Got No Dough - Saving Money in Slim Times

When saving money is one of your biggest goals, you have to beware of pitfalls that can cost you more money in the end. It’s not always best to buy something if it’s cheaper, because some cheaper items are much lower quality or just won’t suit your needs.

Here are nine items that I don’t buy the generic version of and why:

1. Laundry Detergent - I find that the generic detergents don’t clean as well and don’t smell as well. In order to get comparable results, I have to use more of the generic detergent which absolutely kills the savings.
2. Liquid Dish Soap - I’m actually very picky when it comes to my dish soap. It has to smell nice, have antibacterial properties and have really good lather. There is only one soap that measures up for me and that is the orange Palmolive. I’ve tried using cheaper orange dish soaps and I find that they are very thin and I have to constantly add more soap to get lather. Once again, I have to increase the quantity which eliminates the savings.
3. Paper Towels - Well, I suppose the paper towels I use are semi-generic, but I absolutely cannot stand the store brands. They are small, tear easily and are not very absorbent. By the time I use enough towels to soak up a spill, half the roll is gone.
4. Cheese Slices - Have you ever tried to make grilled cheese sandwiches with generic cheese slices? The cheese just sits there and doesn’t melt no matter how long you cook it. It eventually turns hard and disgusting and inedible. Instead, I wait for the name brand to go on sale and use a coupon. It costs the same and tastes a thousand times better.
5. Oreos - Ever been craving a nice cream filled Oreo? You go to the store and find a generic brand for a dollar less and rush home with your package. Then you take the first bite and it’s nothing like you dreamed. It’s downright horrible and you realize why the good stuff is a dollar more. You’re better off buying the real thing and just eating less of them.
6. Soda - Again, here is an area where you can have big savings by drinking the store brand. You can save even more if you don’t drink soda at all, but this is one of those things that I choose to buy so that I’m not absolutely miserable in my quest to save money. For those who love soda like I do will notice a very distinct difference in taste between name brands and generic. It completely defeats the purpose because you will likely throw away a complete bottle because you can’t stomach it. Instead, I stick to my Diet Pepsi and spend the extra 30 cents for a 2 liter.
7. Makeup - I have a confession - I’m a huge fan of a very expensive makeup. I rarely buy it though because obviously the price doesn’t fit in my budget. When I get money for Christmas or my birthday, I love to splurge on myself though. So, one time I ran out and I went and bought some cheaper makeup at Walmart. I used it the first day and the results were disastrous. It had very little coverage and didn’t blend well. I was so disheartened because not only did I not have my favorite makeup but now I had just spent $8 on this new makeup that was completely useless to me. I ended up spending the extra to go buy my favorite makeup. And you know what’s funny? It tends to last much longer, so it really doesn’t cost much more. I count it as a lesson learned and won’t do it again.
8. Diapers - Again, don’t get me wrong because the diapers I do buy are semi-generic, but I will never buy the actual store brands again. They make a terrible crinkle sound every time your child moves, they don’t absorb well and the inside completely falls apart, leaving cotton and the little absorbency balls everywhere. If it doesn’t work as intended, no amount of savings is worth it. I prefer the Kirkland Signature brand (Costco) or Luvs.
9. Feminine Products -This is similar to the diapers issue. Nobody wants to walk around feeling like they’ve got a piece of plastic between their legs. Even worse is the top layer that falls apart when you buy cheap. Spend a little more and get something that makes you comfortable. You’re worth it!

In a coming article, I’ll talk about the flip side and tell you some of my favorite generic items - the things will great quality and low prices!

Inspired by the article 25 Ways I Save Money by Dawn.

1. Keep the air conditioner/heater turned down.
2. Use less water by installing a low flow shower head.
3. Air dry clothes when I can (especially large blankets & jeans which take forever to dry).
4. Keep my dryer filter clean and my change my furnace filter regularly.
5. Turn off lights/appliances when I’m not using them (just today I had go around after my husband and kids and turn off SEVEN lights).
6. Keep the tires on my car inflated to the proper level.
7. Use the air conditioner in my car sparingly.
8. Keep my car tuned up.
9. Use the cruise control whenever possible.
10. Try not to let my car idle anymore than I have to.
11. Shop at the Dollar Store BEFORE I shop anywhere else.
12. Catch movies on video rather than in the theater.
13. Buy books from thrift stores for a buck.
14. Get magazines from retailers who give me an extra 10% off.
15. Order fast food off the dollar menu.
16. Make my grocery list based on which foods are on sale that week.
17. Make my own snack packs by putting cookies and chips into small snack bags.
18. Make lunches out of leftovers from the night before.
19. Drink water instead of soda (ok, I wish I could do this more, but I’m an ADDICT).
20. Eat fruits and veggies that are in season.
21. Save Starbucks for special occasions
22. Split a meal with my kids when we eat out.
23. Clean everything with vinegar and water (the stuff is amazing!).
24. Recycle all of our plastic, glass and aluminum.
25. Regift anything that I receive and don’t need.

You’ve probably always heard that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Or that you can’t get something for nothing. And the cliche list goes on and on. Well…I just wanted to share a little something with you that can almost prove those phrases wrong.

I’ve been a member of My Points for almost 10 years (and I cross my heart and hope to die that they are legit). They send emails to you at your preferred frequency and you click a button at the bottom of the email to say that you’ve read the email. From there, you receive 5 or 10 points just for reading the email and many times you’ll receive even more points for taking advantage of the offer in the email.

Very very simple and does not consume much time. After you’ve accumulated enough points, you can redeem them for gift cards to various merchants, restaurants, gas stations, etc. It used to take a couple of weeks before you would receive your card, but during my last redemption about a week ago, it only took 2 days to receive my $25 gift card for Walmart!

So, as you can see - I did indeed get something for nothing…ok, almost nothing.

Check it out here: Join MyPoints NOW!

I think one of the biggest causes of confusion when shopping is package size vs. cost. For example, you see a loaf of bread for $1.00 and another loaf for $1.29. Your gut reaction is to grab the loaf for $1.00 and move on with your shopping, thinking you got a great deal.

And that’s exactly what grocers and manufacturers want you to do. Meanwhile, you’ve just spent more than you should have because the cheaper package was a poorer value based on the cost per ounce. Let me explain.

Loaf A was $1.00 and was 16 oz. Loaf B was $1.29 and was 24 oz. If you take $1.00 and divide it by 16, you get .o625 cents (price per ounce). If you take $1.29 and divide it by 24 you get .05375 cents (again, the price per ounce). While a penny may not seem like much, in the grand scheme of things it can really add up.

Some supermarkets will take the struggle out of figuring these things out for you and will list the price per ounce on their tags. Others do not and you will need a calculator (or a PhD in math) to figure it out.

One last tip when comparing the price per unit - make sure the units match. I’ve seen two products side by side and one will say 16.4 cents per ounce and the one next to it will say $1.60 per pound. At first glance you’ll be shocked by the comparison - but after further looking into it you’ll have to do a little more math to get the better value.

Remember…the journey of saving a dollar starts with a cent.