Cheap Tricks

Hi, my name is Amy and I am a brand snob.

I grew up in a home that never had store or generic brands in the pantry. At that time, generic items featured black and white labels with titles like “value peas” and “cheese product.” No wonder my mother didn’t buy them.

Times have certainly changed. Generic packaging is far more eye appealing and descriptive that in the past. In fact, many stores now offer generic brands that look very similar to their name brand counterparts.

Also changed is my budget. When money is tight, generic brands (even value peas) don’t look so bad.

Several years ago, I learned that many manufacturing facilities had begun producing generic items in addition to their own name brand products. This enables them to fully utilize their facilities as well as profit from the price-friendly generics that had previously been their competition.

However, this does not mean all or even most generics are identical to the brand name. Trademarks typically prevent one product from being duplicated. So, even products made at the same facility are often not made using the same recipe.

Also, just because the same plant makes two products doesn’t mean the same quality ingredients are used. Generics frequently include second-quality ingredients.

This does not mean they are “bad” per se, just that the ingredients might be less uniform in shape, smaller in size, or have a few imperfections.

When it comes to trademarked recipes, the best example I know is Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I made it my mission in college to find a less expensive option. I spent a lot of money and ate a lot of pasta, but never did find a proper substitute.

As for quality, I have found the most noticeable difference in produce. I have actually found generic potatoes to be more expensive by the time I cut out all of the imperfections.

The same is true of canned and frozen vegetables. I find bigger, plumper, healthier-looking vegetables in name brand packaging than in generic.

Of course, this is not true across the board. There are a few store brands that produce very nice products.

In recent years, many stores have begun producing items that are as good if not better than the name brand they sit beside. These generic items have “brand” names that are exclusive to a particular store and are often referred to as “private labels”.

You may recognize Archer Farms (Target), Sam’s Choice (Wal-mart) or Private Selection (Kroger). These brands are exclusive to the store in which they are sold. Many stores will tell you their “private labels” are equal in quality, but cheaper because they are not advertised.

I cannot confirm this claim, but I will say that Consumer Reports recently ranked Archer Farms’ as the best tasting in an ice cream category. This does not mean that all claims are true, but it appears that some might be.

There are some generic items that can serve as perfect substitutes for a name brand. Baking staples like sugar and salt, condiments and spices can often be substituted without notice.

Generic breakfast cereals usually have a different taste than name brands, but some are very good. I actually prefer the Kroger brand frosted mini wheat cereal to Post or Kellogg’s.

Inevitably when I am speaking to a group, I am asked why someone should coupon instead of just buying generic.

If you are too busy to coupon, buying generic is definitely the way to go. There are no name brand products that I know of that are cheaper than the generic option.

If you have the time to coupon, however, I believe you will spend less money on groceries if you use the sale-plus-coupon philosophy. Most of the time, I purchase name brands for less or equal to the cost of generics.

The key is to be flexible on which brand you buy. I buy what is the cheapest, so rarely is that the same brand that we have been eating.

When I need something that I don’t have and there is not a sale or coupon available, I buy generic without hesitation.

In truth, I am still a brand snob. If we were millionaires, I would not buy any food labeled “value.” Until that time, do not be surprised if you see value peas in my grocery cart.

This week’s column

Readers and friends frequently ask how much money I spend on groceries for my family and for suggestions on how much they should budget.

Sometimes the question comes from my concerned husband after I have stocked up at a particularly good sale. I am rarely ashamed to share.

In fact, I imagine he asks less often now than he used to precisely because I am happy to review my bill with him and brag about every dollar saved. Last week, he unloaded 6 enormous boxes of Cheerios from my car without saying a word. This, my friends, is progress.

I will spare you the obnoxious level of sharing that he has become accustomed to and will focus instead on my overall spending.

Generally speaking, I am not the one to give you advice on budgeting. I do not know your income or your situation. Perhaps most importantly, I would not be broke now if I had spent more time saving money and less time shopping for great deals in the past.

On more than one occasion, I have proven my mother correct. You can, indeed, go broke buying bargains.

However, I do have requests for this information frequently, so I have made the decision to worry less about my qualifications and more about trying to help those that need it.

My personal goal is to spend $25 per person, per week on food. For our family of four, that is almost always possible. In fact, I often spend less.

I can usually tell how much pre-cooked food someone purchases by his or her reaction to that goal. If they can’t imagine getting by on so little, they usually buy a lot of food that is pre-made.
If you are unwilling or incapable (either by skill or time) to cook, $25 a person is likely an unrealistic goal for you. You may be closer to $75 and while that is much more than I spend, it may be a significant reduction for you.

You might also benefit from programs like Super Suppers that helps you prepare food in advance and freeze it for easy meals at home.

