Big, big fan of the Target brand of Baby Wipes!! Also, the Target fruit snacks are fantastic!

I actually prefer SchuckS brand fruit cereal bars to Nutra Grain bars. They taste better and have more fiber. I also buy the generic (or whatever is cheapest) whole wheat and regular pasta. Medication is pretty much the same whether it’s generic or not. Milk all tastes the same to me as long as it’s not the powdered stuff.

I buy Bounty paper towels, too, but I’ve also started using rags most of the time. (I cut up some old towels and keep them in my kitchen for spills.) So, I end up keeping the paper towels for a long time.

I’m actually the opposite of you, Aisha. I love generic cereal, especially the Cinnamon Toast Crunch knock-offs. I have never tried a generic cereal that I didn’t think was as good as any name brand.

I like the Sam’s Club brand of laundry soap. It’s half the price of any other kind, works great and is good with cloth diapers.

Ditto using rags instead of paper towels. They’re much better for cleaning up kid messes.

I use a lot of target brand items such as storage bags, aluminum foil, etc.

A lot of times, I compare ingredients. If the store brand has high fructose corn syrup and the brand name product doesn’t, I go for brand name. Sometimes, though, the opposite is true. I almost always buy generic cereal, crackers, etc.

I’m also a big fan of Target brand products. My only hesitation really on generic brands is the possibility of not as much quality control/safety issues but no one has fallen sick or died in our house yet, so I guess we are safe.

Amy, that is so funny you mention that cause my wife made me go out the other night (around 8pm) to Target to pick up a couple of boxes of cereal to satisfy our sugar binge. Her take was that if we were going to blow our diet and ingest sugar, it might as well be cereal. And, by the way, I can definitely tell the difference in generic vs. name brand cereal, but it comes down to is it worth the difference.

For things like paper towels and stuff…we just buy bulk at Sams so there are no generics - or none that I am aware of. I wonder if the cost savings of buying name brand in bulk equals or beats generics.

I,too, like Bounty, especially the select-a-size as I feel it cuts down on waste if you only need a small paper towel, and use rags for bigger wet messes.We also used wet paper towels instead of baby wipes for our last two kids as our pediatrician said it was better for the baby’s bottom.We generally get generic for most things, but I only use Era laundry detergent as it does a good job of removing stains, so usually no extra pre-treatments are needed.Debbie Meyer Green Bags work well for preserving fruit and vegetables longer, but I don’t think there is a generic for them.For Sam’s shoppers, I think Member’s Mark is the store brand on many things.We have used their toilet paper, paper towels,dishwasher detergent, and diapers with good results.

When it comes to “brands” I agree there is no difference other than price. And that is because of marketing costs, not quality (usually). Processed food is cheapened food which decreases nutritional quality while increasing the profit margins of the corporations that make it.

When it comes to whole foods (not the trendy store, the actual food), there is a world of difference. Those $1.29 eggs are from medicated chickens stacked on top of one another in battery cages, living miserable lives not seeing sunlight or green grass. The chickens I raise are out in the pasture scratching the earth for the morsels they love. They enjoy being chickens. Which eggs do you think are more nutritious?

Why does “you get what you pay for” only apply to non-food items?

Why would you want to put the “cheapest” food into your children’s bodies?

The real cost of buying cheap food is nutrition and stewardship. So it actually costs more in terms of healthcare, environmental costs, and taxes (farm subsidies).

“So,” you ask, “why do your eggs cost so much more, Jim?”

The answer is scale. We only have 300-400 chickens on our 100 acre farm. And they get a lot more “personalized” care. In other words, our family cares for them. The factory chickens are “cared for” by hired workers using mechanized feeding. By having 10,000 birds in one building, the labor is greatly reduced on a per chicken/per egg basis.

Forget the trendy grocery store chains. Find a local CSA, such as Fair Shares. You will get food grown by people who live here in Missouri and Illinois.

