With Americans feeling the sting of inflation as they buy everything from everyday necessities to holiday gifts, every penny counts.
That’s probably why a tweet about an Aldi’s grocery run from Andrew Lokenauth, the founder of the Finance Newsletter, went viral on Dec. 5.
Lokenauth posted a photo of a grocery haul, saying “This is what $108 from Aldi gets you.”
Related: Skyrocketing restaurant prices outpace grocery costs: What it means for consumers
The photo showed a wide variety of everyday essentials, including fruits, vegetables, bread, eggs, cheese, and a few prepackaged meals.
This is what $108 from Aldi gets you: pic.twitter.com/6Zj3sAdDVY
— Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com (@FluentInFinance) December 5, 2023
By Dec. 5, the post had more than 2,300 replies and had been liked more than 53,000 times. The comment section was also lively, with many quick to point out the pros and cons of what they saw in the picture.
One user agreed the haul was great value for the cost, but the writer still had a bone to pick with one thing about Aldi’s: the freshness of its produce.
ALDIs is def a gem but sometimes their produce goes bad way too soon.
— Tay 🌺 (@taytheegemini) December 5, 2023
Another was quick to point out that the haul was missing one key item that typically drives up the cost of any grocery bill: meat.
Is there not any meat in that haul?
— Nick Carr (@NickHCarr) December 5, 2023
Food costs jumped 10.4% in 2022 and have risen more since then, and many shoppers are seeking alternatives to find a way to reduce their spend.
Privately held Aldi has been a top pick for many in 2023, and the German grocery chain has seized the opportunity, forging an agreement to buy Winn-Dixie and Harvey’s Supermarket in August to expand its reach.
The deal is set to close in 2024 and the two chains will retain their current branding.
As far as other ways to save, some have found that Trader Joe’s is worth the visit for specific items, such as eggs, fish, olive oil, and cheese.
California residents have also started flocking to Grocery Outlet, a chain of 400 stores that has been called “the T.J. Maxx of groceries.”
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