The Single Best Aldi Shopping Tip We Learned in 2022
As food prices continued to rise this year because of supply chain issues, COVID aftermath, and inflation, among other reasons, both frequent and first-time shoppers found creative ways to stretch their grocery dollars. They relied on old-school money-saving tips, seasonal sales, and budget-friendly swaps.
If you’re familiar with Aldi, you may already know where we’re going with this. The discount grocery chain — and longtime Kitchn favorite — is known for its no-frills displays and never-ending rotation of new products. Beyond the seasonal standouts, this year it became a go-to destination for everyday staples.
And that, dear reader, is the single best Aldi shopping tip we learned this year. Buying milk, bread, fresh produce, and more at Aldi helped keep our grocery budgets in check in 2022 (and saved one shopper hundreds of dollars in a single month!). Here are five of our favorite staples to pick up at Aldi.
1. Fresh Fruit
Although the selection might not be as diverse as some other stores, Aldi sells in-season fruit at prices that are truly a fraction of what we saw at other stores. During the summer, we grabbed pints of strawberries and blueberries for $2.19 and $2.49, respectively. The fruit at other stores, of the same size and variety, was $7.59 (strawberries) and $6.09 (blueberries).
2. Frozen Vegetables
Frozen vegetables are an easy way to get quick, filling dinners on the table. We use them in stir-fries, soups, casseroles, and more. The ones at Aldi, including mixed vegetables, green beans, and peas, are priced as low as 95 cents (compared to $1.50 up to $3.00 per bag at other stores).
3. Shredded Cheese
Shredded cheese was another huge get. A one-pound bag of mozzarella cheese is $3.29 compared to $5.09 for the same size bag at another store and $4.49 for a bag that’s half the size! Along with low-priced pasta and jarred sauce, we can make one seriously economical baked ziti.
4. Milk
Whether we’re adding it to a cup of coffee, bowl of cereal (or pancake batter), or a pot of chicken soup, we go through a lot of milk. A gallon of 2% milk from Aldi is $3.75 on Instacart, compared to $4.79 at a local grocer (also on Instacart). And at just $1.89 for a half-gallon, Aldi’s unsweetened vanilla almond milk is a fraction what some of the other name brands cost.
5. Bread
The bread aisle has been a longtime favorite of ours — and not just because you can find a loaf for $1.19. The section is stocked with pillowy flatbreads, squishy rolls (in a good way), and ready-to-heat baguettes. While some of our current staples, like English muffins, sourdough loaves, and everything bagels, have gone up slightly (between 15 cents and 30 cents), the prices still made us feel as though we stepped back in time when entering the store.