Saving Money with Store Brands

     Sometimes we make things too complicated.  How do we save money at the grocery store?  Clipping coupons can be tedious and you may end up buying things you may not have wanted in the first place.  In that, case you may not really be saving anything.  Coupons are made to try to get you to purchase items you don't normally buy.  They are, in some ways, a marketing ploy.  So how can we really save?  We can go to the discount grocer and get some name brand items at the rock bottom price.  If you have ever seen the "People of Walmart" on the web, it may not be your cup of tea.  But there is a way to save even more while shopping at your favorite store instead. 

     The question is, "How can I save at my own store, without buying the 50 gallon drum of pickles instead of the normal size jar." The answer is simple, "store brands"!  Believe it or not, a study by Consumer Reports in 2010 concluded that most store brand products scored as good, or better than brand name products.  Store brand soups, macaroni and cheese, cleaning products, paper products, Ketchup and peanut butter all scored well against the big boys. Although the taste and quality may be close, the price may not always be.  Most store brands are 10-50% cheaper than their counterparts.  If you could save 25% off of your grocery bill would you be happy?  Most people would throw their arms in the air and scream! 

     There can be some hurdles and pitfalls to buying store brands but they can be overcome.  Sometimes it can be hard to convince a tough customer that the store brand of Mac and cheese is better than the Kraft variety.  And this tough customer can be a tough egg to crack.  Your kids have been belted with advertising and TV commercials almost twice as hard as you and I, and they can be hypnotized into believing this is better than that.  Don't tell them a thing until they have eaten some and said it was good.  T-h-e-n you can drop the line about how it is just as good as brand X and saves daddy and mommy money, that they can use for Disney World this summer.   The other thing that could cause a problem is that the store brand may NOT be as good as the name brand.  In that case, stick with your name brand, get a coupon for it and move on to the next store brand item.  Very simple!

     Regardless of your income or economic status saving money is fun!  Get out there and try this method.  You can find some tasty alternatives and there seems to be more and more popping up all the time.  I shop at Publix in Florida and the quality of all of their store brands are exceptional.  I love to see that store logo when I am perusing the shelves.  It means I have found something new and I'm saving some of my hard earned money!