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Frugal Friday | The Centsible Home https://thecentsiblehome.com Wed, 11 Mar 2020 04:22:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 https://thecentsiblehome.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/TCH-Favicon.png Frugal Friday | The Centsible Home https://thecentsiblehome.com 32 32 10 Reasons Why You Should Be Shopping at Aldi https://thecentsiblehome.com/why-you-should-be-shopping-at-aldi/ https://thecentsiblehome.com/why-you-should-be-shopping-at-aldi/#respond Tue, 10 Mar 2020 22:42:13 +0000 https://thecentsiblehome.com/?p=1423 What if I told you that you could save 20 to 30% on your groceries just by shopping at a different store? Business Insider did a supermarket comparison and found…

The post 10 Reasons Why You Should Be Shopping at Aldi first appeared on The Centsible Home.

]]> What if I told you that you could save 20 to 30% on your groceries just by shopping at a different store? Business Insider did a supermarket comparison and found that a cartful of groceries was 30% cheaper at Aldi than Walmart. That’s been my experience too—I was able to reduce my weekly grocery bill by about 25% just by switching from Kroger to Aldi.

If you’re interested in learning more about Aldi and how shopping there can save you money, then keep reading!

What is Aldi?

If you’ve never heard of Aldi, they’re a discount grocer known for their rock-bottom prices. They use cost-cutting measures such as buying less inventory and hiring fewer employees to keep their prices super low.

Because Aldi is so focused on reducing their expenses and passing those savings on to customers, they do things a little differently than other grocery stores. Instead of hiring employees to bag your groceries, for example, they ask you to pack them up yourself at a table by the checkout line. Aldi doesn’t hire cart collectors or give out free plastic bags either, so you’ll have to get used to returning your cart and bringing your own shopping bags. But dealing with these minor inconveniences is definitely worth it to get groceries at a huge discount.

Still not convinced that you should give Aldi a try? Here are ten reasons why you should consider shopping at Aldi if you want to save money.

10 Reasons Why You Should Shop at Aldi

1. The produce is a steal

Aldi consistently offers some of the best prices on produce that I’ve ever seen. In my years of shopping there, I’ve been able to score avocados for under $0.50 each and big bunches of bananas for $0.44.

Prices vary by store, but here are some other deals that I’ve found at my local Aldi:

$1.29 for a pound of strawberries
$1.19 for a pound of grapes
$2.29 for three pounds of mandarin oranges
$1.29 for two pounds of carrots
$2.99 for five pounds of red potatoes

Aldi doesn’t have as big of a selection of produce as other stores, but the fruits and veggies they do offer are fresh and inexpensive. They even sell organic produce for less than what you’d pay at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

2. Aldi’s organic line is cheap and high-quality

In addition to organic produce, Aldi has a full line of natural and organic products called Simply Nature. The product line offers everything you need to stock your pantry, from organic tomato sauce to natural snacks and sweets. You can even get some specialty health foods like almond flour, coconut sugar, and chia seeds at a hefty discount.

3. The wine is super affordable

Almost every bottle of wine at Aldi is under $10. I’ve even gotten a huge 1.5 liter bottle of Zinfandel for $8.

I know what you’re thinking—wine that cheap can’t possibly be good. But several of Aldi’s wines have won awards for taste and quality at prestigious competitions like the International Wine Challenge. I’ve enjoyed every bottle I’ve tried and don’t buy wine anywhere else.

4. The gluten-free selection rivals major grocery stores

You wouldn’t expect a discount grocer with a limited inventory to have a wide range of gluten-free foods. But Aldi has a fully gluten-free product line called LiveGFree that has over two dozen products. You’ll be able to get things like wheat-free snickerdoodle cookies, baking mixes, pretzels, pizza, and pasta at a large discount.

Although prices vary depending on which store you shop at, here are some deals I’ve seen:

Cookies and baking mixes for under $3 a box (similar products at other stores are $5 or $6 each)
Gluten-free pretzels for a little over $2 (Glutino pretzels are usually $5 or $6)
A huge 32-ounce cheesecake sampler for $8.99
Gluten-free chicken nuggets for $4.99 a pound (usually $7 at stores near me)

It’s hard to make great-tasting gluten-free products, but on the whole, Aldi nails it. Almost everything I’ve tried tastes just as good as products from popular gluten-free brands like Enjoy Life and Ian’s, if not better.

And if for some reason you don’t like one of the products you pick up, you can always return it and get a refund.

5. Aldi will replace items you don’t like and give you a refund

Aldi offers something called a “Twice as Nice” guarantee on all of their store-brand products. If you don’t like something, you can bring it back and get a refund plus a replacement item. How great is that?

6. Their vegan and keto products won’t break the bank

Vegan and vegetarian products are notoriously expensive, but not at Aldi. Their Earth Grown line features affordable plant-based products like meatless meatballs and veggie burgers. I’ve found that the Earth Grown line costs half of what other vegan brands do. The cream cheese style spread, for example, sells for around $2.39, while other brands like Daiya go for at least $4 or $5.

