Shopping on a Budget - Generic Vs. Name Brand

Lately it seems as though all you hear about is how to save money. More and more people need to find ways to tighten their belts and one of the easiest places to do so is at the grocery store. We have been there also. There are so many bills piled up that once those are paid, there isn't much left for the necessities of food.

Sure one can collect coupons from the paper or all over the internet, but I have found that this isn't really effective for us. Many retailers in our area (and I'd bet yours too) no longer take internet coupons, printed from your computer and we either forget the coupons, they have expired or they don't bring the price down enough to be economical. One sure fire way we have found to saving some cash at the store is to be open minded regarding using generic or store brand products. Often buying an off-brand or store brand can lead to a savings of ten cents up to a few dollars per product. We have our favorite items in brands that we MUST purchase because nothing else matches the taste or quality, but I can count that number on one hand.

I usually shop at our local Kroger's, which I have found to carry both an economy brand as well as their store brand. Even though that economy brand always tempts me with the lower price, it is not usually worth the lower quality. The Kroger brand items though typically will be on special (10 for $10 or something similar) or have lower everyday prices with decent quality to match. Kroger also now participates in the P&G (Procter & Gamble) E-saver program, which loads name brand coupons on your store card for when you have to have that certain product.

There are several different categories where you can find store brand products and they each differ in the quality that comes with them.

Basic canned, boxed, frozen goods

One big area we tend to purchase store brand is in canned goods such as fruits, vegetables and sauces as well as frozen products. I find the quality is the same as purchasing Del Monte, Green Giant or other name brands but at a price tag usually .20 cheaper. In general, vegetables are vegetables, no matter what label is on the outside. This doesn't seem like much but when you buy these items consistently, this adds up quickly. For instance, I can buy a can of Kroger refried beans (we love Mexican here) for around $.89 where the competition will have theirs priced at $1.29 - a savings of forty cents.

In this particular category, one area I do not buy store brand is in boxed meals such as macaroni and cheese. I find the quality to be much lower as well as minimal savings. Nothing quite hits the mark like Kraft Mac N Cheese, especially now that Kraft has lowered their everyday prices on this particular item.

Dairy and Bakery Products

Milk, bread, eggs, butter in store brands are generally just as good as their competition, with a much lower price tag. Actually try finding name brand cheese in our local Kroger, it sure takes a while so you might as well buy the Kroger brand which usually saves about $1 per package.

Baby care (diapers, wipes food etc.)

Since this is one area where all moms are looking to save money, this is a good place to at the least try a store brand or two to see if it works for you and your little one. True this area is up to opinion as to whether or not these items will work for you, but be open to trying them to see.

I have probably tried just about every generic/off-brand diaper and wipe that is out on the market looking to save some money in that area. There is exactly one type of off-brand diaper I have found that works every single time and is always cheaper than Huggies or Pampers. This miracle diaper you ask - Kroger Comforts (See review www.viewpoints.com/Kroger-Ultra-Comforts-Diapers-review-4bfa). These are also known as Whisper Touch to those who shop at Meijer; and Kozy Kids to some who shop on-line (please note that these diapers do run small so you may want to get the next size up). Look for the cute jungle animals on an al white front and you should recognize these as the same diaper. As an example of savings - a small package of Comforts (28 size 5 diapers) is $5.99 where the same size package of Pampers is at least $9.99. (By the way Pampers is my next favorite brand as you can usually find it on sale and use coupons to make them inexpensive.) The only other off-brand diaper I do recommend is White Cloud, otherwise look for the deals on Pampers.

Baby Wipes tend to be pretty much all in the same price range. I have tried some store brand wipes and have had mixed success. The Kroger brand does work well for us, though they are a little rough. The Meijer Baby Dry wipes are alright if you can get an unscented package. But going much cheaper and you get a cheaper wipe.

Other baby care items tend to be up for grabs as to whether or not they are worth the savings. When looking at baby food, the only store brand we ever ran into was Meijer and this seemed very watery to us. The Del Monte brand is considered the "off-brand" in this area, and does as good a job as Gerber for around 20 cents per jar cheaper. That stacks up when you purchase 10 jars per trip.

Paper Products

Change of pace... this is one area that I tend to NOT purchase store brand products (with the exception of baggies and wraps). In general I have found that investing in a little bit higher quality toilet paper and/or paper towel actually saves us money since we aren't using as much. I also make sure to check the price of baggies in comparison to how many are in the box. Often we end up grabbing the cheapest box only to find there are only 15 baggies in the box - Not really a savings.

Cleaning Products

This area is definitely competitive when it comes to pricing. Here I believe you can find inexpensive quality products if you do some research. Just because it is a big bottle of laundry soap for $3.99 doesn't mean it's going to be the most cost effective. That big bottle may only contain 32 loads and have a huge measuring cap whereas a concentrated detergent maybe $7.00 for 64 loads. The concentrate is the better bargain here even though it has a higher price.

Personal Care

This is a highly personal category for sure. Most of the time in personal care, you get what you pay for. I am a firm believer that mid-priced products are among the best here. El-cheapo shampoos usually don't work as well and you have to use more of it and the high end stuff you usually pay for the name. Stick to middle ground here.

Overall, my biggest suggestion is to be open to change and using less expensive brands than you may be used to. Do a little research in advance on products you need and use around the home. A great site for consumer reviews is www.epinions.com where you can find reviews on everyday items and find out how they work in advance. No need to go hungry... just open your mind to the possibilities of purchasing store brand products.