I have two teenage boys one is 17 the other 15 and then the little one who is 6 but will be 7 on the 11th, so I am on a budgett. I make sure I buy things that are on sale and buy most of my food from Save A Lot wich is a discount grocery store. But there are some things I don't mind paying full price for.






For instance:

I wont buy generic cheese.. the process cheese food is nasty.
I will pay more for low Carb beer.


Are you a tightwad? This will help you! (http://www.angelfire.com/nc/lookabills/soap.html)

What are somethings you don't mind paying a little extra for?

Hey Milani...kudos to you! I'm tight also, I've always been that way but like you, I do find that I won't always buy generic, I'll buy what tastes the best and the best value.No sense saving 29 cents if it taste like crap. Ya know? I love buy one get one freebies, I haunt the clearance aisles too! Nothing wong with it one bit !!

With prices these are these days, you have to cut down somewhere along the line. I cannot imagine what it would be like though in your situation as a single parent with three VERY FAST GROWING BOYS! Joe has a good job and I do my auctions, but still.

Oh another thing...the soap recipe...I use FELS also. If there's a stain, just wet the area and rub that in, rinse, check stain, repeat.

Another good one is to mix some IVORY dish soap with CLOROX powder bleach..make a paste, spread it on the area of stain and leave it sit over night. Takes even oil out!

I won't skimp on shampoo--it HAS to be Pantene. I won't buy store brands of body soap, but I will wait for a good sale on brand name soap use almost anything but Ivory (drying) or Zest or Irish Spring (make me sneeze!) What I do is wait for deals on stuff and scarf up as much as I have coupons for--for example, I went to Target and and got a bunch of clearance Caress and used coupons for it, etc. Brand names change packaging a lot and when they are being cleared out, I coupon or double coupon stuff all I can. I'm not brand loyal on a lot of stuff so that helps.

Maybe the three of us should go shopping...see who can be the cheapest and get the most stuff :lol: I would LOVE to do this!!

Gotta have Miracle Whip mayonaise, nothing else will do. As far as I know, that's my only "splurge"

Oh for sure Bookmistress! Gotta have my MIRACLE WHIP too! Nothing else will do it!

Do you get to shop at a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Milani?

I won't skimp on shampoo--it HAS to be Pantene. I won't buy store brands of body soap, but I will wait for a good sale on brand name soap use almost anything but Ivory (drying) or Zest or Irish Spring (make me sneeze!) What I do is wait for deals on stuff and scarf up as much as I have coupons for--for example, I went to Target and and got a bunch of clearance Caress and used coupons for it, etc. Brand names change packaging a lot and when they are being cleared out, I coupon or double coupon stuff all I can. I'm not brand loyal on a lot of stuff so that helps.

I'm with you. I splurge on bath and body works antibactarial hand soap, body lotion, bath and shower gels. I also find that high end makeup is so much better than the stuff you can get in CVS. With the exception of Covergirl outlast lipstick. :lol:

Coupons are my best friend! :lol: I love buy one get one free deals. Lets go shopping ladies!

Do you get to shop at a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Milani?

Sometimes why?

I won't skimp on shampoo--it HAS to be Pantene. s.
Here come the lecture for the hairstylist..;) Pantene is one of the worst to buy. From what I have read, it has a wax produict in it. If you want to go for the best, buy something just for your hair type at your local salon. You will see a total difference. It costs a bit moe but it is made my people who do hair not by some company that only knows what market research says sells best. ;) They can be expensixe but alot of times you can buy trial sizes to try out before you spend the cash for the full size or check out product websites.

I won't buy generic cheese either. Nor will i buy anything but ground sirloin. Mayo has to be either Miracle Whip or Heilman's. I don't buy generic cereal or cereal in a bag.

I will buy genreic canned goods, coffee, creamer, spices and pasta. To name a few.

Since I am only buying for myself, I can afford to get more name brands. But if there is no difference in taste, i will buy the generic.

Makeup..now I don't mind paying as little extra but I don't see paying $20 for foundation. I usually send 2 hours at CVS deciding what to get. I like ColorStay products. :idea: Hmm...spending that long to pick out makeup..maybe I should check out some foundation at a department store. I bet I could get a sample. I guess with foundation being the main part of the makeup up process, i could spend a little more...

I buy generic perfumes. I have a hard tme finding a scent I like. This is much better then spending $50 on something that smelled good in the store then I later, I did not like.

From the title of this thread, I though maybe Milani meant to post in the LL. :lol:

From the title of this thread, I though maybe Milani meant to post in the LL. :lol:


So did I :laugh:

Vodka.
It doesn't matter how poor you are, you should buy at least triple filtered vodka. My personal favourite is Absolut, made in Sweden you may pay a little more for it but it is worth the extra.
I can happily do without food, electricity, water, clothes, toilet paper & underarm deodarants as long as i can get my Absolut vodka.
It's a matter of taste.

I don't buy anything generic, the generic brands here are really crappy!!! I don't think I really buy anything cheap, but I don't buy the most expensive either, I would say that I usually buy moderately priced items.

