No financial Einstein here (HAH!), but you can lash yourself to the mast with this piece of truth that's surprisingly strong in virtually all situations:
None of this is permanent. None of it.
Now...what are you going to need (and I mean NEED) after it's over? Planning and acting toward what happens after gets you through a lot of ugly now, 'cause you're busy.
So get busy. Things will be different sooner than you think, and you'll want to be prepared.
I live on the outskirts of Orlando about 60-70 miles from Tampa.
While our mass transit is poor...not from lack of trying..LYNX does a FANTASTIC job with the road system they have to deal with...before I went house hunting I'd get a HART (Hillsbourough Area Rapid Transit) bus map and only look for houses in areas near the routes..otherwise you're going to be trapped in AutoWorld for transport.
As for grocery stores...Publix is the largest in Florida and also has the distinction of being the states biggest employer beating out even Disney. Corporate offices and main distribution center are in Lakeland about 35 miles from Tampa.
The cheapest place to shop is a chain called Save-A-Lot...stores tend to be rather small about the size of a Drug Store and the selection is limited to One House Brand and One Can Size but very cheap.
My family was in the Grocery Business at one time and heres the drill (for grean beans but its the same for everything)....
1/Farmer picks all his Green Beans and sends/sells them to the Packing Plant.
2/Conveyor takes them past sorters who sort out the beans that don't meet Size/Color Tolerances for (Del Monte/Libby/ pick your Name Brand) which are VERY tight.
3/ Beans that meet specs go down one canning line and come out in "name brand" labeled can.
4/ Beans that did not meet specs go down another canning line (you didn't think they threw them away did you???) where they come out usually bearing a Store or Generic Brand label.
The point being that Green Beans came from THE SAME FARM AND FIELDS.
Its just the imperfect ones end up as Store Brands or Generic Brands.
They taste as good as and are just as nutritious as the name brands...they just don't LOOK as good when you pour them out of the can.
Differences in taste usually are caused by differing amounts of salts and spices used in the processing..everyone processes or has a different idea of what the item should taste like.
I just google'd "Papa Murphy's sucks" on a whim after dealing with their incompetence locally and found this thread. What a coincidence! I waited 50+ minutes for my phone order a few weeks ago, and filled out the online comment form. A gentleman contacted me the next day from the local store and apologized profusely. He then said he's put my name "in the computer" for "a couple" free pies to keep us as customers.
"Hmmm... maybe these folks really are trying to make things right," I said to myself So tonight I swung by the store to redeem one of my freebies, and the staff looked at me like I was nuts. "Ummmmmmmm... Orrie (the customer service fellow who called me) isn't here anymore," I was told. No list of names to be found, either, and no offer for pizza. Nice. I left, and won't be back.
I have done quite a lot of cooking with stinging nettles, Once picked and well washed (with gloves on!!), most of not all the sting has gone. Gently pull off the young leaves from the top 3-4 inches of the plant. They have a taste thats a little like aspargus and spinach.
So far I have made soups in the same way you would make watercress or potatoe and leek soup but can also be chopped and added to a minestroni soup at the last minuet.
I often make a nettle puree by blanching the leaves in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then refresh in cold water, drain and squeeze out as much liquid as posable the blend to a smoothe puree with a little olive oil and sea salt. It works well served with grilled or roast lamb. The puree freezes very well and a spoonfull added to soups, cream sauces or risotto can add great colour, flavour, extra iron and a conversation piece to any dinner party.
We're in such a new financial world, that the lessons of the past, may not apply today.
The government is testing new ground, in supporting bad debts, bad debtors and bad debtees (?)
Do the old rules apply?
Phil's right... it will be difficult to spot the right place to keep your money.
We went to IBonds and feel comfortable about that, but even the Government is at risk.
The larger question, I think is whether there is any safe haven except perhaps gold?
Mentioning Pensions at risk (with investments in risky products like hedge funds and even derivatives) is just one of the many things that are and will be affected by the "bail out".
The former "safe" money holding places have not yet addressed the real value of their assets, and in particular their liquid assets.
Pension funds, endowment funds, insurance funds, and even solid gold annuity funds are all at risk when the assets that back the funds are "marked to market".
