The Aldi Finds section of the store has a variety of specialty items year-round, and it didn't disappoint this holiday season.

The section was filled with everything from desserts and snacks to holiday-themed party favors.

One standout was the gingerbread kit, a classic activity during the holidays. Priced at $8.50, it included prebaked gingerbread, icing, and assorted candies for decorating.

Unlike Aldi, Trader Joe's didn't confine its seasonal items to one section. Festive snacks and treats were scattered throughout the store, adding little pops of cheer as I walked the aisles.

However, each item was clearly marked as a holiday special, so they were still easy to find.

I saw that Trader Joe's had its own take on a gingerbread-house kit. It was similarly priced at $9.

If you're looking for a classic Italian treat this holiday season, Aldi has a 26.5-ounce panettone for $6.

The store had a chocolate-chip panettone as well as a more traditional version of the cake with dried fruit.

Trader Joe's had a traditional panettone for sale through its Trader Giotto's line.

The 26.5-ounce cake was a dollar more here at $7, and I only saw one flavor option.

Both stores offered unique seasonal snacks, but Aldi's peppermint kettle corn caught my eye.

I'd never seen this flavor before, so I was definitely interested in trying it out, especially since the big bag was only $4.

Trader Joe's seasonal snacks were fairly similar in price to Aldi's.

I liked the festive twist of the $4 spiced cranberry granola. It was refreshing to see a less common holiday flavor profile.

When it came to beverages, Aldi impressed me with its range of holiday-themed coffee creamers.

I saw peppermint-bark creamer for $2.70, and the almond-milk-based peppermint-mocha creamer was the same price.

Over at Trader Joe's, the standout festive drink was its hot-cocoa polar bear.

The $2.50 chocolate bear melts into warm milk to make a tasty mug of cocoa. I think these kinds of items make great stocking stuffers or smaller gifts, especially for families with kids.

If you're looking to save money on holiday treats, Aldi might be a safer bet. It had a nice variety, and its prices were pretty great — I expected as much from the budget grocer.

However, if you want an overall festive shopping experience, I suggest heading to Trader Joe's. The store really impressed me with its range of unique seasonal offerings.

I'll likely be back to both stores as the season unfolds, but for now, Trader Joe's put me in the Christmas spirit just a bit more.

One of the first things we do when we walk into Aldi is grab the weekly circular, which is usually stationed on a rack right by the main entrance.

The ads showcase Aldi's current deals, so it's a great guide for anyone looking to save.

When we focus on these discounted items, I also find we get less sidetracked by flashy deals on products we didn't intend to buy.

Aldi has a bring-your-own-bag policy, so they're not free at the register. Instead of buying them, we usually grab a large, empty produce box from the shelves.

Most Aldi stores have a section where you can find these boxes in a bin with recyclables, so it's pretty easy.

You can obviously just bring your own reusable bags, but we've found that the box is an even better solution for us.

It's much easier to pop one box in the trunk of our car and carry it into the house in a single trip. Once we're home, we reuse the box for storage or recycle it.

We tend to avoid premade meals, heat-and-eat dinners, and specialty deli items like dips and cheeses.

Although they're convenient, they tend to be significantly more expensive per serving than cooking something from scratch. Instead, we stick to Aldi's staple ingredients, like fresh produce, canned beans, tortillas, and chicken.

By focusing on these core items, we've created a weekly meal plan that's cost-effective and healthy for our lifestyle.

The Aldi Finds aisle typically features unique items, seasonal treats, and specialty goods that aren't part of the store's regular inventory.

All the signage might make shoppers feel like they're getting some sort of deal, I think the aisle can be a trap for impulse buys.

Sometimes, we find hidden gems in the aisle, but Aldi Finds are usually not essential to our weekly shopping list — and looking through them can just lead to us spending more money.

We usually skip this aisle entirely so we're not tempted.

It may sound simple, but shopping around the perimeter of the store helps us stick to our budget.

In most Aldi locations, the more basic essentials, like produce, dairy, and meats, are located around the outer edges of the store.

