What $175 Buys at Aldi for a Month

I try to grocery shop seasonally to save money. I have to do it a little differently by shopping according to the US national growing season when nothing is growing here during the winter.

For further food savings, I also keep an eye on the weekly online grocery store fliers for sales due to a an industry month (like National Frozen Food Month, seasonal events, or holidays (snacks and party food for big sports ball games, Thanksgiving, etc.) You can learn more about have to save money shopping monthly sales in my post The Best Time to Buy Everything at its Lowest Price here.

I try to do one big grocery shop a month with a couple of smaller shops mostly things we go through quickly like bread, milk, etc. as needed. We do a lot of stir fry type meals heavy on vegetables and starch as the stars of the show, and protein as a featured player. This way we can quickly get a meal on the table that accommodates my dairy allergy without making a separate entrees. My husband adds cheese, etc to his plate to his taste.

I spent $175 at Aldi on groceries. Here’s what I bought to feed our family of two adults.

 

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Produce:

Fresh Broccoli, Cauliflower, celery, green peppers, multi colored peppers, sweet peppers, fresh avocado, baby Bella mushrooms (the button mushrooms didn’t look great,) yellow onions, spinach, garlic, tomatoes, and avocados

Fruit:

Bananas and apples - We didn’t need frozen fruit for my husband’s lunch smoothies this trip.

Bread:

Sourdough bread, 12 Grain bread, ciabatta rolls (to use as dairy free burger buns)

 

The flowers are a present from my husband. They didn't come from Aldi.

Snack aisle:

Cashews (to make cashew “cheese” for me and to add to salads and stir frys for a little extra heart healthy protein) and knock off “wheat thins.” Most flavored chips and snacks contain milk ingredients and I’m lately a little tired of the few safe snack I can eat and skipping buying them. Instead I experimented adding pumpkin pumpkin puree last fall’s pumpkins to brownie mix (a winner!)clear out items in the pantry and freezer. Also, I wanted brownies.

Dairy:

This is one of the few places we buy His and Hers items due to my dairy allergy. Skim milk for him, soy milk for me. He doesn’t need cow milk cheese this trip. I don’t buy vegan cheese because it tastes like sadness. What does sadness taste like? Eat some diary free cheese to find out (at your own risk.)

Pantry:

Canned black olives, couscous, quinoa, and coffee. We don’t eat a lot of canned veg with the exception of tomatoes (we still have some I canned from last summer’s garden.) I took advantage of some Aldi Finds to add a little more variety to our pantry with gnocchi, hoisin sauce, and artichokes (for my lunch salads.)

Meat and fish:

My husband and I generally stick to poultry, seafood, and fish and only eat red meat on occasion. Fish and seafood were on special/sale as well as traditional Irish food for Saint Patrick’s Day (I usually check the day after the holiday for deals on corned beef the day after.) I loaded up with the big packs of frozen salmon, shrimp, cod, and tilapia. I also bought ground turkey, chicken, a frozen seafood mix on clearance, and Irish Bangers. I also bought a block of tofu because it’s a healthy and inexpensive protein source. It is also a good way to stretch meat or replace eggs in a recipe.

Frozen vegetables and fruit:

I like frozen vegetables because you don’t have to use the whole package at a time like canned. This was also a stock up with frozen broccoli, corn, green beans, peas, and avocados.

Non Food:

2 silicone baking mats. I ordered a set from Amazon and laughed when I saw them in the Aisle of Shame (also known as the Center Aisle or Aldi Finds Aisle) because the price was cheaper when I looked it up on my phone. I canceled the Amazon order right there in the store and popped two mats in my cart.

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