I have no problem at all shopping there either... and yes, I see very rich people in our store stocking up one food. Jackie, I get what I can from Aldi's and then I get the rest some place else. Saving money is my goal.. so I have more money on things I need for the family!
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2011/10/20/produce-coupons-you-can-find-them/ I agree with many of the commenters though-couponing doesn't fit how we eat. I mean I'm not trying to be a food snob, we have lived of Ramen before when we had to, but my hubby has health issues (heart, diabetes, cholesterol, etc) that he's had since he was 24-genetics! So it's important that he eat as healthy as we can afford. And since our kids have his genes too.....So if all we can afford is ramen, we'll eat the heck out of it but if I can afford fresh food straight off a limb or vine, then that's what we'll eat. I'm convinced prepackaged food with it's preservatives and HFCS are the reason life expectancy is getting shorter rather than longer for the first time in history....so we avoid it as much as we can afford to.
Thanks! We've had our ramen moments, too! Food is so much more expensive here than it was in TX that I've had to rethink my menus. We still eat way too many carbs in pasta (cheap and filling), so I've been trying to come up with alternatives! I do buy the garden veggie pasta, so at least there is something healthy about it!! The one thing I try really hard not to skimp on is produce. During really lean times, you've just got to do what you have to do!
I wish I could say we only eat brown rice and whole grain pasta but....sometimes those few pennies difference make a difference in having 3 meals a day and only having 2... And why is it when there is a huge sale on whole grain pasta I don't have the budget to stock up??!?!?! LOL This week Kroger had Annie's on sale for $0.69/box *I hate kraft mac n cheese, I usually make my own but sometimes I do need a quick side.... and some whole wheat pasta on sale for $0.69/box as well. I was able to buy 10 boxes but I wish I could have bought MORE! We eat a lot of pasta, rice and dried beans for our meal base. Cheap and filling.
I really don't like whole wheat!! I have tried. I've even done half and half. I figure the veggie stuff is better than plain, though it's more expensive than whole wheat. There are times that the budget only allows for the plain, cheap stuff! I'm just not in position to stock up. My menus are carefully planed to get us through from payday to payday. Usually, I end up paring it down even more once I add up prices.
I'm VERY picky about my whole wheat pasta! Some of it has a very weird texture-rubbery and gritty. I tried a LOT before I found a couple we like. I don't pay this price for them but I like this brand and my favorite is this brand but I try to stock up when I can get them for $1 or less a package.... I also love the tri-color pasta-taste good and it's so pretty! LOL I get the not being able to stock up. I use this http://www.homeplansoftware.com/shoplist.htm (like I said--I LOVE it! And it's free) to help me out-we had a tiny bit extra money this week and Kroger had some AWESOME deals so I got to get a little extra on a few things, but it did have to be carefully planned. I really try to keep pasta on hand cause it's cheap and versatile and can be turned into a REALLY quick meal in case I have to abandon my menu plan one day...I bought 10 boxes this week because I was down to one bag of pasta when I went to the store. I was freaking out about that-I searched my whole kitchen and I kept saying "I have to have more pasta than that!!!" LOL
I don't tend to use coupons much for food. We shop the outside isle of the store for fresh ingredients. Most of our canned or packaged food we buy at Aldi. BUT... I do go through CVS deals about every 6 months or so! You can use coupons plus the extra bucks printouts to get some GREAT deals on toiletries. I stock up on toothpaste, shampoo, deoderant etc about every 6 months. It's hard work and takes planning, but it's a great savings. I will generally shop for 3-4 weeks in a row to stock up, then stop for several months until we start to run low. Its kind of fun, but not something I could do all the time. I get my coupons from friends and I buy them on eBay. Even paying for them, it's a savings!
