Cheap Brands

A couple years ago I started trying to shed some of my money wasting shopping habits, particularly when it came to grocery shopping. I had started to pay more attention to exactly how much I was spending per month on food, and it was way more than I ever did about 10+ years ago. It was really eye opening how much more disciplined I was back then, and how much more I was wasting these days.

I used to scoff at shopping at places like Save-A-Lot because their selection was so limited and almost everything they carried were these strange brands I had never heard of. But once I forced myself to start shopping at stores like that it helped me stay more focused on the necessities and I literally couldn't buy a lot of other frivolous stuff because they simply did not carry it.

In fact, I've actually had some great finds along the way - one of the most recent being their "Bauman's Best" BBQ sauce - I actually like it *better* than many of the major brands. Plus they recently redesigned it, and it's a much larger bottle for only $1.79. It has pineapple juice as one of the ingredients, which gives it a really nice fruity flavor, along with a spicy kick to it - i'm guessing cayenne pepper, that your plain jane ones like Kraft BBQ sauce don't have. Their "Tio Santi" line of sauces and tortilla's are also of good quality and about 30% or more cheaper than their bigger brand name counterparts such as Goya, Ortega, and others.

Not to mention, as far as produce goes - the big chain stores want like $2 for a bunch of cilantro or $4 a pound for jalapenos, but I can get cilantro there for 50 cents a bundle, and for about $1.50 a pound for jalapenos.

 

I don't mind substituting generic for my usual name brands either as long as it's not an item that I'm particularly fond of like bacon because in most cases I've found that generic brands are a little less in quality and understandably so, and for luxury items like bacon I just prefer to splurge a little and get my cravings over with rather than settle for something less and it ends up giving me twice the cravings in the future. I also opt for name brands even if they are more expensive for food items that I prefer to be assured of the quality and cleanliness of so I will spend a bit more on those but on others I don't mind getting the less expensive brand.

 

I'm not a brand snob, at all. I do have to say that some store brand items really are not as good though. I'm always willing to give the store brand or generic a try. If it's just as good (or even real close) I'll continue to buy it. Certain things just don't taste the same though. On the other hand, like Ohio said, sometimes the off brand is actually better than the national brand name.

Walmart's "Great Value" version of Diet Dr. Pepper is called Diet Dr. Thunder. It tastes better to me than the "real" one. At some point, they changed the Diet Dr. Pepper recipe. The off brand stayed the same. I prefer the taste and it's about half the price, so win/win for me.

 

There are very few food items where I prefer the name brand. Store brands are just as good in most cases, and on occasion they’re even better. Safeway’s house brand has some great salsas, for example. So I just say that the money I save buying store brands can go toward the very few name brand items I buy, heh.

 

I don't mind eating food that is unbranded, so long as it doesn't compromise on the quality of what I am eating. This is something that you should always try, as you will find that there are some unbranded things that you don't mind, and others that you don't really like at all. It is all about trial and error to see what is right for you. But it is more than worth considering, because buying unbranded foods means that you will be able to save a lot of money in the long term, so it is definitely something to think about doing if you can.

 

Quality and whether a product is cost effective is more important to me that brand and although I don't buy all that much from the stores - as I grow the majority of my own produce - I do already do this to some degree and always when it comes to buying staples that are used regularly - like pasta, rice, pulses, grains, mustard etc - especially as it really isn't worth paying extra for a brand name when the store brand is generally the same quality but way cheaper.

However although I'm all for buying store branded products and would agree that cheap doesn't necessarily mean low quality - particularly as there are many unbranded products that are considerably cheaper to buy, which are just as good if not better than some of the well known branded products - I have found that cheaper products are not always the better option from a cost saving point of view.

Which is why - I think its always best to try the smallest possible version of a product first - not only to check if you like the flavor or the texture - but mainly to see if it is as good or as economical as the branded product - particularly as I've found that with some of the cheaper products - not only are they not very healthy - as they're loaded with chemicals and additives - but you often have to use more to get the same flavor or results - which of course means that its more cost effective to stick with a branded product - as although initially a little more expensive they generally workout more economical in the long run - as they don't need replacing as often - because you use less.

 

I don't mind testing different brands and even store brands to determine which of them has the greatest "taste." I've noticed from time to time that there's a subtle difference in taste [and flavor] and when buying food I always want the one with the best taste. If there isn't much difference I'll get the cheapest.

 

There are a few items that I prefer to be brand name because they really do taste better and if you shop around you can always find them cheaper or on sale at another store. For the most part though I usually buy the generic brand. It tastes just as good for a fraction of the price.

 

I typically try to go for name brands when it's something I can be quite picky about. Like Milk, yogurt or cheese it just all tastes the same to me but things like cereal, oreos or chips, I can start getting picky with it because to me it tastes a little bit off for me. Like if I buy normal brand cereal and the store brand cereal, I can actually taste a slight difference in the quality and growing up being used to the generic brand, it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. So basically I'm half and half with cheap brands. It really depends if I'm able to get used to the taste. If it tastes fine then of course I'll save a few bucks then buy the brand. But if it's different, I'd rather spend a bit more the get the taste I'm used to.

 

Where I come from, food isn't just food. The no name brands usually taste considerably different to the better brands. If I shop at supermarkets, I usually buy health food, and I am quite familiar with all the different brands. I don't mind paying a little more for products that are free of additives and preservatives, and that state where the ingredients come from.

 

I'm not going to lie, I totally agree with Dora M. I'm very precious about what I eat. I much prefer brands that I'm familiar with and when it comes to food, I really would rather [pay that little bit more to get exactly the taste and quality that I'm looking for. I do sometimes compromise when it comes to cleaning materials, especially when money's a little tight.

 

Sometimes, the store brand foods taste inferior as compared to the branded ones, so if the price difference ain't huge then just go for the better tasting food instead, right? Although you can't go wrong with store brand tissue. It's cheaper, regardless of quality.

 

Give it a try. I think you'll like it.

The one thing I'd caution is buying cheap just because it's cheap. It doesn't end up being a good value, if it just goes to waste because nobody likes it. I mean, I've had that happen when trying new things, but then I know not to buy it again. Finding the best off brands can be hit or miss sometimes, but once you start to figure out which ones are good for which items, you can save a ton of money.

 

We have a brand here that emerge about 10 years ago. Bonus is the name of the brand and it deals with almost all foodstuff, from bakery products, drinks, candies, biscuits and snack items, rice, etc. The price is much lower than the branded ones but Bonus is slowly gaining popularity when people got to know that it is owned by SM, the owner of the largest malls in the Philippines.

 

If you're looking to save money with food, often the cheaper store brands are worth the money. They're not always as poor quality as the price indicates - you just have to be more careful with which items you purchase with that brand. For example, I always buy good well known brands when it comes to milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products. But, for things like pasta and rice which I buy in bulk, I have no issues with buying the cheaper store brand, as they will save me quite a bit of money.

 

I have no problem buying cheap brands and I think some of them for instance the My Essentials brands are as good or better than the name brand products. I think some of the generic brands have more salt and so forth then the name brands and in some cases if there is only a few cents difference between the name brand and generic, but in most cases I buy generic because it is quite a bit cheaper even if I have a coupon for he name brand.