Grocery Shopping and Generic Foods

[Marty]

I don't feel like I've saved a dime shopping at the local generic food store. I hate it actually.

I wish I could convince Jerry that I have to end up spending practically double on generic foods because either of lack of ingredients or weight content.

I find that their canned foods such as corn and beans has no taste. I have to put in boatloads of butter, salt and pepper just to give it some flavor. Whereas if I buy Jolly Green Giant, YUMMY!

If I study the weight in some of the cereal boxes, I'll find that the boxes are the same size as brand names, but they not only skimp on ingredients, but they are not as full in the weight content. I just don't get more bang for the buck and end up having to go elsewhere for decent food.

As far as the produce, it's disgusting and I won't buy it. Lettuce is brown, never crisp. Onions and potatoes always seem bad and nasty before I even bring them home. The bread has no taste either, unless you like the taste of cardboard.

Ice cream lacks taste too. The peanut butter seems to be "oiled-down" or something because there is oil swimming on the top of the jars. Jelly, again, no taste. Skipping on ingredients again.

I can go to Walmart and buy Walmart brand foods for the same prices as in the generic store and find that they have much better quality and taste.

Jerry bought a ham in there for one New Year's Eve. I swear it was so overloaded and drenched with salt we couldn't eat it. Then one Christmas he bought our turkey there. I've never in my life made a dry tasteless turkey but this one was horrid.

As far as laundry detergent, I find that the generic does not clean the clothes well and leaves a stinking odor. I usually have to wash the same load twice to get the clothes clean. Even the boxes don't have the zip tab opening on it. You have to cut it open. They even skimp on packaging.

The few name brand things you find in the generic food store are usually marked way up.

I also am not a fan of coupons. I find that with coupon clipping I end up buying things I normally do not want or need so I did quit that years ago.

Does anyone agree with me?

I also hate food shopping in the first place so here is my tip for being able to get in and get out as quickly as possible: I never go shopping without a list and I stick to it.

I make my list in the order of isles that the products I want is located.

I start my list with whatever is on say isle #1 and just go down those isles that have the things I really need and I completely skip the isles that I don't need. I go ZOOOOOOOMMMMMM

If you don't know what isle anything you need is on, take your digital camera and take a picture of the above isle directory and put it in your computer while you are making up your list and just refer to it.

Also leave the kids at home when shopping for food. They put thier expensive stuff on the lower shelves so that the kids will see them and reach them and beg you for them.

Aviod the junk at the check out lanes. Those are the "getcha" items.

 

[backwoodsnanny]

Marty

I totally agree with you about the generic brands I think they end up costing more just to make them taste fit to eat.

 

[journey]

They have an Aldi here, and I have shopped there ONCE...I spent just as much there as I would Kroger or Wally World... I hate generics.... I feel your pain Marty!

 

[Jill]

I am also pretty big on generics, especially on medications. Some generic foods, I actually like better than the name brands. Others, I do prefer the name brand so that's what we get. I think I save a lot of money by shopping at BJ's Club (like Costco but closer to me) and have gotten much better about limiting the impulse buys. I do though cut coupons, and BJ's takes their own and manufacturer coupons which is good.

 

[Marty]

I sat down with Jerry and actually tried to show him the math between using SAV-A-Lot VS Walmart for instance. .

He of course shows me the receipts of where he thinks I spend double the money at Walmart. He's looking at totals., ok.

Well I showed him that you do not add in tooth paste and paper towels, soaps, shampoos etc as FOOD in the first place. Those are what I call "staples" and not food.

I could go on and on with examples for him, like in his bacon, you just get a load of fat and grease. As for boxed cakes, they don't rise in the over right and taste bland and heaven only knows what's in the lunch meat.

Then I pointed out to him for instance on the laundry detergent that I have to use twice as much in one load of laundry from the stinky stuff as if I just went and bought a box of Tide, Cheer, or Gain etc. in the first place.

And then I proved to him that a bag of Fritos in Walmart was actually .32 cents less than in Sav-A-Lot.

I think it does pay off to do the math and a little research.

 

[Sterling]

I too, like Jill said, actually like some brands of generic food as to name brands. But normally I stick to name brands. As far as coupon clipping...never have been one to do it. BUT I will take a coupon or two if I know it's something that I normally use. I don't have that much time on my hands to clip coupons and cruise the grocery isles. I'm in, I'm out.....and I'm on my merry way.

 

[Pepipony]

Make him to a comparison shopping once, by himself, and then he'll change his mind

:

 

[journey]

We have a Save a Lot here too, but it is nasty and dirty inside.. We went in and left, we never even shopped there. I do clip coupons only if it something we use. I use alot of forumla and diaper coupons cause we have 2 in diapers. I really hate to grocery shop, I want to get in and out quickly. I dislike going when it is busy cause I have to wait in line longer.. hubby likes to do the grocery shopping and he actually does well when he goes, but he buys junk food and I skip over that.

 

[Magic]

Ask Jerry what his HEALTH is worth? If the generic foods taste yucky and you have to add loads of butter and salt to be able to eat it, you're adding fats and sodium to your diet that you wouldn't otherwise be doing. I will buy generics when they are similar (like pasta, harder to mess up) and save money, but I've tried some, like soups, and YUCK!

I hope that Jerry came around to your way of thinking. If not, I'd make HIM do the grocery shopping, lol!

:

 

[nootka]

I just normally don't "do" generic unless it gets a taste test, first.

Life's just too short and yeah, we might save a little money here or there, but many times there is a HUGE difference if you read the packaging and a lot of those less expensive generic brands use things in them that are just plain bad for you (check for hydrogenated or transfats for example).

We shop at Fred Meyer (now owned by Kroger) and our local Safeway store, sometimes Costco.

Wish I had some tips for you b/c I have no problem paying more for better tasting food. I just figure I'll eat less of it (a good thing). *LOL* That is how I'll save money.

Liz

 

[Cathy_H]

What I do is stock up on the name brand items that we use when they are on SALE... I may pick up 12 cans of corn and beans or 5 bags of broccoli florets but they usually last until they go on sale again. Around here if it doesn't taste good it is thrown away - wasted more than saved................... Someone on the news the other day talking about budgeting said IF it is not on sale don't buy it - stock up when it is.

 

[tuffsmom]

I have shopped at a Save-a-lot ONE time, and I never will again. The store was very unclean and disorganized, but my husband insisted that we try it.

Needless to say, within three days of bringing home groceries from there we had all these little black insects/bugs in our flour, cereal, sugar, pasta, etc... they invaded our pantry and cabinets and I had never ever seen one in our house before. I think they called them weevils or something.

We had to have our house sprayed & we had to throw away basically everything that wasn't canned food. It was NOT EVEN WORTH IT to save $5-10 bucks on one grocery run.

Now, the only place I buy groceries is HEB and Wal Mart, no exceptions.

 

[Reble]

I agee, and just hate shopping today. Used to love it.

No more freshness, quaility or reasonably priced.

 

[billiethekid40]

I'm one that is big on the "if its not on sale don't buy it" scheme, and I save TONS of money. of course, some thing you need to have and never seem to go on sale and of course they will be bought. And stuff like bread and milk and eggs are bought regardless if we need them. BUT I only grocery shop every 2-3 weeks (get bread and milk and a bit of produce in between) and if I'm due to go shopping and I KNOW the next week is a big sae week I will stretch my cupboards as thin as they go and wait the extra few days to go on a good sale week. And I stock up too! And of course there are things like frozen pizza and chicken fingers that we would love to have all the time, but ONLY get when they go on sale. And then we stock up on them too!

Forgot to add, I do buy a lot of generic brands and find I can save a lot of money that way. I actually LIKE most of the generic brand stuff that I buy and if I don't I won't buy it again. Things I refuse to buy generic- Katchup has to be heinz, KD has to be Kraft Everything else is fair game, soups, pastas, cereals. I can save a couple of bucks on a box of cereal to go generic, and I have a few types that actually tase BETTER than brand name ones (and some that taste like cardboard and I won't buy LOL).