Some things that I buy on the cheaper side are purfumes, but I usually get the ones that are "copies" they are around $5 and are so nice!!! And compared to the originals I can sometimes save over $100!!!!! For the same scent!!!!

From the title of this thread, I though maybe Milani meant to post in the LL. :lol:

:tsk:

But it got your attention right?
:lol:

I got hollered at for buying generic toilet paper once!:lol: ONCE.

My kids LOOOOVE the generic Mac & Cheese. :barf: They won't touch Kraft or Velveeta, but LOVE the store brands! Go figure! :lol:

I got hollered at for buying generic toilet paper once!:lol: ONCE.

My kids LOOOOVE the generic Mac & Cheese. :barf: They won't touch Kraft or Velveeta, but LOVE the store brands! Go figure! :lol:

OMG! I love the generic mac and cheese too! I looooove the Prince brand. Go figure. :lol:

Hey..maybe we can produce our own reality type show...could name it CHEAP THRILLS...THE ROADTRIP. We could go around the country hunting for bargains and comparing the products/prices/results. :)

I really like some of the generic perfumes that I can get for almost nothing at stores like DEALS...I've gotten some that really smell great! Can't beat paying only $1. Joe buys me expensive perfumes/colognes all the time and even though I like some of them, I get on to him for speding so much when I know that I could have gotten almost the same scent for so much less.

TC--great advice about the shampoo. You ought to know :)

My kids wont eat the generic Mac N Cheese they need it to have some sort of figures in it. It kills me to spend over 1.00 for that crap :lol: especially since it takes two boxes to feed them. But anything to make them happy.

I will buy generic toilet paper, their ass's can't tell the difference :lol:

I do most of my shopping at BJ's Wholesale Club or Costco. Even though it's 2 of us I prefer to buy in bulk. I don't like to shop and the less shopping I have to do the better :D I now use BJ's napkins over brand name ones I have used because I found they are just as good as name brand ones and you get more of them for less :happy: One day I tried Costco's name brand paper towels and I will not buy Bounty anymore. The Costco brand worked better, more absorbent and again were less :happy:

If I go to the grocery store if their name brand has the EXACT same ingredients (which it normally does, I read the labels ;) ) and if it is less than the name brand item, I will buy it. Sometimes name brands when they have a sale can be less than the store name brands so it all depends.

For instance, I usually buy Ore Ida fries and they were out one day and I tried the Stop and Shop store brand one. Not only were they less, but they tasted delicious :happy: Also once I went to buy swiss cheese and Kraft was out so I bought the King Kullen brand and the cheese tasted great :happy: Oh and my husband loves soda so one day I bought the store name brand which is 3 liters for 99 cents as apposed to Coke or Pepsi at 2 liters for $1.69 + and he liked it :happy: So I buy it now :) My thing is if the label has the same EXACT ingredients and is less I buy it :happy:

We aren't on a budget but if I can get the same thing for less why not :happy: I've got nothing to lose by trying it. If I don't like it, simple I don't buy it again.

Replying to TC's post about Pantene and salon shampoos. I will often go to a hair salon products supplier like Sally's Beauty Supply. I found a real bargain there on Cholesterol (which apparently is one of the only things I've found that helps my hair not be so darned tangled.) In the salon, they wanted $14 for one application. Once i found out what it was, Sally's has a big tub of it (about 20 ounces) for like $2.59 or something like that.

There is one generic that says it's like salon shampoos but better prices that I WON'T ever buy again. It's called Tresemai. My hair was like straw after I used it. Horrible stuff.

When I buy POP I have to buy name brand. The thing I never got was peope buying name brand water! It is water..all bottled water is the same. You can not make it more...wet? :lol:

A friend of mine buys that expensive water and I noticed that there were things floating in the water. At first I thought it was back wash but she states it is minerals and she pays extra to get them in there :lol: :rolleyes: Some people..

I am tight but I will not buy generic TAMPONS .. nope.. nope.. nope :lol:
I must have name brand, and I am sure ladies would agree.

I don't mind paying extra for bakery items and also nice high quality linens and drapery.

Sometimes why?

I assumed you'd do plenty of shopping at a Wal-Mart Supercenter...where the lowest prices could be had(?). (I do most of my shopping at a Wal-Mart Supercenter.)

My kids wont eat the generic Mac N Cheese they need it to have some sort of figures in it. It kills me to spend over 1.00 for that crap :lol: especially since it takes two boxes to feed them. But anything to make them happy.

Generic macaroni might taste awful.

I will buy generic toilet paper, their ass's can't tell the difference :lol:

I'll buy generic TP, too.

I am tight but I will not buy generic TAMPONS .. nope.. nope.. nope :lol:
I must have name brand, and I am sure ladies would agree.
Yep! Them generic tampoos are awful! The same for pads. You can get name brands at the Dollar Store for the same price of the generic at a regular store.

Dollar General! 3 rolls of paper towels for a buck! Why spend $1.89 for one Bounty Big Roll? Your spilled food doesn't care. :lol: Generic napkins, too.

My husband HAS to have Miracle Whip. Everything that gets made with mayo must instead be made with Miracle Whip. I have to agree with him on that one, though.

