Money is really tight right now and I am always looking for ways to save on groceries. Unfortunately, my partner is extremely fussy and will not entertain the thought of most generic or value goods, preferring a branded alternative. Now as I'm sure we all know, there is often little difference between the two. So I have had to get a little sneaky. I have a secret collection of branded goods packaging, things like bread bags, cereal boxes and such like. I time my grocery shop so he's not home when I return. Then, I slip the value cereal into the Kellog's boxes, put the discounted bread into the premium wrapper and decant the cheap wash powder into a storage container. He never notices the difference! OK, I know I am, in effect, lying. I just don't have the energy left to argue my case regarding grocery savings. I wonder what he'd say if he knew? Does anyone else have similar problems at home and if so, how do you work around them?
Wow! You really have a system down. If your partner hasn't noticed the difference, you should bring it up! There are certain items that I PREFER the generic version. Don't know why. But there are other things that I only like a certain brand. I guess you are lying, but I don't know.... it doesn't seem important. But I would fess up.
While yes he won't notice, but the other aspect is he needs to get real if you are on a budget and he can't have it both ways. I know you don't want to argue, but if money is tight he needs to learn how to get the most out of your money. People get snobby about things and even my brother who only likes Heinz baked beans couldn't tell the difference when I gave him something else and I told him and he's fine with it once he couldn't back track.
Often times most generic brand processed foods are made in the exact same factory as the branded product! Maybe you should do some investigation and tell your partner that they are essentially identical. However, it's not healthy to hide things from your partner like this, I would recommend sitting down and talking with him/her.
That's very unfortunate. Does you partner have the money to pay for what he wants? If he does, fine. If not, tell him that you will buy what you can afford. Basically, it's like telling him to put up or shut up. That may sound drastic, but dire situations need drastic actions to rectify them.
OK guys, I just confessed! Things were getting a bit tense regarding the finances today anyhow and I ended up blurting it all out when I was trying to emphasise how hard it is to manage right now. Well, there was a little bit of wounded pride, I must admit, but he did agree that he hadn't noticed the difference. So now, I don't have to sneak around with the groceries and we've also decided to try and swap even more things for a generic alternative. At last, he's on board. Note to self - It's always better to tell the truth in the long run!
I'm glad you came clean. These days it's no shame to go to Lidl or Aldi or generic brands and is in fact considered savvy or even to buy from the pound shops. It used to be, but every one needs to be clever at shopping and at least he is realistic about the situation and won't buy things willy nilly as some men can do at the corner shop or garage.
Good to know that things worked out fine for you. In any relationship, there must be a modicum of trust. Hiding things in a relationship is the first step to breaking the relationship.
I thankfully don't have much of a problem because I only buy for myself, but I can see how that can be necessary. I am glad you eventually told the truth because it's much better to be transparent with those you love, and I guess you could just consider the initial stage as a sort of experiment in this way. If it were done to me I don't think I'd mind that much if I didn't really notice the difference but hopefully the generic brand being replaced with my usual branded one is still somewhat reputable in that it still has some sort of quality to it and I can be assured that it won't be hazardous to my health.
It's been a long time that I have been considering the generic brand of food items in the supermarket. It is fairly cheap with the bread as an example - the branded costs 61 pesos while the generic (Bonus brand) costs 45. But when it comes to quality, especially with food that taste is the most important, I cannot argue with my husband in retaining the branded. And if I do a sleight of hand, surely the people in the house would know because of the taste and the texture.
I don't see anything wrong with buying a generic version of a product, if you are just as pleased with the quality of it. In fact, some "generic" branded products are actually made by the big brand name companies themselves - such as the case is with many products at Aldi and Trader Joes's. There are some products that I do still stick with the brand name version - such as Kikkoman soy sauce, since most other cheaper versions don't come anywhere near it in terms of flavor and quality. Most others aren't even naturally brewed, like real soy sauce should be. But stuff such as many canned goods, like beans and tomatoes, the generic versions are usually just fine. Same goes for cereal, crackers, etc...
I have to say I have been guilty of doing the same thing. My husband prefers branded items as well. He is quite particular about seeing a certain brand of antacid. I will buy the generic brand and come home and pour it into the other bottle. He has never noticed a difference. If it comes out of the branded bottle and he thinks he taking the brand he likes I'm find with a little white lie to save some money. I haven't done it with food as I think he might taste the difference. Thanks for the tips.
I have done this so many times with my parents! My stepdad hate generics and swears that they taste horrible. We switched up his kool aid and mac and cheese with market generics and he loved them more than the name brand. We let him enjoy his meal and listened to his praises and told him the truth after he was done eating. It was too funny!
I cannot for the life of me convince my girl to use generic drugs. She says she "trusts" brand name ones more. I even showed her the law that says that all "medical ingredients" have to be exactly the same. PLUS if you read the news, brand name drugs are more often involved in health issues then the generic ones! My next move is to bring it up at our next doctors appointment.
