Henry, I hear ya on the suburban fatigue. I tell myself to look at it on the bright side and see all this hard work and effort paying off when I get to the mountains.
Aldi's has been a funny experiment. Several years ago before my Dad passed, he always raved about the one in Crystal River by his place. Planning to stock his frig and freezer before I left one time, when I went in to check that store out I wasn't very impressed. Seemed like a too small footprint for a grocery store and a lot of brands I didn't recognize. Thought of it kind of like a 5 and 10 grocery store knockoff. Ended up buying most of what I wanted to leave him with from the Publix down the street. This perception stayed with me for a few years.
I later realized the quality of the things I buy regularly are no less than what I'd get at Publix or anywhere else. As you mentioned, milk, bread, cheese, coffee creamer, chips, and some vegetables are way better priced than other stores. Their packaged meats aren't usually the best deal around, but the quality is there. And where else are you going to buy an 18" loaded frozen pizza for $4.99?
I realize everybody has their preference. But, when I can get the same quality at a much better price, I'm all over it.
Here is some of what I buy there pretty regular. Check these prices at Publix.
Milk - $2.99
Coffee creamer - $1.89
hot dog or hamburger buns/8 pk - $.89
1/2 lb of any popular cheese - $1.79 or $1.89
big bag of chips - $1.79
kielbasa - $1.89
doz eggs - $1.09
16 oz carbonated flavored waters - $.49/ea
12 oz cryovaced large sea scallops - $9.99
80/20 ground chuck - $2.59 and sometimes $1.89/lb for family pack
sliced Black Forest ham - $3.59/lb
They also have featured items from Germany every week, like pickles, cheeses, bratwurst, knockwurst, crackers, German breads, and so on.
I don't buy everything there. But, they beat the hell out of anywhere else for normal staples and I enjoy being able to frequently buy imported items at good prices.