I get the Member's Mark (Sam's Club brand) toilet paper and it does what it needs to. I don't get that generic stuff because it's either sandpaper or one-ply, which saves you nothing since you use twice as much.

I won't use generic tissues, either, for that reason. Puffs or Kleenex. If someone knows of a store brand that's comparable, I'm open to suggestions. When you have a cold, your nose is already getting abused. No reason to make it bleed and burn. :lol:

I love Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret lotions & sprays. But, if something smells good to me and it's the right creamy consistency, I'll try it. Calgon has some great scents.

I'm not stuck to any one food brand, I'll try this or that to see what's just as good or what to never buy. :lol:

I'll buy the store brand macaroni & cheese, or Kraft, or Velveeta...but nothing from one of the discount food stores or a generic brand. It's a matter of preference for my kid. He's tried them all. :lol: I figure if I can have a can of Campbell's Chunky Potato Soup, he should be allowed a decent box of macaroni. :lol:

I'm not a brand snob. Whatever's good, cheap, and useful has a shot. :lol:

I never understood those people who bought stuff just because they have a coupon? :confused: If it's something you don't need or don't use, aren't you still wasting money when you buy it? I don't care if you tripled your coupon on a grand opening sale day and only paid 19 cents for a box of cornmeal...if you don't like cornmeal, you've wasted 19 cents, right?

I figure if I can have a can of Campbell's Chunky Potato Soup,


I never understood those people who bought stuff just because they have a coupon? :confused: If it's something you don't need or don't use, aren't you still wasting money when you buy it? I don't care if you tripled your coupon on a grand opening sale day and only paid 19 cents for a box of cornmeal...if you don't like cornmeal, you've wasted 19 cents, right?


MMM...I LOVE Chunky soups, sometimes you can get them for about a buck cheaper then the grocery stores at Wal-Mart.

I don't clip coupons anymore cause I always forget to use them. :( When I buy something on sale, then get it home and find the darned coupon for it, it makes me soooo mad! :grrr:

Sometimes coupons are good to try something new, then if you like it, it'll be something to look for on sale or whatever.

One other tip to save money that I thought of was:
Watch the register scanner as the clerk is totalling up your groceries, and don't be afraid to ask questions. I mean, you don't have to be nasty about it and scream at the poor person, but it pays to watch. At Kroger's grocery at least, if it scans wrong then you get the item free, well at least the first item free anyways, then every item of the same thing gets charged the right price. lol Not alot of stores do that, but I appreciate the ones that do.

:tsk:

But it got your attention right?
:lol:

:laugh: That it did! :laugh:

Generally I tend to buy budget products - what ever is cheapist, all though there are some brand names I prefer, but the price isn't that much higher.

There is one product though that I am now fussy about and that is mince. I've always bought budget mince, but in an effort to eat healthier I now insist on Premium mince with less fat. The price is obviously a fair bit higher.

I can't and wont buy generic POPCORN :hammer:
I love and am addicted to popcorn and only the best will do :D

I do prefer Puff's tissues though... I have tried other brands... Puff's are much softer on the nose :happy: I could care less about napkins, toilet paper and paper towels name brands but the tissues are important to be soft on the nose :happy:


TC I agree with you on the shampoo - conditioner issue... I have used less expensive brands just for comparison and I noticed a big difference... I buy from a beauty supply store, I got my license a long time ago and keep it active just to buy the good stuff :D

I just can't spend 10.00 or more on shampoo :( 3.00 is my limit :lol:
You have to remember I have three boys and if I bought expensive shampoo they would just waste it.
They don't realize that they don't need to use half of the bottle to wash their hair :p

I just can't spend 10.00 or more on shampoo :( 3.00 is my limit :lol:
You have to remember I have three boys and if I bought expensive shampoo they would just waste it.
They don't realize that they don't need to use half of the bottle to wash their hair :p


You can treat yourself to the good shampoo and buy other stuff for them :shh: You can hide it :D I know, kids don't realise how much things cost... When my 13 year old Godson was away for 2 weeks at camp this summer he went through 2 cans of deoderant in 1 week :lol: My sister found out the boys were spraying it on each other :lol:

I won't buy generic mac and cheese, it's either Kraft or Velveeta shells and cheese for me!

I will buy generic paper towels and napkins but I would much rather have Bounty but I am not going to pay that much for a stupid roll of paper towels.

I have to have decent shampoo and conditioner. I only buy drug store brands if I'm in a pinch. Same goes with TP. Mike laughs at me but seriously, I will not buy anything else.

I won't buy generic ketchup or orange juice. My mom is always buying that stuff and I know my dad and brothers don't notice but I will not use it. It tastes funny to me no matter how much she says it doesn't.

No generic or cheap lip gloss for me. I have bought enough tubes of it to know that it's gotta be Smackers or something along those lines. Same goes with makeup. There are a lot of low end brands I use but I would rather spend the money on Urban Decay, Sugar or Hard Candy.

So, TC and Princess, in your opinion what is the good stuff? I color my hair with my mood. I bleached it out and colored it fire engine red a few weeks ago and then colored it back black a few weeks later. In other words I need help! :lol::lol: