Off-brands vs. name brands

Trying to figure out where to spend money and where to save it is difficult sometimes. I feel like a lot of times, we get tricked into thinking that the name brand thing is the best and everything else is crap. And while that is true in some cases, it’s not true in all. Marketing is deceitful, and mostly I’ve just done this by trial and error. Figuring out what brands work best for us, which ones to spend the money for the name-brand and where to save money with the off-brand. It’s a journey I’m still on, so I thought I’d share what products we’ve used off brand that we like, and the items to go name brand on. 


This could potentially be a very long list, so I'll probably need to do this in several posts.


I'll start with the off-brand first. Most of the time, we don't feel as secure about off-brands as we do about name brands. I am guilty of this myself. But when you're on a tight budget, you learn to cut corners where you can, and sometimes that means going with a less than popular brand.


Off-brand products to try:
Feminine Products: Those name brands are costly, people, and to be honest, the off-brands are just as good.


Contact solution: I've used the off-brand for so long. Ross and I tried the name brand Renu stuff recently (that is crazy expensive), and while I like it, I'm not sure I can even tell much of a difference. So, back to the off-brand we go!


Medicines: We use the off-brand for the kids' medicines and for ours. The only type of medicine we stay away from is medicine from the Dollar Tree, because I read that most of their stuff isn't FDA approved, which freaks me out a little.


Certain foods, like milk, oats, cheese, coffee creamer, yogurt, (*this list is noncomprehensive)


Baby formula: Some people can't do this due to their sensitive little one's tummies, or for many other reasons, but we were able to use the Target brand formula with Ezra and he was just fine.


Things to buy name brand:


Cereal: Have you ever tried off-brand Cheerios? Or Cinnamon Toast Crunch? So gross. No matter what, Great Value nor Kroger brand can get it right.


Deodarant: I've tried off-brand deodorant and it just doesn't work as well. Enough said.


Camera equipment: I'm a Canon girl, and nothing else will do. Love my Canon camera and lenses!


Razors: I personally use the off-brand, and while they are fine, they really don't work as well. Those name brand razors cost a pretty penny though!


Peanut butter: I am utterly in love with Jif Natural Peanut Butter and nothing else will even compare. I've even tried other "better" brands and the off-brands too. Nothing beats Jif Natural!


More later! What about you? What off-brands do you use?

Recent Goodwill finds

I know I've talked about the Goodwill before, but I've never posted any of my finds from there. Most of the time when I go in, I walk out with something. There's always a cute, casual shirt or a fun colored cami that I don't mind spending $2 on (I just found a royal purple one, yay!). It's also a really great place to donate unwanted or unused items! I have taken numerous things there to rid my house of clutter. On my last few trips to Goodwill, I found a few great summery items.

A super comfy/cute green flowy shirt...

Comfy grey skirt from Charlotte Russe

Springy cardigans (I've also found a light green one and an orange one that I love)

And a few other items I didn't post as well. I always love it when I find a good deal on just about anything, but especially clothes. Clothes are so expensive these days!

Obviously I can't say enough about Goodwill, it's such a great organization. So everyone please shop, donate, and save a life!

Eliminating stress in small ways

No, this is not a post about the fun things I do to bring calm into my life (like a hot bath, a good book or a yummy piece of chocolate), although I do have a pretty good list of those things too. These are things that I do in my life to make my life a little less stressful and I wanted to share them.

1) I shop consignment or used for my kiddos. Since kids grow so fast, and my boys are hard on their clothes, this makes much more sense to me than buying everything new. I actually just got a lot of summer items (including sandals for Jude) at the seasonal consignment sale for under $20. This makes me very happy!

2) We rent movies (dvds)  from the library. Our local library has a pretty big movie selection and Ross and I are huge movie lovers. Watching new movies or ones we have seen a million times but still love is something we enjoy doing together. We do try to stay away from movies with nudity and/or sex, but other than that, we’ll give just about any movie a try.

3) I buy a lot of my own clothes at Goodwill. I could go every weekend, I love it that much. It’s almost like trying to find a diamond in the rough. Sometimes I will go and find nothing, other times I will go and find a bunch of great stuff. It’s one of my favorite stores, and you're helping others out by shopping there, so it's a win-win!

4) I gladly accept hand-me-downs. Shoes, clothes, furniture, if it’s something I need, can use or repurpose, I am glad to take it off your hands.

5) We watch all of our shows online.  That means no cable. While I have to admit, it would be nice to have cable, it actually is way less stressful for me for two reasons. a) For obvious budget reasons. Cable can get expensive, and that is one less thing we have to worry about, budget-wise; and the more important reason, b) I don’t see all those pesky commercials. I know material things aren’t important and don’t make us happy, but I love to shop and to spend money. Commercials just remind me of all the things I don’t have, but want so badly. And I am one of those easily swayed people who can’t determine between wants and needs. Don’t get me wrong, I know there is no way to completely eliminate media/ads/commercials, but this helps a tremendous amount.

6) Every once in awhile, we go through the kids toys and give away/sell old toys they no longer play with. This means less clutter, which means less stress for me.

This is not a complete list, but just a few quick ways I try to keep myself less stressed when it comes to money. Because let’s face it, money is an area of stress for a lot of people and their relationships. And while my life isn’t perfect on this subject by any means, I have learned a few things about staying on a budget, how hard it is, but also how beneficial it can be.