One of the reasons I hesitate to use myself as an example is that I work part-time from home. This means I have more time to cook, but it also means that I have less income to spend on convenience foods.

Additionally, my budget includes two elementary-age girls. A family with teenage boys may find this goal next to impossible.
I have never lived with a teenage boy, but I understand they can eat more than a grown man. I would probably budget closer to $50 for each one in my home.

Now that I have shared my weekly budget, I should probably tell you that I do not really spend the same amount each week. Because I shop in waves and follow sales, I may spend $30 one week and $300 the next.

I average $100 per week, but my true goal is to spend less than $400 per month.

Could we get by on less? Yes. On the other hand we could, and have, spent significantly more. This budget is what we can comfortably spend without feeling deprived.

Hopefully, sharing my budget and thought process with you is helpful. My greatest advice is to be realistic. Feeling deprived does not work long for most people.

I also suggest sharing your savings with your significant other. In a relatively short period of time, they will learn not to ask about the multiple boxes of cereal or blocks of cheese because they know it must have been an amazing deal.

Check out today’s column http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20100811/LIFE/308119983/-1/life

When I was growing up, Maryville felt more like a quaint town than a city. There were very few shops and even fewer restaurants.

One place that remains the same is Kmart. Before Wal-mart, Target, or the plethora of dollar stores came to town, Kmart was the den of the bargain shopper.

Whenever I drive by Kmart, I can’t help but remember my youth. This trip down memory lane is usually interrupted by guilt when I remember refusing to shop in Kmart with my grandmother. I was always afraid someone would see me there.

My problem was that I viewed bargain shopping as something only poor people did. If you knew my grandmother, Martha Willocks, you can imagine her reaction to my embarrassment. It was almost 25 years ago and I still remember it well.

With time, I have learned what she already knew, bargain shopping is not for poor people; it is for smart people.

The best business people, the smartest investors, and the most well respected advisers all practice bargain shopping. They know if you spend less money in one budget area, you have more to spend in others. Granted, their “bargains” and budgets are different than ours, but the concept is the same: Always buy at the lowest possible price.

It is no secret that my husband and I have less income than we used to. We are no strangers to the downturn of the housing or job markets.

When our money was the tightest, I was clipping every coupon I saw and shopping frequently for the least expensive items even when they weren’t brands, scents, flavors, etc that we preferred.

Because I love to shop, was already familiar with clipping coupons, and am energized by finding deals, I fared better than many others in my situation. Unfortunately, that did not mean I was immune to our struggles.

While I am not embarrassed to buy things on clearance or use coupons, I certainly understand how humiliating it can be for some. I like shopping for bargains to be a way to buy more for less, not the only way I can afford something at all.

I have spoken to several people who are struggling to reduce expenses now and understand that the world of couponing and bargain shopping can be confusing. Over the next few weeks, I will address some common misconceptions about how grocery sales and coupons work.

I will also be answering some of the questions I am asked the most frequently when speaking to groups, via email, or through random encounters around town.

If you have a question about bargain shopping or couponing, feel free to email me at cheaptricks@ymail.com. I will definitely reply to your email and may even answer your question in an upcoming column. Of course, your identity will be kept confidential.

I hope to make bargain shopping a fun hobby and not a chore for you. With any luck, you will be saving money without feeling like it is work. And, yes, you may find me at Kmart. Oh, if Mamaw could see me now!

Here are a few local Back 2 School sales and also a few new additions!

Dandy Lions- Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale on boutique hairbows, monogramming, Cinda B, and select Molly Said items.

Pokey’s & Sports- 20% off hoodies, sweatpants, and school t-shirts.

Eden Hair Salon- “Kut a Kid Free” Free child haircut with an adult haircut

Razberries- additional 9.75% off

Tanger Outlets- Sidewalk Sale- LOTS of special sales and additional discounts

Belk- Friday and Saturday only*- 50% select children’s clothing, 50% off athletic shoes including New Balance, Asics & more, $20 men’s pants (reg $40-$60), $11 men’s and young men’s shorts (reg $25-$46), 40% off select handbags AND coupons in Friday’s paper for $10 off $50, $20 off $100, $30 off $150. These coupons CAN be used on clearance merchandise, so now is a great time to buy clearance, add coupon, +tax free!

JCPenney- Friday 3pm-11pm and Saturday 7am-1pm. $10 girl jeans (reg. $25), $8 boy jeans (reg $20) AND coupons for $10 off $50 and $15 off $75 in Friday’s paper. *OR* have the coupons texted to your phone!! Text PP27 to 527365

Staples: Annual Teacher Appreciation Day, Saturday from 9am-1pm. The first 100 teachers receive an Avery Binder filled with paper, a pencil pouch and other supplies. AND Sunday brings new deals that can be combined with tax free.
-free filler paper with $5 minimum purchase
-Free after Easy Rebate: Stickies, Handylines, Popup take grip dispenser
-$1 after Easy Rebate- Staples blue ream paper
-lots of other $2, $3 and $4 deals with coupon in the circular.

