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Should you buy “no name” brands to help cut your grocery bill?
Feature by our Editorial Assistant Colleen
It’s not shameful or odd to buy no name brands anymore. In fact, it seems to be like the new trend now with everyday shoppers.
I, myself have been buying more of them since I found that they are not only more affordable but they are actually not bad at all.
I have no doubt that most grocery stores that sell “no name” brands must have seen a serious increase in their sales since the economy took a dive for the worst.
It might have been frowned upon a number of years ago to buy “no name” or generic brands because often times the label of “no name” brands just say “no name” on a yellow or white background. It did seem a little suspect in terms of what you would get when you opened the box but I think all those fears have been put to bed now.
The reality is that “no name” or generic brands don’t have the appeal of products that show a nice photo of the food you will be getting inside, but these days most people just can’t afford to have these worries anymore.
There are some items that I think “no name” brands would be suitable for that could definitely cut down on weekly or monthly grocery bill, but I think there are certain products you should probably stick with brand names you are comfortable with.
Here’s a list of some products that you might want to consider switching to “no name” to save a buck or two:
1) Rice crackers – I often don’t find much of different between this and name brands. Light rice crackers normally taste the same to make. Try it out and make sure you have a fresh box.
2) Cans of tomato soup – I think soups are also a safe choice. But I would stick to basics and check out the sodium levels.
3) Chicken or vegetable stock – You add chopped up vegetables into the stock anyways and whatever else you like. Stock is often used as a base that you just add to so I don’t find a big difference between cooking with a name brand and “no name” brand and you flavor to taste anyways.
4) Sugar – I picked up a pack of “no name” brown sugar before and that turned out fine.
5) Chips – Chips are chips no matter the make. They aren’t the most nutritious food to eat anyways so I don’t mind what brand it is.
Krizia’s two cents: I wanted to add a last point to Colleen’s feature. I personally would not buy generic brands of chips, because I buy a specific brand for specific reasons. That said, if I had to attend a picnic and there was going be a larger crowd to feed, I would mostly buy generic chips, pretzels and cheese sticks because they are in some cases considerably less expensive than brand names.
Photo by modomatic
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July 29th, 2009 at 8:46
100% I agree. Under any cirumstances I usually choose the cheaper stuff to buy. It can save money without pressing our life standard.