MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH ALDI'S

Let me introduce you to aisle after aisle of organic, gluten-free, non-GMO fruits, vegetables, snacks and pastas, artisan pizzas, and fun foodie finds, and at a fraction of the price you would pay at other traditional grocery stores. Welcome to Aldi's. 

My friend Laura suggested that I would love this store, but I put off going for what was regretfully the longest time. When I finally discovered how much I love this store and its really cheap-for-organic,non GMO, gluten free-grocery items, I haven't looked back. I make an effort to drive to Danville once each week to stock up on items such as snacks, fruits, vanilla almond milk, salt-free mixed nuts, granola, and eggs.  I have a few favorite items I regularly buy, like the organic salad dressing line (my favorite is the roasted red pepper), the blue corn chips with peach mango salsa, and the rosemary olive oil crackers made with brown rice flour.  

 

If by chance I am not the last person to discover the budget grocery goodness that lies behind the Aldi's sign, then you might appreciate a few first-timer tips about the store whose aisles I will drive nearly an hour to peruse. 

1. When you go, take your own bags. One reason prices are so low, is that they do not give out grocery bags. If you forget yours, or if you make the mistake I did the first time and not take enough bags, you can purchase them at the cash register starting at $.06 for a plain brown grocery bag.

 

 2. Another reason their prices are so low is because of their grocery cart (or as we like to say around here, buggy) system. Insert a quarter to release a cart/buggy, stroll to your hearts content, fill it up with blue corn chips, peach mango salsa, and roasted red pepper salad dressing, and when you're done, return it to the corral and get your quarter back. Stick it in your vehicle's console for next time. Seriously, I use the same quarter Every. Single. Time.

 

If I had a Keurig, I would use these simply Nature coffees. These are organic, fair trade, and the pods are recyclable, which I think is pretty cool.  Also, note the organic pretzels.

A red blend with my son's name written all over it. He looked at me in the store and said with the straightest face, "Mom, I have never even tasted wine, much less made any." To know him is to love him. Moving on...

 

 

Yes, I can get organic coconut oil anywhere, but not at this price. I'm trying this sparkling pink lemonade because my daughter loves pink lemonade, and I love the label. 

I am not sure how we managed to get home without buying this big fluffy thing, but we did. Close call.

 

 3. They don't bag your groceries, you do. This is nice if you have a "system." The cashiers don't play around, either. They are tossing your stuff in the cart/buggy faster than you can get it onto the conveyor belt and have rung up the person behind you before you can get the weight equally distributed with the bread on top. Think fast.

 

My dear husband bagged groceries in high school at Gravitt's and at Ukrops in Richmond, and swears it was his favorite ever job, so he was in his own little grocery bagging paradise. Grand total of our trip was $104. Not too bad. 

I don't know much about the grocery chain, or their history, etc. You can read all about that on their website. What I do know is that I like pretty much everything I have bought there, they have some things that I can't find at other stores, and the low prices are worth the gas money it takes to drive 45 minutes each way.  Aldi's is situated in between Chic-Fil-A and Sheetz at 3465 Riverside Drive in Danville, VA. We took these few pictures for our friends who might find this store worth checking out.  Feel free to share your opinions and experiences with me. I would love to compare notes. That is, as soon a I finish off this chocolate hazelnut granola...

UPDATE: I was just informed that there is a new Aldi's in Lynchburg, Virginia. The new store which opened May 26, is located at 2617 Lakeside Drive, so now we have two stores within driving distance from which to choose. 

xoxo, Erin

Southern Virginia Mom

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