Sam’s Club is offering shopping WITHOUT a membership this weekend only. It’s the first time they have done this since 2008!

The tax-free weekend starts on Friday, August 6th (really 12:01 Thursday night) and ends on Sunday, August 8th.

As I mentioned in the column, I will be running a list of Back to School sales and updating it as readers find other local discounts. If you know of a sale not posted, feel free to email it to me at cheaptricks@ymail.com or post it in the comments section.

Not sure what is included in the tax-free holiday? Go to www.tntaxholiday.com for a complete list. Here are the high points:

Examples of exempt items include:

· Clothing- up to $100: Shirts, dresses, pants, coats, gloves and mittens, hats and caps, hosiery, neckties, belts, sneakers, shoes, uniforms whether athletic or non-athletic and scarves

· School Supplies- up to $100: Binders, book bags, calculators, tape, chalk, crayons, erasers, folders, glue, pens, pencils, lunch boxes, notebooks, paper, rulers and scissors
· Art Supplies- up to $100: Clay and glazes; acrylic, tempera and oil paints; paintbrushes for artwork; sketch and drawing pads; and watercolors
· Computers- up to $1500: Central processing unit (CPU), along with various other components including monitor, keyboard, mouse, cables to connect components and preloaded software (Note: While the CPU may be purchased separately, other items must be part of a bundled computer package in order to be eligible.) iPad’s are eligible for tax exemption, video games and consoles are not.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Though Saturday, July 31st, bring your coupon in to Old Navy and get a camisole…or up to the limit of 5…for $2 (regular price $8). Cut and paste the link below to print your coupon

http://oldnavy.gap.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/content/0002/028/860/$2camis_coupon.jpg?siteID=ON1225267&ap=2&tid=onaf937

McAlister’s Deli is offering FREE TEA today. No purchase necessary and YES even free refills!! Woohoo! I LOVE TEA & FREE!

While this is probably a Back to School special, I feel like it deserves it’s own post.

Amazon.com is currently offering college students a membership in it’s Prime program ($79/year regular price) for FREE!

Prime members get free 2-day shipping on any product sold by Amazon, regardless of the price. Not every item qualifies for Prime shipping because Amazon allows other vendors to sell on their website. However, a LOT of items are sold through Amazon.

My father has a Prime account, so I have access to this program and it is AWESOME! Especially when there are special prices during Black Friday and Christmas sales, getting items quickly and cheaply is really great!

The link for this program is below. You can be ANY age, so long as you have an .edu address. Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=tb_surl_astudent/?node=668781011

There are literally hundreds of items on sale for the Back to School season. Some of the advertised prices are great deals and some of them can be replicated throughout the year…making them not as great in my opinion. I have listed below only what I consider to be the best deals

Big Lots
Mead 1 subject Notebook, 70 Sheets (Limit 10) – $1
Portfolio 10 Pack (No limit specified) – $1
Glue Stick 10 Pack (Generic brand, but still a great deal!) – $1
Animal Planet Crayons 24 pack- $1.50

Kmart
Pencil box $.50
RoseArt colored pencils 12 Pack $.50

Office Depot
Office Depot Brand Acrylic Ruler (Limit 3) – $.05
Office Depot Eraser Caps 12-PK (Limit 3) – $.10
6PK 1 Subject notebooks, Wide Rule (Limit 2) – $.50

Staples:
Bic Round Stic ball point pens, 8 pk black (Limit 2) $.01 ($5 min purchase)
Staples Hype pen style assorted highlighters, 6pk (Limit 2) – $.25
Really Useful Box, 0.14 liter (Limit 2)- $.25

Free After Rebate: I normally do not like rebates, but Staples’ rebates are easy AND this is a great deal!
Buy any backpack and get 100% back in a staples Gift Card FREE

Walgreens
2 Pocket Folder with Prongs (Limit 5) – $.09
Penway Crayons 24pk – $.39
Crayola Posterboard (Limit 6) –$.39
Scotch Mailer 4×7 to 10.5×15 in. (Limit 3) $.39

Back to School time is a time of great excitement for some parents and time of great sadness for others. Regardless of where we fall in the emotional Back to School spectrum, we all share the fact that our children are going to require supplies and clothing as they head to class.
If you do not have children, you are lucky to be able to participate in not only the sale of school supplies, but also the tax free weekend that begins on August 6th!

I have had some technical difficulties with the blog and have missed several Back to School specials. Never fear, though, there are still plenty out there and I am going to list as many as I can before time runs out.

Happy Shopping!!