Try store brands to save money
photo by zacklur
When I was growing up, generic products seemed inferior to brand-name products. We grew a garden, so our house wasn’t filled with generic canned vegetables, but I do remember the black-and-white or yellow-and-black labels. There were no fancy descriptions. Look at a can or box on a supermarket shelf now, and you could spend a few minutes simply reading the label.
It’s interesting how brand-loyal we can sometimes be. Sure, some products might be better quality. But how much does perceived superiority come into play? I polled readers. I wanted to know which products they would buy name brand only. Here’s the word on the most popular products that they “have” to buy name brand: cereal, laundry detergent, dish soap, pet food, yogurt, toilet paper, ketchup, mayonnaise, peanut butter, coffee, cheese, soda pop, soup, paper towels, toothpaste, baby formula and snacks (such as cookies and crackers).
In my home, about half the items on this list could be replaced easily with store brands without anyone batting an eye. And for the other half that they would notice the difference, I could tell my family to simply get used to them.
People new to frugal living always seem to tackle their food bill first. It’s almost a rite of passage into frugality. Yet most frugal people (of high and low incomes) still pay double the amount for their favorite brand-name product. With the recent incredible shrinking products, I’m surprised they’ll still pay more for name brands that contain less actual product. But it seems many prefer less product than spending more money.
Despite popular belief, I’m not a coupon queen always looking for the cheapest price. Price is important to me, but so is my time and sanity.
I’ll buy some name-brand and store-brand products. If one of my kids doesn’t like the cereal I bought, I am not going to buy it all of the time. But I do teach them “you get what you get,” and I won’t run out to buy them their favorite cereal. Maybe next time, maybe not.
I also wean my family from some of their name-brand favorites by buying more of the store brand than the name brand until they’re simply used to it. The name brand then becomes a luxury item and treat. They learn to appreciate small things more. It also prepares our family for lean times. No one is going to feel deprived if we encounter hardship and can’t afford all the “brand equity.”
I’ve been known to put products into my own containers or reuse some containers, such as shampoo bottles. I’ve even combined some store-brand and name-brand products together into my own containers. Another fun way to wean your family is to conduct taste tests. Your family members might discover they actually prefer store brands. Bonus: Many stores offer a money-back guarantee on their store-brand products.
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You’re right–it’s funny how brand loyal we as consumers can be. I know there are certain items that I could never buy as a store brand because my husband would definitely know. For example, he won’t eat store brand shredded wheat; only Kelloggs will do. On the other hand, he is fine with other things as store brands. I could probably mix products up to fool my kids, but I’ll never get anything past Dave
My kids surprisingly aren’t as picky as Dave is. Just last night they picked up Hannaford brand Cinni Mini crunch cereal vs. the brand name Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I didn’t have to tell them to get the store version.
I buy store brand medicines too like Nyquil, Tylenol, Advil, etc. I always check the labels to make sure that the ingredients are the same (and appear on the label in the same order). I have been fooled by Walmart and Target brand “Pantene”. Didn’t compare at all, and I’ll never buy them again. The ingredients were 99% the same, but that other 1% really made a difference.
So most of the time it’s trial and error for me, but I really do prefer to save by buying store brand. Most of the times it’s still cheaper than buying brand name w/a coupon (no double coupons here).
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