I whole-heartedly agree!
When I was making $9 and hour, had no car but had rent and student loans to pay, Aldi saved my bacon.
Unfortunately, my Aldi stores also have produce that is a day or two away from going bad (western suburbs of Chicago). Even if they just threw away what had already gone bad (which common senses tells you no one will be buying anyway) this would be a big improvement. However, I will say it looks like they are making major upgrades to my store.
While I am a huge fan when it comes to anything that is shelf-stable at Aldi, once in a while you will find something that is actually more expensive than at a regular store. This is where getting a feel for what different items costs in terms of $ per ounce becomes very useful. I have found that Aldi + trip to local store for produce and weekly sale items has worked for me.
We Love our Aldi!! Produce has really not been a problem here. Love their apples, grapes, mushrooms, etc. etc. You do need to watch the strawberries when they are available, only good for a few days. But the price negates that. I love their international foods or specials.. The German is good but their Italian is great also!!
Fondy Mueller's
I have several ways I save when eating out. One of the ways I save money on fast food is to use coupons or answer the surveys on the back of receipts. Burger King has a coupon on the back of the receipt for a free chicken sandwich or whopper with a drink and fry purchase. My particular restaurant is happy to substitute a side salad for the fries. So for $2.24 I can have a small drink, salad and sandwich. Arbys has a free sandwich on the back of its receipts. Wendy's has a $2 off a large salad or sandwich. All of these discounts help.
I also utilize discount cards like the Subway sub club. I save up my points and treat my family to a subway meal while on vacation. Red Robin also has a club and sign up gives you a free app. I happen to love their fried zuchinni and mushrooms. My husband loves their chili con queso dip. Usually when we hit restaurants my husband and I will purchase appetizers. We also go on days where they have specials. On Thursdays we will go enjoy Bull and Bones 50 cent wings. On Mondays Macados has half off Hindenburgs(they feed 4 people so we have leftovers.)
A third way we save is to order from the a la carte menu. Our favorite mexican restaurant has a salsa bar. We enjoy chips and salsa and then I will order 2 mexican tacos for $5.50 off the ala cart. If I do order an entree I usually end up getting two meals out of the entrees because the portions are generous. I almost always order water and save my calories for my food. I save money and it is healthier.
The only place I do not choose to save is on the tip. If I spulge on a restaurant and my husband and I sit down I expect to tip at least $5 and up to $10 depending on the service we receive. It ensures that if and when we come back we will have attentive servers that are happy to see us.
Your list demonstrates your ignorance regarding coupons. Maybe 20 years ago using coupons was time consuming. Nowadays, using coupons is easy with the internet. There are several FREE websites that offer coupon matchups. I am sorry that saving money is not a priority for you.
ALDI in the past (here in Springfield, Illinois) was a waste of space with all crappy produce and unhealthy everything in a dirty hole with bad hours. A couple of years ago I lost my job and I went back into ALDI and was surprised at the changes. The cheeses blow away anything from any other grocery around here. The produce has totally improved (and I am picky here). They have great chocolates, soy milk, pasta sauce, whole grain crackers, good german beer and mustard. Olive oil, sea salt, granola, nuts, one semi whole grain spaghetti. I like the Fit and Healthy line. Their garbage bags are better than the name brands we tried. I always shop there first and buy what I cannot there elsewhere. Then they built a big new store! I will shop for taste and health over price if I have to. Many of the ALDI products now do not make me sacrifice in that. Now that said, one does have to read the labels, for example, many of the crackers they have I will not buy as I stick to a 2 gram of fiber minimun.
Great list of e-sites. Ultimate Buy Back sounds interesting because I have a lot of used games and such. I'm thinking about starting up a small company in a garage called "we sell your crap on online," kind of like the store from the 40 year old virgin. Then I'll sell people's crap they don't want anymore on the internet, and make a commission off each item I sell. Is that a good idea? I can't find one that's already established in my city so I might be the first.
