Some people are connoisseurs of fine wine.
Others know all about gourmet chocolate.
Still others are olive oil aficionados.
A few are experts at discussing the nuances of fine cheese.
I, on the other hand, I am a connoisseur of all things generic and store brand. Cheap.
I know cheap.
Over 10 years of penny-pinching frugality has made me well versed in all things store brand.
I consistently buy the store brand of the following ("Sam's choice" happens to be my choice too. I think we could have been friends, me and Sam.):
Plastic baggies, foil, paper towels, napkins, and saran wrap - I think they perform just fine and the savings are fairly significant.
Sugar, flour, table salt, pepper, broths, cream soups - I always buy generic. (Of course the times I actually use flour and sugar are few and far between, so I might not be the best source of information.)
In my opinion, generic bread, milk, juice, breakfast cereal, syrup, oatmeal, frozen waffles and pancake mix get a passing grade as well. Not up to par with the national brands, but passable when working within a tight budget! (My husband disagrees, so he generally has a secret stash of Quaker Oatmeal and Cap'n Crunch.)
However, in these trying economic times, I feel I must share my wealth of hard earned knowledge about when to NOT buy generic.
Even if you are tightening your belt, trying to save a few bucks on your grocery bill, please still do everything possible to AVOID buying the following:
--Generic Ranch Dressing
This stuff is oh-so-nasty. No one will enjoy it and your family may stage a revolt.
--Generic toilet paper
Don't do it. Be kind to your behind.
--Generic Windex
You might as well just wipe down your mirrors with a dirty diaper. The amount of streaks would be the same.
--Generic Chocolate Syrup
Occasionally my kids want a glass of chocolate milk. Generic syrup does not produce chocolate milk. It produces white milk with strange globs of floating brown stuff that don't taste anything like chocolate.
--Generic Frozen Veggies
Sometimes I can get away with this, if I'm mixing the veggies in a soup or casserole. But if I'm just serving them on the side, I buy name brand. I bought one too many bags of "Broccoli Florets" with no florets - all stems and pieces, that are strangely colored; kind of white with a greenish tint. Not appetizing.
--Generic Dog Food
The dogs has to eat three times as much to get full, and poops three times as much. Totally not worth it.
So, where do you save money on at the grocery store?
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had this to say:
I agree. I agree. I agree. By the way, if by chance, you are trying to go green, do not make the same mistake I did. I recently purchased the Seventh Generation dishwashing soap. What a joke. Just go ahead and use Cascade and instead of wasting your money on JetDry put alittle vinegar in. This will make you feel green and you saved money too.
- May 12, 2009 2:48 PM
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had this to say:
oh dear Lord, NEVER buy the generic plastic wrap. You will throw it or something against the wall in frustration. It clings to you, itself and everything but a dish.
- May 12, 2009 4:33 PM
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Gombojav Tribe had this to say:
Pretty much by avoiding mixes and convienence foods altogether. That stuff is expensive! But, plain ol' flour, baking powder, etc. are really cheap.
- May 12, 2009 4:41 PM
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had this to say:
Have you tried the Great Value Ranch dressing? My family likes it better that name brand. And I always buy the great value brand broccoli florets and it is always florets, never had any problems. But I am in total agreement on the toilet paper!!!!!
- May 12, 2009 4:47 PM
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Lori had this to say:
We buy White Cloud pull-ups instead of the name brand. We did buy White Cloud diapers as well, but Wal-Mart is no longer selling them. Parnets Choice is not good, so now we buy a name brand. Right now we only use one diaper and one pull-up each day and I only buy the pull-ups for Avery because he is almost 6. His bladder just seems to be small.
- May 12, 2009 6:18 PM
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Vanessa had this to say:
So funny that you posted this, I was just thinking of a similar post the other day but haven't gotten around to writing it. On my list of things that you must buy name brand are Q-Tips - they are just not the same if they are not the real thing!
- May 13, 2009 1:53 PM
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Tina had this to say:
I just got on a kick of my favorite things...have a stock of lists that I am completing. Because those are always the pages I love to read in magazines.
