How Far Does $45 Go at Aldi?

Over the past year, our monthly grocery budget has been set anywhere between $160-200. For the most part, this has been relatively easy to do with a little planning. We are currently spending $200 a month because of the need to buy more protein (meat) for me and baby. At Kroger or any other conventional grocery store, this budget would go fast. Enter, Aldi. You know, the store where you have to bag your own groceries and pay a quarter for a shopping cart.

I love Aldi. Recently, I noticed we had been going over our grocery budget due to shopping at Kroger. So I did what any sensible, frugal pregnant woman would do- I shopped at Aldi instead. Wondering what $45 will get you at Aldi? Here's a photo of this week's groceries:

That's a lot of food! In no particular order, here's a list of the items (excluding the coffee maker and toaster, which we already own :-) -

• 2 4-packs of toilet paper
• 1 loaf of whole wheat bread
• 2 dozen eggs
• 1 package of celery
• 1 package of Pork Chops
• 1 bag of frozen corn
• 1 bag of frozen peas
• 3 cartons of frozen orange juice
• 1 package of carrots
• 1 bag of baby carrots
• 1 head of lettuce
• 2 gallons of milk
• 1 box of fruit snacks
• 1 can of kidney beans
• 2 bags of flour
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 2 cans of chili
• 1 syrup, lite
• 1 can of disinfecting wipes
• 1 package of sliced cheese
• 1 package of shredded cheese
• 1 can of cooking spray
• 1 package of hot dogs
• 2 toothbrushes
• 3 containers of yogurt
• 1 box of granola bars
• 3lb bag of apples
• 1 bag of bananas

That's 39 items!! NO coupons or sales needed. Everything was regularly priced.

I understand some of you Super Mama's will argue you can get the same amount at a regular grocery store using coupons and sales. I totally agree. However, for the sake of convenience and time, I think shopping at Aldi, rather than hopping to three different stores each week, is a perfectly fine alternative.

You might be thinking- that's an awful lot of food for just two people in one week! Well, that's true. I am planning on stretching these groceries over the next couple weeks. My normal bill is really closer to $30-35 a week.

I've found that shopping at Aldi saves us so much money. And although you can't get everything, buying most of your weekly groceries there is easy and feesable.

If you're wondering how the food tastes, I'll let you in on a secret- MOST of the food I buy at Aldi tastes BETTER than the value brands at major grocery chains. SOME of the food tastes BETTER or JUST AS GOOD as the name brand item. I've only had a FEW items where I thought the taste was inferior to other brands! Shopping at Aldi certainly saves money and time, without sacrificing taste.