These October Aldi Finds are a steal for under $5

Aldi always knows how to celebrate things in a seasonally-appropriate way, with new finds and special buys arriving every week. Aldi shoppers recently observed German Week (a made-up Aldi holiday that comes just twice a year) with spaetzle, schnitzel, and strudel, and now they’re into the Halloween swing of things with a pumpkin-shaped, squash-sauced pizza and a selection of spooky cheeses including a black cheddar, a green sage derby, a skull-shaped Wensleydale, and a pumpkin-spiced, pumpkin-shaped Wensleydale. (They’re not going to be left behind by sibling grocer Trader Joe’s when it comes to being a go-to destination for all things pumpkin). Oh, and since it’s never too early to be early for Christmas, they’ve also announced not just one, but a whole range of boozy Advent calendars.

Back to the October finds, there’s no time to list and describe each and every one, but part of the fun of shopping at Aldi comes with the serendipity of discovering them for yourself. Nonetheless, here’s a small selection of can’t-miss items — and, as a bonus, all of these are guaranteed non-budget busters, as they all cost less than a portrait of Lincoln. (A paper one, that is. The last time anything cost just a penny was long, long ago.)

Halloween coffee (and the mugs to put it in)

When you think of the most seasonally appropriate way to start your day, at this time of year it’s all about pumpkin-flavored coffee. While Aldi certainly carries this product (via Instacart), not everyone’s a fan of flavored java. How about a cup of Raven’s Roast or Sleepy Hollow Blend, instead? Insider says that the former is a single-origin Ethiopian coffee, while the latter, as its name implies, is a blend. They cost $3.99 per one-pound bag, and for another $3.99 you could pick up a cute ghost, skull, or pumpkin-shaped mug to drink it out of.

Perfectly pumpkin-y pasta sauce

Since Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, you have time for a nice dinner before you head out to…well, you have time for a nice dinner, whether or not there will be festivities to follow. And what could be more appropriate for an October evening than pumpkin-sauced pasta? Aldi has two of these on offer — Specially Selected Pumpkin Chipotle Sauce for those who like it hot and Pumpkin/Butternut Squash Sauce for those who prefer to walk on the mild side. Aldi’s website says these sell for $2.49 per 24 ounce bottle. Oh, and if you really want to keep to a holiday theme, you can even add a bag of Reggano Halloween pasta for $1.99 — it’s an orange/black/and regular pasta-colored tricolor pasta that appears to be shaped like pumpkins, bats, and spiders. (Yum?)

Halloween treats for your pooch

While most doggos probably would rather pass on playing dress-up, you may not be able to resist Aldi’s adorable Heart to Tail pet costume hoodies. For just $4.99 you can dress your little pupkin up as a gnome, a lion, a jailbird, or something Aldi’s website identifies as a skeleton, although it could also be a zombie unicorn.

If your hound has the patience to indulge you in this costume thing, then you have a VERY GOOD BOY (or girl) who deserves a treat for putting up with your tricks. Aldi’s got you covered here, too, with Heart to Tail’s frosted peanut-butter flavored bone-shaped jumbo biscuits in either “Boo!” or candy corn designs ($2.99 apiece) or Halloween-shaped crunchy dog treats ($3.99 for an 8-ounce bag).

Chocolates that go well with Winking Owl

There’s more to October than just Halloween, however. For one thing, there is chocolate. For another, there is wine. (Admittedly, these two things are an important part of the other 11 months, as well.) Those who want to make a good thing even better know to pair up the two, and Aldi is known for offering an excellent selection of wines as well as fancy imported chocolates. Still, unless you’re a true connoisseur of both items, you may not known just which chocolates pair best with what types of wine.

Well, Aldi just made your day and also provided an idea for this season’s best hostess gift. The Kitchn announced that starting on October 21^st you’ll be able to get a box of Specially Selected (the brand name, as well as the descriptor) chocolates that have been chosen to go perfectly with white wine. And, what do you know, all of these white wine-friendly chocolates are of the milk variety, so that’s good news if you’re tired of pretending you really love that super-bitter 99 percent cocoa stuff. These chocolates cost just $4.99 for a five-ounce box and you should be able to pick up a decent Aldi white wine priced under $10, including the surprisingly drinkable house brand Winking Owl, which runs about $3. So there you go, you can make the “best guest” list without going broke.

Everything bagel dip to dunk all of the things

Speaking of things not made of, shaped like, or in any way reminiscent of pumpkins…one of the biggest non-seasonal trends of recent years is that of everything seasoning. It started with the everything bagel, which has been around for years, but in 2017 Trader Joe’s decided to market just the sesame seed/salt/garlic/onion/poppy seed blend sans bagel for people who wanted to make, say, everything chicken or everything fries or everything ice cream sundaes or whateverything their little hearts desired. Aldi soon added their own version, and a few months ago they upped their everything game by spinning off jalapeño, asiago, and Himalayan pink salt flavors.

Well, now Aldi has gone totally meta with their Park Street Deli Everything Bagel dip, available October 21st (via The Kitchn). This is a yogurt-based dip in which you can dunk your everything bagel, thus bringing your dough circle full circle! If that’s too deep a dunk for you, you might also enjoy this $3.99 dip with crudites, crackers, or chips. Or just eat it with a spoon and call it everything yogurt since, you know, that sounds pretty good, too.

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