3 Aldi “Little Luxuries” I’m Picking Up Before the End of Summer (They’re All $2 or Less!)
Back-to-school season always comes at exactly the right moment in time. After a summer of loosely laid plans, I’m ready to get back into a routine. We’ll head to the store to buy a new planner (to replace the one I started and abandoned at the start of the year) for me and a fresh backpack, sharpened pencils, and squeaky new shoes for the kids. School supplies shopping isn’t finished, though, until we’ve stocked the fridge with the essentials for my growing scholars.
I love shopping at Aldi for many of my family’s go-to groceries; the prices are incredibly affordable without compromising on quality. With my budget already spread thin from stocking up on classroom staples, I’m keeping a close eye on how much I spend on lunches. Here are a few of my favorite Aldi fridge finds that make packing lunches easier — and they’re all less than $5.
1. Happy Farms Cream Cheese Spread, $1.99 for 8 ounces
Peanut butter and jelly may have been the standard sandwich when I was in school, but with nuts often not allowed in classrooms and cafeterias, students need a different spread. Cream cheese is our go-to for lunch boxes because it too pairs well with jelly when spread on sandwich bread or even between bagel halves as part of a breakfast-themed lunch box. Bonus: It’s also easier to spread right from the refrigerator than the block-style.
2. Friendly Farms Moo Tubes Lowfat Yogurt, $1.75 for 8 (2-ounce) tubes
Before having kids I considered yogurt in a tube as nothing more than a gimmick. Now I know better. These single servings of yogurt are a must-have all year, but especially for back-to-school time. I buy two boxes at a time (at just $1.75, why not?), stashing one in the fridge for breakfasts and after-school snacks. The other one goes in the freezer so that it stays cold for packed lunches and doubles as an ice cream-like treat.
3. Park Street Deli Veggies & Cheese with Ranch Tray, $2.49 for 7 ounces
Back-to-school time can be a rude awakening after a summer of slow mornings. There will always be mornings when I’m running behind and don’t have time to pack a scratch-made lunch. So I pop a snack tray from Aldi into the bag. The grocer sells two varieties of snack trays: one with vegetables, cheese, and ranch dip, and another with fruit, cheese, and crackers. At less than $3 a piece, I make sure to buy at least one tray every week as a sandwich supplement or easy after-school snack.
What Aldi groceries are you picking up before summer ends? Let us know in the comments below.