Zorcy,
In my previous post I said that I used cracked corn. I bought it from a feed mill and they said it was cracked, but it was actually rolled corn. Dried whole kernel corn ran under rollers to crack it. Did this cause any of my problems? I added the yeast in dry when the mash temp was around 78-80 degrees. When I stirred I agitated and I did this 2 times, only once daily. I don’t know what you mean by telling me you should have kept it after heads were tossed. I added all the ingredients and then put the lid on along with the airlock on top. Did I need to leave it open for a certain amount of time? YES I have had plenty of moonshine before. I actually used to buy from a person and split it up out of gallon jars and sold it as pints to make money. I have had nasty tasting shine along with smooth shine and neither smelt the way this did. The smell is nothing I have ever smelled before. I dumped 2 cups off the run and then I took a sip and it made my tongue go numb and the taste was very nasty. As much moonshine as I have drank and sold I have always had the desire to make it myself. I bought supplies off the web and tried this recipe and it failed. I will keep trying till I succeed. I just need a little helpful advice along the way. I do appreciate any advice I receive.
My husband and I do many things to save money when eating out -- coupons, specials, and day-of-the week specials and early-bird specials are some examples. The best things we do now are: 1) Drink water with lemon instead of hugely over-priced tea or soda; 2) order one appetizer and one entree and split them -- restaurant portions are enormous anyway, and this works well for us, even if the place charges a fee to share; and 3) have appetizers only -- this is our current favorite!
i am having an interview at 9am,i am in Botswana..its an interview on a certain exchange program between my university and a certain college in michigan.What should i expect,its my first tym having gone thru an interview and m so nervous.pliz i nid help
I must say that I generally like shopping at Aldi, for many of the reasons already already mentioned. I will add that I really like how quickly their cashiers work. They're quick and efficient without being rude. Their system really works.
On the other hand, their Beaumont coffee doesn't even come close to Chock Full o'Nuts Columbian, IMHO, as the bang-for-the-buck champion. And a lot of their meat/poultry is injected with a salt solution, which is not only less healthful than just plain meat, but also is a hidden extra cost (if the roast is injected with a "12% solution", you're paying beef prices for the 1/8 of the roast that's water).
We go out for pizza at our favorite place on Monday s...with a half price coupon in hand! Its my favorite night of the week and costs about $25, including a generous tip!!
We take several mini vacations a year. in order to afford this we "SHARE" vacations with others. Last week a few of us rented a fully furnished cottage at the beach, signed up to provide one meal for the group and the result was....Only $50. per family total room cost, the cost of one meal to share & the rest of the time all our meals were cooked for us!! (cheaper than restarants) including gas out whole trip was less than $100. for the family & we had 6 full meals provided (other than the one we did) when we want alone family time...we camp or find new places to travel to useing restarant.com & groupon.
My money-saving strategies for dining out are pretty standard:
* happy hour
* early bird (as long as you can be 32 and partake!)
* day-of-the-week specials (i.e. 1/2 price burger Monday)
* splitting 1 each of appetizer, entree, and glass of wine/beer with my husband
* Groupons! (and other deals of that ilk)
* regular coupons
Oh, and I almost forgot! You can combine the bus/frugal mooch with Groupon/Google/Living Social-type offers in the city you're visiting. It's a great way to treat your hosts to a nice dinner out, an evening of bowling, a sunset cruise, or something else fun. You may also find discounted offers on events and places to visit yourself. If you're not sure whether a restaurant is good, check it out on yelp.com.
Great article! Now is it RUDE if I make a copy and set it on the bed of the room some REALLY rude guests will be staying this week? I have no choice but to put them up and its usually a nightmare- how do you tell people they suck politely?- lol!!!
Gourmet coffee - equal or better than Green Mountain, Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, or what have you, for about half price. Can't beat it.
German holiday cookies - lebkuchen, dominosteine, zimtsterne, you name it. You think you're at an Aldi in Berlin. Stock up on those for Christmas, and drive out to someplace where there is no Aldi, like Lousiville, Kentucky. Everybody will love you for it.
In fact, anything with their brand "Deutsche Kuche" on it. Lecker!
I whole-heartedly agree!
When I was making $9 and hour, had no car but had rent and student loans to pay, Aldi saved my bacon.
Unfortunately, my Aldi stores also have produce that is a day or two away from going bad (western suburbs of Chicago). Even if they just threw away what had already gone bad (which common senses tells you no one will be buying anyway) this would be a big improvement. However, I will say it looks like they are making major upgrades to my store.
