generic

[rainbabies]

i have never been a brand snob...buying some things generic.
(milk,bread,cereal,frozen veggies,laundry soap,cat litter, etc.....)
but! i find myself buying more and more generic items. imagine my absolute JOY the other day, when at kroger i found generic bread 2 for $1. they also had by one get one on a few things we eat/use!

soo...with the prices of things going up, up, up(and those of you on a tight budget)...does anyone find themselves switching to more generic items?

Re: generic

it's not due to prices or budget constraints - I just do use generic -- a LOT. i found out several years ago that most generics are processed in a name-brand facility, exactly the same way as the name brand. they just get a different label. it's just a matter of liking the same brand as the generic (which is hard to find out). i'll try anything generic at least once, and then switch back if it's not to my liking. my pantry is a swath of red, b/c all of the generic items at target are labeled red.

[Vanquisher]

Re: generic

Great Value brand, absolutely! I do generic on a lot of things! If I can get a better price on name brands, I'll do that, but I mostly get the cheapest.

[DCJenn]

Re: generic

I use generics alot, with the exception of bread. I find that MOST of the time, the second ingredient in the generic bread is HFCS.

Actually, I'm buying fewer and fewer pre-packed goods and just making stuff with the fresh ingredients on hand. Kind of forces me to use up everything I have before going to get more. Last night I made a salsa of a bunch of stuff that needed to be used up and threw it on a crab cake (bought from the fish counter) on top of a bed of spinach.

I just bought a huge container of cous cous rather than the copout pre-spiced versions, etc. I'm getting so that I dread going to the grocery store. Last night I spent $113 bucks for the following:

1 gallon of 1% milk
1 pkg yogurt tubes
1 1lb. pkg chicken breasts
1 1b pkg marinated chicken thighs
1 1lb pork tenderloin
1/2 pound salmon
1/2 pound catfish
2 pre-made spicy crab cakes
3 bratwursts
1 1lb. container of cous cous (as expensive as the crab cakes)
squash
tomatos
pears
lemons
limes
bananas
canteloupe

and that's it- no beer, no wine, no cereal, no breads...

It's crazy.

Jenn

[alison]

Re: generic

Ouch, Jenn!

The other day, I spent $9 on a loaf of bread, a tomato, and a small package of bacon. It's almost cheaper to just eat out!

[Vanquisher]

Re: generic

Ouch, Jenn!

The other day, I spent $9 on a loaf of bread, a tomato, and a small package of bacon. It's almost cheaper to just eat out!

Depending on where you eat and what you order, it can be significantly cheaper to eat out.

$5 pizzas from Little Ceasars are cheaper than a frozen Freschetta, and by the time you made a pizza from scratch, you are in at least that much with yeast, flour, eggs, tomato sauce, cheese, etc. The same is true for a lot of fast foods, and beyond that, processed foods.

It is significantly more expensive to eat fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, and fish.

[alison]

Re: generic

Do you shop at one place or multiple places for certain things?
By the time you calculate in the gas, does it make sense to drive around in order to save?

[DCJenn]

Re: generic

We only really have one grocery store in near downtown, luckily it's right by crunchy school so it works out well.

For us, my husband will not eat fast food. EVER. If it's even fast food-ish, he will not touch it.

I shop at the commissary if I happen to be on post, but I won't go out of my way to get there.

and we wonder why there's an obesity problem in America.

Jenn

[Vanquisher]

Re: generic

and we wonder why there's an obesity problem in America.

Jenn

This is part of what I was getting at Jenn. The obesity problem is also a lot more prevalent in Americans with lower socioeconomic status.

I shop mainly at Walmart. It's the cheapest, by far, and I have to do what I have to do! I don't go to a bunch of different stores. I do shop at Sam's Club or Costco and Trader Joes which are quite a jaunt, but I have specific things I get at those places, and I go very infrequelntly and stock up when I do go.

Occassionally, I will shop at the Publix grocery store that is closest to my house if I jut need a few things, but I try to limit grocery trips, for the most part, to once every 7-10 days.

The farmer's market near me is only open on Tuesdays, and I have gone there, but I haven't found it to be cheaper or necessarily better quality.

[migirl]

Re: generic

I buy generic (mostly Kroger brand) stuff a lot, too. It's something I've always done, so I'm not doing it anymore than I used to with grocery prices increasing. I'm also a coupon-cutter.

[HouseofWool]

Re: generic

We absolutely buy generic. I would clip coupons if I had the time. I find that with working 40 hrs I just don't have the energy to do that.

If we don't like the generic we go back to the name brand, but for the most part, I get what ever is cheapest on that trip. I don't run from store to store looking for bargins. We do make a trek about once a month to the local Super Walmart and stock up on non-perishables. The rest of the time I shop at our local grocery store.

[houseelf]

Re: generic

We purchase a LOT of generic. There are a few things that I will not buy generic b/c it is just not worth the cost savings: light bulbs, trash bags, and deodorant.

Kelly

[DCJenn]

Re: generic

I was just thinking-

The only item that I insist on one particular brand name is dishwasher stuff- our water is too hard here to mess around- it costs more to have to redo the the non-clean or really cloudy dishes than it does to pony up the cash to get the stuff that does it right the first time.

I prefer laundry soap with no smells so that's kind of self-limiting right there.

and I make my own cleaning fluids (like for windows or counter-tops) from vinegar/water/dishwashing liquid because I'm cheap and lazy.

Jenn

[Phoebe]

Re: generic

We do a lot of generic. Like others, there are some things I won't do, but for the most part generic is the way to go. I primary shop at SuperTarget. It isn't the cheapest, but it is the place where I can get everything in one place at one stop. It is also the closest.

[Vishenka69]

Re: generic

I will also try anything generic at least once but over time I just figure out what taste better to me and stick to that. There are generics that I will get at one store but not the other. Overall I try to buy as much raw ingredients as possible, especially in the spring/summer/fall when farmers markets are in full swing. One of them is only a five minute walk, so I don't even have to drive. A regular supermarket is only 5 minutes away but I often like to go to a fancier one that's about 20 minutes drive. I usually alternate weeks for each.