In contrast, the center aisles usually have Aldi Finds, holiday items, household goods, snacks, and other products that are more likely to encourage impulse purchases.

When we shop, we literally snake our way around the perimeter, only detouring into the aisles when we need something on our list. It keeps our shopping trip efficient and minimizes our exposure to nonessential items.

Whether you're looking for a gift for a friend or a little treat to get you through the holiday season, these snack gift boxes are sure to be a hit.

Choose from chocolate-and-caramel-covered pretzels or the mistletoe mix, which includes sweets like chocolate-coated pretzels and candies. Each gift box costs $4.

It may be too chilly to roast marshmallows over a firepit, but you can still spruce up your hot cocoa or coffee with these flavored marshmallows coming to Aldi in early December.

Try the vanilla-bean or cinnamon-churro flavors for just $3.50 per bag.

The new Specially Selected sweet spreads would be great on anything from pancakes and French toast to fruit.

The spread comes in two unique flavors: cinnamon bun or gingerbread caramel. Stock up on your favorite flavor, or try both for $2.80 per jar.

If you love gingerbread, you'll want to grab these Bake Shop cookie sandwiches at Aldi this month.

Each sandwich features two soft, chewy gingerbread cookies and a gooey cream-cheese filling.

Each container of 12 cookies is available for $4.80.

Aldi is known for its unique cheese selection, and during the winter holidays, there's no shortage of festive options for charcuterie spreads.

This month, shoppers will find a tree-shaped whiskey cheddar, a star-shaped mature cheddar, a sweater-shaped cheddar with black pepper, and a snowman-shaped cheddar with caramelized onion, each for just $4.30.

Starting in early December, Aldi will be selling 16-ounce packs of high-quality wagyu ground beef for $5 each. Consider stocking up before they're gone.

December is a busy time of year for many people. So, if you're looking for quick lunch or dinner options, check out the new Specially Selected flatbreads at Aldi.

Choose from spinach crème fraîche or mushroom for just $5 each.

If you believe it's never too cold for ice cream, these new festive Sundae Shoppe ice-cream sandwiches are for you. Starting in mid-December, Aldi's freezer section will have them in peppermint-shortbread and gingerbread flavors.

Grab one or both for $3.50 each.

No charcuterie board is complete without goat cheese, and luckily, Aldi will have two new options available this month.

Choose from gingerbread- or sweet-cranberry-stuffing-flavored goat cheese for $2.50 each.

This month, Aldi is carrying new alcohol-infused cheddar cheeses.

Options include a petite-sirah-infused cheddar, an espresso martini-steeped cheddar, or a craft-beer-soaked cheddar, each for only $4.50.

Winter is all about comfort, and that's exactly what the beer-cheese-stuffed ravioli by Priano provides. Try a bag for only $4.

It's not all gingerbread and peppermint at the grocery store this month. Busy households will also find these convenient loaded-potato pizzas by the Aldi fan-favorite brand Mama Cozzi's Pizza Kitchen.

Each pizza features a cheesy sauce, roasted potatoes, crispy bacon, and a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, all for just $5 per pizza.

If you're looking for a snack to please everyone at your next holiday party, grab a bag of these cauliflower-based tortilla chips for only $3.

Available in sea-salt or nacho flavors, these chips are gluten-free, vegan, and grain-free, making them a good option for many different dietary needs.

I always get milk for the house, and no matter where I shop, it has to be organic.

A half-gallon carton was $4.39 at Whole Foods, which isn't too far off from the $4.29 I usually spend at Trader Joe's.

Some sort of fruit makes it into my basket on every grocery trip, and when the weather cools off, it's usually citrus.

A bag of mandarins at Whole Foods cost a whopping $6.49, but luckily, I got it on sale for $4.99.

Unfortunately, that's still quite a bit more than the $3.49 bags I usually get at Trader Joe's. I balked at the $3 difference of the regularly priced oranges.

Avocados go quickly in my house, which is tough because they can be pricey.

