So, this blog is almost completely kid-related, because they are the most important and exciting things around here (sorry, Bella)...but I felt like I wanted to share an informal mental list that I've been keeping for the past 10 years or so. As most of you know, I love to save some money. Some of my clothes may or may not be pre-Bob Era, we don't eat out as much as most people, our house is not really decorated (which results as a combination of my lack of artistry and frugality), and we just try to keep it simple and real. BUT - I have learned over the past several years that there are times when it is well worth it to cough up a few extra pennies. So, here's my list of what I have found to be ok to buy generic and what is NOT ok. Feel free to share what you have found so we can all benefit!
OK TO USE GENERICS:
- medications/vitamins
- butter/margarine
- canned vegetables (noticeable difference but not terrible)
- frozen fruits/vegetables, just be sure to look for stems!
- pasta/noodles
- rice
- most cereals, especially Life, Cheerios, and Honey Bunches of Oats
- bread
- peanut butter
- spices
- baby wipes
- milk
- yogurt
- cheese
- bacon
- chips
- crackers of all kinds
- granola bars/Fiber One bars
- chocolate chips (debatable amongst others)
- nuts
- ice cream
NOT OK TO USE GENERICS:
- canned soup
- pasta sauce
- hot dogs
- pop ("soda")
- MACARONI AND CHEESE...NEVER AGAIN!!
- diapers
- goldfish (according to my kids)
- Pop Tarts
Now, we admittedly don't have the most discerning palates, so maybe others have noticed more differences, but the stuff on my "OK" list really tastes about the same to us. So, there you go. I know you can all rest easy now that you have this new-found wisdom.
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3 comments:
I like this list! I think you are right about everything except the baby wipes (I always like Huggies better) and we will never forget the bacon chocolate chip cookies! I do buy HT brand now though. And HT mac and cheese is okay with us too, as well as Target brand diapers (which I have finally tried after all this time).
I agree with most of these too. We actually prefer the Harris Teeter natural ice cream over all of the other brands because it is the only one with just real ingredients (pretty much just milk, cream, vanilla (or cocoa)). Most of the time if I am passing up a generic of one of these items it's because of a particular ingredient (like high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners) that I can avoid if I buy the name brand. I also find that pairing a sale with a coupon I can often get name brands cheaper than the generic brand. And if not, then I'll buy the generic! Thanks for the list!
Thanks, guys! I will definitely try HT mac and cheese and maybe Target diapers...but hopefully pretty soon we won't need any diapers except at night! Generic wipes are different, but I can tolerate them. HT ice cream is so good. I do get name brand with coupons like Liz...it's the best of both worlds!
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