All are backed by the federal government, but this is the government that runs the Pension Benefit Guaranty Fund, FDIC, Medicare, Medicaid andSocial Security... not one of which is currently adequately funded to handle even a mild economic downturn.
The nation may be the proverbial frog in the pot of water on the stove. The change takes place below the "JND" the "just noticeable difference".
We don't take our money out, because 1. we don't have a good place to put it, because 2. we don't want to pay taxes and fees, because 3. the value will come back... "It always does." because 4. we know that our neighbor or co-worker is in the same boat, and he's hanging in there.
In the past when we didn't take our money out, it DID come back. And for the past 55 years this has been true. But... Katrina and Ike were once in a lifetime occurrences, and we're in a financial once in a lifetime experience. When the Market crashed in 1929, it never regained it's value until 1954.
Look for advice, and then look around and see what other advice is available. Don't be taken in by the calm advisor, who is reasuring you that it will all come out right in the end... unless he is going to put his personal guarantee in writing... backed by a credit check and lien on his house.
Yeah... ya have to trust someone... but it's better to spend a few anxious moments in checking out your investment decision, than to automatically let someone invest your money because its an easier thing to do.
Our Ibonds are currently paying an APR of 6.4, and we sleep well... but even at that I'm not so sure that the money is safe even there.
This isn't helpful, I know... but if it gives pause to making decisions, then it'll be worth it.
These are some great tips. One thing that I like to do is to paint one wall an interesting color. This alone, like one of the photos, can completely change the ambiance of the room. Just adding you favorite color to one wall can make you really happy. It does me!
Something that make it unnecessary to spend money (the way owning a house makes it unnecessary to pay money for rent) is also an asset. But it's only worth the avoided expense. A house that avoids $1000 in rent but that costs you $1100 in ownership-related expenses is no asset.
I also live in the greater Tampa area and shop at Publix. The best way to get good prices at Publix (yes, they are expensive) is to stock up on the Buy-One-Get-One-Free deals while using 2 coupons. They will accept a coupon on the free item, so if you have 2 coupons for the same item (I buy 2 different Sunday papers) you can get good prices on the national brands.
Thanks, Laura, I didn't see Ed's comment. Ed - I imagine that canned (jarred) baby food is safe. It's aluminum cans that you have to look out for, and I'm not sure that ALL cans have the coating - I see it, for instance, when I buy a can of green beans, but not peaches.
What I don't know about is the coating on the inside of a can of Coke. I don't even know if they are still coated the way they were back in the 80s.
As A grandmother to be I did suggest to my daughter that glass bottles would be a better alternative to plastic while the baby is still young...I had my last baby 10 y ears ago and I used glass....here in Australia do you think we could find glass baby bottles!!!!! No and the ones we did find were priced at 18.99 each not a great price considering I only paid 5.00 a bottle not that long ago I asked the chemist about the price and he said no on uses glass anymore...he said some mum's thought of it as dangerous to use in case of glass chips etc comming off. I really don't know what is "safe" these days as everythign we consume use etc seems to have some drawback to it that can cause cancer, heart problems etc etc etc....Not only with item but with our food as well.
Thanks for the informative article keep up the great work.
I wish our prices here in MT were that low. We pay at least $4.00 for a gallon of store brand milk... and this is at Wal-mart. I spend a lot of my time clipping coupons and planning around sales.
Tuna fish. I guess it's just because my mother told me this when I was a child: "Don't try to save money on tuna -- the other brands just don't taste good. Only buy Starkist."
Isn't it funny how little moments like that can shape your entire buying life? Honestly I hardly buy tuna now because of the mercury, but when I occasionally do, it's got to be Charlie the Tuna.
I stumbled across your review today and am very interested in this book. I think all of us, even people who are already doing small green things, can benefit from more tips and tricks on how to be green while saving some green! I hope to be one of your lucky winners.
However, corruption is still pretty rampant. I am sure some more people will be executed in this incident, and they probably deserve it. In America if this happens whoever involved will just get their high powered lawyer to get them out of it.
Funny, I was thinking those prices were low (I'm in NM), except for the milk. You can get a gallon here for $2.50.
