Over the years I’ve learned that it’s best for my sanity if I shop Aldi first thing in the morning, usually right after they open. The shelves are well stocked and store isn’t as busy.
This summer I’ve been trying out the two-week Aldi haul. On the off week I shop at my local grocery store, where I can supplement our milk & produce and also pick up things I don’t buy or can’t get at Aldi (ice cream, creamer, bacon and some other meats).
I like to be in and out of the store in less than 30 minutes. Here’s how I’m planning for my two-week hauls to help me be efficient with my time and to get everything I need in that one trip!
- Start with the running list from the fridge – we write down things we need or run out of during the week
- Add other things I know I want to buy, based on the meals I can make with what I have on hand
- Plan a basic two week menu (about 10 meals), adding needed groceries to that list
- Make my shopping list: I take a clean sheet of paper and write down the main sections of Aldi. Then I fill in the items from my running list, crossing them off as I add them.
Shopping with a list laid out in order of the store is SO helpful! I find that I am much more likely to get everything I need and in less time than if I wrote the list in random order.
I also try to be intentional about the way we eat the perishable items from a large haul. For example, last week I bought peaches and a watermelon. We ate the peaches the first week, and I waited to cut up the watermelon until the second week. The peaches wouldn’t have been good the second week but the watermelon was perfect!
I haven’t perfected the two-week haul just yet, but it gets smoother and more successful every time. If you aren’t a huge fan of the Aldi experience (like me), you might want to give my early morning bi-weekly strategy a try!
{Updated August 2021: If you’re here from Pinterest – welcome! This post is a couple years old but this blog is still alive and well! I hope you’ll stick around – leave me a comment and tell me what you’d like to know about shopping at Aldi. Thanks for visiting!}
On The Menu
Breakfast:
- Cereal & Fruit
- Avocado Toast
- Homemade Waffles
- Eggs & Bacon
Lunch:
- Chicken Nuggets
- Hot Dogs
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Salsa Soup
- Greek Tortellini Salad
Supper:
- Roast Chicken/Mashed Potatoes/Gravy/Garlic Green Beans/Southern Spoon Rolls
- Texas Toast Pizzas/Salad (x2)
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore/Pasta/Salad (edited: this recipe was not good…won’t be making it again!)
- Chicken Quesadillas/Quick Mexican Rice/Corn
- Twenty Minute Baked Tortellini/Green Beans
- Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken & Potatoes/Peas
- Taco Mac & Cheese/Peaches
- Beef Enchiladas/Quick Mexican Rice/Salad
- Pasta with Sausage, Mushrooms and Peas
- BBQ Chicken Thighs/Baked Potatoes/Corn
- Date Night
- Leftovers
- Eating Out
You also might enjoy…
- How To Accomplish A Two Week Menu Plan and Grocery Haul
- 3 Supper Meals Ready in 20 Minutes
- Aldi Products That Are Better Than Name Brands!
Have you tried a two – week menu plan? Let me know what worked for you!
Come Home For Comfort 
I love the prices at our Aldi’s but…I got tired of my food being thrown into the cart as I check out. I asked the clerk why she was doing that and she said she would get into trouble if she took too long checking me out.
LikeLike
I am right there with you! A cashier got upset with me when I asked her to please not throw my eggs in the bottom of the cart. Ha! I try not to let the cashier rush me, but I also try to be ready with my card so she doesn’t have to wait on me. One thing I started doing is loading the heaviest items on the counter first. That way she throws my cans at the bottom and my fruit, bread and smaller packages don’t get smashed underneath them. Hope that helps you, Kathy! 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you so much for including actual lunches in your meal plan. So many times, when I read posts like these I notice that, for lunch, the author includes “lunches” like veggie sticks and dip or a slice of cheese and 4 crackers. I’m left to think ” of course you can meal plan for next to nothing. You don’t serve your family actual meals!!”
LikeLike
Ha! Thanks, Wendy. 🙂 Those lunches might work for small children but not for me!
LikeLike
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m on an incredibly tight budget this pay period and this is just what I needed.
LikeLike
I’m so glad!
LikeLike
How many people does this 2 week list feed?
LikeLike
There are two adults in my house, but the meal plan could easily be expanded to feed more people by increasing the amount of groceries purchased.
LikeLike
About how much did your haul come to?
LikeLike
It was just under $90 for two weeks. My weekly grocery budget is $75, so that was pretty good! 🙂
LikeLike
I am sorry to hear about your slow cooker fiasco. That is so disappointing!
LikeLike
Thank you for your sympathy – it was a sad moment to discover that raw, ruined roast!
LikeLike
I wish we had an Aldi close by. I really need to have you here to help me grocery shop. You always have great hauls.
Della
http://www.delladevoted.com
LikeLike
I wish we could shop together sometime! Aldi is expanding everywhere -maybe you’ll get one soon!
LikeLike
What a bummer about roast! But I LOVE Aldi! Their produce rocks! You have some great projects here! I would love it if you’d share some at our link party!
http://www.thestonybrookhouse.com/2016/04/dishing-it-digging-it-link-party-92.html
LikeLike
Thank you, Lori! I’ll be sure to visit you!
LikeLike
GAH!!! That crock pot story has me super bummed for you! That’s the point of a crock pot dinner – to have dinner ready when you come in. What a disappointment! I don’t know if a surge protector would work? Who knows. But loving your 2 week menu concept. I’m thinking of adapting something similar post-baby. Do a 2 week menu and then just do it over and over again for a few months until life settles down… same grocery store, same grocery list.
LikeLike
That’s not a bad idea! Hit up Costco and stock up on everything all at once and be done!
LikeLike
Hi Whitney –
My name is Jennifer…and I tried contacting you my email (here on your blog). I was just wondering if you received the email? I had someone, yesterday, say they did not receive (a work) email….so I thought I would check.
Just curious –
Thanks!!
LikeLike
Hi Jennifer! No, I didn’t receive your email. You can send me a message at facebook.com/homeforcomfort if that’s easier. Hope you’re having a great day!
LikeLike
Oh NO!!! I totally would have cried. That did happen to me once, but I caught it an hour later. So sorry :(.
LikeLike
It was the saddest thing!
LikeLike
I went to Aldis the other day and picked up some great produce and milk at a wonderful price. I may stop by there every now and then to get the bargains. And I have to say again how pretty your dessert looked on Instagram. I love old glass ware and it makes me happy to see a young lady who likes it too!!
LikeLike
Aww, thanks friend! I love those dishes too! It’s a good idea to find out what day they get a new truck of produce and shop that morning. Sometimes it’s feast or famine with produce at Aldi, and knowing the truck day makes a difference.
LikeLike
Thanks for the hint!!
LikeLike