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I used to buy name brand groceries.
Today, I buy generic products.
My mom asks me all the time, “Why do you buy those no name products?”
She always has a weird look on her face.
“That does not look like good quality,” she says.
In the past, I would associate name brand products with quality too.
Who does not want quality food?
Then, I got into health and fitness.
One of my other businesses is a health and wellness business.
I learned that big brands were the opposite of quality with their long ingredient list of chemicals that can’t be pronounced.
If you think generic brands are inferior, I urge you to read this post.
It is probably different from other posts that you have read.
Though consumers are more savvy now and know the difference between name brand products and generic ones often is just a large marketing budget, I still run into people like my mom.
They still buy big name brands.
A report from Consumer Reports said that people can save 26% on their groceries by buying generic brands.
With the average family spending $500 per month, that is $135 per month or $1620 a year.
After housing and transportation, groceries are most people’s highest expense.
This is an area where you can save money, so read this post to see why generic groceries do not have to be inferior and can save you money.
Generic vs Brand Name Products
Generic brands have come a long way.
Again, most people know that big budget marketing is the difference between name brands and generic brands.
Sometimes, name brand products can be manufactured in the same facility.
Do generic brands really save you money though?
Surprising, it depends.
With couponing (check out sites like the Krazy Coupon Lady), you can sometimes get the name brand product for cheaper.
Of course, that may be extra work.
A lot of times though, generic brands can save you a lot of money.
Again, in a study by Consumer Reports, store brand products cost an average of 26% less than big brand products.
Do generic brands taste the same?
Studies have shown in blind taste tests that most people could not tell the difference.
Why I Associate Big Name Brand Products With Something Negative
Again, I used to be like everyone else.
I associated name brands with quality.
I probably never bought a generic item.
Of course, this was years ago.
Again, later I got into health and fitness.
Big companies include ingredients that are harmful to your health.
This helps extend the shelf life of a product.
Consumers have been aware of these harmful ingredients for years.
So, I associate “Big Food” with harmful ingredients and chemicals that you cannot pronounce.
Big food companies have started to make organic and other products with less harmful ingredients though.
They have no choice.
Consumers are demanding it and asking more questions.
So, when I see a “Big Food” name brand, I don’t think quality.
What brand of groceries do I buy?
My generic brand of choice is Whole Food’s 365 brand.
Whole Foods may be known as “Whole Paycheck,” but the 365 brand is sometimes cheaper than your name brand like Heinz and usually organic.
Target and Kroger also have organic brands as well as most major grocery stores.
Again, sometimes I can get the 365 organic brand for less than the conventional brand (though not always).
For example, Whole Food’s generic 365 organic ketchup is $1.89.
At Target, conventional Heinz is $2.32 for the same 32 ounce bottle.
Organic Heinz is over $3.
So, I got the organic ketchup cheaper than the conventional non-organic brand by buying Whole Food’s 365 brand.
Just keep in mind that you will need to read ingredient lists for quality.
For example, though Horizon Milk is organic, it rates poor on a lot of attributes, so do your homework.
Horizon is one of the worst brands of milk to buy though it is organic.
So Generic Brands Do Not Have To Be Lower Quality
Many people are still like my mom.
They associate name brands with getting a quality product.
Generic brands are lower quality.
I think natural store brands like Whole Food 365 are better quality than conventional big name brands with their questionable ingredients again.
I buy a lot of organic products too.
I know that does not sound cheap.
Generic natural food store brands may not always be as cheap as regular generic store brands like Walmart Great Value, but they are often cheaper than big food brands.
Store generic brands like Walmart’s Great Value are cheaper for a reason.
With food, you must always consider your health first.
You would spend more later if you had a serious chronic health condition than you would on food today.
Who wants to be sick later in life?
I want to be healthy and live a long life.
I do not buy all foods organic.
You don’t have too.
For example, produce on the clean 15 list have little pesticides, so you can buy them conventional.
It would seem like my grocery bill would be higher shopping at Whole Foods and buying a lot of organic products again.
It is around $100 a month for one person.
People are often shocked that I spend this little on groceries.
I don’t buy a lot of processed foods though and cook from scratch too.
Scratch to me means buying a bag of rice instead of anything in a box or package.
You will always pay more if you are buying a lot of prepared foods or foods that come in a box.
You will have to make your own personal choices on topics like organic foods, etc.
If you are like my mom, maybe you will buy more generic foods, especially the organic kind.
Take time to learn things like pesticides, hormones if you are not familiar.
Your health is more important than saving money.
In my area, the main natural food store is Whole Foods.
I here Trader Joe’s is even cheaper.
If my city ever got a Trader Joe, and it was cheaper, I am sure I would switch to Trader Joe!
After I know I am saving my health, saving money is all that matters.
Generic groceries brands are not inferior and often only have smaller marketing budgets.
You can never make me pay more for the same product because of marketing.
With food, because your health matters, make sure to avoid questionable ingredients that will harm your health.
For example, a Walmart Great Value product may be cheaper than a store brand like Whole Food’s 365, but contain something harmful to your health.
Of course, so does the big food brand.
Read ingredient list.
This post just explains why you can get quality with generic product and save money.
It may not be the dirt cheap product, but it will still often be cheaper than big name brands.
Summary
Again, groceries are one of the biggest expenses after housing and transportation.
Why spend more if you do not have too?
Again, according to Consumer Reports, generic products can save you as much as 26%.
That is a lot of extra money.
Though people are more knowledgeable about generic products, I still get weird looks from people when I say I buy generic groceries.
Whole Foods 365 still looks like a “no name” product to my mom.
If you are like my mom, who thinks generic groceries are inferior, I would encourage you to think again.
In terms of quality, ingredient lists should always guide your decisions in grocery purchases.
I spend very little on groceries.
I even shop at “Whole Paycheck” to others.
For your health, know that buying healthy high quality products with no harmful ingredients like pesticides, growth hormones, antibodies, etc. is more important than saving money.
Again, I buy a lot of organic brands and shop at “Whole Paycheck” and my grocery bill is still around a hundred dollars for one person.
Spending only $100 on groceries shocks most people again.
Generic brands from natural stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s can even save you money.
Don’t let big brands with their huge marketing budgets take any money from you.
Most chefs buy generic food, and most doctors buy generic medicine.
Generic brands are an area where you can save money.
Don’t endanger your health by choosing products with questionable ingredients, but save as much as possible in this area of your budget.
Do you buy generic brand groceries?