Grouch trees, herring, and ham: ALDI Finds week of 12/8/21

ALDI Finds for the week of 12/8/21 include adorable “grouch” trees, big jars of herring, holiday pasta, sale spiral hams, and so much more!

Oh my gosh you guys, look at these adorable “grouch” trees! One of them briefly jumped into my cart, until I came to my senses and realized that I would really just be buying a living cat toy. 🙂 No tag on these, and the ad says “see store for price,” so… let me know what they run by you.

Top ALDI Finds of the week

Other holiday decor in this week’s ad includes:

• Merry Moments scents of the season candle set, $19.99
• Merry Moments 20″x30″ holiday accent rug, $7.99
• Merry Moments 4 piece flameless LED candle set, $9.99
• Merry Moments holiday lantern, $7.99
• Merry Moments LED mini bulb garland, $4.99
• Merry Moments 24″ metal lantern, $19.99
• Merry Moments holiday gnome, $8.99
• Merry Moments extendable gnome, $8.99
• Merry Moments LED flocked alpine trees, $39.99
• Crofton holiday wood board or ceramic serving platter, $9.99 each

Deck the house, right?

The extendable gnomes are so cute — his little legs stretch! And then, we also have a little holiday-themed food this week…

For example: This cute Priano holiday gnocchi can be found in the freezer section, and comes in either stars & trees or mittens & hats, $3.99 a bag.

On the sweeter side: Also look for Sundae Shoppe snowflake cones while you’re over there, at $3.49 a box, as well as a Belmont Winter cheesecake sampler for $9.99.

And in the pantry section, oh, SO much! These Utopia Market gourmet chocolate covered pretzel twists run $5.99 a box, or look for:

• Benton’s assorted creme wafer rolls, $5.99
• 32 ct Rice Krispies treats, $4.98
• Reggano Christmas shaped pasta, $1.99
• Specially Selected compliments cookies, $9.89
• Benton’s pecan meltaways, $8.49
• Specially Selected Scottish shortbread cookie tin, $8.49

The holiday shaped pastas at ALDI do tend to break apart easily, so be sure to cook the Christmas pasta al dente.

Note that both advertised and unadvertised ALDI prices can vary by store and by region. But now, let’s talk about the rest of the top ALDI Finds for the week of 12/8/21 — as well as some great new seasonal Finds. (You’ll also Find some on 12/5/21 in Sunday ad markets, or if your store tends to put products out early.

Non-holiday Top ALDI Finds of the week

In no particular order, here are 15 more of my top ALDI food Finds, plus 25 top non-food Finds, all for the week of 12/8/21. Then, let’s talk about some more of the new seasonal Finds that have appeared in stores lately (in addition to the advertised holiday foods discussed above).

Top fifteen food Finds this week

Here are my top 15 food Finds of the week, in addition to the specifically holiday-themed foods above. (Some of these are also perfect for a special holiday dinner, too!)

1. Appleton Farms spiral-sliced ham, $.85/lb
2. Fremont Fish Market jarred herring in wine sauce, $6.99
3. La Terra Fina cheddar broccoli or Lorraine quiche, $7.99
4. Specially Selected cold smoked salmon trio, $11.99
5. Emporium Selection Parmigiano Reggiano wedge, $5.49
6. 32 oz Pacific Seafood snap & eat dungeness crab, $49.99
7. Maple Leaf Farms boneless duck breast, $8.99
8. Season’s Choice twice baked potato, $2.99
9. Specially Selected Maryland or boardwalk style crab cakes, $6.99
10. 8 oz North Atlantic lobster tails, $14.99 each
11. Veggie Vita veggie sausage red pepper or buffalo cauliflower pizza, $6.99
12. Family pack organic grass fed 85/15 ground beef, $4.49/lb
13. Southern Grove 17 oz extra large roasted salted pistachios, $9.99
14. Diamond 32 oz mixed nuts in shell, $7.95
15. Desert Heat hot sauce gift set, $4.99, or Specially Selected Mediterranean extra virgin olive oil gift set, $12.99

With the hams, note that the discount generally comes off at checkout and can be found at the bottom of your receipt.

