Save More Money by Buying Off Brand vs Name Brand Groceries--Budget Shopping for Generic Brand Food.
70Most off-brands are as good as name brands!
I've been known to break out into a cold sweat when going through the check out lane...wondering what the amount of the bill would be. But I have learned through the years, through trial and error, that there are many groceries you can buy for much less, IF you stay away from the name brand items.
I know that some people say that the off-brand items don't have the same quality as name brands...I think that notion comes from way back when the generic items first hit the shelves, remember those? I can remember seeing all these items that came in plain containers--usually white or yellow, with black print. Nothing on the box or can except what the item was, such as "CORN" "GREEN BEANS", "MACARONI AND CHEESE", "COFFEE", and even "BEER". And, admittedly, the quality of these products were not always very good--so the off-brands didn't get off to a good start.
But, it's different now--Whether it's a store brand, or from a company you've never heard from before, most off-brand groceries are just as good as the name brand that costs double, or sometimes, triple, the cost.
Around our area, the main places to grocery shop are Kroger, Wal-Mart, and Aldi. For the majority of our groceries, I prefer Aldi--it's a chain of grocery stores that sell almost all off-brand foods. For the items that they don't sell--we go to Kroger or Wal-Mart, because they have their own brands of items, also. Wal-Mart has improved their line of off-brand groceries, to the point that most of the items we buy there are their "Great Value" brand.
Now, my husband Tom and I raised three kids on a tight budget, but I always tried to make sure that the food they ate was good tasting, so if I tried an off-brand item and we didn't like it, then I wouldn't get it again. But, believe me, there have been very few things that we didn't like.
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WAYS TO SAVE MONEY AT THE GROCERY
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What to find at Aldi--Foods at great prices!
At Aldi, they have fresh produce that equals anything you can get at a regular supermarket--they don't have as big of a selection, but they do have the usual kind that I ordinarily buy. And I always buy staples there...milk, eggs, margarine, flour, white and brown sugar, powdered sugar--I mean, can you really tell a difference in most of these items anyway? So why pay so much more for a name brand of these things, when you can get them so much cheaper off-brand?
Same goes for cheeses--bars or shredded, or cream cheese...I have never been disappointed in the quality of the off-brand packages of cheese. Or of their bags of salad mix--the lettuce in these are always fresh looking and taste good! They have a really good frozen meat section, where I stock up on chicken breasts, wings, drumsticks, and also ground beef. They also have a fresh meat section, where we bought the best pork loin we'd ever tasted.
Aldi has plenty of pre-packaged food, too, for those of you who like it. I don't buy a lot of it, but I have tried their boxed pizza mix, which is just like the Chef-Boy-R-Dee boxed mix, but a couple of dollars cheaper. We actually thought it tasted better than the name brand...
And if you like snacks like chips, pretzels, corn chips, things like that, they offer those, too. If you like Doritos, you can buy the Aldi version, made by Clancy's. We bought a bag not too long ago, and Tom like them better than the Doritos he'd had in the past--he said they were much more flavorful. Same for the pretzels and corn chips, but we weren't quite as satisfied with the potato chips--but we're a little pickier when it comes to them...our favorite brand is Lays, and, to us, there's just no beating them!
I could go on and on about buying off-brand foods, but I think by now it's pretty clear how I feel about them. Like I said, there are some items that aren't quite as good as name brand items, but since everyone's tastes are different, I hesitate to say specific items. We may not care for them, but someone else could love them!
So, if you're looking to save some money, consider trying off-brand groceries. Start off with a few to see what you think, then try a few more the next week. Even if you don't have a place like Aldi, most supermarkets carry their own brand of foods--give them a try--you may be pleasantly surprised at the quality...and the amount of money you can save!
Just out of curiosity...
What do you think of Off-Brand Foods?
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Hi Steve--Kroger is just a regular supermarket chain, but they carry a lot of their own brands. Maybe you have a supermarket in your area that does the same--these days, it seems like most of them do!
Good luck!
being the only person who has voted you have 100% vote on I buy them all the time.lol What started off as a necessity (before the kids came on the scene I bought mainly named brand goods simply because that was what I had at home) became when I could afford to choose my choice. To my surprise some of the stores own brand cheaper items I much prefer to the higher priced named brands. To the point that I would rather pay the higher price if I now had to for some of the stores own branded items.
maggs--I know what you mean--there are many items that we prefer the off-brand best, too!
