Are you tired of expensive trips to the grocery store? Does it seem like every time you turn around the pantry is empty and the refrigerator is under-stocked?
If so, you should be taking advantage of one the easiest ways to save money at the grocery store: buying generic brands instead of name brand.
If you’re thinking you’re not ready to sacrifice the quality of your favorite brands, you don’t have to. You just need to know which items to buy generic, and which ones to stick to the name brands.
So if you’re looking to save some money at the grocery store (and you can save a good bit of money), here are 8 items you should always buy generic.
Rumor has it generic or store brand milk is typically from local or regional farms, which means it has to travel less to make it to your local grocery store. That makes generic milk not only a smart choice financially, but an overall better choice for your health. There may be special cases where certain types of milk are only available from certain brands, but other than that, you’ll probably be better off buying store brand milk.
This might come as a shock, but both generic and brand name bottled water have the same ingredient: water. Your mind may tell you Fiji tastes better, but it doesn’t. It’s still just water. Save your money by purchasing the store brand bottled water, and if you really want to save some money, go for the gallon or larger size containers of store brand water.
You probably already knew this, but the FDA has regulations on baby formula that requires all brands to live up to the same minimum standards. You may feel better about purchasing the expensive formula, but in most cases, there are no major differences between the name brand formula and the same type of formula from the store brand.
If you’re looking for a generic baby formula to try, go with Target’s brand. It’s so similar, you (and your baby) will likely never notice the difference, but your bank account will.
If you’re a busy parent, you’re probably a fan of canned vegetables strictly for their time-saving capabilities. Well, even as cheap as some canned foods are, you can get them even cheaper by buying the generic brand.
The truth is, Del Monte isn’t packing any more vegetable goodness than the store brands, and they taste every bit as good (unless you buy special seasoned canned vegetables). Buying generic will save you % on average.
If you’re like most shoppers, you may not have even didn’t realize there were name brand eggs. If you’re into organic or cage-free eggs, you’ll probably have to stick with your brand of choice. On the other hand, if you’re not particular about your eggs and you just want to make an occasional omelet, you’re safe to stick with the store brand.
Staple ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder are cheaper than name brand versions, and there’s literally no difference. NPR posted a cool graph on their website that shows which items professional chefs are more likely to buy generic, and “Baking Mixes”, “Sugar”, and “Baking Soda” were all towards the top of the list.
You’ve probably noticed in the supermarket that right next to many popular cereal brands, there’s a VERY similar box of cereal with a similar picture and even a similar name. Check the ingredients, and you’ll likely find that those are very similar too. There may be subtle differences, but when it comes to most cereals like Cheerios, the store brand will usually taste the same as the “real thing”.
We’ve covered this topic in a previous article (see “”), but generic or store brand diapers can be every bit as good as name brands. Take Target for instance. Their Up & Up diapers are well known in the mommy community, and they cost significantly less money.
If you’re loyal to a particular brand already, you might be a little cautious to make the switch, so start by trying them out during the day when the time periods with them on are shorter. At the very least, save the Pampers for overnights and save money by using the store brand during the day.
Medicines are another item heavily regulated by the FDA, so generics are very similar to, if not the exact same as, name brands. Next time you’re in the supermarket, check the ingredients of Advil and Tylenol, then check their generic counterparts. You’ll see they have the exact same primary ingredients, so why not save yourself some money and stick with the generic brand?
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