And, well, I couldn’t bring myself to spend $50 on this — but isn’t the “Snap & Eat Crab” intriguing?!

Top twenty-five non-Food Finds this week

Some more great non-food Finds this week:

1. Crofton cast iron grill or fry pan, $19.99, or 2 quart Dutch oven, $18.99
2. Crofton mini cast iron, $5.99
3. Heart to Tail holiday cat scratching playhouse, $8.99
4. Crofton 3 piece cookie sheet set, utensil holder, or acacia chopping board, $9.99 each
5. Huntington Home cable knit throw, $14.99
6. Gardenline 1200 watt portable patio heater, $69.99
7. Bauhn inflatable outdoor movie screen, $99.99
8. Medion LED projector, $129.99
9. Huntington Home 50″x60″ velvet plush sherpa throw, $9.99
10. Atomi indoor or outdoor smart plug, $16.99
11. Bauhn smartphone cable, charger, or earbuds, $3.99
12. My Beauty Spot 7 piece hand cream gift set, $5.29
13. Lacura be kissed 3 pack lip balm, $2.29
14. Serra Ladies’ combat boots, $17.99
15. Serra stick umbrella, $6.99
16. Lily & Dan children’s 2-piece PJ set, $7.99
17. Adventuridge flannel shirt jacket, $17.99
18. Serra Ladies’ long sleeve maxi dress, $14.99
19. Bendon board book & squishmallow set, $14.99
20. Heart to Tail gingerbread dog biscuits or assorted frosted dog bones, $2.99 each
21. Heart to Tail pet snuggle cave, $24.99
22. Heart to Tail rawhide bone or candy cane, $4.99
23. Heart to Tail holiday rawhide stocking, $5.99
24. Heart to Tail mini frosted assorted dog treats, $3.99
25. Pure Being whole or split antler, $7.99

I looked at the sherpa throws because I recently bought a more expensive one at Costco — they were definitely soft, but thinner than I would like.

This is last year’s holiday cat house design, but you get the idea

Our cats are still enjoying last year’s cat scratching playhouse — see my review here! Different designs this year (and up a dollar…), but the same idea.

Seasonal ALDI Finds

I saw just a few more seasonal Finds this week — spot anything good lately yourself?

I’m not sure how I feel about cheese with Irish creme liqueur… But, it’s interesting! And I do love that they have such a variety of new cheeses to try every year.

• Benton’s candy cane sandwich cremes, $1.99
• Specially Selected dark chocolate mint or orange mint thins cookies, $3.29
• Emporium Selection Gaelic Glory Irish cheddar cheese with Irish creme liqueur (no price tag at my store)
• Bremer cheese lasagna rolls, $5.99
• Palmini hearts of palm mashed, $2.99
• Fresh Energy coconut or almond date rolls, $4.99

What seasonal Finds are you looking forward to this year? See earlier weekly Finds posts here and at Almost All ALDI for more Fall Finds of Fun.

What’s Up with ALDI Finds?

What’s up with ALDI Finds? Well, these are limited time special buy items that are available in stores only while supplies last. So if you spot something you like, be sure to pick it up while you can.

• How to tell if something is a limited time special buy ALDI Find (from their in-store signage).
• See also: What is the ALDI Aisle of Shame?

Before shopping for new Finds this week, though, you might wish to visit the ALDI Finds product delays page. Because of ongoing shipping delays and materials shortages affecting ALDI and many other retailers, certain advertised products may not be available in all locations.

There is a BIG list of Dec. 8 items that may be delayed, so definitely take a look this week.

Finding the Finds

Where do you Find all of this week’s special buys?

• Check out the “ALDI Finds” and current weekly ad tabs (or mobile menu choices) on the ALDI site to window shop from home.
• If you’re planning an in-store shopping trip, use their online ad to help determine what you’ll grab and purchase if you do see it in the store.

Products mentioned in this post were either spotted in store or are from the ads starting 12/5/21 in Sunday ad markets, 12/8/21 in Wednesday ad markets. What caught your eye among this week’s ALDI Finds?