At Trader Joe's, a bag of six organic avocados costs me $4.49, or about $0.75 apiece. At Whole Foods, however, they were $4.99 for four, or $1.25 each.

I can't justify that price difference, especially considering that the fruit tends to go bad quickly, making it hard to use it all up.

Seaweed packs are an essential part of our snack arsenal.

I get individual packs for $0.99 at Trader Joe's, so I was shocked to see the same-sized packs go for $2.99 at Whole Foods.

I like buying the 1-pound bags of organic brown rice and quinoa fusilli at Trader Joe's for $3.49. They're a great gluten-free starch option for any given week.

The only gluten-free pasta option I found at Whole Foods was a half-pound box of organic chickpea shells for $3.19. That's almost double the price I pay at Trader Joe's.

I love picking up a block of cheese for the week for snacking, grilled-cheese sandwiches, and eggs.

My block of choice is the Trader Joe's store-brand truffle cheese. It comes from Italy, isn't too truffley, and costs $13.99 a pound.

I found a similar store-brand truffle option at Whole Foods. Though the block I picked up was similarly priced to what I tend to get at Trader Joe's, this one went for $22.99 a pound, so it was quite a bit smaller than I'm used to.

Plus, I like the taste of the Trader Joe's brand more.

I make stir-fried tofu at least once a week. It's a reliable protein source I know the whole family will eat.

A block of Whole Foods organic firm tofu cost me $2.29 — a jump from the $1.99 pack I typically get at Trader Joe's.

I buy breaded chicken cutlets when I don't have time to prepare them at home. It's easy to crisp them up in my air fryer for lunchboxes and salads, so I'm happy to spend $8.99 for nearly 2 pounds of frozen tenders at Trader Joe's.

At Whole Foods, all I could find was a less-than-1-pound bag for $11.99.

It was a name-brand offering made with a cauliflower coating, so I'm not that surprised it was pricier than a standard store-brand option. I also enjoyed that it was gluten-free, and the meat was a little juicier than my usual Trader Joe's bag.

Still, I'm not sure I'd spend that much again.

Garbanzo beans are another trusted source of protein in my house — my daughter will eat them just rinsed out of the can. I also like to get them crispy in a pan with seasonings and some oil.

The $1.39 can of organic chickpeas at Whole Foods was more expensive than I expected, especially since I get the same thing for $1.09 at Trader Joe's.

I like having tortillas on hand so I can quickly make cheese quesadillas or breakfast tacos.

Trader Joe's sells a store-brand pack of eight tortillas for $1.99, or $0.24 a tortilla.

The 10-pack I found at Whole Foods from the Vista Hermosa brand was staggeringly more expensive at $4.59, or about $2 apiece. But the quality of the name-brand bag was noticeably better, and I'd buy them again if I had room to splurge.

I stock up on butter each week because I love baking and spreading it on toast.

A pound of unsalted organic was $6.29 at Trader Joe's and $7.39 at Whole Foods. I found them to taste virtually the same, so the $1.10 difference isn't worth it for me.

Mini cucumbers are another must-have in our fridge. My daughter loves snacking on them, and I like them as an addition to any meal.

At Trader Joe's, a pack is usually $2.49, and the same size pack at Whole Foods was $2.99.

The $0.50 jump isn't that much, but again, Whole Foods' consistently higher prices add up.

I couldn't help chuckling as I walked out of Whole Foods with my $60 haul — the price differences were that staggering.

The same list of groceries would cost me only $48 at Trader Joe's, and I would've been able to grab the frozen dumplings and chocolate-covered pretzels I like without breaking my budget (those items at Whole Foods were too expensive for me to include on this trip).

Plus, that price difference doesn't even take value into account. I got considerably less food at Whole Foods, largely because many of my items cost more for noticeably less product.

To be fair, some basic items were fairly close in price, and this was ultimately only comparing one list on one specific shopping trip. The things you buy every week may be a different story.

There are even a couple of higher-quality items I'd go back to Whole Foods for every once in a while. For a casual essentials run, however, Trader Joe's is still much more economical for my family.