Did you know the food you buy at grocery stores averages over 1,000 miles before it hits your plate? How can we afford to continue to bathe our food in that much fuel? Instead, buy local.

I know times are tough. Why not cut the cable, malls, shopping centers. Go with thrift stores for clothing. Cancel the vacation to some far-flung locale and stay here. Cut back on programs your children are enrolled in. Their health is affected much more by the nutrition they get than the “fun” they have. Sell the boat, RV, condo on the lake.

There are links on my website, if you want to learn more. http://www.pilgrimsacres.com

You may also enjoy: http://themeatrix.com/

The harder times get, the more we are going to need each other.

The web site http://www.livingonadime.com has some helpful articles.

http://www.responsibleshopper.org offers information about the social and environmental impact of major corporations and the products they sell.

We’ve been shopping at ALDI’s for nearly 20 years. The snacks are adequate and the kids liked them. The condiments are good with ketchup as good or better than Heinz if you like a tangy one. Our store only recently started selling meats and they are pretty good but a bit processed. The dairy except for milk and half and half is grade B with waxy cheeses and lots of chemicals. but nearly everything I buy there is just fine. they also offer some gourmet-type items which are nice to buy at low prices. I personally don’t like tons of choices….makes it take too long to shop.

I, too, have noticed the Aldi virgins rather uncertainly negotiating the products and expressing amazement that credit cards or checks are not taken. It’s good to see them there - I hope they’ll stay.

I’ve been shopping at Aldi for over 20 years for all my basics. Milk, eggs, ’standard’ cheeses, cereal, canned goods, yogurt, fresh vegetables, frozen fish, juices - to my mind and taste, they are as fine as the more expansive brand name equivalents. I’ve never seen the sense in paying more money for a heavily advertised brand name or, for that matter, being seen in store habituated by the more affluent. Exotic items, such as imported cheeses, breads, wines etc. are supplied by Trader Joe’s at also very reasonable prices - between the two stores, I just about cover all our grocery needs.

It would interesting to put a figure on the money I’ve saved over the years shopping this way, but I would suspect it is substantial.

I love shopping at Aldi’s. The only things I won’t buy there are household and personal hygiene products. They have some great European brands and their price on meat is only bettered by one other store in the Metro area. I must disagree with the comment that their meat is a bit processed. Their fresh and frozen meats are comparable to the quality of Schnucks and Dierbergs but much more economical. They are cheapest in town for frozen salmon, tilapia and shrimp. Aldi’s quality and variety of food has improved since they purchased Trader Joe’s. Aldi’s history and philosophy is a fascinating read and their ecological and business practices is something to be proud of.

We spend about 80% of our grocery budget at Aldi, with the balance spread between sale items at Shop ‘n Save and an occasional trip to a Walmart Supercenter when we’re near one. I could afford to shop wherever I want, but why would I spend $4 for a gallon of milk when it’s $2.89 at Aldi?

While it is true that Aldi doesn’t carry organic produce, our family eats more fruit than most, and almost all of it is from Aldi. Yes, there’s plenty of prepared, frozen food, but we don’t buy that junk. Over the past month, Aldi had strawberries for 99 cents, cherries for 1.79, and even oranges for $1.19 a bag. The fresh meat is pre-packaged, but surprisingly, not so bad. And I think the block cheese is fine. We get our shredded cheese at Sam’s - we use a lot of it, and it’s even cheaper there. And actually, while some of the cereal is lousy (I can’t stand generic Cheerios), we actually prefer the raisin bran to the brand name ones.

As a regular participant in stltoday forums, I often hear complaints that food stamp benefits are insufficient. I once averaged out our family’s grocery bill over six months, and we actually spend less than the food stamp allotment. Thanks, Aldi!

Aldi’s has decent olive oil, but the cheese is just terrible. Schnucks carries many private label items that are just as good as name brand, but canned pineapple is not one of them. I do like to indulge in organic milk, but I think it tastes better because it is sold in cartons. Light affects milk and those plastic jugs let light through.

