When it comes to saving money and staying on budget, groceries are usually a hot topic! It is definitely a big item for me since I enjoy buying food. Meal planning and shopping at Aldi are two ways I have found to help keep my grocery budget on track. Check out our Aldi Gracery Haul and Meal Plan!
As I mentioned before, I am not great at personal budgeting. I’m not sure what I was thinking. We came up with a number for a monthly budget on groceries and I guess I just thought it would magically happen.
I sat down last weekend and added up all my grocery charges and realized I had already gone over by about $50! How did that happen? With a little over a week left in the month, I wasn’t sure what to do. We could cover it but I really wanted to stick as close to the budget as possible.
Obviously, I decided to go through the pantry and the freezer to see what we already had. I realized we had plenty of pasta, snacks, peanut butter, pasta & pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, cous cous, canned vegetables and frozen fruit. I also found a couple of baking potatoes.
After visiting ALDI for the first time a few weeks ago, I realized they have some amazing prices. I decided to wait for the weekly flyer to come out and plan out a few meals to get us through the rest of the month.
Aldi Grocery Haul
I have to say I was pretty excited to get everything we needed for the week for $45.69! I did forget the milk though. We had a mishap in the dairy aisle that got me distracted. Here is what I was able to get.
- 7 lbs of bananas – $3.09 (for smoothies)
- Seedless watermelon – $2.99
- 32 Ounce Tub of Organic Yogurt – $2.99 (for smoothies)
- Strawberries – $1.29
- Blueberries – $1.29
- Sandwich Thins – $1.69
- Box of Organic Mac and Cheese – 1.15
- 4 pack of Naan Flatbreads – $3.49 (for pizzas)
- Honey Bear – $2.99 (for making energy balls & granola bars)
- Organic Mixed Greens – $1.99
- Four Ears of Corn – $1.29
- 1 lb Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef – $5.29
- 1 lb Chicken Breast – $3.86
- Taco Shells – $0.89
- Sliced Colby Jack Cheese – $1.79
- 3 lb bag of Fuji apples – $3.29
- 2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles – $0.90
- Tortilla Chips – $1.69
- Chocolate Chips – $1.79 (for making energy balls & muffins)
- Three pack of Bell Peppers – $1.49
Aldi Meal Plan for the week!
With this ALDI’s haul and what we have on hand, this is what our menu plan will look like. It includes lots of simple options for breakast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Breakfast Options
- Homemade Granola
- Smoothies
- Homemade Muffins
- Eggs
- Fruit
Simple Lunches
- Peanut Butter and Jelly
- Cheese Sandwiches
- Salads
- Mac and Cheese
- Mini PIzzas on the Sandwich Thins
- Fruit for sides
Snack Options
- Goldfish
- Pretzels
- Fruit
- Veggie Straws
- Energy Balls
- Granola
Dinner Plan
- Wednesday – Pasta with Marina Sauce and green beans
- Thursday – Leftover Hawaiian Chicken with Cous Cous and Salad
- Friday – Homemade Pizzas on Naan Bread with Salad
- Saturday – Grilled Chicken with Baked Potatoes and Corn on the Cob
- Sunday – Ground Beef Tacos
- Monday – Rice or Cous Cous Bowls with leftover chicken and/or taco meat
- Tuesday – Pasta with Marinara Sauce and salad
There you have it! This simple Aldi Grocery Haul and Meal Plan got us through the week. Meal planning doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated. This was a great reminder for myself to keep it simple.
Hopefully I’ll do a better job next month! I know we can eat healthy and stick to a budget! I just started a group board on Pinterest today for Healthy Meal Planning on A Budget. Feel free to follow along if you need some extra inspiration as well! 🙂
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Aldi has such great prices! I wish we had them here.
They really do! After a couple of times, I think I am getting the hang of it and should be able to save some money now. Hopefully they will open a store near you soon!
