Weekly Shopping Trips: Rite Aid and Aldi

March 7, 2012 By Sarah 2 Comments

Rite Aid was my first stop this week because I wanted to snag this great deal on Kellogg’s cereal.

I spent a total of $11.10 on 6 boxes of cereal — and $0.99 for Toy Story pencils on clearance for my son’s birthday party. That comes out to $1.68 per box, but I also have $3 in +UP rewards to spend. Here’s how to snag this deal:

  • Purchase 6 boxes of cereal at RiteAid — they are 3/$7.50
  • Use this $5/5 Printable Coupon (good in Rochester & Buffalo)
  • Spend $10 out of pocket
  • Earn $3 in +UP rewards, making it like paying $1.16/box

Next I headed out to Aldi, where I stocked up on several staples we needed this week.

I was pleased to see Lifeway Kefir at Aldi again for only $2.79. I have also never bought peanut butter at Aldi before. It was only $1.69 compared to $2.49 at Wegmans for their generic brand. I checked the ingredients, and everything was exactly the same and in the same order. I also grabbed a pineapple at Aldi since they were only $1.59 each, which is the lowest price I’ve seen in this area ever.

How did you do with your shopping trips this week??

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Wegmans & Aldi’s: Turning Over a New Leaf

February 28, 2012 By Sarah 5 Comments

After some budgeting recently, my husband and I decided to really get more serious about saving for a new house. In order to reach those goals, we realized we have to be much more diligent about our weekly grocery spending to stay within our new budget. To reign in our spending, I’ve taken a few steps:

  • shopping the sales at different stores; even though it’s more convenient to just stop at Wegmans, I can get much better prices on my husband’s lunches, for example, at Aldi.
  • bring cash only to Wegmans to stop the impulse purchases
  • menu plan for snacks and breakfast as well as for dinner; we’re reaching too much for convenience foods during the morning and afternoon

My goal this week was to spend $50 total on groceries (this isn’t as spartan as it sounds — I do have 40 pounds of beef in the freezer) and I came in just over, at $56 between Aldi and Wegmans.

Colgate Toothpaste – $1.99
Used $1/1 from 2/26 SS
Spent: $.99

Goya Beans — $.99 each
Use $1/4 from 2/19
Spent: $2.96 for 4

Land O Lakes American Cheese – $6.99/lb
Used $1 off 1 lb printable
Spent: $5.99

Dynamo Laundry Detergent (not pictured) – $1.99 each
Used $1/2 (regional) from 2/26 SS
Final Price= $1.50 each when you buy 2

 

Total Before Coupons: $50
Total Saved through Shopper’s Club and Coupons: $12
Total Spent: $38
Percentage Saved: 25%

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Super Shopping Day: Public Market, Aldi, and Wegmans!

November 9, 2011 By Sarah Leave a Comment

This week I attempted to hit three different stores but spend well under my budgeted $80 a week limit. I’m super-excited to say I succeeded.

My first trip was to the Public Market.  Since we don’t get our CSA box from October-May, I’ve been jonesing for fresh fruits and vegetables, but I just can’t stomach some of Wegmans’ produce prices. At the public market on Saturday I purchased 4 pomegranates, about 10 pounds of Honeycrisp apples, a bunch of broccoli, a dozen local free-range eggs, and a small jar of local honey. My total was $15.

On Sunday I stopped at Aldi for some staples, mostly for my husband’s lunches. I bought pretzels, lunch meat, sliced cheese, strong cheese, butter (at the low price of $1.99/lb I’m stocking up for holiday baking!), milk, and more eggs (we went through 8 eggs in less than 24 hours). I spent $18.

Finally, of course, I had to go to Wegmans. Usually when I don’t have a lot on my list I tend to overbuy random things because I feel like I have wiggle room. Not this time. I really wanted to stick to the list. But I did get some HOT deals this week:

  • Lifeway Kefir: Used FREE coupon from That Freebie Site (no longer available)
  • Muir Glen Organic Tomato Sauce & Diced Tomatoes – $.29 each with this printable $.75/1 Coupon (search under food to find it faster)
  • Wegmans Unbleached Flour, 5 lbs, $.99
  • Stonyfield YoKids Yogurt, $1.99 with $.50/1 coupon from Stonyfield’s website.

At Wegmans, my total before coupons was: $42.46
Total Saved: $16.84
Total Spent: $25.62
Percentage Saved: 40%

Total Spent for the week: $58.62 

 

(Sorry I don’t have pictures for the Aldi or Wegmans Trips; I left my camera at my mom’s house after I went to the Public Market. Whoops.)

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Oh, Aldi, How I’ve Missed You!

September 21, 2011 By Sarah 5 Comments

I got lazy over the summer, and in an attempt to consolidate my food shopping, went exclusively to Wegmans, and supplemented with whatever came in our CSA share. Now that the school year’s back in session, and easy lunches need to be made or brought every day, I need to be a little less lax, and for some items, Aldi is definitely the more cost-effective choice.  


