Generics

I remember a shopping trip with my husband when we were first together in my snooty single days. I did not think much about how much I spent and things had to have a "brand" name to be worthwhile. We were in the canned vegetable aisle and Bruce reached for the store brand tomatoes. I said "we don't do generics!" Now as the economy has crashed down around all of our ears, I find myself looking at any way to save money. Generics will do (in most cases) just fine! (Bruce is laughing at me right now and remembering what a brand snob I was)
Look in your pantry and you will find mostly brands you learned to love as a kid. French's mustard, McCormick spices, Heinz ketchup, Hunt's tomatoes, and Campbell soup are of few of our favorites. Hot dogs are Ball Park, butter is Land o' Lakes, mayo is Hellman's. Now I stand in the grocery aisles and wonder whether mustard from Jewel will taste just as good. There are certain foods I won't give up for taste. We aren't that hard up yet! But, still, what difference does it make in spaghetti sauce if the tomatoes are Hunt's or generic. Garlic powder is garlic powder whether Costco or McCormick.
My new project is to save money for our little tribe is to record how much I save buying generics and put that amount in our vacation savings account. How sweet it will be to go on vacation, pay cash and not remember that the sugar came from Jewel and not Domino's!