 

[Marty]

Yup I stick with name brands here too: Pillsbury, Duncan Hines for cake mixes, Green Giant for canned vegetables, Jif or Peter Pan peanut butter etc.

Also at Sav a Lot I find that the frozen food cases are not that cold! The food doesn't seem to be frozen solid either and they keep the lights dimmed in the store. It's gross in there. And yes, I have also found weevils in a bag of sugar I bought there too. I just refuse to shop there.

 

[Relic]

l think the only thing thats generic around here is the bags of those Big Chocolate Chip Cookies 60 cents less a bag then brand name and my sister and l prefer the no name cola in summer when you can get 3 cases for $5 that saves a lot for us compared to almost $4 a brand name case. But we hear if we go to water it's even cheaper. LOL

 

[RENMACMINIS]

Well I shop at Save - a - lot every week.. ours is clean and very neatly organized. (it used to be a foodland) I usually spend 100.00 a week there, and that is usually a buggy full. If I go to a krogers, shop n save, giant eagle, walmart super kmart etc. 100.00 there wouldnt fill the buggy half way. I have never found any bugs in any of the food. I use the bags and reuse them and I refuse to use boxes. Boxes are where you get the bugs from.. esp. roaches.. (i worked in a grocery store for 3 years) If you have to use boxes to bring your groceries in unpack everything on your porch and carry it in. Leave your cases of soda or pop outside overnight. the bugs hide in the boxes and if you leave them out you wont have them in your house.

 

[Russ]

Marty.....you are a PEACH

: I read your post tonight and I just kept thinking to myself.....boy this gal really tries hard.....god bless you! If you ever feel underappreciated, just know you are a WONDERFUL person and the world is better that your in it.

I mean it,

:

Now as for grocery saving......do you have a Sam's Club? (Wal-Mart warehouse bulk food club)

I would think Jerry and you would like it alot. It has name brands BUT also has some pretty decent off brand foods that are good tasting and value(kinda the best of the Wal-Mart and a generic savings mart all wrapped in one store). One thing about Sam's, the unit price is on the shelf under the product.....if you know what the price is at your grocery store it is easy to break it down per serving/ounce/pound etc. and price compare. For instance Tysons frozen chicken breasts at Sam's comes in 5-8 lb. bags at a huge price savings vs. buying a small bag at the local store. With families.....cerals, canned goods, meats, frozen foods etc. can really be bought at a good savings. The key is things you use regularly and need weekly, know your unit prices, economize and shop smart on what you need weekly on your list. Sam's carries some pretty good name brands of food that are a good value and their off brands are better I think than some generic.

My only complaint on Wally World's grocery.....fresh produce always looks like it came over on the Mayflower ship with the pilgrims. :lol:

:

Sam's club fresh produce looks better but I don't feel the prices are so competitive. JMHO

Wish you were close to Iowa, we have some really good grocery store chains(Fareway and Hy-Vee) that are excellent prices and quality when we can't make the big treak to the BIG city and Sam's Club. Sam's is like 60 miles from me.

Take care Marty..... :saludando:

 

[tshack]

Ok I'll agree with the Wal-Mart that's my main shopping place, but I've found our local farmers market has better produce. Higher but better. LOL

I do a lot of the wal-mart brand stuff, but there is a few things I still get name brand on like the HB helper and ranch dressing. ALl in all though it is cheaper and just as good to get wal-mart stuff I think. LOL

 

[Marty]

I just renewed my Sam's Club card. There's one about an hour away up by Sheryl's farm.

I used it last summer a lot because I was feeding tons of people here on the grill every night and when you have to feed an army, that is the place to go for sure. I like to stock up our freezer that way too.

But the way, Judy at Zachery Farms told me that Sam's Club has those snap together little rubber square flooring things. They are $18.88 for a package, and covers 33 square feet. I just got three bundles to put down for flooring in my new tack room and she uses them in her stalls. Love them!