I'm a mom of 10 who loves shopping at Aldi. Here are 15 things I always buy.

chewy granola bars in dispaly next to happy farms cheese slices in display at aldi
Buying groceries for 12 is usually cheaper when I go to Aldi.Lisa Tanner
  • I love buying groceries for my 10 kids at Aldi, which has great prices.

  • I stock up on eggs, potatoes, and Happy Farms cheese slices for meals.

  • I also buy affordable snacks, diapers, and stuffing mix at Aldi.

Aldi makes grocery shopping super quick for me since there aren't a lot of choices and it's laid out really well.

cart full of groceries and two kids with it in aldi
I find that Aldi has good prices.Lisa Tanner

When my family moved to Missouri in 2021, everything about our familiar shopping routine changed. While I was experimenting with new stores, trying to find the best prices, I realized there was an Aldi about 30 miles away.

Since there are no Aldi stores back in Washington where I used to live, I was excited to check it out. As soon as I stepped inside, I realized it was a bit different from any of the other grocery stores I'd been to.

But once I walked through the aisles and saw the great prices, I knew I'd keep coming back. Aldi is now one of the stores my family regularly shops at. Since it's not a large store, I can get in and out quickly. That's a huge plus for me.

Though I buy a variety of items each time we go, there are 15 items that almost always end up in my cart.

Note: Prices are based on one Aldi in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. They may differ from location to location.

My teen boys love dipping tortilla chips in Casa Mamita's salsa con queso.

aldi queso display
The salsa con queso is cheesy goodness with just the right amount of heat.Lisa Tanner

Taco Tuesday has been a regular part of our meal plan for nearly a decade. We almost always have chips and dip as a side dish for this meal.

As my kids have gotten older, their taste preferences have changed. They now gobble up things they considered too hot when they were young. Although this salsa con queso isn't overly spicy, it does have a little kick.

Despite that, it's a favorite for both of my teen boys. They love to eat chips dipped in the queso and liberally add it to the top of their tacos. I think one of my boys even eats it straight off of a spoon. No matter how you serve it, it's delicious.

Aldi sells a 15-ounce jar of salsa con queso for $1.99.

Potatoes are so versatile.

bags of potatoes at aldi
We go through several pounds of potatoes each week.Lisa Tanner

Though many food items cost less in our new part of the country compared to where we used to live, potatoes are not one of them.

But despite the higher price, potatoes are still something I buy nearly every week. They're a staple in our menu plan.

I slice them and dice them and prepare them in so many ways. I use them for homemade french fries, baked potatoes, hash browns, potato soup, and more. No matter how they're prepared, I know that every single person in my family will eat the potatoes without complaint.

It cost me $4.69 for a 10-pound bag of spuds.

The low-carb tortillas from Aldi are a great base for tacos and enchiladas.

tortillas at aldi
I buy regular tortillas for other people in my family, too.Lisa Tanner

A couple of my family members feel better when they eat fewer carbs. Since we regularly enjoy taco night, switching to low-carb tortillas was a simple solution.

The package only has eight tortillas, but since I don't need to buy them for the whole family, one pack lasts for a couple of meals. I use regular flour tortillas for everyone else, which helps keep the grocery costs down a bit.

At Aldi, this pack costs $2.89.

Happy Farms' cream cheese is good for more than topping bagels.

nearly empty display of happy farms cream cheese at aldi
You can use cream cheese in so many different recipes.Lisa Tanner

Onion bagels topped with cream cheese are a favorite in my home. But I don't buy cream cheese just for bagels.

We spread it on crackers. And use it to make creamy cheese sauce for vegetables. My 10-year-old daughter also uses a couple of boxes to whip up a delicious no-bake cheesecake.

This cream cheese is Aldi's store brand, and we all like the taste of it. And at $1.39 for 8 ounces, I don't mind buying several boxes at a time.

Every single one of my kids loves apples.

bags of apples at aldi
We go through apples really quickly.Lisa Tanner

My kids all love to bite down on a crispy, juicy apple. And they don't have a problem eating at least one a day.

I buy tons of apples each time I go to the store, and it always surprises me how quickly they disappear.

Aldi has 3-pound bags of Gala apples for $3.49. We try to get a variety of kinds each shopping trip, but Galas always make it into the cart. They're a fairly frugal, healthy snack.

Zulka's pure cane sugar is our favorite.

aldi pure cane sugar
I think this is a good price for pure cane sugar.Lisa Tanner

I use this sugar to make homemade lemonade, cookies, and anything else that needs a bit of sweetness. The kids all like the taste.

Since it's minimally processed, the flavor is different compared to regular white sugar — but it's a taste we now prefer. It's almost caramel-y on its own.

A 6-pound bag of pure cane sugar cost $4.17 at Aldi, which is just about 70 cents per pound.

We stock up on oyster crackers at Aldi.

aldi oyster crackers in box
My younger kids really like the shape of these tiny crackers.Lisa Tanner

Once a week, we have soup for lunch. We typically rotate between potato, chicken noodle, clam chowder, and hamburger.

No matter what type of soup I serve, about half of the family likes to add crackers.

We used to crumble up saltines, but I now prefer to purchase these small oyster crackers. They're a great size for the younger kids to eat, and everyone likes how they taste.