It's funny that you had a similar line of thinking for posts.This I wouldn't have thought of!- May 13, 2009 7:48 PM
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Jeff9 had this to say:
Don't just be cheap, be smart too; This covers all the bases = saves you money, helps the environment, helps your health, makes you feel better, it's so easy to do and it costs less than $50.00; Save money and the Earth and be clean at the same time! Add Bathroom Bidet Sprayers to all your bathrooms. I think Dr. Oz on Oprah said it best: "if you had pee or poop on your hand, you wouldn't wipe it off with paper, would you? You'd wash it off” Available at http://www.bathroomsprayers.com with these you won't even need toilet paper any more, just a towel to dry off! Don’t worry, you can still leave some out for guests and can even make it the soft stuff without felling guilty. It's cheap and can be installed without a plumber; and runs off the same water line to your toilet. You'll probably pay for it in a few months of toilet paper savings. And after using one of these you won't know how you lasted all those years with wadded up handfuls of toilet paper. As for water use a drought is always a concern and must be dealt with prudently but please remember that in the big picture the industrial water users always far exceed the water use of household users and in the case of toilet paper manufacture it is huge. The pollution and significant power use from that manufacturing process also contributes to global warming so switching to a hand bidet sprayer and lowering your toilet paper use is very green in multiple ways. Blog;http://jeff9.livejournal.com/932.html
- May 13, 2009 11:34 PM
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Cash Clan Japan had this to say:
I live in Japan and both of our toilets have a bidet (and a blow dryer!), but it's just too weird for me. I don't feel clean unless I use the paper. Sorry, green guy!
- May 14, 2009 1:46 AM
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Jeff9 had this to say:
My goodness don't say sorry to me, I am sorry for you and so many people I talk to who seemed trapped by their upbringing. To say that using paper feels cleaner than washing with water is obviously a socially ingrained behavior response. No insult intended here, I know I have plenty of them myself. It is the way we have learned. But there are better ways and finding them can be so interesting. Cheers
- May 14, 2009 3:09 AM
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jonathan had this to say:
My butt has never felt more dirty than it does now after reading those last two comments...
- May 14, 2009 9:07 PM
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Jeff9 had this to say:
HaHa, good one Jonathan but there's an easy solution. Go to BathroomSprayers.com and get your very own Bidet Sprayer and you can join the fresh and clean crowd. Why Buy a Bathroom Bidet Sprayer? Because you win. With a Bathroom Bidet Sprayer you win in so many ways if it was a woman I’d marry it. First off you win by saving money, and what in these times is better than that, well ok a bailout may be better but get in line. By almost eliminating the need for toilet paper the savings are immediate and long lasting. Not saying you have to give it up, you can even buy the soft stuff and not feel guilty because you will be using so little. Next you win by giving yourself some healthy side benefits namely a lessening of hemorrhoids, should you have them, and the virtual elimination of rectal itch. Now we move onto the fact that you are helping the environment by lowering the amount of toilet paper used and therefore manufactured which saves water, electricity, and pollution. Now there is the hygiene factor and unless you think wiping your hands off with a dry paper towel is cleaner than washing them then you get the point. I think Dr. Oz on Oprah said it best: "if you had pee or poop on your hand, you wouldn't wipe it off with paper, would you? You'd wash it off" There is the convenience of having such a handy means of washing up with after which at times, say after that big burrito you had at lunch, can get a might messy. That is the main reason why stand alone conventional bidets were invented but they are too expensive and don’t even work as well as the Hand Bidet Sprayer. Lastly there is the least practical but potentially the most influential reason of all……it just feels good. Cleaner, fresher, rejuvenating even. Can you imagine not brushing you teeth after a big meal? I can’t, and I can’t imagine just wiping with dry toilet paper and leaving it at that.....shudder. This is the best thing since the toilet was invented, give it a try.
- May 14, 2009 9:19 PM
I'm Starr Cliff. A domestically-challenged mom, climbing over mountains of laundry to bring you my stray observations and amusing stories about my kids. (more)
I also blog at:
- Trinity Kidsplace
- Cash Clan Japan
- detailgal
- Jonathan Cliff
- Sipping Chardonnay
- Teach and Tickle
- if the shoe fits?
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