While I am a huge fan when it comes to anything that is shelf-stable at Aldi, once in a while you will find something that is actually more expensive than at a regular store. This is where getting a feel for what different items costs in terms of $ per ounce becomes very useful. I have found that Aldi + trip to local store for produce and weekly sale items has worked for me.
We Love our Aldi!! Produce has really not been a problem here. Love their apples, grapes, mushrooms, etc. etc. You do need to watch the strawberries when they are available, only good for a few days. But the price negates that. I love their international foods or specials.. The German is good but their Italian is great also!!
Fondy Mueller's
try caprese lentil salad, just take tomatoes, mozz chees, basil, cooked lentils, some olive oile and balsamic, chill a bit, yummy
Love love aldi, not a real problem with produce at our local aldi, prices for staples cannot be beat. Our aldi even sells wine and beer.
I have several ways I save when eating out. One of the ways I save money on fast food is to use coupons or answer the surveys on the back of receipts. Burger King has a coupon on the back of the receipt for a free chicken sandwich or whopper with a drink and fry purchase. My particular restaurant is happy to substitute a side salad for the fries. So for $2.24 I can have a small drink, salad and sandwich. Arbys has a free sandwich on the back of its receipts. Wendy's has a $2 off a large salad or sandwich. All of these discounts help.
I also utilize discount cards like the Subway sub club. I save up my points and treat my family to a subway meal while on vacation. Red Robin also has a club and sign up gives you a free app. I happen to love their fried zuchinni and mushrooms. My husband loves their chili con queso dip. Usually when we hit restaurants my husband and I will purchase appetizers. We also go on days where they have specials. On Thursdays we will go enjoy Bull and Bones 50 cent wings. On Mondays Macados has half off Hindenburgs(they feed 4 people so we have leftovers.)
A third way we save is to order from the a la carte menu. Our favorite mexican restaurant has a salsa bar. We enjoy chips and salsa and then I will order 2 mexican tacos for $5.50 off the ala cart. If I do order an entree I usually end up getting two meals out of the entrees because the portions are generous. I almost always order water and save my calories for my food. I save money and it is healthier.
The only place I do not choose to save is on the tip. If I spulge on a restaurant and my husband and I sit down I expect to tip at least $5 and up to $10 depending on the service we receive. It ensures that if and when we come back we will have attentive servers that are happy to see us.
Your list demonstrates your ignorance regarding coupons. Maybe 20 years ago using coupons was time consuming. Nowadays, using coupons is easy with the internet. There are several FREE websites that offer coupon matchups. I am sorry that saving money is not a priority for you.
ALDI in the past (here in Springfield, Illinois) was a waste of space with all crappy produce and unhealthy everything in a dirty hole with bad hours. A couple of years ago I lost my job and I went back into ALDI and was surprised at the changes. The cheeses blow away anything from any other grocery around here. The produce has totally improved (and I am picky here). They have great chocolates, soy milk, pasta sauce, whole grain crackers, good german beer and mustard. Olive oil, sea salt, granola, nuts, one semi whole grain spaghetti. I like the Fit and Healthy line. Their garbage bags are better than the name brands we tried. I always shop there first and buy what I cannot there elsewhere. Then they built a big new store! I will shop for taste and health over price if I have to. Many of the ALDI products now do not make me sacrifice in that. Now that said, one does have to read the labels, for example, many of the crackers they have I will not buy as I stick to a 2 gram of fiber minimun.
Great list of e-sites. Ultimate Buy Back sounds interesting because I have a lot of used games and such. I'm thinking about starting up a small company in a garage called "we sell your crap on online," kind of like the store from the 40 year old virgin. Then I'll sell people's crap they don't want anymore on the internet, and make a commission off each item I sell. Is that a good idea? I can't find one that's already established in my city so I might be the first.
