6 Items for Retirees To Splurge On, Settle For or Skip at Aldi
Written by
Brooke Barley
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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Aldi often has great deals, especially among their weekly specials. Even if the items aren’t a particularly solid price, they’re offering a lot of value that is worth the extra money. However, some items might not be worth picking up at all.
Here’s a look at what retirees should definitely be picking up at Aldi and what items to avoid.
Splurge: Benton’s Mini Waffle Cones — Milk Chocolate
- Price: $4.39
Craving a sweet treat? Reddit user Artemistical raved about these mini cones on the Aldi subreddit, saying “My new favorite Aldi snack! They are much better (and bigger) than others I’ve tried.” Though they might be pricier than other mini cones on the market, it seems they pack more punch in both size and flavor.
Splurge: Bake Shop Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Price: $4.29
Another fan favorite, this box of peanut butter cookies with chocolate chunks, pretzels, peanut butter chips, coconut flakes and white confectionary chunks is a hit on the Aldi subreddit. “These cookies are so good,” wrote user ILovePublicLibraries. For retirees looking to spend a little more for a tried and true dessert, this is the one.
Settle: Specially Selected Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough (16 oz.)
- Price: $3.85
This 16 oz. batch of tasty cookie dough was named one of the 2025 Products of the Year by the market research company Kantar. The winning combination of chocolate with salted caramel makes for very good cookies. It’s an easy dessert to make when having friends or grandkids over that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. Plus, it’s remarkably cheaper than other brands like Private Selection Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough that goes for $4.49 for the same amount of dough.
Settle: Boulder Tall Drawstring Kitchen Bags
- Price: $6.59
For those looking to pick up a box of trash bags, head to Aldi. These Boulder trash bags come with 45 bags. For comparison, a box of 25 from Target’s in-house brand costs $7.19.
Skip: Happy Farms Shredded Mexican Cheese (12 oz.)
- Price: $3.09
Though the quality of the cheese is fine, customers are more upset about the bag. Reddit user IPlayFo4 posted on the Aldi subreddit, “Every Aldi product with a ziploc has been horrible lately,” with a picture of this Happy Farms package of cheese. Furthermore, Target sells four ounces more cheese with less than a dollar difference in price.
Skip: Simply Nature Organic Ketchup
- Price: $2.39
Customers on the Aldi subreddit claim that although this organic ketchup used to be good, it’s not tasting quite the same. “They changed the organic ketchup,” wrote user bc343434. “More calories, more added sugar, and it’s definitely sweeter — and not in a good way. It’s noticeably worse. Even the lid was a nightmare to open.”
It might be a better idea to shop elsewhere for organic ketchup, or go with a classic brand like Heinz.
Disclaimer: Prices and availability accurate as of June 2, 2025 and subject to change.
Photo disclaimer: All imagery sourced from Aldi.us.
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