So, today, I thought I would share some money saving ideas for how we grocery shop. I was a new mom, thrown into grocery shopping for a family of 4 after only shopping for myself for 10 years. Before I met Jason, I swear, I could make a meal out of whatever I had on hand. Cereal, sandwiches, lunchables, chips and sliced cheese. I didn't spend tons on groceries because with one person, I never felt the need to spend that much on food. There were other things I wanted. Like tanning and getting my hair done (And I was a size six, go figure). I had no ideas on what to make for dinner; I will never forget the first time Jason asked me that question, "So, what do you want to do for dinner?" I was like, "Um...no clue?" Then, I had to learn what a 4 year old and 7 year old actually liked to eat. That was hard and took alot of time. I had to be very smart on buying things that weren't complete junk, that lasted and had to compare pricing on everything. For starters, I shop at these three stores:
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There are many lessons I learned, but there are too many for one post, so I am going to break it up into smaller ones. My first one is about generic vs. name brand. Is it actually cheaper?
My first inclination was just to buy generic straight across. Well, after alot of shopping I have learned there are some things that are ok to buy generic and some that are not. Questions to ask yourself when deciding is:
1. Does it taste better, worse, or the same? If you buy something that doesn't taste good, your family won't eat it and it will go to waste anyway. Some generics actually taste just as good, if not better, and your family will never know!
2. Is is actually that much of a savings to buy generic? Compared to the good stuff, how much cheaper is it? Is it the same size? Does it last as long?
3. Is it good quality? There are some generics that are great quality and others that are just cheaper all the way around, including in quality.
Here are some things I never buy generic:
*Toilet paper - The cheap stuff goes like THAT and you end up buying more over time. Now, Wal-Mart has a good brand that I think is comparable to the good stuff. It's White Cloud, I have found this $2.00 for a pack of 6. And it lasts. This is my only exception to my rule. Never buy TP at the dollar store, that stuff is terrible!
*Oreos - Just, yuck. No one knows how to make an Oreo cookie like Oreo. These are a treat, but I just wait until they are on sale because no one likes the cheapies.
*Diapers: Honestly, Luvs is the best diaper I have found and it is usually only about $.50 more, maybe a $1.00 more than the good generics. Diapers are not a place I want to scrimp, and I figure, I might as well spend the extra $1 or so and have the brand name stuff because I know it works. Good generics I have found are Target or Wal-mart, but like I said, they really are not cheap enough for me to not use Luvs.
*Some generic bread: It might be cheaper, but trying to spread butter on a bad piece of bread is tortous. Wal-Mart has a good generic, as does Aldi. About $1.00 for a loaf. Otherwise, I just buy the name brand that is one sale at the store
*Dog Food - We have two big dogs. They eat about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of food each, each day. I have found that per bag, Purina One (which is what we use) might be more expensive, but they don't go through it nearly as fast and the cheap stuff, that might only be $2 or $3 cheaper. For example, Ole Roy might call for 4 or 5 cups a day. Not to mention, our dogs never throw up or have digestion problems, so to me, it's worth it to buy the good stuff.
*Sliced cheese- It's not worth it. It doesn't melt and it tastes like grease! I haven't found a good generic that is worth the savings.
*Trash bags - We have heavy trash and the cheapies just don't do the job. I have also found that the good ones (I use Hefty Febreze) smell better and last longer, so I usually only buy them once every 2 or 3 months, where the fake ones I buy once a month.
*Chocolate syrup - Hershey's is the best. It's not much of a savings to get generic and the fake stuff doesn't mix as well. This is a treat too, but Hershey's really isn't that much anyway, maybe $1.50. So I try to buy this because the kids really like it (and so do I).
*Generic Hair Conditioner - I don't really care about the shampoo, but conditioner has to be name brand something. The cheap stuff just doesn't make my hair feel very good. It might be different for other people who have different types of hair, but no me.
*Laundry detergent - I ALWAYS buy on sale, but I try to find some sort of name brand. Especially now, since I am constantly washing spit up and poop out of clothes, I need something that actually works. I haven't found a good generic that doesn't require tons of pretreating for it to work properly.