Aldis made a huge difference in our shopping budget, it was a game changer. I think shopping at Aldis will really help. Just yesterday I went to the other store instead of aldis & the cost was almost double.
I can see how you could spend double! There really is a big difference in some of the pricing. I am excited to see how much I can actually save next month! 🙂
I just discovered Aldi and am OBSESSED! I was always too intimidated to go before bsiba friend took me… The prices are a fraction of the cost! Thanks for sharing!
I totally understand! It can be intimidating and overwhelming!
That’s not bad! I’ve heard great things about Aldi but the closest one to us is 45 minutes away. We are getting a Food City around the corner from our house though, so I’m hoping I can stop shopping at Walmart soon and still save money!
That is awesome! I try to stay away from Walmart because I always end up with way more than what I had on my list!
I haven’t been to Aldi. Before I saw your list, I didn’t think any meat had been purchased with a bill that low. Wrong! I have to check them out!
You should totally check it out! They have great weekly specials on meat & produce!
Thanks for the tips! I love Aldi! I have such a hard time when I go grocery shopping because I don’t usually shop with a list or a plan and wow does that make a big difference. Will have to try this out. Thanks for a great post!
I would be lost without a list! I try to do a weekly menu plan.
I’ve wanted to do a gorcery haul on my blog! This is a great post. I always forget to take note of what I have in my pantry and freezer. I’ve started taking a picture of my fridge before I go shopping so I know what I have. Not sure why I don’t do it for the other places!
What a great idea to take a picture! I’ll have to try that! Let me know if you do a grocery haul. I would love to read about it!
Wow, this is great! I’ll have to see if I have an ALDI nearby.
Definitely Jenna! Have a great weekend!
Arg, I love Aldi so much it makes me angry!
OH no!
Oh you are so lucky! I don’t have an Aldi within 100 miles of me, but I hear so many good things. There is a lot more effort to meal plan within a budget without it.
Sticking to a budget is hard enough! It is helpful to have great stores nearby.
Wow that’s incredible! I’m feeding just myself and always go over my budget. Definitely wish we had an Aldi near my place!
I didn’t realize how hard it is to budget! I am determined not to go over next month!
We don’t have an Aldi’s here but I know a lot of mom’s love it!!! xoxo
This mom definitely loves it! Have a great weekend!
In the past, I have not been a big fan of Aldi, but this is pretty persuasive. i just won’t buy organic products, because of the marketing tactics and the fact that it is not necessarily healthier or better for the environment. That being said, looks like you made out really well!
Hi Amanda! You should give it a shot! I was very overwhelmed this first time I went but think I can make it work now.
So impressive you got that for under $50. What great deals!
Thanks Corey! I was pretty excited!
That is awesome you got it for under $50. I was thinking around $47 and you did better than that! Great job!!! Smoothies sound really good to add to my menu this week. Great idea 🙂
Thank you! You made a great guess! 🙂
Those prices are so low! I’ve been in Aldi’s once but didn’t shop. I may have to check them out again.
Maybe I gotta take a second look at Aldi 🙂
This is so awesome! I’ve only been to aldi once and liked it so idk why I’ve never been back!
That’s incredible! I can’t believe you purchased all of that food for less than $50! I wish I had an Aldi by me – wow.
Wow that’s great! We have an ALDI in my town, but quite honestly I’ve never been in there. I need to give it a shot, to try and lower my grocery bill some
Ive been working on meal prepping and it saves so much money! You really nailed it!
Aldi has amazing prices! You got lots of good stuff for less than $50!! You did really good! I just became an Aldi shopper within the last 2 years or so, so I still consider myself learning all about Aldi
Groceries always seem to give my budget a hard time. It is so easy to go over budget but meal planning is a life-saver!
Wow that’s amazing!! I can’t believe you bought all of those items for under $50.
HOLY CRAP! I don’t know that I have ever paid 2.99 for a watermelon!
This is awesome! We also got back on our budgeting and Aldi really helps! Their prices are great!