For example, my husband brings a ham and cheese wrap with pretzels to work every.single.day during the school year.  I can buy all the ingredients for his lunch for less than it would cost to purchase comparable items at Wegmans.


According to the above list, I will save $4.81 by shopping at Aldi only for my husband’s lunches; not including anything else that I can find there.  For more information about Aldi/Wegmans comparisons, check this post 

out.


Here’s what I actually bought this week: 

Yeah, we go through a lot of cheese. It’s pretty much the only thing my 20-month-old will eat, so we have shredded cheese, string cheese, sliced cheese, and block cheese. So, yeah. Lots of cheese.  I was also excited to see Nature’s Path organic granola bars for only $2.39 a box. I love when I find random organic items for deep discounts at Aldi’s — don’t forget to check the special bargain bin!

Total Spent: $26.49

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Wegmans vs. Aldi: Battle of the Grocery Stores

July 5, 2011 By Sarah 3 Comments
Now, I know some people will dither with the title of this post. Why? Because, they argue, Wegman’s is not just a “grocery store” — it’s an experience. 
Well, yes, indeed it is. And for the record, I cannot imagine a time when I will not shop at Wegmans.   But I’ve been saving a lot of money at Aldi lately, so I wanted to do a side-by-side comparison of each store to really see if it’s worth it to go to both stores every week.  Below are items that I have bought at both stores in the past month.  This price comparison does NOT take into account coupons, because most of these items are pantry staples and it is unusual to find coupons for many of them on a regular basis.
Cheaper at Aldi
  • Eggs
  • Butter
  • Milk
  • Deli Meat
  • Deli Cheese
  • Tortillas
  • Baking Supplies (flour, oil)
  • Herbs & Spices
  • Oatmeal
  • Crackers
Cheaper at Wegmans:
  • Pretzels
  • Pasta
  • American Cheese Slices
Same at both:
  • Block Cheese
  • String Cheese

From this comparison, it certainly looks as if Aldi is the winner, doesn’t it? There are four pretty big caveats, though.
1. This list only compares “like” items.  There are some products, like bread and rolls, that I won’t buy at Aldi because I haven’t found any without HFCS added.

2. This doesn’t take into account items that are easy to use coupons on, like cereal. You can find cereal at Aldi for $1.89/box, which is $.10 cheaper than Wegmans’ store brand cereal, but at Wegmans I have used coupons to get cereal for $1.50 or less a box. 

3. Aldi is something of a wild card — almost every time I’ve been there I’ve found a few national brand products at deeply discounted prices. Of course, I just got lucky that I happened to be there that day and found those items.

4. Fruit and vegetable prices are always MUCH cheaper at Aldi. But at least 50% of the time, they just don’t seem as fresh and good-looking as Wegmans’ produce, and I like that Wegmans has local sources for much of their in-season produce.
Final Thoughts
Based on my recent receipts at both Aldi and Wegmans, I save between $5 and $10 a week by shopping at Aldi.  This is enough for me to keep going there, especially since it’s only about a mile away from my Wegmans and it’s not another inconvenient trip to get there. However, I think the best strategy will be to stock up on what I need at Aldi every other week — that way I can save a little time, and also make sure I have the items I know will be cheaper at Aldi.

I’m curious to hear what others do. Do you shop at 2 or more stores every week?
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Aldi’s Trip: Under $20 AGAIN!

June 22, 2011 By Sarah 4 Comments
I had both kids with me for my shopping this week, and since Aldi was only my first stop, I really wanted to get in and out.   I was thrilled to see that they had Lifeway Kefir (or “strawberry milkshake” as my kids know it!) for $2.49/bottle again.  They also had Bolthouse Farms 100% Organic Carrot Juice for only $2.69/bottle (normally $4.29 at Wegmans). I didn’t buy any though, because I’ve never tried carrot juice.  Is there a reason why I should?
I also found blueberries from New Jersey for only $1.99 — I prefer to buy local, but both kids were with me and were dying for them, so I figured that would be a good treat for cooperating at the store.
The total was $19.59, and here’s how it broke down:
Whole Milk, 1 gallon — $1.95
Lowfat Kefir — $2.49
Wild Salmon, 1 lb — $4.49
String Cheese, 12 oz — $2.99
Smoked Ham, 1 lb — $3.29
Blueberries — $1.99
Butter quarters — $2.39
Sadly, the price of butter is up $.10 since the beginning of June, but Aldi’s price is still cheaper than Wegmans price of $2.79.  I’ve been shopping at Aldi for about 2-3 months now and I definitely see a difference in my grocery bill. I need to scrutinize my receipts to come up with an exact amount, but I would say at least $10/week. But part of that may be a combination of menu-planning and shopping with a list.
Here’s what my trip looked like:


Oh, and as a side note, I saw the sidewalk chalk I bought for $2.69 a couple weeks ago at Aldi’s at Wegmans today. It was “on sale” for $5.99. So glad I shopped around!
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