*Dishwashing detergent - Jason usually does the dishes and doesn't like to have to wash dishes twice. Who can blame him? We always get the good stuff, it lasts forever and actually does get the dishes clean.
*Hot dogs - I don't eat these but Jason does. He says the generic ones are disgusting. I just haven't found a good generic to replace them.
*Grape jelly - the cheap stuff doesn't spread. At all. I always get Squeezable Welch's.
*Formula - She always eats Similac, I am not even going to try the other stuff. I know it doesn't upset her stomach and it's not worth it to me to find out.
*Mac n Cheese - My kids know. They always know, it drives me nuts!!! They won't eat it unless its Kraft Mac N Cheese.
Here is my list of what I ALWAYS buy generic:
*Cereal - I am usually the only one who ever eats it, and while I can taste a difference sometimes, it is not enough to make me get the good stuff, UNLESS the good stuff is on sale and is the same price as generic. When it comes to the kids, it's a toss up. If I am in a good mood, I will buy them the stuff they like, but if not, I will just get the stuff I want them to eat. I have also found that the generic has more in the box!
*Chips - We are totally in love with Wal-Mart brand chips. We think they tastes better than the real stuff and it actually has more chips per bag! However, they don't always have all of their kinds in stock, so, that's a negative. We will buy the real stuff if it's on sale, but most of the time, it's not.
*Milk - Sorry, Bordens. You are the best, but the generic brand is just fine and it's a much better deal.
*Condiments - No one can tell a difference between the real or fake mustard, mayo, or catsup. Or ranch. Or any of the rest of it. Well, they can't at our house. As far as I am concerned, the cheap stuff is just fine.
*Chicken - I always buy frozen chicken from Aldi's. Honestly, it doesn't shrink when you cook it and the stuff from Wal-mart does, pretty bad. I don't ever buy the name brand because Aldi's is pretty darn good!
*Spices - Aldi has big bottles of spices for $1. I haven't found a better deal. I can't taste a difference, can you?
*Sugar/Sweeteners - Cheap stuff is just fine for us.
These are the things I can think of - other than that, I buy what is cheaper or on sale. One rule of thumb - Don't shop at a $1 for groceries. Usually, as a general rule of thumb, it's just not worth it, unless you go on the day they receive the overstocks from the stores, and even then, they are usually smaller boxes of everything so $1 is really not that great of a deal.
Hope this helps, any other generics you've found that are TOTALLY AWESOME?? I want to see you write about some - link up on your comments on my page so everyone can see!
,
There are many lessons I learned, but there are too many for one post, so I am going to break it up into smaller ones. My first one is about generic vs. name brand. Is it actually cheaper?
My first inclination was just to buy generic straight across. Well, after alot of shopping I have learned there are some things that are ok to buy generic and some that are not. Questions to ask yourself when deciding is:
1. Does it taste better, worse, or the same? If you buy something that doesn't taste good, your family won't eat it and it will go to waste anyway. Some generics actually taste just as good, if not better, and your family will never know!
2. Is is actually that much of a savings to buy generic? Compared to the good stuff, how much cheaper is it? Is it the same size? Does it last as long?
3. Is it good quality? There are some generics that are great quality and others that are just cheaper all the way around, including in quality.
Here are some things I never buy generic:
*Toilet paper - The cheap stuff goes like THAT and you end up buying more over time. Now, Wal-Mart has a good brand that I think is comparable to the good stuff. It's White Cloud, I have found this $2.00 for a pack of 6. And it lasts. This is my only exception to my rule. Never buy TP at the dollar store, that stuff is terrible!
*Oreos - Just, yuck. No one knows how to make an Oreo cookie like Oreo. These are a treat, but I just wait until they are on sale because no one likes the cheapies.
*Diapers: Honestly, Luvs is the best diaper I have found and it is usually only about $.50 more, maybe a $1.00 more than the good generics. Diapers are not a place I want to scrimp, and I figure, I might as well spend the extra $1 or so and have the brand name stuff because I know it works. Good generics I have found are Target or Wal-mart, but like I said, they really are not cheap enough for me to not use Luvs.
