This is a sponsored post as part of a partnership with ALDI. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Every week it’s the same thing. I try to find a way to cut our grocery bill but I rarely get it under $100/wk. Mostly because I am really really bad at couponing (just not in my genes!) or I forget my “rewards” cards or both. Add that to the fact that I have recently switched over to buying as much organic, GMO free items as possible, and well, it adds up. It’s been pretty tough to get my family what I think is the best and save money, well, that is, until now.

Last week, I got a chance to go on a Behind The Scenes store tour at a recently opened ALDI store to kick off ALDI coming to Southern California.

The tour gave us a quick yet in-depth look at not just how budget friendly ALDI store products are, but also of the quality of them. Trust me when say, we have many reasons to celebrate ALDI coming to Southern California, here are just a few of them.

ALDI Premium Brands

More than 90 percent of the groceries sold are under ALDI premium exclusive brands – regularly tested in the ALDI Test Kitchen to make sure the quality and taste is just as good, if not better, than the national brands. I brought home some items to compare and have my family taste. Let me tell you something, we all LOVED the ALDI store brand of most of the items I got…and we aren’t usually into store brands. My husband is pretty hooked on the cereal and coffee products and my daughter loves the snacks and juices I brought home. Your family will fall in love, trust me!

Unbelievable Prices

At ALDI, shoppers don’t pay for hidden costs because ALDI chooses to save shoppers money rather than have non-essential grocery store services like in-store banking, pharmacies and check cashing. This means ALDI customers only pay for freshness and quality, all while keeping their grocery carts full and their wallets even fuller. Plus, because they carry more than 90% of private ALDI branded foods, they pass their cost savings to you, the shopper.

ALDI Double Guarantee

Trying new things at ALDI is risk-free because of the ALDI Double Guarantee. If for any reason a customer doesn’t like an ALDI exclusive brand food, they’ll give them their money back and replace the product. This really put my mind at ease because I have a pretty picky kid. Usually, I don’t branch out for fear of wasting money on something she won’t eat, and I am definitely not about wasting money. With ALDI Double Guarantee, I feel good about trying new things and not wasting a penny in the process in case my picky eater doesn’t like it (hasn’t been a problem yet!).

Organic and Locally Grown Produce

ALDI offers organic products like bananas, tomatoes, avocados, apples and salad mixes, and its SimplyNature line has milk, almond butter and salsa, just to name a few. ALDI organic products have an easy-to-spot “organic” seal on the packaging. Plus, ALDI carries a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, including organic and locally grown produce. Customers will find the freshest available produce at the lowest possible prices every time they walk into any ALDI store. California shoppers can look forward to an even wider variety of fresh produce at our stores thanks to the year-round growing climate and the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in the region.

Gluten Free Selection

ALDI offers a variety of gluten-free foods, which have become increasingly important to customers in the past few years. The ALDI liveGfree line includes everything from baking staples and mixes to breads, crackers, chewy bars, cookies, cereals, pastas, frozen foods and more. I got to try some of the liveGfree cookies and, oh mah gawwwwd. They were absolutely DELICIOUS. I bought a few to snack on and I don’t even shop gluten free.

ALDI Finds

ALDI Finds are products that are only in stores for a limited time. Product variety depends on the season, and there’s usually a theme for the week’s Finds. ALDI advertises these specials in its weekly ads and online so shoppers can plan ahead. The week of the tour, we saw items like Kraft Olive Oil Mayonnaise, pet beds, chocolates and more. Definitely a good mix of all kinds of items.

Convenience

One of the cool things we found out during the tour is that the average ALDI store size is under 12,000 sq. ft. with wide lanes, and easy check out. Because prices are so low at ALDI stores, they do not offer or take coupons, nor do they have rewards clubs, making checkout lanes easier to breeze through.

I know what you’re thinking- there is no way this can be real. Well, don’t take my word for it, check it out yourself by keeping in touch with ALDI via the ALDI website, ALDI Blog, ALDI Facebook, ALDI Pinterest, ALDI Twitter, and the ALDI Instagram pages.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner will win a $25 ALDI gift card, courtesy of ALDI. Just enter on the form below. Ends 4/23 at 9pm PST. Void where prohibited. Please note that the gift card is only valid in California.