After a year and three months of being unemployed I am thankful to say that I am part of the work force again. My experience has taught me so much. It was a hard eye opening invitation to view the way I live my life and how I choose to spend money. I would find myself reflecting on how much money had passed through my hands while employed and the stupid things I purchased. Then I would look around at what I had to show for myself. What became an almost daily  pity party for my lack of fiscal responsibility turned into a life changing event.

I began doing inventory checks to see how I could increase my budget. I took stock of the items I had accumulated over the years and how often I used them. I weighed any sentimental value and ultimately sold most of them. I sold furniture and gave a lot of items to charity. Why? Because after being unemployed all material becomes just stuff. You can’t eat name brand shoes and designer bags when your belly rumbles. Designer items don’t increase in value and can’t be easily liquidated to pay for the roof over your head. Plus if you could sell everything they would most likely be sold for pennies on the dollar. I remember having a pocket book party and inviting every women I knew who had ever paid me a compliment on my designer bags.  That party was a success for me and very positive for the client who received a designer bag at a steal.Even after all of that I still had too much stuff!

I began clipping coupons. I swore up, down, and sideways that I would become an extreme coupon super woman (that didn’t come to fruition)….but I can accumulate a damn good discount on my bill. My mental math on price per unit is AWESOME!  Don’t get me wrong I still have some impulse purchases that have happened along the way but I am a far cry from the bourgeoisified chick that I used to be…I will still rock a mean pair of designer heels but instead of paying full price it may come from the seasonal sale at Nordstrom.

But there is one area that I have always struggled with; purchasing BRAND names versus OFF BRAND groceries. It has been embedded in us from youths that if a BRAND shot their logo in front of our face 20 times a day and it’s priced high it must be good. If a company has a huge advertising budget….it’s got to be great! I would rather find a BRAND named coupon than pick up an OFF BRAND item priced lower that I don’t recognize. Why am I this way with groceries? What did this company do to gain my loyalty?

Now to build a strong brand I say that you should remain relevant with a good reputation and public image, engage with your audience/ consumer, have a purpose, and fulfill on deliveries. But none of these big company’s have done that for me personally so why in my BROKE limited financial state do I support them?

The fact is that they are CONSISTENT! They consistently show my family and I what they have to offer and magically send subliminal triggers that tap into our subconscious and tell us that we need it! Not to say that there isn’t quality in the BRAND, but most items are exactly the same. It’s like generic prescriptions versus the BRAND; same medication, same dosage.  So as I am paying more attention to how I do my shopping I notice that Harris Teeter Supermarket has an off brand to Mountain Dew called Mountain Roar. I almost died laughing…but let’s not forget Food Lions, Dr. Perky.

After that in depth analysis of BRAND vs OFF BRAND I realize that the stupid names are a major deterrent to me purchasing OFF BRANDS.  What are your preferences? Do BRAND named groceries make a difference in your household?