Cheap Groceries

[tiredmike59]

Have you given up on some of your favorite foods because of high prices ?
It seems like since Hostess bit the dust their competitors have jacked up their prices. A new discount grocery store opened up in my neighborhood and I went in there to check it out. They were selling boxes of cupcakes for 69 cents,it was a company I never heard of and the cupcakes were stale and didn't have much taste but the price was delicious. I checked out their meat section and found a pack of those 6 thin porkchops which sells for 7 dollars in the other store I normally shop at but were only 2.99. They didn't look too swift though, kind of gray in color and I could not read the expiration date because someone smudged the ink, probably on purpose. I wonder what my expiration date would have been if I ate them, I decided not to buy them. They did have good prices on potato chips, only a couple bucks for a huge bag not 4-5 dollars like I normally see. Really getting sick of these high prices.

[Sterling Holobyte]

Yeah, I tend to shop at Aldi a lot lately. Though there are a few things I never buy there: Meat(especially), bread, and fruit. Basically most anything that is supposed to be fresh and doesn't have a long shelf life.
But they do have a lot of stuff there that I really like as well. And I love the prices.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by Sterling Holobyte

Yeah, I tend to shop at Aldi a lot lately. Though there are a few things I never buy there: Meat(especially), bread, and fruit. Basically most anything that is supposed to be fresh and doesn't have a long shelf life.
But they do have a lot of stuff there that I really like as well. And I love the prices.

The meat at Aldi is just as good as any you would buy at your regular store. I've been buying it for years and never once had a problem. The same goes for their bread and fruits and the latter I've found to be much better quality than the fruit carried by any of the other area supermarkets. Most all of the products offered by Aldi and just as good or better than their brand name supermarket counterparts. The only exception I've found so far is their version of hot pockets and they were terrible. Their snacks are my favorites especially the Clancy's microwave popcorn. You get 6 bags for $1.69 and the name brands such as Orville Redenbacher or Pop Secret will cost at least $5.00 or more for the same size box and Clancy's is way better. The Clancy's corn and potato chips are also just as good as any of the brand names.

[tiredmike59]

I always thought Aldi was a local chain around here. Learn something new everyday.

[gilligan fanatic]

I pick up some stuff at Big Lots and Ollies. They are good for stuff like cereal and dinner kits and things like that. The dates are usually pretty long too.

[OH Nuts!]

Aldi is wonderful. I stumbled upon them in a shopping mall in Rego Park. Their prices are dirt cheap and the quality of food high. They are a little quirky though - you have to bring your own shopping bags (if you don't and ask for one it's 11 cents - normally that'd annoy me but at their prices....it doesn't!). Also you have to pay a quarter for a shopping cart. You get it back when you return it though. And no credit cards. A little disconcerting the FIRST time you go there...but then...I went onto their website and they explained they do these things to bring customers the VERY LOWEST prices. And they do. Their prices are often cheaper than Walmart and Trader Joes. Cheaper than Trader Joes!? NOW that 's hard to do.

Interestingly Aldi and Trader Joe's are both owned by the same parent company. Both are wonderful stores. I actually turned down a job opportunity because it was in a city without a Trader Joe's - that's how much I love them.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by gilligan fanatic

I pick up some stuff at Big Lots and Ollies. They are good for stuff like cereal and dinner kits and things like that. The dates are usually pretty long too.

Big Lots is where I buy most of my snacks. One thing I like about them is their selection of chips and they carry brands not available by the local grocery store chains. Big Lots will very often get items that are regional or local to certain areas of the U.S. and will distribute them to all stores. The same can be said of their beverages. The discount shelf is the first place I head for each time I go because you can get some really good deals. When food items get to within 2 weeks of their expiration date, they go onto the discount shelf at 50% off. If you want an even better deal, check the date and if gets to within one or to days then most stores will mark it down further if you bring it to their attention but you have to ask. If the item is still on the discount shelf even one day after the date then they won't sell it. I've gotten many bags of chips and other items for as little as .25 cents and the quality was just as good as when they were first made. Some people have this absurd notion that once a product reaches it's expiration date it's no longer good and in a lot of cases that's simply not true.

[Sterling Holobyte]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

The meat at Aldi is just as good as any you would buy at your regular store. I've been buying it for years and never once had a problem.

I am mainly talking about ground beef when I say "meat". The main reason I don't buy it at Aldi is because we have a local store that has the best ground beef! I have bought it at Aldi and Walmart to save some pennies, but the stuff, especially at Walmart, cooked up dry and tasteless like they filled it with sawdust. If you have a local grocery store that grinds its own hamburger, you should try it. You may never go back to "discount meat" again.
Now mind you, I can't say anything about other meats like steaks and roasts at those stores because I haven't tried them from there. But mainly I go to my local grocery store for that.

