I work at Aldi and shop for just myself on a tight budget. Here are 8 staples you'll always find in my cart.

Family packs of chicken breasts routinely go on sale for $2.50 a pound at Aldi. To make these go a long way, I like to freeze the chicken breasts to use for meals throughout the rest of the month.

Stock up, portion it out, and you're good to go.

I recently got a family pack of chicken for $15.

If you don't always go through your bread before it starts to mold, you might have better luck with the loaves from Aldi.

In my experience, the L'Oven Fresh bread has a pretty long shelf life so I don't usually worry about it going bad.

On a recent trip, I picked up L'Oven Fresh Italian bread for $1.30 per loaf and the brand's hot-dog buns for $1.

I eat chips with every basic sandwich, so I go through a lot of them, which can be expensive. However, many of the chips at Aldi are pretty affordable so you can get more bang for your buck.

I picked up Clancy's classic potato chips for $2.

Budget-friendly shelf-stable meat is honestly great to add to casseroles and other dishes to increase your protein intake. On this trip, I picked up the Brookdale canned chicken breast to use in my weeknight recipes.

I was recently able to buy cans of Brookdale chicken for $0.70 each.

Raw protein in powder or bar form seems to be expensive everywhere I look. Though I might still balk at the price of Elevation protein bars at Aldi, I think they're cheaper than products from almost anywhere else.

I recently got a box of six protein bars for $5.50.

Aldi sources some of the chocolate products it carries from the European Union. I think these sweets are usually of higher quality for a routinely lower price than many name-brand competitors.

I like to grab the Choceur peanut-butter cups to satisfy my sweet tooth.

I recently bought a 12-ounce bag of peanut-butter cups for $4.40.

Aldi's alternatives to products like LaCroix and Coke are popular among customers who need to have some bubbly throughout the day.

Even better, the relatively low prices on beverages like the PurAqua Belle Vie sparkling water will add some cushion back into your grocery budget. You can choose from grapefruit, lime, and the original flavors.

I grabbed a 12-pack of PurAqua beverages for $3.55 on a recent trip.

Condiments like ranch dressing, ketchup, and mayonnaise are usually pricey in grocery stores, in part because customers are loyal to certain name brands.

After working and shopping at Aldi, I've noticed I've been able to get my normal condiments at a much lower price. If you don't absolutely need Heinz, get Burman's ketchup instead. 

A 38-ounce bottle of Burman's ketchup is $2.

Click to keep reading Aldi diaries like this one.