I was actually really surprised to find that the cheapest source of flour in our area is the bulk section of Whole Foods. Crazy! I can buy whole wheat flour there for 47-cents a pound ($2.35 per 5lb bag.) I haven't even seen a bag a AP flour for less then $3.00 here, so I call that a deal (wheat flour runs $4.00 per bag.)
Store brands are a great way to save. Thank goodness the quality has gone up in the last 25 years. I agree with Jonathan, they used to be inedible.
I don't disagree with most of that. I would add a few caveats, though.
Municipal debt can be an excellent investment, but you need to be careful. Many municpalities and states have large pension liabilities (for policemen, firemen, teachers, and other government workers) that are not properly funded. (In many cases, even the governments have no idea how large the gap is between what they owe and how much they've put aside.) Debt owed by those entities is not going to be paid in full--the money will simply not be there.
Debt of and shares in companies that are profitable make a good long-term investment, as long as you don't pay too much. The trick is in spotting those companies that will continue to be profitable in the changing economic environment, and in knowing what's a good price.
Personally, I stay away from shorts, futures, options, and the like. They have their place in certain circumstances--I simply arrange my life so that those circumstances are rarely my circumstances. It's possible to use them to reduce risk and even to make money, but only if you're willing to commit to paying attention. If, like me, you prefer to put your investments on hold for months at a time, they're simply inappropriate.
I've had great luck with store brands for just about everything. In some cases, I actually prefer the store brands to the "equivalent" name brands (Kroger's Private Selection ice cream is great. Not Ben&Jerry's but as good as *gasp* Blue Bell for many flavors. At least in my opinion.)
That said, it still pays to pay attention to the prices. (Pun very much intended.) Sometimes sales will make the name brand less expensive than a store brand. And, by combining sales and coupons (my area will double and triple coupons to certain amounts) I can often blow store brand prices out of the water.
Ed,
Cans are coated on the inside, so that your food will not react with them. You can see it sometimes, when the inside is not quite the same color as the outside of the can.
Also: not all plastic with the #7 symbol contains BPA--#7 just means "none of the above" and is on anything that isn't 1-6.
A second on buying what my family can at Aldis, and their coffee being absolutely nasty. I am a regular, drink coffee every day at home kind of guy (not a Starbucks type of coffee drinker at all) from my Navy days, and I couldn't handle the Aldis coffee..it tasted pretty bad!
Some things you just need to stick with a 'name brand' I guess (sliced cheese is another).
My parents faced open revolt whenever they brought home store brands. I remember they were awful 25-30 years ago. Mayo that would emulsify before your very eyes, heavily flavored and colored ice cream that contained ingredients guys in space suits would need to clean up, etc. I recently started relying on store brands and honestly, it's the same stuff. The same factory makes mayo for Hellmans and for America's Choice (a Pathmark and A&P brand) only the store brand is about 50 cents less. If a store brand does the job, there is no reason to get branded.
I spent the past year in Maine (although we are now house shopping in the greater Tampa area, so would LOVE any suggestions for saving in that area) and have to say that yes, folks do pay more there, particularly those of us up north, which is where my husband and I were. The nearest Shaws was four hours south, so Hannaford was the only option other than the super small Sure Fine within a half hour. If we were willing to drive an hour, there was also a super Walmart and an IGA. But really, Hannaford was where it was at up north. It just costs more to ship things up there. That's the price we pay for a more relaxed remote lifestyle. And further south in the state there are a few more things, but not the immense competition there is in larger cities. Mary is a bit further south in the state, but still confined to fewer options than others around the country, so bear that in mind. I too have heard wonderful things about Market Basket, but alas there were none in Maine (no Save A Lot either), and I have yet to see a Market Basket here in the Tampa area either.
I do have to say though, that I was pleasantly surprised that Shaws (outrageous on many items in my opinion) actually had some decent store brand prices on a few things.