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

Their snacks are my favorites especially the Clancy's microwave popcorn. You get 6 bags for $1.69 and the name brands such as Orville Redenbacher or Pop Secret will cost at least $5.00 or more for the same size box and Clancy's is way better. The Clancy's corn and potato chips are also just as good as any of the brand names.

I have to disagree with you on that point. I don't know if it is just at our Aldi, but Clancy's chips always taste stale to me. They could have a good expiration date on them and be fresh as can be, but for some reason, they have this stale taste right out of the package.

[Sterling Holobyte]

Originally Posted by OH Nuts!

Also you have to pay a quarter for a shopping cart.

The only time that bothers me is when I forget to bring a quarter. Otherwise, I find the carts at Aldi in better shape than other stores. And I have yet to get one with a whobbly wheel.

[gilligan fanatic]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

Big Lots is where I buy most of my snacks. One thing I like about them is their selection of chips and they carry brands not available by the local grocery store chains. Big Lots will very often get items that are regional or local to certain areas of the U.S. and will distribute them to all stores. The same can be said of their beverages. The discount shelf is the first place I head for each time I go because you can get some really good deals. When food items get to within 2 weeks of their expiration date, they go onto the discount shelf at 50% off. If you want an even better deal, check the date and if gets to within one or to days then most stores will mark it down further if you bring it to their attention but you have to ask. If the item is still on the discount shelf even one day after the date then they won't sell it. I've gotten many bags of chips and other items for as little as .25 cents and the quality was just as good as when they were first made. Some people have this absurd notion that once a product reaches it's expiration date it's no longer good and in a lot of cases that's simply not true.

Yeah, I definetly agree. I like the regional stuff too. They got all kinds of goodies in there.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by Sterling Holobyte

I am mainly talking about ground beef when I say "meat". The main reason I don't buy it at Aldi is because we have a local store that has the best ground beef! I have bought it at Aldi and Walmart to save some pennies, but the stuff, especially at Walmart, cooked up dry and tasteless like they filled it with sawdust. If you have a local grocery store that grinds its own hamburger, you should try it. You may never go back to "discount meat" again.
Now mind you, I can't say anything about other meats like steaks and roasts at those stores because I haven't tried them from there. But mainly I go to my local grocery store for that.




I have to disagree with you on that point. I don't know if it is just at our Aldi, but Clancy's chips always taste stale to me. They could have a good expiration date on them and be fresh as can be, but for some reason, they have this stale taste right out of the package.

I've never had any issues with their ground beef nor their chips but the only flavor I'll eat is plain. I can't stand barbecue nor sour cream & onion so I have no idea how they taste but other family members here seem to like them. I guess people have different tastes, I prefer Utz over any of the name brands and I don't care much for Lays although I will eat them if it's the only thing available.

[Sterling Holobyte]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

I prefer Utz over any of the name brands and I don't care much for Lays although I will eat them if it's the only thing available.

Never heard of Utz, but yeah, I don't care for Lays much either. Mostly I eat Olde Dutch when I want potato chips. They are relatively inexpensive(at Walmart) and they have the best dill pickle chips, my favorite kind of chip!

[gilligan fanatic]

Originally Posted by Sterling Holobyte

Never heard of Utz, but yeah, I don't care for Lays much either. Mostly I eat Olde Dutch when I want potato chips. They are relatively inexpensive(at Walmart) and they have the best dill pickle chips, my favorite kind of chip!

You never heard of Utz? You are totally missing out!

[Sterling Holobyte]

Originally Posted by gilligan fanatic

You never heard of Utz? You are totally missing out!

Well, now I kind of want to try them! What stores usually sell them? We only have three grocery stores here, including the SuperWalmart, so we probably don't have them around here.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by tiredmike59

Have you given up on some of your favorite foods because of high prices ?
It seems like since Hostess bit the dust their competitors have jacked up their prices. A new discount grocery store opened up in my neighborhood and I went in there to check it out. They were selling boxes of cupcakes for 69 cents,it was a company I never heard of and the cupcakes were stale and didn't have much taste but the price was delicious. I checked out their meat section and found a pack of those 6 thin porkchops which sells for 7 dollars in the other store I normally shop at but were only 2.99. They didn't look too swift though, kind of gray in color and I could not read the expiration date because someone smudged the ink, probably on purpose. I wonder what my expiration date would have been if I ate them, I decided not to buy them. They did have good prices on potato chips, only a couple bucks for a huge bag not 4-5 dollars like I normally see. Really getting sick of these high prices.

My budget is $29.00 a week for groceries