Generic products are the store’s brand of products. Walmart has Equate and Great Value. Sam’s Club has Member’s Mark. Costco has Kirkland and so on. Sometimes you will find generic a substantial amount less than the name brand (my sister in law bought CVS’s generic Emetrol today and saved $4), sometimes it is just a few cents cheaper and sometimes it costs more! That’s right, sometimes the generic cost more than the name brand.

Shoppers are of the mind set that you have to buy generic to save money. But couponers know that the generic is often not the best price. When you combine a sale on the name brand product with a coupon, you can usually get the name brand cheaper than you would pay for the generic.

But when you need it now and you don’t have a coupon, generic is usually the best way to go. Generic products have come a long way since we were kids. And almost every generic line of products is backed by a money back guarantee. If you don’t like the product, you can return the unused portion to the service desk for a full refund.

But always, always, look at the prices for both generic and name brand products before you buy them. I once found General Mills Wheat Chex for 50 cents less than the generic version.

If you are new to Couponing, you might want to take a moment to read more in my Getting Started Couponing series.

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