Sun Prairie Mom: A Visit to Aldi in Sun Prairie

I drive by the new Aldi location in Sun Prairie daily. I've had a few Sun Prairie moms tell me that they go to Aldi for eggs, milk, cheese, pancake mix and fresh fruit that is on sale. Yet, I hadn't stopped into see what all of the hype was all about. After getting another flyer in the mail with their weekly specials, I decided to take advantage of some of their sales. I was intrigued by what I saw. I pulled out the flyer and selected the deals that I wanted to check out. $0.99 crescent rolls and packages of fresh strawberries for $1.29 really had me - and the kids - excited to load up our shopping cart.

Speaking of shopping carts, I was forewarned by other families that you need to bring a quarter along to unlock your shopping cart from the rest and that your quarter is returned back to you, once you lock it back up. This ensures that you return your shopping cart to it's home and don't leave it solo in the parking lot. My little guy enjoyed managing the quarter, and I can tell that it's going to be "his job" every time we stop at Aldi.

We browsed the aisles for about twenty minutes. There were a lot of good deals on the store brand chips, cereals and other pantry items. I opted not to purchase too many of those, however, as I was told that some of them aren't as good as regular or store brands. I also wanted to shop pretty clean during this shopping trip.

I spotted the deal on eggs for $1.29 and loaded up for color Easter eggs. I also loved the deals on canned vegetables for only $0.49. We love cheddar cheese sticks at home and got a package of twelve for only $2.69, however my husband said he doesn't like them as well as the Sargento brand. I don't think my kids noticed the difference that much. We loaded up on five packages of the fresh strawberries. Why not??!! Cooking spray was only $1.39, so I threw one of those in, too. We splurged on $1.99 Easter pasta, just for something fun.

I was excited to see that their coffee Keurig cups were under $5.00 and purchased a box. These were my big purchase. The $1.79 milk was an excellent reduced rate. We loaded up on bananas, which I hadn't had much luck with at Woodman's. Aldi and Kwik Trip will now be my quick stop for cheap (and good!) bananas. I enjoyed every last one of them - most in protein shakes. We picked up a couple of those cheap crescent rolls and a couple boxes of mini muffins for only $1.99. I think that my husband enjoyed those just as much as the kids. They all said they were just as good as the regular brand and at less than two bucks, I find them an incredible deal on classroom snacks. I have even gone back to purchase more since our first shopping trip. A large tub of butter was around $1.50 and tasted just as good as the Country Crock butter I purchase at the grocery store. My daughter threw in a bag of Veggie Straws. We like the regular veggie straws and I thought that these were good if not better. And they were much more affordable. I also want to try their kettle chips and sweet potato chips now. I LOVED the $1.99 deal on hazelnut spread, since I am a an of Nutella. Mini bags of carrots were $0.49 so we purchased a couple of those with $0.99 ranch dressing for a semi-healthy snack.

When shopping at Aldi, you also need to bring your own disposable bags, or you are charged for them. Having been so excited about the whole excursion with the cart for twenty-five cents, I had to send my daughter back out to the car for our disposable bags. The kids helped bagging. The cashier will check out your purchases and then put everything back in your cart. It is your responsibility (or your kids'!) to push your cart over to the next counter to bag your groceries in your reusable bags.

These items along with many others totaled only $43.35. I used these items to supplement what I had in my freezer, refrigerator and pantry for the week. And, I didn't head to Woodman's once during the week.

I certainly wouldn't do all of my grocery shopping at Aldi, but it is a quick place to stop for a "few things" or to snag a few deals to round out your meals with affordable fresh fruit and veggies or sides. I wouldn't definitely take a peek at their store flyers before you head out to see what might be of special interest to you that week. I tend to stop at Target if I just need a few things, and we all know how quickly that basket fills up, along with other cute items that you just have to have. So shopping at Aldi with my short shopping list should work out well for my budget. Aldi is also a great place to grab an assortment of prepackaged snacks (muffins, crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks) for school that are price-pointed just right.

I will now regularly head to Aldi to pick up: