Is Shopping at Aldi Worth It?

I recently had a friend ask me that question: "Is shopping at Aldi worth it?" She was asking this primarily because she lives about 25 min. away from an Aldi store and was trying to decide if it would be worth her time to go once a month or so and stock up on some things. Guess what I told her. Yes. A loud yes (especially because she doesn't use coupons)!

My experience has proven that overall, Aldi is almost always less expensive than other grocery stores. And if you don't want to take the time to use coupons, then Aldi is definitely the store to shop at to save money! No, they don't usually have name brand items but I've been very pleased with the high quality of the Aldi brand items. And what's even better is that most if not all their items have a money back guarantee. So if you really don't like an item for whatever reason, you can take it back and they will refund you your money.

And even if you do use coupons, there are always those items that you just haven't been able to find a good deal on. That's when I head to Aldi.

To help you see the savings yourself I made up a little price comparison chart. Check it out:

	Aldi’s Price	Other Store’s Sale Price (store brand)
1. Saltines	$0.79/ box	$1.29/ box (this week @ Weis)
2. Peanut Butter	$1.39/ 18 oz.	$1.59/ 18 oz. (this week @ Giant)
3. Canola Oil	$2.29/ 48 oz.	$2.49/ 48 oz. (this week at Giant)
4. Sour Cream	$1.19/ 16 oz.	$1.39/ 16 oz. (this week at Giant)
5.Cream Cheese	$0.89/ 8 oz.	$1.00/ 8 oz. (this week at Weis)
6.Cottage Cheese	$1.99/ 24 oz.	$1.69/ 16 oz. (this week @ Weis)
7. White Vinegar	$0.79/ 32 oz.	$1.00/ 32 oz. (this week at Weis)
8. Shredded Parmesan	$2.49/ 8 oz.	$1.00/ 3 oz. (this week @ Weis

And just for further reference, here's some of the regular prices of other items at our local Aldi:

1. $2.49 Sugar 5lbs.

2. $1.18 Brown Sugar 2lb.

3. $1.18 Confectioner's Sugar 2lb.

4. $1.69 Semi-sweet & milk chocolate chips 12 oz.

5. $0.89 Pineapple, crushed 20 oz.

6. $1.99 Salmon, canned 14.75 oz.

7. $1.19 Graham Crackers (reg. size box)

8. $0.79 Whipped Topping (small)

9. $0.55 Black & Northern Beans, canned 15.5 oz.

10. $1.29 Plastic Wrap 200 sq. ft.

So, do you shop at Aldi? What is your impression of the pricing/savings?