ALDI

With gas and grocery bills heading to record highs, I am always on the lookout for areas where I can cut costs. I have recently started going to ALDI grocery store to get some of my things. The one near my house isn't very big, but I haven't been to any of the others to see if this is typical. But even with the small size, there are still many great products. I especially love the drinks. They have tons of sodas and sports drinks that taste just like name brands. The "GT Cola" tastes like Pepsi, and the orange and yellow sports drinks taste just like Gatorade. I got four twelve packs of sports drinks, two two-liter sodas, a case of canned sodas, and a case of water for like $15 just the other day. There are usually a few things I can't find there, and there are often different things from week to week. That being said, there are still things I go to Kroger, Walmart, or Publix to get, and there have been a couple products I got at ALDI that I was disappointed not to find on the next trip. I'm still a name-brander for a few things: milk, cheese, eggs, and meat. Thus, I haven't gotten any of that stuff at ALDI. They do, however, often have several name brand items, and they are still at great prices. Most of there products are no-names, though. But everything I've gotten there has been quality, and I've been very impressed. There are a couple things you should know before going to ALDI. First, take your own bags. They have bags for sell, but why waste the money when you have tons of bags lying around at home? Second, be prepared to bag your own groceries and take them out to your car yourself. There are no bag boys. The cashier puts your groceries back in your cart, but you have to put them in bags if you want them bagged. Third, do NOT forget your quarter. You have to insert a quarter into the device on the cart to use it. Don't worry, you get your quarter back! You put your quarter in, you use the cart, you put the cart back, and it gives you back your quarter. I have to say I am more than impressed with this method. It cuts down on costs because there are no cart boys (or girls), and it ensures the carts will be placed back in their holding lines because the power of the all-mighty dollar is amazing. Whoever thought of this is a full-out genius, and I'd really like to shake his (her?) hand. That is truly taking advantage of the greediness of people in the best possible way. So, anyway, I really like ALDI, and if you want to try to save some money on your groceries, I definitely recommend trying it at least once!