Money Saving 101: Buying Generic

If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time watching commercials for brand name foods. Oreos, Cheez Its, Tostitos, and so on are constantly on our screens. They look delicious. Thing is, they’re expensive. Oreos are around $3.00 per box here. Cheez Its are about the same. Tostitos cost $3.39 for a small bag and somewhere in the 4-5 dollar range for a large bag. 

Why are brand names so expensive? The answer: the advertising and the packaging. You can get generic Oreos at our local grocery store for 1/3 less than the name brand. You can get generic Cheez Its for 1/3 off the price of the name brand. Generic tortilla chips are around $2 for the large bag, that’s a 50% savings over the Tostitos brand. Those are just a few examples of the differences in price between brand names and generics. I find that, most of the time, the generics taste the same. When I come out of the grocery store, most of my cart is fresh foods and generic foods.  

Another thing I always buy generic is over the counter medicine. Some people ask about medicines and buying them generic. By law, all generic medicines must be the same chemically as their brand name counter parts. I spent my whole life using generic medicines and I turned out okay. Generic meds also tend to be half the price of brand name meds. If your doctor tells you that you need to buy the brand name, just ignore what I’ve said here. Trust your doctor. If you don’t, find one you can trust. 

If you’re worried about the taste or usefulness of a generic product, I suggest doing a blind taste test. For example, put two bowls of cheerios on the table: one generic and one brand name. Then ask your kids or your boyfriend to see if they can taste a difference. Most of the time, you won’t be able to taste a difference and it’ll save you a lot of money.

Now, I know there are a few things I would never buy generic. One of them is ranch dressing. I have LOVED the taste of Hidden Valley Ranch since I was little. I love the creaminess and the spices. I eat it on everything from pizza to chicken to salad to tacos to baked potatoes. I have tried every generic brand of ranch and other cheaper name brands, but nothing compares to the real and original Hidden Valley Ranch. Hidden Valley Ranch is expensive, so you’re probably asking how I keep from breaking the bank with my ranch obsession. One is buying the large bottle. It is less per ounce than the small bottles. You can find the $$ per ounce by looking at the price tag on most grocery shelves. I also only buy ranch when it’s on sale. I also know that ranch is cheaper at certain stores in my area, so I only buy it at certain stores. I also try to find coupons. They’re rare for my beloved ranch, but if you can find a coupon, that helps a lot. If you are a fan of one brand name and you can’t find a generic equivalent, I’ve given you a couple of ways to save on that brand name: buy in bulk if you can, do price comparisons, and use coupons.

Happy shopping!