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Convincing My Boyfriend To Eat Cheaper Food

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Date: 02/19/2005 Topics: Budget & Finance > Advice | Readers Request > Relationships  
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My boyfriend whom I live with only likes name brands when it comes to grocery shopping. I should mention we are on a strict budget. If I buy anything that is not name brand he will not even touch it. I myself was raised on off brand products and don't really see that big of a difference. I will say a few items I will only buy name brand, but for the most part I don't see what the big deal is. Any suggestions? Thank you.

Robin
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By camo_angels (599) Profile Contact
I like the shopping idea, when he sees how much you really stretch. The flip side of that is when he gets to be TOO frugal and looks at only price and not quality! Case in point, I write on the list Grape Juice for my DH. He brings home Grape Juice Cocktail. All he saw was the grapes and 89 cents! I wouldn't give my babies, much less him, sugar water with a drop of grape! Same with the mac n cheese debate. I bought powder mix like a fool, to only realize that the "cheese" was full of so much artificial color and other unknown stuff. I spent a lot of money buying american cheese to make homemade, then tried the store brand "velveeta" shells, SO much better and no chemical color!

Posted on 06/08/2006 | Report Spam or Abuse

By findabb (3) Contact
i tend to like name brands, but have found that most store brands are just as good if not better. It's true that a lot of store brands are really made by name brand companies - sometimes you can read on the back of the label who actually makes the product. Having him try some of the store brands is a good start - from there he can decide which ones he can live with or without. In those he can't tell a difference it makes sense to buy the cheaper. In the brands he just can tear himself from - let him keep it.

Posted on 02/23/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse

By Suzanne S. (170) Contact
I was engaged and living with a man before my husband. I am thrifty and he was not. We had the exact problem you describe. Here's what I did: We each went to the grocery store and shopped off the same list together. We purchased the SAME products. Mine were store brand, his were brand name. We went home and each prepared the exact same meal and sat down to dinner. Halfway through we switched plates. After that he started buying almost everything store brand. And if he bought name brand he paid for it himself. But like our guest said, don't try to trick him. He's an adult and shouldn't be treated as a child. Tell him why saving the money is important to you and be prepared if he won't budge to find other areas to save money in. If you plan to stay together you have to work as a team or you won't work at all. Good luck.

Posted on 02/22/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse

By Cathy (Guest Post)
Apart from refilling 'brand name' containers, I have also hidden the containers in the back of the pantry where they can't be seen, and also purchased clear plastic containers and filled them up with the product. Be sure to write the product description on the container though!

Posted on 02/22/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse

By Linda (Guest Post)
If you are sharing expenses, agree on a food budget , plan menus together, and let him be in charge of grocery shopping. You take on a different chore. Maybe when he actually gets into the market and sees the price differences, he'll decide that the difference between $1.29 sugar and 1.99 sugar is only 70 cents!

Posted on 02/19/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse

By rabbithorns (33) Contact
Give your boyfriend the money for the week's groceries with a list of foods that match your menu for the week. When he realizes he's run out of money 1/2 way through check-out, he might rethink what is possible on a limited budget.

Posted on 02/19/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse

By plantlady (Guest Post)
Most, I repeat MOST house brands are made by the "name brand" companies and they just put a different label on it. You boyfriend is stuck on the notion that "brand names" are somehow better, being sold the notion by commercials or maybe he had a bad experience as a child.

Negotiate small changes. Ask him to TRY one new food(non-name brand a week) or play a game(do a blind taste test) and see if his discerning taste buds can really tell the difference, LOL! If he still does not like the new food, try another.

Try cooking more fresh fruits and veggies too. There are no "brand names" associated with most of these and you will both be heathier for it. Or make your own brand things. Its not hard to make a lot of things. Get a cook book from a friend or relative. Cooking can be a lot of fun. If you can get him in the kitchen, cooking together can be a blast. Good luck, I know how stubborn men can be. Ask me how I know!?

Warmest Wishes,
Denise McCall
CHRISTIAN BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 800-585-5873 opt. 3 for FR*EE info pac, leave ID#3752. No sign-up fee. Cheap mthly purchase for commissions. www.get-it.net/scriptures/dmccal5348/

Posted on 02/19/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse

By VIcki (Guest Post)
Personally, I don't like many store brands either & would be mad that my partner tried to trick me, an adult quite capable of deciding what I want & don't want to eat. I also feel that I, as an adult, have the right to decide where the money I earn goes. And he has the same right. Adults should be honest with each other or it's not an trusting relationship. I would say he should buy the name brands on sale for him & you can buy store brands. Sale prices are frequently the same prices as the store brands.

Posted on 02/19/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse

By Beth (Guest Post)
One of the reasons name brands cost more is because of advertising. So when we buy them our money is going more to reimburse expenses than for superior quality. Also, many of a store's labeled products are often packaged under contract by the name brand companies! One tactic is to compare the ingredient section of labels. Often they will be almost identical. This is also effective with nonfood items...mouthwash, for example.

Posted on 02/19/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse

By lauren (Guest Post)
save boxs of what ever it is if you can
of the name brands and re fill with the off
name brands... hehehe!!

Posted on 02/19/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse

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