All that being said, Mary's premise is still sound. Shopping for generics is a simple way to save for those who simply don't have or are not willing to take the time to price compare or coupon clip. As for the prices I'm seeing down here, I've barely had time to compare. But I do have to say I'm finding Publix to be rather expensive compared with the other stores. Still getting the nitty gritty on specifics, but would love to hear what others have noticed. Aldi? Haven't seen it here, but am willing to put it on my radar if others have seen it in the Tampa area.
if you go to www.naturalnews.com; & other natural sites you will see that infant babies formulas have included growth hormones, & other toxins including one just declared "safe" by the FDA which is in fact not; if you google infant mortality rates you will find that the USA has the #2 spot in the world & has had for years of infants deaths; unfortunately the way the USA is run is by Corps: formaldehyde which is one of the most toxic to humans & animals on the planet is used in Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo; asparteme was approved by the FDA & it contains formaldehyde which turns is unleashed 15 minutes after drinking it causing all kinds of medical problems & death. The chemical companies do this cuz their sister company the Pharma gets 600,000 x's the cost of meds: all with Congress's full knowledge & FDA as well. Rumsfeld (prev Dept of Defense) leader was behind getting asparteme approved; one wonders if the FDA is so on the ball why are they NOT putting field workers in the fields to stop e coli & salmonella; or telling people that the simple spraying of 3% hydrogen peroxide & vinegar in seperate spray bottles is far stronger & more effective & kills both e coli & salmonella as well as a host of other nasties: than any other toxin made including clorine? if for no other reason than it doesn't make them big $ for the chemical companies or the doctors who get paid to meet quotas of prescriptions. THIS is the way the USA works people. It is not for the people at all: it is for Corps; and saddest of all: even if you have health coverage per federal law it stops once you are ill. Because the big insurance companies do NOT have to cover anything if it effects their profits.
I like the idea of sabbatical although it seems nonexistence at my place. If I want to, I would be quitting the job as taking long leaves will give the impression of lack of seriousness/commitment to the work.I will work for at least a year or 2 to save enough to fund myself on a DIY sabbatical.At the moment,I just take off-days so to recuperate and have some 'me' time doing things I like (ie:hobbies).
No financial Einstein here (HAH!), but you can lash yourself to the mast with this piece of truth that's surprisingly strong in virtually all situations:
None of this is permanent. None of it.
Now...what are you going to need (and I mean NEED) after it's over? Planning and acting toward what happens after gets you through a lot of ugly now, 'cause you're busy.
So get busy. Things will be different sooner than you think, and you'll want to be prepared.
Good luck to us all.
I live on the outskirts of Orlando about 60-70 miles from Tampa.
While our mass transit is poor...not from lack of trying..LYNX does a FANTASTIC job with the road system they have to deal with...before I went house hunting I'd get a HART (Hillsbourough Area Rapid Transit) bus map and only look for houses in areas near the routes..otherwise you're going to be trapped in AutoWorld for transport.
As for grocery stores...Publix is the largest in Florida and also has the distinction of being the states biggest employer beating out even Disney. Corporate offices and main distribution center are in Lakeland about 35 miles from Tampa.
The cheapest place to shop is a chain called Save-A-Lot...stores tend to be rather small about the size of a Drug Store and the selection is limited to One House Brand and One Can Size but very cheap.
My family was in the Grocery Business at one time and heres the drill (for grean beans but its the same for everything)....
1/Farmer picks all his Green Beans and sends/sells them to the Packing Plant.
2/Conveyor takes them past sorters who sort out the beans that don't meet Size/Color Tolerances for (Del Monte/Libby/ pick your Name Brand) which are VERY tight.
3/ Beans that meet specs go down one canning line and come out in "name brand" labeled can.
4/ Beans that did not meet specs go down another canning line (you didn't think they threw them away did you???) where they come out usually bearing a Store or Generic Brand label.
The point being that Green Beans came from THE SAME FARM AND FIELDS.
Its just the imperfect ones end up as Store Brands or Generic Brands.
They taste as good as and are just as nutritious as the name brands...they just don't LOOK as good when you pour them out of the can.
Differences in taste usually are caused by differing amounts of salts and spices used in the processing..everyone processes or has a different idea of what the item should taste like.
