The Store Brand Experience

I love food; I hate paying for it. Loving a good deal as much as I do, a trip to the local grocery store most involves searching for the things on my usually poorly thought out list at the lowest price possible. Of course, my eyes always fall on those dubious store brands that promise comparable quality at a lower price.

It's not like I'm some sort of "food snob". Store brands or no-names are not beneath me. They  occasionally make an appearance in my mother's kitchen back home, so I'm familiar with such things. It just feels awkward to have to decide if that trusty major brand product is worth the extra few cents when living on a small budget. 

For example, during a recent stop at Walmart (a store I don't very much like, even though the prices is are quite nice), I stood in the cereal aisle for entirely too long, my eyes bouncing between my go-to Quaker Old Fashioned Oats and the cheaper Great Value alternative. After staring at both the retail and the unit prices and considering my small options, I left with the store brand, convinced that I made the more logical choice. Besides, I just douce my oatmeal in soy milk and smother it in peanut butter, so I don't think the brand really matters.

But there are some cases where I will accept no substitutes. On the subject of my typical morning meal, I might take knock-off oats, but I will only eat it with Silk milk and major brand peanut butter. It doesn't really matter which brand; I just go with the cheapest. My standards are not high, but they are definitely not that low. 

You can't cut all the corners. You have to treat yourself somehow.