if he has a long drive or a lot going on at work. The 5-Hour Energy shots are $3 each at Wegmans. The Red Thunder Energy Shots are only 99 cents. My husband says they taste pretty good and they work just as well as the 5-Hour Energy version, so I'll take his word for it!

Banana Bread

Aldi has the BEST bread mixes. My family often asks me to make these. The Banana Bread is a favorite, as is the Cinnamon Swirl bread. I keep several in the pantry at all times. The Aldi price for these amazing bread mixes is $1.49. Pillsbury Quick Bread mixes sell for $2.49 at our local Wegmans.

French Bread Pizza

This was my lunch today. I love Stouffer's French Bread Pizzas. These are really very similar! They're quite good and a nice satisfying lunch.

I just put it in the toaster oven for about 15 minutes.

And then it was ready. It smelled up the office very nicely. And it was kind on my wallet. It was only $1.99 for the box (2 lunches for me!) at Aldi. The Wegman's brand sells for $2.69 and the Stouffer's brand is $2.99. Aldi wins again!

Raspberry Applesauce

Who doesn't love applesauce? This raspberry chunky applesauce is delicous! It's a 23 oz. jar, and was on sale for $1.49. Wegman's brand of applesauce is $1.69, and Mott's sells for $1.99 for the same size.

Sandwich Skinny's

I was SO thrilled when I saw this bread at Aldi last week. Our family loves Sandwich Skinny's. We've been buying the name brand version at the grocery store because Aldi didn't have them. But now they do! We like the Multi-Grain ones the best. They also have white and whole wheat. The price for these at the regular grocery store is anywhere from $2.49 - $2.99. At Aldi they are only $1.99.

Red, White and Blue Popsicles

Just in time for the 4th of July! Classic Red, White and Blue Pops. And they're only $1.99 at Aldi.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

In case you didn't notice that it's almost summer, well, it is. It's also time for ice cream! Aldi has a great variety of frozen goodies. These Sundae Nut Cones are delicious and a personal favorite. And they're only $1.99 per box. So enjoy the warm weather, and don't forget to stock up on that summer time treat!

First Shopping Trip

A friend of mine had her first Aldi shopping experience not too long ago. I asked her how it went. She wrote: "These are two items from my first Aldi trip. I spent about $10, and got cereal, a 3-pack of paper towels, toilet paper, canned chicken and fake Red Bull. Even with my coupon habits, I would have spent more than $10 at Market Basket... and probably half of that would have been on the Red Bull."

She said the Crispy Oats tasted just like Cheerios and the fake Red Bull tasted the same as well. I think we might have a new Aldi fan!

Chewy Granola Bars

These yummy granola bars are fun and they taste great. And healthy? Well, they're probably better for you than a chocolate bar. And for 10 bars, the $1.69 price tag is very nice. That's less than 17 cents each. So go get a box. Or two!

Say Cheese!

Who doesn't love a good cheese wedge? These are fantastic. Easy to spread, and just the right size for a quick snack. They have several varieties, the garlic and herb flavor is my favorite. And it's only $1.29. Great buy!

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Blueberries are on sale this week at Aldi for $1.49 per pint. I'll be picking up a pint (or two) so that I can make these amazingly yummy  Blueberry Lemon Muffins.

You can find the recipe by clicking here. I borrowed this picture too. I hope they don't mind. But they are the yummiest muffins in the world, so I just had to share!

BBQ Pork and Beans

This is one of our favorite Aldi meals. Country Style BBQ Pork Ribs, Baked Beans and Mashed potatoes. We put the ribs in the crock pot all day with the BBQ sauce. The house smells wonderful.

This 10 lb bag of potatoes was only $3.69. (I only used 4 of them for this dinner.) The ribs were $3.36, the BBQ sauce was $1.19, the Dakota Baked Beans were also $1.19. The whole dinner was less than $7.00.

Choceur Chocolate Bar

The Aldi Choceur Chocolate bar is fabulous. It's just as it says, deliciously smooth. It's Austrian made chocolate. And this giant bar of chocolate is only $1.49. It's 5.3 oz. You can't get a Hershey's Chocolate Bar that cheap!

Dirty Laundry

I'm pretty particular about my laundry detergent. I don't like the cheap stuff. I'm ok with not buying the most expensive, but I don't care for detergent with the consistency of water. Aldi's Tandil detergent is great! It smells good, it cleans our clothes and best of all, it's only $2.39.

How Aldi Works

* * * Update: ShopAldi has moved to a new home! Come visit us!  * * *

It dawned on me today when a friend went to an Aldi for the first time, that I haven't posted the "rules" of Aldi yet. She kept texting me, "You have to PAY for a cart??" "The bags aren't FREE?" "You have to BAG your own groceries?" "Why do they only have ONE line open??"

Well, yes. This is all true. But the answers to all of these questions are very easy.

Yes, you have to put a quarter into a cart to be able to use one. But, guess what? You get that quarter back when you return the cart! So no, you don't have to PAY for a cart. It's kind of like a rental. If you return it, you get your money back. The best part of this? The carts aren't all rusty because nobody leaves them in the parking lot in the rain. Which also means that none of the carts have that little rusty wheel that squeaks and flips around and embarrasses you all the way through the store. Another great about renting a cart is that the store doesn't have to pay anyone to collect the carts that are left in the parking lot, because there are no carts left in the parking lot. Which saves on their overhead. Which in turn saves on your grocery bill.

Now, about the bags. Yes, you have to pay for them. Or, you can bring our own. I suggest investing in a few nice Aldi bags on your first trip. Then you can use them forever. This cuts down on plastic, which cuts down on garbage. Which is nice for the earth. It also cuts the overhead for the store. Which, yes, you're getting the gist. It also in turn saves on your grocery bill.

And the final big thing to remember about Aldi. You have to bag your own groceries. Gasp! What? I have to do WORK? Well, yeah. But guess what? Since they don't have to staff any extra people to bag your food for you, that saves on their overhead. Which yep, also in turn saves on your grocery bill.

And about those long lines at the only check out that is open. Well, the lines go quick. Since the cashier doesn't have to waste time bagging any groceries, you are through that line pretty quickly.

Oh, and I can't forget this, they only take cash or debit cards. No credit cards. So be sure to have enough cash on hand. Or use your debit card. They don't take checks either. But that slows down the line, so that's a good thing.

I honestly think it's a brilliant way to do business. I don't need all the frills of the big name grocery stores. I'd like to keep my money for other things. I like Aldi. It's fun. Once you get a hang of it, you'll think it's fun too. And it's especially fun keeping your hard earned money and not shelling it out to a big corporation because you're too lazy to bag your own groceries.