Creative budget cuts to combat high food prices - Page 2

**lynnzop**[$] · #41 07-10-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

amykhar said

Aldi's is a depressing, soul-sucking place.

Amen. I hate Aldi's...won't go in there on a bet.

I love Fareway - it reminds me of a grocery store back when I'd visit my grandparents. I can run in and out of Fareway in record time, and their meat can't be beat. Fresh veggies are iffy, however.

Maryanne, there is a couple in our area who do the Angel Ministries thing...thanks for the reminder. I will give them a call and see if they have one going right now.

magenta321 · #42 07-10-2008, 06:26 PM

Everyone tells me how wonderful Aldi's is (price-wise). I've never seen one before to my knowledge.

Is it like Xpect Discounts?

I won't shop at Xpect Discounts on a dare. I don't care how much money I can save there. They don't take any form of payments except cash or check. If you pay by check they check your check against a book of "do not accept checks from this person." If you pay with cash, they take everything over a five and make sure it's an authentic bill by using their special marker. Plus no one in the place seems to speak english.

It's only 30 minutes away, but still, I don't care if I can save there. I just can't bring myself to shop there.

**amykhar** · #43 07-11-2008, 06:32 PM

Aldi's doesn't take checks. Cash, cards or food stamps only. It's dirty and they don't have a great variety of stuff. If you eat all canned foods, I guess it's ok. I don't do a lot of cans though. Fresh stuff is gross at Aldi's. Like I said, it's a soul-sucking place.

frazzledspice · #44 07-12-2008, 07:02 AM

Our Aldi's is actually quite nice. The neighboring businesses are a health food store, a popular restaurant, a fancy spa affiliated with a plastic surgery practice.....

Whereas in the past Aldi's stuck with very basic foods, they now have some gourmet items--there are some things my daughter will only eat if they're from Aldi's.

She especially likes their "Red Thunders." Those are generic Red Bulls that sell for $2.99 a four pack.

If you've ever been to a Wal-Mart Supercenter (my next closest grocery) you know how far away from the store you have to park, and how much walking you'll have to do in the store to get what you need. (Milk and eggs are all the way in the back of my Supercenter.)

The Aldi is small. Cozy. Manageable. Built only two years ago, clean and bright. Because we live in a smaller city, it's never overcrowded (all of our stores are much cleaner, on average, than in my home area--Long Island.)

They don't take checks, but they take debit cards, and they will give you cash back.

I haven't tried all the Aldi's fresh fruits and veggies, but I've tried some. I just bought some strawberries there. I've bought their fresh meat (there isn't a huge variety, but the ones I've gotten have been better than Wal-Mart's.)

This Aldi's isn't located near public transportation, nor (having just been built) is it located in an area where there are many poor people. It's located in a prosperous part of town, near the edge of town. The people who shop there seem to be an average cross section of society here--there are the commuters from rural areas who pick up some things on the way home from work or on visits to town, young families trying to save money, Hispanic families trying to save money, senior citizens trying to save money or trying to shop in a store that doesn't cover up so much space, people picking up a handful of items (like me) who don't want to go to a big store.

And they're very inexpensive. What's not to like?

**lynnzop**[$] · #45 07-12-2008, 09:05 AM

Our Aldi's is in the retail center of our town, and while it's not dirty, the fresh food is nasty and for quite some time, they wouldn't take anything but cash. No checks, no plastic (I use my debit card for EVERYTHING). They will take plastic now, but the quality of their fresh stuff has not improved.

You had to pay a quarter deposit (or something like that) to use a shopping cart. Screw that...I usually don't have a dollar bill in my purse, let alone a quarter. I don't carry cash.

Dan loves it. I hate it.

Quote:

frazzledspice said

If you've ever been to a Wal-Mart Supercenter (my next closest grocery) you know how far away from the store you have to park, and how much walking you'll have to do in the store to get what you need. (Milk and eggs are all the way in the back of my Supercenter.)

I understand this philosophy if you are infirm or elderly, Maryanne. But honestly, parking far away is just another health benefit...all that walking

(As opposed to "all that walking

" ). Just one of my pet peeves...getting stuck behind someone "waiting" for a close parking spot instead of driving an extra 100 ft to another spot irks the hell out of me. (not talking about handicapped...there are plenty of H-spots at Wally-World.)

frazzledspice · #46 07-12-2008, 11:48 AM

It's more a matter of time....

If I'm going to get milk or OJ or one or two items at a grocery store on the way home from work, why should I go to Wal-Mart Supercenter and deal with a crowded parking lot and a big store when I can get the product for less money in less time at another store on the way home from work?

BTW, one of the reasons that I try to save time is that I have less time to go to the pool and swim than I used to, and I try to make time for that.

I like Aldi for many items....

**Prepoia**[$] · #47 07-12-2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

frazzledspice said

It's more a matter of time....

If I'm going to get milk or OJ or one or two items at a grocery store on the way home from work, why should I go to Wal-Mart Supercenter and deal with a crowded parking lot and a big store when I can get the product for less money in less time at another store on the way home from work?

BTW, one of the reasons that I try to save time is that I have less time to go to the pool and swim than I used to, and I try to make time for that.

I like Aldi for many items....

I'm with you. It's hard to find a store where you can just stop, run in, get a few items, and get home quickly. I don't want to park a mile away nor do I want to wait in line behind dozens that have a week's full of groceries in their carts. Hard to find stores like that anymore but when I do, I use them. I'll choose other ways to get my exercise and I won't complain when I'm at a bigger store like Meijers to get my weekly groceries.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #48 07-12-2008, 12:20 PM

Ya know, when it comes to cutting costs, I'll cut coupons and buy in bulk and look for sales tags on the shelves... but I don't stress cutting the groceries/household supplies/HBA categories of my budget all that much. Sure, I'll buy the frozen chicken breasts at BJ's because it's cheaper per pound than fresh on sale at Stop and Shop, but I'll still buy higher-priced tomatoes from the farm stand and organic stuff from Whole Foods for a little more $$. But then again, Hubby and I are mad cheap about other budget items - we spend hardly anything on enterntainment or electronics, for example, and don't take expensive vacations. I rarely go to the mall and Hubby's cut down on clothing purchases in the past couple years too. I think our big-ticket items are our cars (and they're used Saturns, at that), the combo Cable/Internet/Phone bill, and housing. Our next level of spending is home improvement and repairing/restoring the antique furniture, but we can do that as the budget allows. These two expenses also have the benefit of having an investment component to them.

Anyway, a long ramble to lead to the conclusion that I wouldn't shop at the Aldi's I've seen in Western NY but would stock up on what's on sale at Wegmans.