One of the things I am so appreciative of is being able to purchase store brand / generic items. To me, that's a step up in the financial world. I know it seems counter intuitive to see store brands as a luxury, but I often think this way.
I don't often talk about WHY I got into becoming a coupon queen / frugalista, but it isn't a pretty story, and Mom always told me not to air dirty laundry, but as I've grown older, I think it's important to tell your story and own what you have been through.
When I was a freshman in college, my dad was hit by a drunk driver. I was 16 (yes, a freshman in college). Eventually I had to drop out of college, and our finances were horrible. We had to pay everything out of pocket for a while, and when the court case was finally settled, Dad got next to nothing for pain and suffering. He moved out, and Mom and I were left to our own devices. We found a place near us that would sell 50 pounds of potatoes for $5. (This was in the 1990s.) When we sometimes had $2 a week for groceries, this was about all we ate for over a year. Once a month or so we would splurge on a can of tuna to split so we could have some protein. All the while, Dad was actually feeding his dog pork chops.
I got tired of the constant potatoes and decided to learn to use coupons. This was before any TV show, and it wasn't considered 'cool'. I learned to be able to rack up significant savings. One of my best trips I got $158 of groceries for $10 and was able to mail off for $20 in refunds from that. That was far from the norm.
I heard people say they couldn't buy brand names because they were too expensive. I said I couldn't buy generic because I couldn't afford it. Back in the day, a package of Lipton rice or noodles was $1.29 (which I think is even more than they are now, and this was 20 years ago!) My store tripled to 49 cents on Wednesdays, so I could take a 40 cent coupon for Lipton noodles and walk out paying 9 cents. The generic was WAY more than 9 cents. Same with Ragu spaghetti sauce. Every three months it went on sale like clockwork for 99 cents. I would trade coupons and have a couple dozen 25 cent off coupons which would make a jar of sauce 24 cents. The generic was at least $1 more than that! I could get Kellogg's Cornflakes for free. Obviously, store brand cereal wasn't free.
In more recent years, I have watched lots of YouTube. One of my favorite shows is Good Mythical Morning, and in it, I have learned that Kroger has a very strong 'store game' when it comes to products. Meaning their store brand is of better taste and quality than many name brands. Dollar General chips are better than many national brands according to Rhett and Link's blind taste tests.
Last time I was in Kroger, I added 5 boxes of Kroger brand tuna helper to our cart and felt rich doing so. I was paying $1 a box knowing that the Better Crocker brand would sometimes go on sale for 50 cents a box. Yet, my husband and I prefer the Kroger brand.
I still save as much as I can in as many ways as I can, but now if I know I prefer the store brand (Kroger Ketchup rocks -- the only better I've ever had is Sir Kensington's ketchup and the only time I've ever had it was when there was a great deal through the iBotta app).
For the most part, I do buy what is cheapest even yet. Recently I bought some Oatsome milk because I was able to get it free after iBotta. They also often have free stuff on the app through Walmart. I'll get it. I figure what I don't like or can't use I can give to someone who can.
But, for me, at this point in my life, I see buying generic as a luxury that I am so thankful I can afford when it's something I like better than name brand.
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