Aldi Trip: Europe Edition ~ The Aldi Aisle of Shame is There Too!

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This is a super random blog post, but if you've hung out long on Passionate Penny Pincher at all, you know that we love a good Aldi find around here, and our Aldi Finds in the Aldi “Aisle of Shame” might just be our favorite place to go. So when our family visited Austria for Spring Break (it's actually cheaper to ski right now in Europe than it is in the United States for Spring Break?) it was the first place I went to after waking up on our first day.

(I had to find coffee supplies and didn't want to spend a fortune ~ the view from our hotel room was too good to leave in the morning for a quick coffee brew!)

My family was skiing but I chose to stay home on the first day, and according to Google maps, Aldi was just under a mile away. I stole my 17-year-old's backpack, popped my walking shoes on, and headed out (hoping I would find it without much trouble – we only had access to wifi while in hotel room so I was a little nervous, but also determined to go!) 🙂

It took about 20 minutes to find the local Aldi but once I was there, I checked out EVERYthing they had in the store. (I am seriously such a dork ~ YES this is what I did for my own day on vacation. I couldn't wait to see how the stores compared to what we had at home!)

Here are my favorite seven things I found at Aldi in Europe (Austria to be exact!) while making a quick trip:

1. Aldi in Europe has carts just like us ~ but they also have the cutest kids' carts too!

(I actually saw another grocery store before I hit Aldi and at first thought it was an Aldi because it also had “quarter keeper” type carts, but it turns out that's true at most European grocery stores ~ I knew I was at Aldi though when I rounded the corner and found the official sign.)

2. Aldi produce in Europe is just like America ~

They're a little picked over and you've got to scoot to the second cardboard box down for the fresh fruit, but super reasonably priced and tons to choose from.

3. Do NOT skip the bread Aisle at Aldi in Europe (it's next level!)

I stopped by another grocery in town and the breads were nearly double the cost (the $.25 pretzels here were $.49 there!) If you're feeding a bunch, this is an easy way for them to feel super fancy and European on a penny pinched budget.

4. The Aldi flowers in Europe are AH-MAZING. 

Ah.

M.

A.

ZING.

5. Aldi in Europe has tons of amazing deli and quick food options.

Just like in America, the Aldi I visited in Austria had huge pizzas, massive trays of cheese and deli meats for charcuterie boards or snacking, and tons of great quick service options in both their frozen & deli sections of the store. 

(Tip: they sell wine too. While I personally don't drink alcohol, I've got to say the options were pretty endless there and I had to take a picture for you!)

6. Last but not least….. the Aldi Aisle of Shame (just like ours here in America!) is next level. 

(in fact, it kind of puts our Aldi Aisle of Shame, well? …  to shame.) 🙂

They had EVERYthing. Pots and pan sets for under $15, kids and adult clothing, boots and shoes (even bras!) for as low as $5, candles, blankets, toys, home organization items ~ EVERYthing one could ever need was right there in the store.

7. And one more bonus tip? 

Maybe even more than in America, Aldi is covered with chocolate in Europe. (Seriously folks ~ COVERED.) Every type of chocolate you could imagine was there ~ including Easter chocolate as it's just around the corner.

Here's my view as I headed back to our hotel . . . 

Curious how much I actually spent and what I bought on my little Aldi run?

Here's what I bought for a whopping 12 Euros (or $13). 🙂

My chocolate fix was handled, I snagged all the coffee fixings (and sweetener)! I needed, and a protein bar thrown in for good measure.

The next time you make a trip to your local Aldi, be sure to check out the Aisle of Shame (of course!) for all the Aldi Finds and see if you can find a little perfect European chocolate too. 

Do you love shopping Aldi? Is it worth it for you? I'd sure love to hear ~ leave a comment to let me know!