Frugal Living Today

Breaking the brand name addiction

It all starts when we’re young.   Unbeknownst to us, we are powdered, diapered, clothed and bottle-fed brand names from day one.  That said it is no surprise that millions of adults are addicted to brand names!

Thankfully, brand name addiction is one of the easiest habits to break.  All it takes is the desire to be open to new ideas and possibilities, and in no time at all the only thing you will be missing is… come to think of it you won’t be missing out on a thing!

Slow & Easy

I understand that you’re probably nervous about going generic, but you don’t have to do it all at once - in fact this isn’t an all or nothing proposition.  You always have the choice.  Start slow, perhaps with one or two items at a time and it won’t take long for you to see just how much money you’ve been throwing away all these years.

• A good place to start is with over-the-counter medications.  The generic equivalents on the market contain all the same active ingredients at a fraction of the cost of their name brand counterparts.

• Canned goods are another great target, especially those items that are added to recipes like soups, stews and casseroles.

Buying off-brand doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go with the plain white labels tucked away on the bottom shelf.  There are plenty of mid-range choices in between, you just have to be open to looking for them.

Take a chance today, and try something new.  Odds are good that your family will never even know the difference.