“authentic” Doritos? Isn’t that an oxymoron?

They don’t sell food at Aldi, but I understand the attraction to such stores, as people feel they are getting a good deal (what they are really peddling is obesity and heart disease with all the processed foods).

Why don’t you encourage people to head to their local farmer’s market, especially Soulard where people can at least get a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables to munch on?

I have actually given thought to visiting the Aldi’s close to my job, there is not one where I live. So they don’t take debit cards or checks?? Don’t like that…
I must admit that I am a brand name junkee, not that I think I am too good for generic brands it’s just that I don’t want to spend the money on something and then not like it. It always seemed hit or miss for me. For example, some of the generic canned goods that I have bought like green beans (mainly the ends of the bean), corn, (not much corn in the can actually)just were not worth dragging home.
I did stop buying paper towels all together, seems like such a waste. I bought a big package of cheap wash cloths ( I think there were 20 in the bag at Target) use those for spills and just throw in the wash. I have plenty of cloth napkins I inherited from my granny and use those at meal time, they are easy to wash as well.
Speaking of wash, I have a realitive that works for Proctor and Gamble in the plant in which they make Tide and other “off” brand laundry detergents like the Schnucks, Xtra and other store brands. He said the only difference between Tide and say the store brand of laundry detergent is that the store brands are diluted (more water than cleaning solvents). I still buy Tide for my kids clothes and other dirty stuff but have started buying the store brand for items such as bath towels and clothes that really just need freshing up.
Keep the suggestions coming on the generic brands!!

Soon as those damn kids learned to read the generic ride was over for me lol, they won’t touch em so I’m not really saving any money if I buy it and the won’t eat it. As for non-perisables the shop-n-save brands are decent.

Schnucks brand Wheat Thins. They’re called Thin Wheat (imaginative) but they are fantastic—taste EXACTLY like the brand name!

I would challenge anyone who loves boxed stuffing to NOT love Great Value brand of cornbread stuffing sold at Wal-Mart. Beats Stovetop, hands down. My family prefers boxed stuffing to the package mixes (my mother and grandmother would role over) but loved Stovetop until I tried the Great Value brand. Now they ask for it many times throughout the year, not just the holidays. In fact, outside of their sour cream (it’s a little watery), I cannot find anything wrong with the Wal Mart brand of anything! Saves us money without compromising quality or test.

I had a problem with my kids not wanting to eat the generic cereal so I just slid the bag of generic in the box of the name brand–problem solved. Kids are idiots LOL. Eggs are eggs, milk’s milk and I don’t see the point for paying for all the advertising. The one thing I will buy no matter what the cost is the new Tide stain removing pen–OMG!! I’ve saved so many blouses by using it–it totally rocks!!!!!!!!

From Aldi’s web site:

* Taking checks also slows down the line and saddles us with bad check costs, so we don’t mess around with them.

* By avoiding credit cards, we avoid the extra time it takes to sign a slip and the hefty processing fee charged by credit card companies.

What ALDI does accept are cash, food stamps/EBT cards, and PIN-based debit cards—the lowest-cost forms of payment for us—and the fastest ones for you.

I have also shopped Aldi’s, sav-a-lot& shop-n-save for years. I have a rigid rule of going to the ‘clearance’ isle of all stores to check out the deals.(This is also a great time to use those coupons sitting on the coffee table.) Many times items will be discontinued because of a annual label change, or the ‘new’ packaging is smaller,(same price). The thing to remember is check the exp dates. Every household is different as to the length of time an item will last. To repeat the advice of others, check out your local salvation army and goodwill stores for clothing, discarded gift items such as breadmakers, irons, various dishes. Our household has drastically reduced the number of plastic bags brought in, as I am now carrying an assortment of canvas bags to use when shopping. (also purchased from goodwill stores) The bags that do sneak in, are taken to my local grocery salvage store, where they are reused. Check out TipNut.com as this site has tons of money saving, item re-using and grocery stretching tips.