I've found that things like pasta, oils, flour, sugar, and most canned veggies/beans/etc., it really makes no difference when you get the generic.

However, things like cheese, deli meats, bacon and sausage, frozen pizzas, and soups, it really pays to go for the brand name / reputable / etc.

Also depends heavily on the store. Here in NC, Kroger store brands tend to be consistently good, Harris Teeter and Lowe's in the middle, and Food Lion at the bottom as far as quality.

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I think you can save on everything. The question is, what attributes do you value and which do you not? Or which do you not notice or care about a change in?

America's test Kitchen strongly favors Rozini over others but maybe you don't care, pasta is pasta.

Maybe for OJ you live Tropicana, and everything else taste...off. Or you could say I don't care it is all orangy and sweet even if they taste different.

For me personally, I have found some items matter some not. You have to decide where to draw the line in the sand about taste and functionality yourself.

-Large savings off the bat: coupon shop, ignore name brand (generics), use a club sore or buy from food /bakery outlets. Bread freezes fine.
If you simply avoid buying full price, you can save a lot.

-Eggs, I always get freshest vs. cheapest (store brand or premium, I only look at the date).
-Cheese, I pick anything on a range on sale but no generic. I had bad luck with store brands ~5 years ago when I tried last.
-Fruit, I pick anything but do not pay extra for organic. Organic has no proven health benefits. But if you like the flavor better, think you should be sustainable etc. go ahead.
-Olive Oil, I buy mid-grade. Unless your buying really expensive stuff I don't think it matters. Bigger thing is if they have dark glass or bag in box packaging. Otherwise It goes rancid soon enough anyway and you should throw it after a few months open.
-Pasta, I buy Rozini because it is supposed to be better (I pay some attention to America's test kitchen). But I've never done side by side testing.

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In my experience it's very rare for our store brand (Kroger) to be inferior to the "real" brand-name equivalent. We've found a few exceptions: jam, canned refritos — but I'd say that it's ALWAYS worth trying the store brand. If you do, I predict you'll end up buying mostly store brands, with a very short list of exceptions. You'll save huge amounts of money without any sacrifice in quality.

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Try using generic frozen vegetables to replace fresh broccoli,green beans, etc. There are a lot of fairly nice frozen veggie alternatives which can save you money and time. You can store them away and not have to prep as much or worry that they'll go bad if you don't eat them right away like fresh produce.

-If you cook with olive oil, it makes no difference if it's cold-pressed, extra virgin, $1 per ounce oil. You cook out all of the divine flavors making it tantamount to the cheaper regular olive oils or even oil blends. Keep a small bottle of the good stuff for bread dipping, salads or adding to cooked food and buy the cheaper for cooking.

Also, examine your grocery lists from the last month. What do you eat the most? Of that what is costing the most? Start there and try to curb your spending where its costing the most first. See what pantry items you could conceivably make at home. I loved this article on Slate: http://www.slate.com/id/2216611/pagenum/all/. Maybe you eat lots of granola or cereal that you could make for yourself at a lower price point.

Keep us posted on what changes you make!

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It's true that not all supermarkets are created equal. Some stores are just more expensive then others.. I consistently find good deals and good quality in the store brands at a store that isn't as close as the one down the street.. but the QFC down the street seems to really mark down their "loss leaders" like milk and eggs.. and then drastically mark up everything else. Also, coupons are a great way to save. Watch for them in the mail and sunday paper! It feels good to save on something you were going to buy anyway.

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Hi

I make my own pasta, pitas, bread and etc. It's easy once you get used to it. Even if you make a mistake it's still much better than anything you can buy in a grocery store.

Oh. It's also a lot less expensive. The pitas costs around 10% - 20% of what I would pay at the grocery store.

I also make my own vegetable stock. I buy the carrots, onions and celery in bulk and freeze the excess stock. Even after it's been frozen the taste is so much better than any commercial product.

