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I’m not a big Aldi shopper. But when I do find myself in the vicinity, I’ll occasionally pop in for some produce items to refill my supply. And I’m usually shocked — in a good way — at how much savings I’m able to reap by choosing Aldi over my usual supermarket.

But while there’s a clear financial benefit to buying groceries at Aldi, to me, the drawbacks greatly outweigh it. If you’re a busy person like I am, then I suggest forgetting about Aldi and sticking with a traditional supermarket instead.

The problem with Aldi

Indeed, shopping at Aldi can save you money. But you might also experience the frustration of not finding all of the items on your list and having to hit up other supermarkets. That’s not only annoying, but for someone like me who’s self-employed, it can actually take away from my working hours. And that hurts my income.

See, Aldi stocks its shelves with lesser-known brands and passes the savings along to its customers. But because of this approach, Aldi’s inventory can be inconsistent.

I’ve found that when I go to Aldi, I’m often only able to complete 50% to 75% of my weekly shopping list. As a busy self-employed mom who has little time to hunt around for food, that doesn’t work for me. And if it doesn’t work for you, either, then you shouldn’t force yourself to shop at Aldi because your time may be worth money.

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How to save money at your regular supermarket

If you’re now convinced that it doesn’t pay to do your food shopping at Aldi, you should know that with the right strategy, you can save money at a traditional grocery store that may have a better selection of goods.

First, look at the sales circular. If you don’t get one in the mail, you can generally find it online. See what’s on sale and plan your meals around those items.

Next, check the digital coupon section and load every coupon available onto your store card — even if you know you won’t use all of them. There’s no harm in adding extra coupons to your account, and you never know when you might decide to buy something you rarely eat on a whim. Plus, I find that the “add all” option saves me time, as opposed to having to look at each item on special and click on the coupon individually.

Finally, see if your regular supermarket has a clearance area — or several. I can tell you that where I shop, there’s an area near the front of the store where you can buy discounted bakery products that are about to go bad. I’m often able to purchase bagels, which my daughters eat daily, at 50% off their usual price or more. And if we can’t use them all up in time, I freeze the rest.

My supermarket also tends to stick soon-to-expire produce in one specific corner of that aisle. Not long ago, I found a bag of romaine lettuce with a same-day sell-by date. It looked fine and the package was 75% off. I bought it and served it for dinner, and there was nothing wrong with the quality or taste.

Don’t forget that your time may be worth money

If you have the time and patience to visit multiple supermarkets each week, then by all means, pop into Aldi and see what savings you can enjoy. But if you’re pressed for time like I am, forget Aldi and stick with a supermarket that’s more likely to fulfill your list. This especially applies if you’re self-employed and spending extra time grocery shopping limits your income-earning hours.

On my end, I can generally save $15 to $20 per week shopping at Aldi if I can find everything on my list. But it’s a big “if.” And if an Aldi run is incomplete and it costs me an extra hour of time due to having to hit up a second store, I’m losing a lot more than $15 to $20 in earnings. That’s how I justify the decision to skip Aldi most of the time.

But even if you’re not self-employed, if you’re just plain busy and aren’t able to buy everything you need at Aldi, you risk having to resort to takeout, which defeats your efforts to stick to a budget. And remember, too, that Aldi’s low prices may be closer to those of a traditional grocery store than you’d think if you hunt for discounts and stock up when you find them.

For example, the last time I bought pasta at Aldi, it was $0.99 per one-pound box. That’s not a price I normally find at my regular supermarket — unless I catch a sale. And recently, I did — and loaded up on pasta for $0.89 per box. So in that case, I saved myself time and money by skipping Aldi.

This won’t be the case for every product. But all told, there comes a point when your time is worth money. And if shopping at Aldi tends to make your life more difficult, you may want to think twice before you keep going there.

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