Save Money on Groceries at ALDI + 5 Things Uniquely Different

This post was sponsored by ALDI as part of Influencer Activation for Influence Central.

There is a new grocery store in town! You can save up to 50%* on your grocery bills with high quality products at everyday low prices when compared to other leading brands. They carry everything from organic produce to USDA Choice beef, and they have their own exclusive private labels for gluten-free and organic. How do they do it? They bargain hard with their suppliers to get the best deals then they pass the savings on to their customers. We recently went into the Fountain Valley location to give them a try. Here are 5 things which makes ALDI different from the rest...

Rent-A-Cart

The first thing we had to do was rent a shopping cart for a quarter. (We get it back when we return the cart.) Their cart rental system is one of the many ways they cut back on hidden costs, then they pass the savings on to their shoppers. If you don't have a quarter, they'll let you borrow one in-store. It also keeps the parking lot cluster-free, and I found other shoppers to be more friendly and willing to hand off their shopping cart in the parking lot. That's how we got ours. Someone asked me if I needed a shopping cart and to take theirs. They didn't want their quarter back. So guess what? I did the same when we left, and we all kind of chuckled about it, but it was kind of fun to do. That's not something you see every day.

No Fancy Displays

Upon entering the store, I noticed another thing. They use the distribution boxes on the shelves to cut back on restocking time. I haven't decided if I like it because it made it harder to find things, but of course, it's saving us all money so maybe I'll just get used to it.

Mostly Exclusive Brands

They carry mostly their own premium exclusive brands on the shelves. This makes total sense especially if they get them all for a great price and then that's how we save money too. You'll be happy to know that their private labels do not contain MSG, certified syntheitic colors, and partially hydrogenated oils in any of their ALDI exclusive brand food products.

liveGfree®: their gluten-free product line.
SimplyNature®: USDA Certified organic, Non-GMO verified items, free from 125 artificial ingredients and preservatives.
Specially Selected: a range of specialty, premium products.

ALDI Finds

ALDI Finds are limited special weekly finds that are not usually on the shelf so if you find something you love, stock up on it! They're not always food either. My ALDI Finds were Happy Farms Preferred Apple Smoked Gouda Cheese priced lower than my recent purchase for my cheese board. Want to be the first to know? Sign up for weekly emails or download the app!

Bag It Your Way

At ALDI, you pack your own groceries but you must know that their grocery bags are not free. I don't mind it because I'll just have to remember to bring my own reusable totes, and it also helps the environment.

I found everything that I needed for the week and picked up S'mores for our camping trip. All I can say is when the cashier told me my total, I was like, "That's it?!" I picked up random stuff on purpose and thought my bill was going to be at least $100. I even compared the prices for Benton’s Graham Crackers, Baker’s Corner Marshmallows, and Hershey's Milk Chocolate to another store same week, and it came out to be cheaper at ALDI! (Total before tax was about $5.50 at ALDI with generic brands versus $9-$12.50 at another grocery store depending on sale prices). See my shopping receipt below!

I think ALDI fits in perfectly in Orange County's lifestyle, because they offer high quality-products at low prices, has a wide selection of food and products, environmental-friendly, and we all love to eat great and save money. Check it out when you get the chance. The savings are real!

Mary

More about ALDI: ALDI has opened 25 stores in California with plans to have 45 by the end of the year as well as 2,000 stores nationwide by the end of 2018. Currently, ALDI operates more than 1,500 stores in 34 states and serve 32 million customers each month. For more information, please visit their website at www.ALDI.us. You can also follow them on social media: facebook.com/ALDI.USA, twitter @ALDIUSA, and Instagram @ALDIUSA.