With the sudden rise inflation over the past few years, every penny saved counts. Saving a few cents here and there may not seem like much, but they add up over time.
One of the easiest ways to save money is at the grocery store. Aside from using coupons, you can also save money by being mindful of the brands you buy.
In some cases, it’s worthwhile to buy name brand products or pay more for quality. However, for many items, the cheapest generic is just as good (or better) than the expensive brand name counterpart. Here are 10 grocery products where purchasing the least expensive option can save you a ton of money without skimping on quality.
1. Canned Vegetables
Fresh veggies are optimal, but depending on which ones you buy, they can get expensive. In addition, unless you plan on pickling them, many vegetables go bad rather quickly. If you don’t eat most fresh vegetables within a few days of purchasing them, they become inedible and you have to throw them away.
Throwing away food is like throwing money in the trash, and no one wants to do that. The easiest way to avoid fresh food waste is by buying canned veggies. They have a longer shelf life than fresh veggies, so you don’t have the added pressure of trying to use them right away. If you’re worried about the sodium count, simply rinse the vegetables.
2. Dried Beans
What’s better than buying canned beans? Buying dried beans. Yes, they take much longer to cook than canned beans, but they have a better flavor to them, come in more varieties, and cost considerably less per ounce than canned varieties. Dried beans are worth every second they take to cook.
When you buy bags of dried beans, they have a long shelf life, so you don’t have to worry about cooking them right away. Numerous types of dried beans do not come in canned form. That gives you a great deal of flexibility when finding new recipes and ways to prepare them.
3. Dried Cereal
Many of us are attached to the name-brand cereals we grew up eating or acquired a taste for as adults, and have no intention of changing that up to buy generics, but that would be a costly mistake. Many generic cereals taste just the same as their named counterparts, but they don’t have the mascots and logos you’re paying for.
If you did a side-to-side taste test of your favorite name-brand cereal versus its generic equivalent, would you be able to tell the difference by how they look? How about the taste? When you’re buying the named brand, you’re paying for the marketing campaign that goes with it. Save your hard-earned money and buy generic.
4. Dried Pasta
Unless you’re buying precooked pasta that you can prepare in minutes, pasta usually cooks the same, whether you buy the most expensive brand on the shelves or the cheapest brand. The only real difference is the price, and the cost of more expensive dried pasta should be enough to make you do a double take.
The store-brand version of dried pasta cooks and tastes the same as the labeled brands. The main difference is their cost. You may not be able to get away with buying generic spaghetti sauce (unless you’re adding ingredients to it to give it a better consistency), but you can certainly buy off-brand pasta without telling the difference.
5. Eggs
It wasn’t that many years ago when a dozen eggs cost less than $1.50. Today, that same dozen eggs are selling for $4 or more. Astonishingly, this food staple has rapidly gone up in price. If egg prices keep increasing, they’re going to go from being a food staple to a luxury item.
The good news is that there’s no difference between the branded eggs in the fancy plastic package and those that come in cardboard or styrofoam containers. They’re all eggs that come from chickens, so you may as well get the most out of your dollar and buy the store-brand ones.
6. Plain Oats
Not gonna lie, those little packets of oatmeal that come in different flavors are so delicious, that you could eat them any time of the day. As good as they taste, they’re also incredibly expensive per ounce and loaded with additives like sugar. They’re not good for you, especially if you’re trying to limit your sugar intake.
A healthier alternative is buying plain oats. They’re not as appealing as the flavored packets of oatmeal, and they don’t have added flavorings. They are healthier for you and can better regulate your blood sugar. The best thing about plain oats is that you can add your own toppings to them, like sliced bananas or blueberries.
7. Potatoes
One of the most durable, versatile vegetables that can be bought is the potato. They have a longer shelf life than many veggies, there are different types of potatoes sold in grocery stores, and they can be purchased in bulk for cents on the pound.
Potatoes can also be made in numerous ways, adding to their appeal. They can be baked, mashed, made into french or wedge fries, cut julienne style, made into hash browns, and scalloped, to name a few uses. There are endless recipes for preparing potatoes, so you can never get bored with them!
8. Milk
It’s not unusual to get used to drinking a certain brand of milk, most likely one produced by a dairy that’s in your region and sold at local grocery stores. You’ll also pay the most for branded milk, usually $1 or $2 more per gallon than you would for generic or store-brand milk.
You can easily shave dollars off your grocery bill by purchasing the store or off-brand container of milk, especially if you buy it fairly often. The store-brand milk almost certainly tastes the same as the branded milk, probably because they come from the same production line but in different bottles.
9. Rice
Rice is the grain version of potatoes. They’re inexpensive, come in different varieties, can be made in numerous ways, and have a long shelf life, with the length depending on what type of rice you buy. Rice is the closest thing to the most perfect food that you can get.
Rice comes in different types, such as white, brown, yellow, jasmine, basmati, and long-grain wild. Each one has a distinct flavor that makes them a terrific addition to any meal. Rice can also be cooked in dishes for dinner, lunch, and breakfast. If you’ve never had rice cooked in eggs, you’re depriving yourself of an amazing meal.
10. Seasonings
A basic element of cooking is adding seasoning to your food. It can be as basic as table salt and black pepper, or more daring, like chili powder, saffron, and ginger root. The right seasonings used in the right way can enhance and bring out the flavor of prepared meals.
There are well-known companies that sell a multitude of seasonings under their brand name, but the generic equivalent of them is just as good. They have the same flavor, and the only difference between the two is the price and the packaging they come in. Why pay more money when you don’t have to?
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