Generic Savings

A common money saving trend is the purchase of generic brands over name brand grocery items. USA Today recently reported that sales of store brands account for 28% of all food and drink consumed in the United States, which is 8% more than what it was just ten years ago. This is not surprising considering the amount grocery bills grow as families and children grow.

Generic brands are doing their best to keep up this trend, with colorful packaging, better tasting products and growing numbers of all natural and organic products, thereby giving names brands some competition. Brands like Western Family and Kroger seem to be growing in numbers on grocery store shelves. There are a wide variety of generic products mixed in with the name brand products. Shoppers no longer have to look on the bottom shelf for the less expensive products.

photo by Charlotte Madsen

Although all five Lynette Rogers’ children are grown, the recent decline in our economy has hit her close to home as well. She has not had to get a job outside the home, but she is on a tighter budget since her husband had to take a new job a few years ago.

Rogers has grown to like the generic cereal brands. “I try to buy generic brands of cold cereal instead of brand names. I never used to do that! And I have been pleasantly surprised about how it is usually just as good if not better than the brand name,” Rogers said.

She still has two weaknesses. The first is chocolate, which she always has in the house. The second thing she splurges on is her acrylic nails. “I have to have my nails done. I tried not having them done a few months ago and went back to natural, and it was crazy, horrible! That was the end of that little money-saving experiment,” said Rogers.