I try not to order a beverage, just water with lemon. that or I try to share a meal, since most portions are more than I can handle :)
I use coupons when possible, split meals, and not ordering soda!
facebook fan
I earn gift cards by doing surveys and also buy them on restaurant.com
Zorcy,
In my previous post I said that I used cracked corn. I bought it from a feed mill and they said it was cracked, but it was actually rolled corn. Dried whole kernel corn ran under rollers to crack it. Did this cause any of my problems? I added the yeast in dry when the mash temp was around 78-80 degrees. When I stirred I agitated and I did this 2 times, only once daily. I don’t know what you mean by telling me you should have kept it after heads were tossed. I added all the ingredients and then put the lid on along with the airlock on top. Did I need to leave it open for a certain amount of time? YES I have had plenty of moonshine before. I actually used to buy from a person and split it up out of gallon jars and sold it as pints to make money. I have had nasty tasting shine along with smooth shine and neither smelt the way this did. The smell is nothing I have ever smelled before. I dumped 2 cups off the run and then I took a sip and it made my tongue go numb and the taste was very nasty. As much moonshine as I have drank and sold I have always had the desire to make it myself. I bought supplies off the web and tried this recipe and it failed. I will keep trying till I succeed. I just need a little helpful advice along the way. I do appreciate any advice I receive.
I love Aldi's, but since we're avoiding MSG I have to be superpsychotic about reading the labels.
Wow, THAT'S a sentence....
My husband and I do many things to save money when eating out -- coupons, specials, and day-of-the week specials and early-bird specials are some examples. The best things we do now are: 1) Drink water with lemon instead of hugely over-priced tea or soda; 2) order one appetizer and one entree and split them -- restaurant portions are enormous anyway, and this works well for us, even if the place charges a fee to share; and 3) have appetizers only -- this is our current favorite!
i am having an interview at 9am,i am in Botswana..its an interview on a certain exchange program between my university and a certain college in michigan.What should i expect,its my first tym having gone thru an interview and m so nervous.pliz i nid help
I must say that I generally like shopping at Aldi, for many of the reasons already already mentioned. I will add that I really like how quickly their cashiers work. They're quick and efficient without being rude. Their system really works.
On the other hand, their Beaumont coffee doesn't even come close to Chock Full o'Nuts Columbian, IMHO, as the bang-for-the-buck champion. And a lot of their meat/poultry is injected with a salt solution, which is not only less healthful than just plain meat, but also is a hidden extra cost (if the roast is injected with a "12% solution", you're paying beef prices for the 1/8 of the roast that's water).
We use coupons, drink water, eat an appetizer as a meal, and/or get food as take-out, rather than eating in, to save on the bill.
We go out for pizza at our favorite place on Monday s...with a half price coupon in hand! Its my favorite night of the week and costs about $25, including a generous tip!!
We take several mini vacations a year. in order to afford this we "SHARE" vacations with others. Last week a few of us rented a fully furnished cottage at the beach, signed up to provide one meal for the group and the result was....Only $50. per family total room cost, the cost of one meal to share & the rest of the time all our meals were cooked for us!! (cheaper than restarants) including gas out whole trip was less than $100. for the family & we had 6 full meals provided (other than the one we did) when we want alone family time...we camp or find new places to travel to useing restarant.com & groupon.
My money-saving strategies for dining out are pretty standard:
* happy hour
* early bird (as long as you can be 32 and partake!)
* day-of-the-week specials (i.e. 1/2 price burger Monday)
* splitting 1 each of appetizer, entree, and glass of wine/beer with my husband
* Groupons! (and other deals of that ilk)
* regular coupons
Oh, and I almost forgot! You can combine the bus/frugal mooch with Groupon/Google/Living Social-type offers in the city you're visiting. It's a great way to treat your hosts to a nice dinner out, an evening of bowling, a sunset cruise, or something else fun. You may also find discounted offers on events and places to visit yourself. If you're not sure whether a restaurant is good, check it out on yelp.com.
There's no polite way to tell anybody they suck. But I've been known to pack up someone's things and put them outside. They usually get the point. :)
Great article! Now is it RUDE if I make a copy and set it on the bed of the room some REALLY rude guests will be staying this week? I have no choice but to put them up and its usually a nightmare- how do you tell people they suck politely?- lol!!!
Here's another one (or two):
Gourmet coffee - equal or better than Green Mountain, Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, or what have you, for about half price. Can't beat it.
German holiday cookies - lebkuchen, dominosteine, zimtsterne, you name it. You think you're at an Aldi in Berlin. Stock up on those for Christmas, and drive out to someplace where there is no Aldi, like Lousiville, Kentucky. Everybody will love you for it.
In fact, anything with their brand "Deutsche Kuche" on it. Lecker!