~ Roland
I just google'd "Papa Murphy's sucks" on a whim after dealing with their incompetence locally and found this thread. What a coincidence! I waited 50+ minutes for my phone order a few weeks ago, and filled out the online comment form. A gentleman contacted me the next day from the local store and apologized profusely. He then said he's put my name "in the computer" for "a couple" free pies to keep us as customers.
"Hmmm... maybe these folks really are trying to make things right," I said to myself So tonight I swung by the store to redeem one of my freebies, and the staff looked at me like I was nuts. "Ummmmmmmm... Orrie (the customer service fellow who called me) isn't here anymore," I was told. No list of names to be found, either, and no offer for pizza. Nice. I left, and won't be back.
These guys are utterly, completely incompetent.
I have done quite a lot of cooking with stinging nettles, Once picked and well washed (with gloves on!!), most of not all the sting has gone. Gently pull off the young leaves from the top 3-4 inches of the plant. They have a taste thats a little like aspargus and spinach.
So far I have made soups in the same way you would make watercress or potatoe and leek soup but can also be chopped and added to a minestroni soup at the last minuet.
I often make a nettle puree by blanching the leaves in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then refresh in cold water, drain and squeeze out as much liquid as posable the blend to a smoothe puree with a little olive oil and sea salt. It works well served with grilled or roast lamb. The puree freezes very well and a spoonfull added to soups, cream sauces or risotto can add great colour, flavour, extra iron and a conversation piece to any dinner party.
We're in such a new financial world, that the lessons of the past, may not apply today.
The government is testing new ground, in supporting bad debts, bad debtors and bad debtees (?)
Do the old rules apply?
Phil's right... it will be difficult to spot the right place to keep your money.
We went to IBonds and feel comfortable about that, but even the Government is at risk.
The larger question, I think is whether there is any safe haven except perhaps gold?
Mentioning Pensions at risk (with investments in risky products like hedge funds and even derivatives) is just one of the many things that are and will be affected by the "bail out".
The former "safe" money holding places have not yet addressed the real value of their assets, and in particular their liquid assets.
Pension funds, endowment funds, insurance funds, and even solid gold annuity funds are all at risk when the assets that back the funds are "marked to market".
All are backed by the federal government, but this is the government that runs the Pension Benefit Guaranty Fund, FDIC, Medicare, Medicaid andSocial Security... not one of which is currently adequately funded to handle even a mild economic downturn.
The nation may be the proverbial frog in the pot of water on the stove. The change takes place below the "JND" the "just noticeable difference".
We don't take our money out, because 1. we don't have a good place to put it, because 2. we don't want to pay taxes and fees, because 3. the value will come back... "It always does." because 4. we know that our neighbor or co-worker is in the same boat, and he's hanging in there.
In the past when we didn't take our money out, it DID come back. And for the past 55 years this has been true. But... Katrina and Ike were once in a lifetime occurrences, and we're in a financial once in a lifetime experience. When the Market crashed in 1929, it never regained it's value until 1954.
Look for advice, and then look around and see what other advice is available. Don't be taken in by the calm advisor, who is reasuring you that it will all come out right in the end... unless he is going to put his personal guarantee in writing... backed by a credit check and lien on his house.
Yeah... ya have to trust someone... but it's better to spend a few anxious moments in checking out your investment decision, than to automatically let someone invest your money because its an easier thing to do.
Our Ibonds are currently paying an APR of 6.4, and we sleep well... but even at that I'm not so sure that the money is safe even there.
This isn't helpful, I know... but if it gives pause to making decisions, then it'll be worth it.
my opinion only
These are some great tips. One thing that I like to do is to paint one wall an interesting color. This alone, like one of the photos, can completely change the ambiance of the room. Just adding you favorite color to one wall can make you really happy. It does me!
Something that make it unnecessary to spend money (the way owning a house makes it unnecessary to pay money for rent) is also an asset. But it's only worth the avoided expense. A house that avoids $1000 in rent but that costs you $1100 in ownership-related expenses is no asset.
I also live in the greater Tampa area and shop at Publix. The best way to get good prices at Publix (yes, they are expensive) is to stock up on the Buy-One-Get-One-Free deals while using 2 coupons. They will accept a coupon on the free item, so if you have 2 coupons for the same item (I buy 2 different Sunday papers) you can get good prices on the national brands.
Thanks, Laura, I didn't see Ed's comment. Ed - I imagine that canned (jarred) baby food is safe. It's aluminum cans that you have to look out for, and I'm not sure that ALL cans have the coating - I see it, for instance, when I buy a can of green beans, but not peaches.
What I don't know about is the coating on the inside of a can of Coke. I don't even know if they are still coated the way they were back in the 80s.
As A grandmother to be I did suggest to my daughter that glass bottles would be a better alternative to plastic while the baby is still young...I had my last baby 10 y ears ago and I used glass....here in Australia do you think we could find glass baby bottles!!!!! No and the ones we did find were priced at 18.99 each not a great price considering I only paid 5.00 a bottle not that long ago I asked the chemist about the price and he said no on uses glass anymore...he said some mum's thought of it as dangerous to use in case of glass chips etc comming off. I really don't know what is "safe" these days as everythign we consume use etc seems to have some drawback to it that can cause cancer, heart problems etc etc etc....Not only with item but with our food as well.
Thanks for the informative article keep up the great work.
Well As Robert Kiyosaki says it's not an asset unless it's bringing in money..
i guess with the melt down in the states we really found that out.
I wish our prices here in MT were that low. We pay at least $4.00 for a gallon of store brand milk... and this is at Wal-mart. I spend a lot of my time clipping coupons and planning around sales.
Tuna fish. I guess it's just because my mother told me this when I was a child: "Don't try to save money on tuna -- the other brands just don't taste good. Only buy Starkist."
Isn't it funny how little moments like that can shape your entire buying life? Honestly I hardly buy tuna now because of the mercury, but when I occasionally do, it's got to be Charlie the Tuna.
I stumbled across your review today and am very interested in this book. I think all of us, even people who are already doing small green things, can benefit from more tips and tricks on how to be green while saving some green! I hope to be one of your lucky winners.
The Chinese did execute their FDA lead last year: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18911849/
However, corruption is still pretty rampant. I am sure some more people will be executed in this incident, and they probably deserve it. In America if this happens whoever involved will just get their high powered lawyer to get them out of it.
Funny, I was thinking those prices were low (I'm in NM), except for the milk. You can get a gallon here for $2.50.
I was actually really surprised to find that the cheapest source of flour in our area is the bulk section of Whole Foods. Crazy! I can buy whole wheat flour there for 47-cents a pound ($2.35 per 5lb bag.) I haven't even seen a bag a AP flour for less then $3.00 here, so I call that a deal (wheat flour runs $4.00 per bag.)
Store brands are a great way to save. Thank goodness the quality has gone up in the last 25 years. I agree with Jonathan, they used to be inedible.
I don't disagree with most of that. I would add a few caveats, though.
Municipal debt can be an excellent investment, but you need to be careful. Many municpalities and states have large pension liabilities (for policemen, firemen, teachers, and other government workers) that are not properly funded. (In many cases, even the governments have no idea how large the gap is between what they owe and how much they've put aside.) Debt owed by those entities is not going to be paid in full--the money will simply not be there.
Debt of and shares in companies that are profitable make a good long-term investment, as long as you don't pay too much. The trick is in spotting those companies that will continue to be profitable in the changing economic environment, and in knowing what's a good price.
Personally, I stay away from shorts, futures, options, and the like. They have their place in certain circumstances--I simply arrange my life so that those circumstances are rarely my circumstances. It's possible to use them to reduce risk and even to make money, but only if you're willing to commit to paying attention. If, like me, you prefer to put your investments on hold for months at a time, they're simply inappropriate.
I've had great luck with store brands for just about everything. In some cases, I actually prefer the store brands to the "equivalent" name brands (Kroger's Private Selection ice cream is great. Not Ben&Jerry's but as good as *gasp* Blue Bell for many flavors. At least in my opinion.)
That said, it still pays to pay attention to the prices. (Pun very much intended.) Sometimes sales will make the name brand less expensive than a store brand. And, by combining sales and coupons (my area will double and triple coupons to certain amounts) I can often blow store brand prices out of the water.
Ed,
Cans are coated on the inside, so that your food will not react with them. You can see it sometimes, when the inside is not quite the same color as the outside of the can.
Also: not all plastic with the #7 symbol contains BPA--#7 just means "none of the above" and is on anything that isn't 1-6.
A second on buying what my family can at Aldis, and their coffee being absolutely nasty. I am a regular, drink coffee every day at home kind of guy (not a Starbucks type of coffee drinker at all) from my Navy days, and I couldn't handle the Aldis coffee..it tasted pretty bad!
Some things you just need to stick with a 'name brand' I guess (sliced cheese is another).
My parents faced open revolt whenever they brought home store brands. I remember they were awful 25-30 years ago. Mayo that would emulsify before your very eyes, heavily flavored and colored ice cream that contained ingredients guys in space suits would need to clean up, etc. I recently started relying on store brands and honestly, it's the same stuff. The same factory makes mayo for Hellmans and for America's Choice (a Pathmark and A&P brand) only the store brand is about 50 cents less. If a store brand does the job, there is no reason to get branded.
pleease i wanna know
I spent the past year in Maine (although we are now house shopping in the greater Tampa area, so would LOVE any suggestions for saving in that area) and have to say that yes, folks do pay more there, particularly those of us up north, which is where my husband and I were. The nearest Shaws was four hours south, so Hannaford was the only option other than the super small Sure Fine within a half hour. If we were willing to drive an hour, there was also a super Walmart and an IGA. But really, Hannaford was where it was at up north. It just costs more to ship things up there. That's the price we pay for a more relaxed remote lifestyle. And further south in the state there are a few more things, but not the immense competition there is in larger cities. Mary is a bit further south in the state, but still confined to fewer options than others around the country, so bear that in mind. I too have heard wonderful things about Market Basket, but alas there were none in Maine (no Save A Lot either), and I have yet to see a Market Basket here in the Tampa area either.
I do have to say though, that I was pleasantly surprised that Shaws (outrageous on many items in my opinion) actually had some decent store brand prices on a few things.
All that being said, Mary's premise is still sound. Shopping for generics is a simple way to save for those who simply don't have or are not willing to take the time to price compare or coupon clip. As for the prices I'm seeing down here, I've barely had time to compare. But I do have to say I'm finding Publix to be rather expensive compared with the other stores. Still getting the nitty gritty on specifics, but would love to hear what others have noticed. Aldi? Haven't seen it here, but am willing to put it on my radar if others have seen it in the Tampa area.
if you go to www.naturalnews.com; & other natural sites you will see that infant babies formulas have included growth hormones, & other toxins including one just declared "safe" by the FDA which is in fact not; if you google infant mortality rates you will find that the USA has the #2 spot in the world & has had for years of infants deaths; unfortunately the way the USA is run is by Corps: formaldehyde which is one of the most toxic to humans & animals on the planet is used in Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo; asparteme was approved by the FDA & it contains formaldehyde which turns is unleashed 15 minutes after drinking it causing all kinds of medical problems & death. The chemical companies do this cuz their sister company the Pharma gets 600,000 x's the cost of meds: all with Congress's full knowledge & FDA as well. Rumsfeld (prev Dept of Defense) leader was behind getting asparteme approved; one wonders if the FDA is so on the ball why are they NOT putting field workers in the fields to stop e coli & salmonella; or telling people that the simple spraying of 3% hydrogen peroxide & vinegar in seperate spray bottles is far stronger & more effective & kills both e coli & salmonella as well as a host of other nasties: than any other toxin made including clorine? if for no other reason than it doesn't make them big $ for the chemical companies or the doctors who get paid to meet quotas of prescriptions. THIS is the way the USA works people. It is not for the people at all: it is for Corps; and saddest of all: even if you have health coverage per federal law it stops once you are ill. Because the big insurance companies do NOT have to cover anything if it effects their profits.
I like the idea of sabbatical although it seems nonexistence at my place. If I want to, I would be quitting the job as taking long leaves will give the impression of lack of seriousness/commitment to the work.I will work for at least a year or 2 to save enough to fund myself on a DIY sabbatical.At the moment,I just take off-days so to recuperate and have some 'me' time doing things I like (ie:hobbies).