Aldi also has inexpensive keto products like ice cream and zero-carb bread. The keto ice cream is $3.99 a pint, which is about $2 cheaper than pints from popular keto ice cream brand Rebel Creamery.

7. Goods near their expiration date are heavily discounted

Aldi offers deep discounts on perishable items that are going bad. Baked goods go on sale for half off about a day or two before they expire. You can find some great deals on meat, fish, and produce that’s expiring too.

I usually see the best deals on Wednesday mornings when my store gets a new shipment and wants to move old inventory. Ask your manager what day new shipments arrive and shop early that morning to score some cheap meat, sweets, and produce.

8. Aldi has affordable gourmet items foodies will love

Aldi doesn’t have as many specialty items as larger grocery stores. But they do have a pretty impressive selection of gourmet foods considering how small their stores are (about 12,000 square feet on average).

They have a full line of gourmet products called Specially Selected that they stock year-round. It includes treats like chocolate chip brioche, pizzelle cookies, blue cheese stuffed olives, and fair trade coffee. Yum!

Aldi always has a rotating selection of seasonal items too. Recently I’ve seen truffle cheddar cheese, maple bacon coffee, and rosemary and balsamic potato chips at my local store.

If you’re a foodie, you should definitely head to Aldi and check out their specialty and seasonal items—they’re reasonably priced and incredibly delicious!

9. You can save even more with the Aldi weekly ad

If Aldi’s everyday low prices aren’t enough, you can save even more money by planning your shopping list around the weekly ad. It’s a circular that comes out every Wednesday and highlights all the sales happening that week.

Here are just a few of the great prices I found in my store’s most recent ad:

$6.99 a pound for organic grass-fed stewing beef (usually $8.99 at other stores)
$8.99 a pound for fresh Atlantic salmon ($11.50 or more elsewhere)
$1.69 a pound for boneless, skinless chicken breasts (at least $3 at other stores in my area)
$0.99 for one cabbage (usually $1.50 elsewhere)

As you can see, you can save a lot of money by taking advantage of the deals listed in Aldi’s weekly ad.

10. Aldi Finds can help you save money on household items

Aldi also releases another circular each week that highlights products called Aldi Finds.

Aldi Finds are deeply discounted household items, furniture, clothes, and food that are only around for a limited time. The items are carefully curated and usually have some kind of theme. This week, for example, the household items at my store were all for your office or bedroom, and the food items were St. Patrick’s Day themed.

If you see something you like in the Aldi Finds circular, you’ll have to act fast. They usually sell out quickly because they’re so low-priced. To give you an idea of the prices that are up for grabs, here are some of the deals I’ve seen recently:

A robotic floor duster for $10
Iced coffee maker for $9.99
A stationary bike for $89

Although Aldi Finds are great deals, I usually stay out of this section of the store to avoid impulse buys. But if you’re looking to save on a particular household item, check the circular every week to see if it’s available.

Save big by shopping at Aldi

Almost everything at Aldi is cheaper than at other grocery stores like Kroger and Walmart. I was able to reduce my grocery spending by hundreds of dollars just by making the switch to Aldi.

Are you ready to save big by shopping at Aldi? Let us know in the comments section when you’re planning your first visit and what you’ll do with all the money you’ll save!

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]]> https://thecentsiblehome.com/why-you-should-be-shopping-at-aldi/feed/ 0 Ultimate Guide To Birthday Freebies https://thecentsiblehome.com/birthday-freebies/ https://thecentsiblehome.com/birthday-freebies/#respond Thu, 23 Jan 2020 18:46:34 +0000 https://thecentsiblehome.com/?p=1362 As I approach middle age, birthday don’t have the same meaning so much anymore. As a kid it meant eating cake and a partying until we couldn’t stand up. As…

The post Ultimate Guide To Birthday Freebies first appeared on The Centsible Home.

]]> As I approach middle age, birthday don’t have the same meaning so much anymore. As a kid it meant eating cake and a partying until we couldn’t stand up. As a young man it meant drinking booze and partying until we couldn’t stand up. But one thing that binds all birthdays between those points together has always been the birthday freebie.

These days they’re the best thing about having a birthday. Now that I have pesky things like bills and responsibilities the idea of having someone give me something I want — usually food — simply for being born is a unique thing in my life and really brings back many of the best memories from my childhood.

It is for this reason, among others, that it is time for a 2020 round-up of birthday freebies. Most of these can be had by simply walking in and showing an ID of some sort. To make it more fun I suggest yelling loudly and firmly, “It’s my birthday!” just in case there are any random freebies sneaking around somewhere.

For some of these plans need to be made ahead, so it never hurts to hint to a spouse, sibling, office fling, or another loved one that you’d like to go to one of the below on your birthday. Or, if you’re like me and have no shame, you can just do it yourself. Some might say that I’m no fun but I won’t be able to hear them over my free pancakes, so it doesn’t matter.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a big one. We’ve combed the web to make sure that at least some of these will be available to you no matter where you live. So keep scrolling, make a list of your own, and consider this our birthday gift to you. Just don’t call us cheap.