I love saving money. I guess most people do, but I really LOVE it, maybe too much at times. I don't know why it has taken me so long to make it to this place, but I decided today was the day....I went to Aldi Food Mart!

Have you been there? If so, you know why I was so excited. If not, let me tell you about it and then go find one in your neck of the woods and save your family some money on groceries too!

If that's not enough, then you should check out their Online Meal Planer!

BEFORE SHOPPING at Aldi, you need to know a few things:

1. They only take CASH, food stamps, and a handful of selected debit cards. (Your standard bank debit/credit card is not accepted. So, just run by your ATM and pick up some green.)

2. You need a quarter. If you plan on using their shopping cart, you need to insert a quarter as a deposit to use the shopping cart. You'll get it back when you leave though, so don't worry...its not a rip-off. (See pictures below)

3. Get over yourself. By that I mean, try to not be a snob and insist on name brand foods/items. Sure, some things are better than the generic. But with most things, the generic brand is often so similar to "the real thing" that you can't tell the difference. For example, I bought the kids "Toaster Tarts" instead of "Pop Tarts"....It saved me nearly $5.00!

4. They don't use grocery bags! Nope. Just like Sam's Club or Costco, you just grab some boxes along the way or bring your own bag from home. And they don't have someone to help you out to your car...you actually have to push the cart and groceries out to your own car AND load them yourself. THEN you actually have to return the shopping cart to the store. (For those of you who don't usually do that, please do it...for me!)

I used to shop at Aldi when I was in college. I used to brag that I could buy a whole months worth of food for under $50. That was about 10 years ago and my diet was primarily ramen noodles and frozen chicken, but still....$50 a month for food! That's impressive.

Today, I stopped by the bank and withdrew $100 cash and grabbed a quarter. I got excited to see they haven't changed much with the store other than updated their signage and selection.

When I shop, I turn into a little "Rain Man" version of myself. I start calculating price per unit, comparing brands, and keeping a running tally in my head. Today, I was so excited about it all that I lost track of the tally and as the lady was ringing it up, I started to worry that I would go over. I tried to assure myself that it probably happens to folks all the time, but was praying it wouldn't happen to me! She read off the total: $60.37...what?! I was way under! Woohoo!!!

Why do I love Aldi so much? It comes down to the savings. I usually budget about $100 per week for food for our family. Today, I just spent a little over $60 and I bought 2 WEEKS worth of food!!!!