I remember when I first started grocery shopping--I would always buy the name brand, too, but for a different reason than you! My mom would ALWAYS buy the cheapest stuff, and that's when the first generic foods came out...ugh, have you ever had generic Hamburger Helper???lol
So I couldn't WAIT to get out and buy the "good" foods.
But, like you, kiddies started coming along, and it was time to tighten the belt, and watch what I was spending, so that's when I started trying so many of the off brands, and actually liking them this time around!:)
Thanks so much for commenting!
I love this article, it hit home. On some items, I feel pretty loyal to the name brand, but for most, the generic is just fine. Of course, these days of belt tightening, generic is the order of the day for the most part. Did I just repeat myself, oh well, you know what I mean?
Thanks fastfreta! If you repeated yourself, that just makes it twice as important to you, huh?lol
I'm glad to hear that you are open to these foods, also--I can fill a grocery cart up with off-brand, and spend half as much as I would with the more expensive name brands!
There are some foods that I only buy name - mac and cheese for example. I remember when I was in Jr. Hi and dad was out of work we used to shop at a place where you marked the prices yourself with a grease pen, when things were really tight we'd buy things that the labels had fallen off.. We got really good at identifying the codes on the bottom which were pet food, which were regular food. We would each pick out a can and that was dinner. Many times it was corn, beans and spaghettios!! LOL!!
Thanks Tammy!
How timely is this hub? Very, as the current economy is pushing us to look for warys to cut costs and this was a great hub to show us how. I'm the mom of four although the three older ones are in thier twenties now, I just have the little one with me. I remember shopping at Aldi when they were smaller, and having to bring my o wn bags or boxes or pay a few pennies for theirs. Thats no big deal, I'm so into the "green movement" thta I have my own reusable grocery bags anyway. I think I'lll check out aldi's again real soon. I think if folks don't have an aldi's in their area, any local supermarkets all have their own brands to investigate and I have not been disappointed either!.. Great information, thanks.
Yeah, this is definitely the way to go. Been doing this for quite a while. Good hub, thanks.
Candie--Good thing you learned those codes, isn't it?lol I remember my dad getting laid off in the 70's...my mom was always able to "squeeze the buffalo off of a nickel" as my dad would say, but during that time, she was even worse...ummm, I mean, even more frugal...lol ~hugs~
erin--Thanks for reminding me about the bags--I'd forgotten to mention that. Yeah, I usually buy the plastic ones they have, and re-use them until they are in tatters, lol.. If you haven't checked out Aldi's in awhile, you may be pleasantly surprised--in our area, at least, they have added many more items--the main ones being the fresh meat section, and more frozen goods!:)
alekhouse--You probably have Aldi's in your area, don't you? Kentucky, right? Thanks for your comment! :)
Hey sweetie...we're out of taco chips and there's only 2 beers left....I put them on your grocery budget list.... I scribbled out milk and eggs. :)
Oh, okay, honey--thanks for correcting our list, lol!!!! No milk for your coffee then--maybe you could use beer! :D
Your local grocer does not make their own products. Often times they are made by the name brand sitting right next to them on the same shelf so it would only make sense to buy many of them. Great hub.
Draft coffee! Genius! :)
Paper Moon--Thanks for mentioning that! I did know that, but it completely slipped my mind while I was writing this...
Tom--Draft coffee???? hmmmm, you try it first! lol :D
You're 100% correct. I resort to off-brands usually bcz they are all of the same quality, but if I don't find what I want, I buy a branded item.
I always buy off brands, except for off brand chocolate chip cookies. Or certain things I cannot enjoy (I have tried) off brand. I rarely eat much anyways, I sorta graze at the campus cafeteria veggies. Great advice, Tam. Nothing wrong with buying off brand foods.
shamelabboush--I will do the same thing--but there are very few things we need that I can't find in the offbrands!
Am I dead yet?--Yeah, it's hard to find good chocolate chip cookies--I know what you mean there!
Thanks for the comments!
I totally agree with you and in most cases you can't really tell the difference.
Lady--Isn't that the truth? Tonight, for example, we made homemade subs for dinner...we bought EVERYTHING for them at Aldi's--the tuna, the deli ham, the salami, the veggies, even the buns...
