Why I love ALDI!

I love ALDI. That's what I say to myself every time I shop there. I only shop there about once a month or so and every time I wonder why I don't just skip Wal-Mart altogether and give all my business (or most) to ALDI. The truth is its a little more inconvenient to shop at ALDI because you have to bag or box your own merchandise (one of the reasons they have lower prices) and there are usually a few items I need that they don't carry (one of the biggest being Dr. Pepper which embarrassingly I'm way addicted too, but I found Dr. Dazzle there today so hopefully it will taste the same). However, every time I do shop at ALDI I end up walking out with a pocketful of savings. We budget $300 for groceries and toiletries in a month which works out to be $150 per two week pay period. When I shop at Wal-Mart I usually end up having about $10-15 left over out of $150, however when I shop at ALDI (without using coupons or anything) I only spend about $75! That's almost half the price for the same amount of groceries! WHY AM I NOT SHOPPING HERE MORE OFTEN?! If you aren't familiar with ALDI here are some reasons why they can offer such lower prices:

1. They carry a smaller amount of items than your regular grocery store, which means they have a smaller store, therefore needing a smaller staff and paying lower rent and utilities. (Also you have less of an opportunity to impulse buy because they carry less merchandise making it easier to stick to your list saving you even more money!)

2. You have to bag your own merchandise and put up your own cart (carts are locked and it costs a quarter to get one, which you get back when you return it). Because of this they don't have to hire baggers or cart pushers passing the savings onto the customer.

3. Almost every product is the ALDI brand which cuts out the middle man and adds extra savings.

4. They don't advertise. Amazing.

I have found that almost every ALDI product I have purchased has been just as good as any name brand. They even have a double fresh guarantee which states that if you aren't satisfied with a purchase, ALDI will happily refund your money. Also they have a whole line called "Fit & Active" which offers healthier options at a great price. I am really going to try to stick to shopping at ALDI as much as I can in the future and see if we can lower our monthly grocery budget. They really simplify the shopping experience and I like what the company stands for. If you haven't considered shopping at ALDI before and you have one in your area, give it try you might be surprised.