The other day, I was listening to a local radio morning show and they were discussing buying generic vs. name brand items. Seems the two of them have preferred the Target brand of bath tissue for some time. I started thinking of different products that I buy which are generic. I came up with plenty of items that I use including baggies, paper towels, soap, cleaning supplies, etc. Lots of household necessities. My wife doesn't seem to mind, however, I did ask her opinion about the cheap baby wipes I bought last week and they were a no go. Where's the food on my list? I could only think of a few food items which I will even think of buying generic.
I often buy generic old-fashioned oats, but prefer the Quaker and its usually on sale every 5-6 weeks so I stock up then. I usually buy generic shredded and block cheese. I usually buy the store brand milk, eggs, butter/margarine, and yogurt on occasion. Ice cream is usually what ever is on sale, but I have bought the store brand without any complaints except for the cheap container it comes in.
That's about it! Never skimp on the canned veggies, frozen veggies/fruits, never try off-brand cereals of breakfast type bars. Don't think my kids would touch an off-brand Pop Tart either!
Seems to me that my list of generics includes a lot of dairy since we live in the Dairy State and its all good here ;) Am I missing something? Should I be less "picky" and settle for the generics?
The grocery stores around these parts are really hyping up the generic/store brands. Just yesterday, the store flier included 3 full pages of store brand ads. In the mail, I received coupons for the store brand products at Target. I like the name brands foods, does that make me a "food snob?"
7 comments:
I buy the generic staples like you, Meijer bath tissue, wal-mart paper towels etc, but not to much generic on the foods.
Our kids will only eat the generic pop tarts, or toaster pastries as the box says. Great Value brand from Wal-mart is their favorite. Actually, we do a lot of GV stuff. Flavor is good and it really helps with the budget. Oh, and fruit snacks from Aldi are top on their list too.
:) Peachy
I actually use a lot of generic things.
cleaners
paper towels etc
frozen veggies-just as good and 1/2the price
frozen fruit in the winter
cheese slices
oats
But there are certain things i have to have the brand name.
tetley tea :)
sweetner
yogurt
deli cold cuts
toilet paper-here the no name is nasty
I'm sure there are a lot more but i'm not awake yet!
While I probably buy a lot of generic home supplies, I don't believe I buy a lot of generic foods.
Mainly because I buy a lot of fresh foods -not processed stuff- and brand means little if you're buying an apple or a chicken.
Dairy-as an outer ring item- is purchased based on price and taste. Our store brand cheese (my husband tells me) is less flavorful than branded cheese. Milk for him is milk. I don't do cow milk.
When it comes to the inner aisles, I purchase less than 10 things on any sort of regular basis. These, again, then I will buy by taste preference. If a store brand tastes as good or better- it's in it's cart.
I'm like Debra. I don't buy a lot of processed foods. My kids would probably think I'd been possessed by aliens if they saw a pop tart or toaster pastry in our house. And the little kids don't like them anyway.
While I buy a lot of store brand staples, I still won't skimp on quality. I won't buy cheap ketchup with HFC, and I buy expensive bread (no trans fats, no hfc) when I don't bake ours. And I would rather buy local food than something that's traveled a long way.
no!
it makes you my husband :)
he loves the brands.
Im CHEAP and wanna save money on, say, toilet paper so I can blow it on trashy magazines.
Im uber frugal that way :)
(they asked your twitter question on the radio show yesterday! thanks so much)
Ron~the staples seem pretty much the same all around.
Peachy~I never make all the way to Wal-mart. I know it's not that much farther than Target, but I still usually stop there, plus no Starbucks at Wal-mart ;)
Spunky~I've definitely got a list of things I NEED the brand name item.
Deb~Totally right about there's no difference in produce and the dairy is pretty similar too.
Noelle~I try to stay away from processed, but for breakfast we're lucky to be awake and I'd rather they have something in their system than nothing at all.
Mizfit~I'll be tuning into the show on iTunes later...it's downloaded, but Halloween partying may get in the way. Looking forward to it. I am usually cheap, but quality over quantity is sometimes not a bad thing.
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