At only $0.89 for a 10-ounce bag, these crackers have been an inexpensive addition to our soup day.

We used to get eggs from our chickens, but now we buy them at Aldi.

cart filled with cartons of eggs at aldi for ninety nine cents
Now that we're no longer raising chickens, we're regularly buying eggs.Lisa Tanner

I've discovered you can't beat the price of eggs at Aldi.

I used to have a flock of chickens that provided most of the eggs my family needed. But I buy eggs now since the chickens didn't make the move across the country with us.

I originally thought I'd get a better deal buying larger packs of eggs, but once I did the math I realized I was wrong. In my area, the best deal I've found is buying them a dozen at a time at Aldi.

Usually, I buy three cartons a week, at $0.99 per dozen.

Small packages of diapers take up less space.

aldi diapers in display
I think Aldi's brand of diapers work really well.Lisa Tanner

Now that we're living in a smaller space, I no longer have the room to buy the huge boxes of diapers I used to purchase. So I was pleasantly surprised to see how inexpensive small packs of diapers were at Aldi.

By buying one or two packs at a time, I'm saving space and money. And my baby doesn't mind this brand at all.

The number of diapers in each pack varies depending on which size you get. My little Ezra is currently wearing a size three — his sized pack has 34 diapers in it for $3.99.

The Little Journey training pants are pretty affordable.

big laps training pants in aldi
If your child needs training pants at night, you can get dinosaur ones at Aldi.Lisa Tanner

Some kids take a bit longer to stay dry at night. And since I don't like starting each morning off by stripping sheets and washing clothes, I buy training pants. It saves me a lot of time and stress, which makes the price well worth it.

I used to buy a different brand at another store until I realized what a great bargain the ones at Aldi were. Now they're the only ones we buy. As an added bonus, my son likes the dinosaurs printed on them.

For $5.75, you get between 19 and 22 training pants, depending on size.

 

Granola bars are one of my favorite portable snacks.

aldi chewy granola bars in boxes
Hungry kids? Granola bars to the rescue.Lisa Tanner

Over the years, I've learned that kids whine for only two main reasons: they're tired or they're hungry. A nap takes care of the first and a snack helps with the second.

To prevent those hunger-induced whines, I always keep a box of granola bars in the van. When the kids start getting hungry, I pass them out. I also keep a couple of bars in the diaper bag and in my purse. That way, no matter where I am, I always have a portable snack to hand out.

My kids like the variety that's included in this box of granola bars. And at $1.15 for 10 bars, I like the price.

When boxes of stuffing are priced like this, you don't have to stock up at Thanksgiving.

aldi stuffing mix display
I can buy stuffing mix for under a dollar at Aldi.Lisa Tanner

I like to keep a few boxes of stuffing mix in the pantry. It only takes a few minutes to prepare, making it a quick side dish. It goes with so many types of meat, so don't feel limited to only serving it with turkey or chicken.

I also stir boxes of stuffing into a chicken-stuffing casserole or use it to make hot chicken sandwiches for lunch. It adds a bit of texture and a great flavor to the meals.

A 6-ounce box of stuffing costs $0.69 at Aldi.

Applesauce serves a lot of purposes in our home.

aldi unsweetened apple sauce container on a shelf
My kids enjoy Simply Nature's unsweetened applesauce.Lisa Tanner

I use applesauce to teach my kids to swallow pills. For some reason, this is much easier for them compared to swallowing them with water.

Since my oldest son has Angelman Syndrome, he takes a couple of pills each day for his seizures. Each morning and evening, I get him a bowl of applesauce so he can take his medicine.

He loves it, and so do the other kids. We frequently open a new jar of applesauce as a side dish and there's almost never any left by the time the meal is over.

At only $2.35 for a large 46-ounce jar of unsweetened applesauce, I don't mind them eating the whole thing in one sitting.

 

Happy Farms' packs of cheese are perfect for making sandwiches.

happy farms cheese slices in dairy section at aldi
A pack of this Aldi-brand cheese has the perfect number of slices for a meal of sandwiches.Lisa Tanner

Yes, it's cheaper to buy a block of cheese and slice it yourself. But, for soe meals, I like the convenience of presliced cheese.

For instance, my 8-year-old son likes to cook grilled cheese sandwiches on our make-your-own-lunch days. When I have this type of cheese on hand, he can make the sandwich all on his own — no cutting involved.

Each pack has 11 slices, which is perfect for my large family now that my oldest is off at college.

Pepperoni is a great pizza topping.

aldi thick cut pepperoni
My family loves pepperoni pizza on Fridays.Lisa Tanner

My family has eaten pizza on Friday nights for years. It's a fun tradition that draws us closer together.

Since homemade pizza tastes so much better than the frozen variety, I try to make sure I have different toppings available each week. But no matter how many different types of pizza I try to make, pepperoni remains the favorite for most of my kids. That means I buy a bag of it nearly every week.

After the pizzas are made, the rest of the pepperoni slices get used throughout the week. My kids pull them out to munch on. They also put them on tortillas with cheese for a quick pizza quesadilla.

But my favorite way to eat pepperoni is to add a bit of cheese to each slice, then pop it in the air fryer for a few minutes. It's so delicious.

The 16-ounce bag of pepperoni slices costs $4.99.

Click to keep reading Aldi diaries like this one.

 

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