9 Aldi Items Frugal People Always Buy

Compared to other grocery store chains, Aldi still offers affordable prices without sacrificing the quality of its products for sale. If you are trying to save money this month, you might visit Aldi for all your grocery staples.

GOBankingRates spoke to several Aldi shopping enthusiasts to share their top picks for inexpensive Aldi grocery essentials. Keep reading to see which Aldi items you should buy if you’re on a tight budget.

One popular grocery staple on a frugal budget is uncooked rice, which you can get at Aldi at a reasonable price. It lasts a long time when stored properly.

“You can get a five pound bag of jasmine rice for pennies on the dollar,” said David Bakke, shopping expert at DollarSanity.

He added that not even major supermarket chains like Kroger can’t beat the prices on rice you can find at Aldi. Five pounds of Earthly Grains jasmine rice, for example, retails for $6.49 at Aldi.

The cost of meat has steadily increased over the years, but shoppers can still find affordable poultry options. This includes chicken, ground beef and lamb. 

Joanna Chodorowska, holistic sports nutrition and eating disorder recovery coach at Nutrition in Motion, said she has shopped at Aldi specifically for grass-fed ground beef, 85% lean, and lamb. Currently, Never Any! ground lamb costs $5.85 per pound at Aldi.

Aldi’s selection of loose fruits and vegetables — that is, produce you pick yourself — tends to be reasonably priced.

“If you shop at Aldi a lot, you know that the availability of fresh produce is hit and miss at best. I get that. But for the stuff that they do have in stock, the prices are amazing,” Bakke said. “This is especially true for fresh berries in the springtime. I can’t wait for that, because their pricing is insanely cheap and the quality is good.”

Chodorowska added that fresh produce is one of the top things she shops for at Aldi. “My usual purchases include arugula and spinach salad mix — $3.29 per tub.”

Just because you’re living frugally doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself occasionally. Chodorowska said she often buys potato chips at Aldi, because they don’t have any bad oils in them — just potatoes, oil and salt.

Not only that, but the store’s potato chips are generally priced low. For example, a 10-ounce bag of Clancy’s wavy potato chips costs $2.09.

Whether you enjoy baking or you want something sweet to snack on, Aldi’s chocolate is both tasty and inexpensive.

Chodorowska said she specifically shops for Ghirardelli chocolate baking chips, which she said cost around $1.99 at her local Aldi. Or you can get an 11.5-ounce bag of Baker’s Corner milk chocolate morsels at $3.59. 

As for chocolate bars, Chodorowska recommends the dark chocolate private-label brands sold at Aldi. For example, shoppers can get a 5.29-ounce bar of Choceur dark chocolate almond for $2.19 each.

Facial tissues are essential for households susceptible to seasonal colds or allergies. They’re also long-lasting and affordable at Aldi.

“We’ve got allergy issues in my household, so we buy a lot of tissues,” Bakke said. “The Aldi brand tissues are cheaper than Kroger or Publix, and while they are more expensive than the dollar-store brand, they’re of much higher quality.”

Depending on where you live, you might be able to find prices comparable to Dollar Tree’s pricing. For example, Aldi sells Willow facial tissue for $1.45 with 144 tissues inside each box.

Honey is one of those household essentials that lasts a long time when stored properly. But it can be expensive if you’re not careful.

For Chodorowska, Aldi’s the go-to place to shop for honey, as it costs around $4.99 where she lives. At some locations, you can get honey for even less. A bottle of Berryhill honey costs $3.25.

Irish butter is another item frugal people often buy at Aldi. According to Chodorowska, it costs about $3.29 where she lives.

If you’re trying to save even more money and don’t mind an alternative spread, you can pick up a 15-ounce container of Countryside Creamery “Tastes Like Butter” spread for $3.09.

Finding cheap eggs for sale has been a serious struggle for frugal grocery shoppers over the last few years. 

While Aldi has not been immune to this form of inflation, their $7.05 price tag for a dozen Goldhen large white eggs is competitive compared to other supermarkets. Walmart, for example, prices their dozen large white eggs for $7.97. That’s nearly a dollar more than you’d pay at Aldi.

Angela Mae contributed to the reporting for this piece.

Editor’s note: Prices and availability are accurate as of April 2, 2025, and are subject to change.