The ingredients for the stock costs around $6 to $8 and yields about 10 liters.

Good luck.

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To me, the key question is whether it's a one-note item or a more subtle, multi-layered food. For instance, salt is salt, brown sugar is brown sugar, and (for baking purposes, at least) eggs are eggs. One banana is roughly as good as another, and ground beef depends far more on its percentage of fat for flavor than anything else, especially if it's going into something strong-flavored like chili. Frozen peas are actually probably fresher than what's in the produce aisle, as long as you treat them right.

On the other hand, some foods depend on a complex harmony of flavors and textures, and the more complex it is, the easier it is to screw up. Get cheap cheese for melting on things, if you want, but the orange slabs will never taste as good as real aged Cheddar. Oil and butter for sauteeing things in are fine to buy cheap, but if it's an application where you'll taste the nuances of flavor (say, olive oil to drizzle over a simple salad), get something good.

By the way, one place to save big is with dried beans. A 1-lb bag often costs less than a dollar and will make a ridiculous quantity of tasty beans, high in protein and fiber. Mixing homemade white beans (cheap) with quality oil-packed Italian tuna (pricey) and some bottled lemon juice (cheap) and fresh parsley (cheap) is an example of a great way to highlight a beautiful ingredient in affordable surroundings.

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Buy the bag! Potatoes, onion, fruits - anything that is prebagged as to have *at least* the stated weight. Most likely you end up with more because they can't put a half an apple in the bag.

Consider eatting less extravagent. Hold off on the truffles or smoked salmon until after The Big Day. Do the usual skipping of the name branded latte and make your own. Make your own lunches. Learn to like simple foods. Most of what I consider pantry staples has Sam Walton's name on them in my house, with the exception of peanut butter. The snobs (or children if you prefer) won't go store brand on PB&J.

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I recently moved from CA to Spain. I was surprised to find that most olive oils in the grocery store aisle dedicated to olive oils (it take up at least 1 aisle side) were not Extra Virgin or Cold-Pressed. Locals seem to buy, in 3 to 5 liter tins a lower grade olive oil that isn't as strong in flavor and use it as the main cooking oil. The extra virgin, cold-pressed stuff is sold in small bottles and reserved for eating raw - like on a salad or bread.

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The dirty secret of Italian olive oil is that much of it is adulterated or counterfeited by organized crime. Even the best and most expensive stuff has on occasion been messed with. I now use Portuguese and Turkish olive oil, which is much less expensive, and frankly, more flavorful.

Trader Joe's pasta has recently won two taste tests--one against 16 other pastas, and one, conducted by me, against Ronzoni, my previous favorite. TJ's just obviously tastes better, and is only a dollar a pound. My general finding is that TJ's is always better quality dollar for dollar.

We have a two independent farm markets nearby, their fruit and vegetables are considerably cheaper and of as good a quality as the grocery chains. One is owned by Koreans, and has a marvelous fish market inside; in general, East Asians will not buy less than top quality fish, I almost always get my fish there or at the local Chinese market.

Ethnic markets are your friends, almost always cheaper and usually fresher, plus you learn about new foods and cultures. No need to buy expensive ethnic cookbooks as recipes are all over the 'net.

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I try to go for organic when it comes to fruits and veggies. Yes, they have the same nutrients as the other stuff. However they do lack pesticides and those aren't so good for me or the baby.

I can't eat wheat, rye, barley, etc. so I have to opt for the name brands that are gluten-free and state so on the packaging (like Kraft). Sometimes store brands are so vague with listing ingredients that it's really not worth the horrible scarring rashes and the 30 trips to the bathroom that comes with eating undeclared gluten.

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Oh you can never skip the olive oil, olive oil makes a meal, and here is why http://www.italianoliveoilblog.com/

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I have a confession to make... I have never used olive oil for cooking. I look at the price and cannot justify it. I have four children so feeding them gets expensive. You guys have peaked my interest, however. Am I missing something?

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