And everyone loved them!
Thanks for your comment!
Oh look I agree I have no pride I buy all the cheapies, it tastes all the same to me, when I am not burning it of course ROFL.
I buy off brands all the time--I grew up on them and my kids are too. There are a few things my hubby refuses to eat unless they are name brand, like Velveeta shells and cheese, but for the most part, all our groceries are Kroger brand lol
lol blondepoet! I've burnt a thing or two in my time, too, hahaha! At least if you buy the cheaper stuff, you're not wasting so much if it DOES get burnt, huh??? :D
Janetta--I grew up on them, too...unfortunately, my mom bought those original ones I was talking about--ever had hamburger helper in the black and white box?..ugh...
Tom will eat anything--he's so easy, haha--actually, he loves going to Aldi's with me and helping me shop! My son-in-law has certain things that he'll only eat brand name, too, though, so I know what you mean!
I agree on the note about brands, good grief! lol but some people see it as a status of wealth in ability to buy these products, lol. Great info!
I have found only a few minor differences in quality.
One thing you have to consider in buying national brands-- you are always paying for the ADVERTISING as well as the product.
Brands that are widely advertised and promoted and couponed are rarely a bargain.
If you compare the ingredients of one to another, they are often the same and --yes-- sometimes you will even find in the small print that they are actually produced by the same company.
Dame--A status of wealth--I think you're right!!! Thanks for your comments!
Rochelle--Good point about the advertising cost of products, thank you. I have seen what you're talking about as far as the small print...and it being the same company! I, too, have found very few differences in quality. Thanks for your comments!:)
last night Tam I was cooking some sausages, and my boarder Chris was asleep on the couch, he had been to Brisbane for a wild weekend and was exhausted. Suddenly the alarms went off, so I jumped up and down beneath it waving frantically with my tea-towel, it died down.
I opened a window and kept cooking. Suddenly waillllllllll, it went off again and again I humped, sorry jumped beneath it. I was relieved it did not wake him up. Yet again 5min later it went off again. I was pissed by this stage and yes he came out half dazed, just in time to eat some ROFL.
I can just picture you, waving your towel frantically at the smoke alarm, lol!!! :D
Tom once put a bag of popcorn in the microwave--when it finished, he felt it wasn't quite done, so he put it in AGAIN for the full amount of time....next thing we know, the house is filling with smoke, and smelling the most AWFUL odor!
It burnt the popcorn to a blackened lump, and totally ruined the inside of the microwave, hahaha!!! Meanwhile, the smoke alarms in the house are going crazy, lol...:)
Thanks for the tips! Lately I have been trying to spend less money on groceries since my husband and I are on a tight budget since I am not currently working. I admit that I usually buy mostly name brands but honestly I cannot afford it anymore and it's nice to know that off brand foods are comparable or the same.
charamia2--You're welcome--I'm sure you'll find that many off brands are as good as name brands. Actually, there are some that we like even better! :)
TamCor: I totally agree with you about the tea bags from WalMart...Love 'em!! I'd just like to offer that after trial and error, I now also buy store brand aluminum foil, plastic wrap and storage bags (but am still having trouble with plastic trash bags that don't rip or puncture easily). It's a really cool game I play with myself every week to see how much I can save! Now that I'm an empty nester...it should be even easier :))
cynfu/llz--Thanks for your comment!
I've used the off-brand foil, plastic wrap and storage bags, also--and have for years. I'm with you on the trash bags, though--it's very hard to find good strong ones. I do buy them sometimes, but I have to be more careful with those!
Have fun with your experiments! We have noticed that Wal-Mart has changed the packaging on their "Great Buy" products, including the tea bags. They look more generic now, and I hesitated to buy the tea bags at first, thinking they'd changed, but when we tried them, they were just the same as before.
As a matter of fact, all of their "Great Buy" products that we use were the same as before, even though the packaging is cheaper looking.
Thanks again! :)
Thanks for a great hub on buying generic foods, I have done it all my life and can't really tell the difference. thanks for sharing. creativeone59
Thank you creativeone--I'm so happy to meet another person who shops this way, and likes it, too!!! :)
Steve Rensch 2 years ago
Unfortunately, we don't have Aldi or Kroger in Arizona. Know of any others?