*Some generic bread: It might be cheaper, but trying to spread butter on a bad piece of bread is tortous. Wal-Mart has a good generic, as does Aldi. About $1.00 for a loaf. Otherwise, I just buy the name brand that is one sale at the store
*Dog Food - We have two big dogs. They eat about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of food each, each day. I have found that per bag, Purina One (which is what we use) might be more expensive, but they don't go through it nearly as fast and the cheap stuff, that might only be $2 or $3 cheaper. For example, Ole Roy might call for 4 or 5 cups a day. Not to mention, our dogs never throw up or have digestion problems, so to me, it's worth it to buy the good stuff.
*Sliced cheese- It's not worth it. It doesn't melt and it tastes like grease! I haven't found a good generic that is worth the savings.
*Trash bags - We have heavy trash and the cheapies just don't do the job. I have also found that the good ones (I use Hefty Febreze) smell better and last longer, so I usually only buy them once every 2 or 3 months, where the fake ones I buy once a month.
*Chocolate syrup - Hershey's is the best. It's not much of a savings to get generic and the fake stuff doesn't mix as well. This is a treat too, but Hershey's really isn't that much anyway, maybe $1.50. So I try to buy this because the kids really like it (and so do I).
*Generic Hair Conditioner - I don't really care about the shampoo, but conditioner has to be name brand something. The cheap stuff just doesn't make my hair feel very good. It might be different for other people who have different types of hair, but no me.
*Laundry detergent - I ALWAYS buy on sale, but I try to find some sort of name brand. Especially now, since I am constantly washing spit up and poop out of clothes, I need something that actually works. I haven't found a good generic that doesn't require tons of pretreating for it to work properly.
*Dishwashing detergent - Jason usually does the dishes and doesn't like to have to wash dishes twice. Who can blame him? We always get the good stuff, it lasts forever and actually does get the dishes clean.
*Hot dogs - I don't eat these but Jason does. He says the generic ones are disgusting. I just haven't found a good generic to replace them.
*Grape jelly - the cheap stuff doesn't spread. At all. I always get Squeezable Welch's.
*Formula - She always eats Similac, I am not even going to try the other stuff. I know it doesn't upset her stomach and it's not worth it to me to find out.
*Mac n Cheese - My kids know. They always know, it drives me nuts!!! They won't eat it unless its Kraft Mac N Cheese.
Here is my list of what I ALWAYS buy generic:
*Cereal - I am usually the only one who ever eats it, and while I can taste a difference sometimes, it is not enough to make me get the good stuff, UNLESS the good stuff is on sale and is the same price as generic. When it comes to the kids, it's a toss up. If I am in a good mood, I will buy them the stuff they like, but if not, I will just get the stuff I want them to eat. I have also found that the generic has more in the box!
*Chips - We are totally in love with Wal-Mart brand chips. We think they tastes better than the real stuff and it actually has more chips per bag! However, they don't always have all of their kinds in stock, so, that's a negative. We will buy the real stuff if it's on sale, but most of the time, it's not.
*Milk - Sorry, Bordens. You are the best, but the generic brand is just fine and it's a much better deal.
*Condiments - No one can tell a difference between the real or fake mustard, mayo, or catsup. Or ranch. Or any of the rest of it. Well, they can't at our house. As far as I am concerned, the cheap stuff is just fine.
*Chicken - I always buy frozen chicken from Aldi's. Honestly, it doesn't shrink when you cook it and the stuff from Wal-mart does, pretty bad. I don't ever buy the name brand because Aldi's is pretty darn good!
*Spices - Aldi has big bottles of spices for $1. I haven't found a better deal. I can't taste a difference, can you?
*Sugar/Sweeteners - Cheap stuff is just fine for us.
These are the things I can think of - other than that, I buy what is cheaper or on sale. One rule of thumb - Don't shop at a $1 for groceries. Usually, as a general rule of thumb, it's just not worth it, unless you go on the day they receive the overstocks from the stores, and even then, they are usually smaller boxes of everything so $1 is really not that great of a deal.
Hope this helps, any other generics you've found that are TOTALLY AWESOME?? I want to see you write about some - link up on your comments on my page so everyone can see!
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